Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
  • G06K15/00—Arrangements for producing a permanent visual presentation of the output data, e.g. computer output printers
  • G06K15/02—Arrangements for producing a permanent visual presentation of the output data, e.g. computer output printers using printers
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
  • B41F—PRINTING MACHINES OR PRESSES
  • B41F33/00—Indicating, counting, warning, control or safety devices
  • B41F33/0036—Devices for scanning or checking the printed matter for quality control
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
  • H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
  • H04N1/00—Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof
  • H04N1/46—Colour picture communication systems
  • H04N1/50—Picture reproducers
  • H04N1/506—Reproducing the colour component signals picture-sequentially, e.g. with reproducing heads spaced apart from one another in the subscanning direction
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
  • G06K2215/00—Arrangements for producing a permanent visual presentation of the output data
  • G06K2215/0082—Architecture adapted for a particular function
  • G06K2215/0097—Printing on special media, e.g. labels, envelopes

Definitions

• the present invention relates to the general technical field of printing on a flat substrate, for example a fabric, by reference to which the present invention will be introduced, discussed, and exemplified.
• fabric is meant generically any woven or non-woven fabric.
• the invention relates more particularly to printing on a fabric of the “jacquard” type. Such a printing must make it possible to print an image, a design or colors on a pre-existing shaped pattern in the fabric.
• the term singular motif denotes both a unitary motif, unique or repeated in at least one direction or dimension of the flat substrate, for example of fabric, as well as a set of identical motifs or different from each other.
• the patterns of the "Jacquard" type are produced with different ways of interweaving the threads, thus giving the said patterns their shape, their outline and a surface or texture appearance, with a certain contrast. The patterns are therefore shaped directly in the fabric.
• the traditional printing known as "with the flat frame” is defined as being the printing in which a printing screen is used.
• the latter has a cutout in the form of a pattern.
• a mask is a more or less long strip, placed on the fabric and provided with cut patterns.
• double stencil printing is defined as being the printing in which a printing screen is superimposed on a mask, for printing by screen printing.
• Printing methods consist in precisely fixing a fabric on a table and in manufacturing very expensive printing screens which are successively arranged on the fabric so as to produce prints through said screens, in a registered manner with the fabric patterns.
• Such a method requires significant human resources to position the fabric and / or the printing screens.
• Fixing the fabric on a table is a very time-consuming manual operation.
• Such a method supposes the use of fixed-form screens which do not allow high accuracy to be obtained. We obtain an accuracy of the order of the centimeter, which can represent a significant offset during printing.
• Document EP-0 795 400 relates to a printing process for printing a substrate, in this case paper.
• the method includes digitally prerecording at least one pattern, generating a print file including data relating to the prerecorded pattern, and printing generated directly or indirectly from the print file.
• Reference patterns are recognized using a color separation technique. This technique is implemented by successively generating elementary images corresponding to shades or to superimpositions of particular shades.
• the elementary images obtained by frames, cylinders, or printing presses, are positioned in relation to each other to best approach the prerecorded reference patterns.
• the method is implemented in a printing technique, and not in a continuous printing of a fabric, on which it is necessary to locate, analyze, and treat a pattern integrated in the substrate, said pattern not necessarily repeating from identically in shape and / or position on the substrate.
• This method does not make it possible to substantially modify the geometry of a pattern to the extent that the printing press on paper used only allows the relative positioning of elementary colors to be adjusted.
• the essential object of the present invention is a method for printing any pattern on a flat substrate, for example a fabric, in a registered or marked manner with respect to any preexisting pattern on said fabric, and in particular any shaped pattern.
• the printing process consists of:
• the objects assigned to the present invention are also achieved using a “computer program” product which can be loaded directly into the internal memory of a computer, comprising portions of software code for executing the steps of the method. described below, when said program is executed on a computer.
• the present invention also relates to a printing assembly on a substrate comprising:
• - a computer connected to said camera to store and modify, if necessary, data relating to the reference pattern; - And a printer of which at least one point by point print head is controlled by a print file generated by the computer.
• the printing assembly comprises:
• a support and running means for the substrate analysis means for comparing on the one hand a prerecorded reference pattern in real time with a pattern spotted on the substrate, and on the other hand adapting or not the data relating to the reference pattern as a function of the result of the comparison ;
• the process according to the present invention has the advantage of allowing the printing of fabrics for which a recognition by transparency of the patterns fashioned in said fabric is not possible.
