WO1997031332A1 - Procede et appareil pour la verification d'une impression - Google Patents

Procede et appareil pour la verification d'une impression Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO1997031332A1
WO1997031332A1 PCT/GB1997/000522 GB9700522W WO9731332A1 WO 1997031332 A1 WO1997031332 A1 WO 1997031332A1 GB 9700522 W GB9700522 W GB 9700522W WO 9731332 A1 WO9731332 A1 WO 9731332A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
code
printer
dot
character
human
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/GB1997/000522
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Robert Squires
Original Assignee
Domino Printing Sciences Plc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Domino Printing Sciences Plc filed Critical Domino Printing Sciences Plc
Priority to EP97905267A priority Critical patent/EP0883858A1/fr
Publication of WO1997031332A1 publication Critical patent/WO1997031332A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J29/00—Details of, or accessories for, typewriters or selective printing mechanisms not otherwise provided for
    • B41J29/38—Drives, motors, controls or automatic cut-off devices for the entire printing mechanism
    • 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
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06V—IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING
    • G06V10/00—Arrangements for image or video recognition or understanding
    • G06V10/98—Detection or correction of errors, e.g. by rescanning the pattern or by human intervention; Evaluation of the quality of the acquired patterns

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for verifying the quality of printed characters and, more particularly, for verifying the readability of characters.
  • a dot matrix printer is used, as well as for printing a character-based human-readable code, also for printing a corresponding dot code immediately alongside the character-based code, and the dot code is scanned and verified by machine.
  • the printer may be an ink jet printer, say of drop- on-demand or continuous type, or may be a conventional impact printer, but any type of dot matrix printer, ie one in which characters or marks are made by a plurality of individual pixels or dots, may be used.
  • the printer is one in which individual pixels or drops at a particular position in the print are printed from a single respective print element. This maximises detection of errors in the human-readable code.
  • the dot code is printed after the character-based code, so that deterioration of printing during the printing process affects the dot code more seriously.
  • identical dot codes may be printed both on each side of the human-readable data, ie both before and after printing of the character-based, human- readable code, for added security, as erratic printing errors may be detected more easily and differences between the dot codes printed can be used as a determination of printing errors.
  • Dot codes are not capable of being read easily by the human eye, but can provide a large amount of information in a small space.
  • Systems exist for accurate interpretation of dot-coded data which are considerably cheaper than verification systems for character-based codes, because they do not need to 'interpret' the characters.
  • dot codes must be highly accurately formed, the readability of the dot code can be used to verify the readability of the character-based code adjacent to it. In other words, if the dot code can be decoded meaningfully by the system, then it can be ensured that the character-based code is legible.
  • the invention relies on the fact that if the inkjet or other dot matrix printer fails to print correctly the dots which it uses to form the character-based, human- readable codes and the dot codes, the dot code will be detected as having deteriorated, before the character- based data is illegible to the human eye, since machine decoding of the dot codes is more sensitive to errors than the human reading of the character-based code is to errors detected by the human eye and brain which can 'interpret' characters which are quite badly misformed.
  • the system can be extremely sensitive and can provide a measure of verifiability which errs on the side of caution.
  • Apparatus may comprise a dot-matrix printer adapted to print a dot code immediately adjacent a character-based, human-readable code and means for reading the dot code to determine its readability, non-readability of the dot code being used to indicate illegibility of the character-based code.
  • Non-readability may be determined in accordance with asuitable algorithm, so that a predetermined degree of non-readability is required before the character-based code is determined to be illegible.
  • Figure 2 illustrates apparatus for reading the dot codes and rejecting items with labels having degraded dot codes.
  • a character-based, human-readable code 12 in this example formed by conventional alphanumeric characters 13 , is shown juxtaposed to a dot code 14 on a label 11.
  • the label 11 will be one of a series attached to packages(not shown in figure 1) , for example which contain pharmaceutical products, to provide information to the user, via the alphanumeric characters, as to the content, etc. of the package.
  • the codes will be applied to the labels 11 either before or after attachment of the labels, but usually during the production process, so that the information on the labels is contemporaneous with the filling of the packages.
  • the codes are applied by a continuous ink- jet printer which can achieve the very high speed printing required to keep pace with a production line.
  • the character-based and dot codes may be applied directly to the packages.
  • the dot code 14 is shown printed to one side of the character-based code 12
  • identical dot codes could be printed on each side of the human-readable data, ie both before and after printing of the character-based code, for added security.
  • the apparatus comprises a vision system 1-6 (for example a DMR 600 high performance data matrix reader from Acuity Imaging Inc.) having a CCD camera 1 which is focussed on the production line so as to view the labels 11 of the individual packages 15 as they pass by the camera, together with circuitry which includes image capture hardware 2. Threshold analysis, conversion of the image to a bit image and decoding are achieved in components 3,4,5 respectively, which may alternatively be a PC or PLC (programmable logic controller) .
  • a vision system 1-6 for example a DMR 600 high performance data matrix reader from Acuity Imaging Inc.
  • CCD camera 1 which is focussed on the production line so as to view the labels 11 of the individual packages 15 as they pass by the camera, together with circuitry which includes image capture hardware 2. Threshold analysis, conversion of the image to a bit image and decoding are achieved in components 3,4,5 respectively, which may alternatively be a PC or PLC (programmable logic controller) .
  • the images of the dot codes from the CCD camera 1 are translated, using threshold analysis, and converted to bit images which are then decoded to determine the data that has been decrypted from the encrypted dot codes.
  • bit image When the bit image is decoded, there may be bits which are set when they should not be set or bits that are clear (not set) but which should be set and this information is used in the decoder 5 to determine the clarity of the dot code by means of a complex, but known, algorithm.
  • the output of the decoder 5 is applied to an error threshold level detector 6 and, depending on the output level, ie whether the number of errors detected by the detector 6 is above or below a preset threshold level, a signal is provided or not respectively to a reject mechanism 7 of an appropriate form which will depend on the package shape, size, strength etc.
  • the reject mechanism 7 will be actuated to remove packages from the production line according to the preset error threshold, so that these can either be re-labelled or else checked visually by a human operator. Since rejection will occur long before the quality of the human readable has deteriorated to the point where it is illegible to the human brain, a substantially fail-safe readability system can be provided.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Quality & Reliability (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • Accessory Devices And Overall Control Thereof (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un procédé et un appareil pour vérifier la lisibilité d'un code de caractères lisible par l'homme, imprimé par une imprimante par points. Le procédé comprend les étapes consistant à imprimer le code de caractères lisible par l'homme à l'aide d'une imprimante, à imprimer un code de points correspondant immédiatement le long du code de caractères, et à balayer et vérifier le code de points à l'aide de la machine. L'appareil comprend des moyens pour effectuer les étapes susmentionnées.
PCT/GB1997/000522 1996-02-26 1997-02-25 Procede et appareil pour la verification d'une impression WO1997031332A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP97905267A EP0883858A1 (fr) 1996-02-26 1997-02-25 Procede et appareil pour la verification d'une impression