• Another advantage is linked to the automation of printing operations, and in particular the identification of patterns formed in the fabric.
• This automation also relates to the printing operation itself, which can be implemented directly from prerecorded instructions.
• the printing process according to the invention makes it possible to automatically perform, online, detailed work on the shape of the images to be printed, in order to obtain a precise registration with respect to the shape and the position of the preexisting pattern of the fabric.
• Such a pattern can be defined in particular with respect to the edges of the fabric.
• Another advantage of the process according to the invention lies in the possibility of combining certain steps, with traditional printing, for example using printing frames. Such a combination effectively makes it possible to obtain particular and interesting aesthetic effects.
• this reference pattern can in accordance with the invention be treated or adapted so as to best identify with the actual pattern read and recognized on the fabric.
• the image to be printed is thus completely or partially constructed as the fabric scrolls past the camera.
• the prerecorded pattern is used, which is transformed by displacement and / or deformation to be superimposed on the actual pattern formed in the fabric.
• the fabric is scrolled relative to a locating means and to a printing means, with a speed compatible with the locating speed and the printing speed.
• the printing is adapted online and this by the almost instantaneous recognition of different preexisting patterns, which may succeed or alternate on the fabric.
• the method according to the invention makes it possible to print patterns in cases where traditional printing on the screen or in the cylinder does not provide sufficient precision compared to a preexisting pattern on the fabric.
• FIG. 1 shows a flow diagram of the steps of the method according to the invention
• FIG. 1 represents a schematic flow diagram of the steps of the method according to the invention.
• one or more patterns are recorded using an image acquisition means of the camera type, connected to a computer.
• the computer using an appropriate program, therefore makes it possible to acquire 100 by image recognition a reference pattern, in digital form, and to record 101 the corresponding data N.
• These data N then allow the computer to generate 102 a reference grid T, comprising characteristic points defining the geometry of the reference pattern.
• the reference image IR, corresponding to the grid (T) is recorded 103.
• the latter can advantageously be viewed on a screen. Steps 101 to 103 above correspond to a learning phase (A) of the reference pattern.
• one or more patterns are then located in a fabric, and their position, using a camera connected to the computer, so as to identify by image recognition a set of real characteristic points for each pattern, and thus generate 201 a real grid (R) of real characteristic points.
• This real grid (R) constitutes the real architecture of the fabric motif (s).
• These steps 200 and 201 thus represent a locating phase (B) of each pattern according to the method according to the invention.
• the latter also includes a comparison and adaptation phase (C), in which the identified patterns are compared with the reference patterns for recognition purposes. Once the identified pattern is recognized, the reference pattern is adapted using the computer so as to superimpose it on the identified pattern.
• C comparison and adaptation phase
• These steps consist, on the one hand, in comparing 300 the real grid (R) with the reference grid (T), so as to determine the distance between each reference characteristic point and each corresponding real characteristic point.
• the so-called deformation mode consists in taking for reference the real grid of the fabric and in positioning the printing with respect to the actual position of a pattern formed on the moving fabric.
• “Shaped pattern” means any design, decoration, or inscription, colored or not, obtained in an integrated manner in the fabric, for example during weaving, or obtained in a reported manner, for example by printing according to any technique adapted to a textile piece.
• the deformation processing method consists, for example, in deforming the reference grid (T), by second order interpolation.
• the program loaded into the computer and comprising the instructions for recalculating the position of the characteristic points defining the reference grid, is known as such.
• the so-called centering treatment mode consists of taking the edges of the moving fabric as a pattern and positioning the print with respect to said edges. This mode can be considered as a simplified deformation mode.
• Another processing mode can consist of a combination of the centering mode and the deformation mode of the reference grid (T).
• the adaptation of the reference grid (T) thus corresponds to a mode of treatment by centering and / or by deformation of the reference grid (T).
• a treatment mode called combined consists for example in dividing a printing area of the fabric into several parts, to which the operator assigns a treatment mode. Certain parts of the reference image (IR) can thus be centered, while other parts of this same reference image (IR) can be distorted.
• This print file (FI) then makes it possible to control 401 a print head of the printer, and consequently to position said print head accordingly on the fabric.
• This printing phase (D) can, as the case may be, also be obtained without adaptation of the reference grid (T), when the grid of reference (T) and the actual grid (R) are already superimposed during the step of comparing the grids (R) and (T).
• the print file (FI) comprises, as the case may be, data relating to a mode of processing by centering, to a mode of processing by deformation, or to a combination of said modes.
• the printing method consists in dividing the image to be printed into different areas, in assigning a processing mode to each area, and in prioritizing the printing of the different areas so as to print said areas according to a determined order, and this generally in a printing operation.
• the printing process makes it possible, for example, to apply and superimpose different layers of color on the same portion of fabric.
• This portion comprises for example a partial overlap of printing areas, to which are assigned respectively different processing modes.
• the order or the relative priority of printing of such areas is determined and calculated as a function of the desired final result, for example of the desired aesthetic effect, and possibly of the adaptation operation or operations which have been undertaken.
• the printing can, for example, take account of a particular shape and / or of a superposition of different colors. When there is an overlap, the last printing layer dominates and hides the other layers.
• the printing is obtained by ink jet.
• the method also consists in recalculating with the computer the color of the pixels of the print file, starting from the recorded pixels of the reference pattern, and taking into account the mode of adaptation of the reference grid.
• the modification of the position of the reference characteristic points, to take account of the change in shape of the shaped pattern relative to the reference pattern, also results in a new calculation of each pixel. We can thus reconstruct an image faithful to the reference pattern, but whose shape takes account of that of the shaped pattern.
• This step also corresponds to an additional adaptation 500 of the reference grid (T), shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1, which should be implemented after phase (C) of comparison and adaptation.
• the invention also relates to a “computer program” product which can be loaded directly into an internal memory of a computer.
• This “computer program” product thus comprises portions of software codes for the execution of the steps of the method according to the invention, previously described with reference to FIG. 1, when said program is executed on a computer (not shown ).
• FIG. 2 schematically represents an exemplary embodiment of a printing assembly or equipment for implementing the printing method according to the invention.
• the printing assembly comprises a support and scroll means 3 making it possible to support and scroll the fabric 2. This means is known as such.
• the printing assembly comprises a camera 4 for locating the patterns formed on the fabric 2.
• a lighting device 6 is also provided.
• the direction of travel of the fabric 2 is shown diagrammatically by the arrow (F).
• a computer whose internal memory is loaded with a program allowing the execution of the steps of the method described with reference to FIG. 1 is identified in FIG. 2 under the reference numeral 50.
• the computer 50 is connected to the camera 4, stores and modifies, if necessary and as before, the data N relating to the reference pattern, and the printer 81 comprises at least one print head 8 point by point, controlled by a print file (FI) generated by the computer 50.
• FI print file
• the printing assembly comprises a coding means 10 connected to the computer 50, making it possible to identify and measure the progress of the fabric on its support, and to trigger the acquisition of the patterns shaped by the camera 4.
• the printing assembly operates for example by printing successive bands on the fabric 2, scrolling with determined advancement steps.
• the acquisition of data relating to the location (recognition and position) of the patterns shaped by the camera 4 also takes place according to such advancement steps.
• the fabric 2 advances by a determined pitch, orthogonally to the direction of movement of a print head. This scrolling of the fabric 2 is then interrupted for the time necessary to print a corresponding strip of the fabric 2.
• the camera 4 is associated with the lighting device 6 consisting for example of light-emitting diodes or high-frequency neon lights. The lighting is preferably grazing with respect to the fabric 2 to bring out more the contrast of the shaped patterns with respect to the rest of the fabric.
• the computer program controlling the printing process recognizes the variations in contrast in order to determine the shape or the outline of a identified shaped pattern, and this for the purpose of recognition among the prerecorded reference patterns.
• the program therefore searches for the characteristic points of the pattern shaped by a traditional method of shape recognition.
• the latter consists in identifying all of the shapes of a given pattern, the respective centers of gravity of which will be the characteristic points of said pattern. Many shapes can be detected, making this location particularly precise.
• the set of characteristic points of the patterned pattern identified thus constitutes a frame called above real grid.
• FIGS. 5 and 6 represent another example of implementation of the printing method according to the invention in which the mode of processing by deformation of a pattern is used.
• the position of the real characteristic points 30 is compared in real time with respect to the position of the reference characteristic points 21 of the reference pattern 20. It is thus possible to verify whether the real (R) and reference ( T) overlap. In the example of FIG. 5, this is not the case and it can be seen that all the reference characteristic points 21 projected onto the fabric 2 do not overlap the real characteristic points 30.
• the computer determines a new position, by calculation for certain reference characteristic points 21, so as to superimpose them on the corresponding real characteristic points 30.
• the reference grid (T) is thus deformed in real time, to generate the print file (FI).
• FIGS. 7 to 9 represent a complementary example of implementation of the printing process according to the invention, in which the combined processing mode is used (centering and deformation) with examples of shape for the reference patterns 20 and for shaped patterns 2c in the fabric 2.
• the reference pattern 20 consists of a first reference pattern 20a which is centered relative to the edges 2a , 2b, without undergoing deformation.
• the reference pattern 20 also consists of a second reference pattern 20b which is adapted according to the deformation treatment to be superimposed on the shaped patterns 2c.
• the second reference pattern 20b comprises an element 22 which is very clearly offset from the shaped pattern 2c. This offset is shown by dotted lines in FIG. 8.
• the step of adapting the second reference pattern 20b therefore makes it possible to deform the element 22 so that the printing area which it defines is superimposed on the pattern. shaped 2c.
• Printing is then undertaken from the printing file (FI) comprising modified data (N), relating to the two processing modes.
• the fabric 2 printed in FIG. 9 is thus obtained.
• Figures 10, 1 1 and 12 show by way of example a variant implementation of the method according to the invention. This process is completed compared to the example described in Figures 7 to 9, insofar as it allows a hierarchy of printing of different areas.
• the first reference pattern 20a which is centered relative to the edges 2a, 2b, has an additional design 23.
• the second reference pattern 20b is adapted according to the deformation treatment in accordance with the corresponding description of FIGS. 7 to 9.
• data taken on the one hand from the registered reference patterns and on the other hand from the identified shaped patterns are taken into account in order to define two printing areas corresponding respectively to the first and second reference patterns 20a, 20b .
• Prioritization consists in printing the printing area corresponding to the centering processing mode as a priority, and then printing the printing area corresponding to the deformation processing mode.
• the element 22 is thus obtained, merged with the shaped pattern 2c, which is entirely printed and the shape of which partially hides the additional design 23.
• the reference pattern 20 is therefore reproduced at best taking into account the positioning of the shaped patterns 2c in the fabric 2.
• the method according to the invention makes it possible to create original designs whose graphics are closely linked to weaving. A printing precision of less than 0.2 mm is obtained. It is for example possible to print a rider on a horse woven in fabric 2. We obtain a perfect registration of all the details. One thus obtains superimposable and / or complementary images, to constitute the final pattern on the fabric.
• the method according to the invention can implement traditional printing with a flat frame, and this from the data in the print file (FI).
• a command file is generated which is capable of controlling a machine for manufacturing screens or printing masks.
• the printing implemented according to the invention can combine an inkjet mode and a traditional mode, for example with a flat frame.
• the advantages of the two modes can then be combined to obtain new and original graphic effects.
• the printing assembly according to the invention can also be used as a simple device for centering the fabric 2 and advantageously replace heavy mechanical centering methods.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Multimedia (AREA)
• Signal Processing (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
• Quality & Reliability (AREA)
• Ink Jet (AREA)
• Treatment Of Fiber Materials (AREA)
• Record Information Processing For Printing (AREA)
• Inking, Control Or Cleaning Of Printing Machines (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (1)

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ID=8849390

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• 2000
  • 2000-04-18 FR FR0005001A patent/FR2807705B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2001
  • 2001-03-30 AU AU48436/01A patent/AU4843601A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2001-03-30 US US10/257,683 patent/US6792865B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2001-03-30 EP EP01921444A patent/EP1276619A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2001-03-30 WO PCT/FR2001/000970 patent/WO2001078992A1/fr not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2001-03-30 JP JP2001576275A patent/JP2004501000A/ja active Pending
  • 2001-03-30 CN CN01809817.7A patent/CN1430555A/zh active Pending
• 2004
  • 2004-08-09 US US10/913,482 patent/US20050011386A1/en not_active Abandoned

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