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GBGB9603998.7A GB9603998D0 (en) 1996-02-26 1996-02-26 Method of and apparatus for print verification
GB9603998.7 1996-02-26

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1997031332A1 true WO1997031332A1 (fr) 1997-08-28

Family

ID=10789391

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/GB1997/000522 WO1997031332A1 (fr) 1996-02-26 1997-02-25 Procede et appareil pour la verification d'une impression

Country Status (3)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0883858A1 (fr)
GB (1) GB9603998D0 (fr)
WO (1) WO1997031332A1 (fr)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2016009188A1 (fr) * 2014-07-14 2016-01-21 Enable (Marketing & Promotions) Ltd. Améliorations associées au marquage d'identificateurs uniques sur des articles
EP3139315A1 (fr) * 2009-12-22 2017-03-08 Inexto Sa Procédé et appareil permettant de définir des articles manufacturés et de stocker des données relatives aux articles manufacturés
US12079190B2 (en) 2009-12-22 2024-09-03 Philip Morris Usa Inc. Method and apparatus for storage of data for manufactured items

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0592238A2 (fr) * 1992-10-09 1994-04-13 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Reconnaissance optique de caractères vérifiables
WO1995000337A1 (fr) * 1993-06-17 1995-01-05 The Analytic Sciences Corporation Systeme automatise de controle de la qualite d'impression

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0592238A2 (fr) * 1992-10-09 1994-04-13 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Reconnaissance optique de caractères vérifiables
WO1995000337A1 (fr) * 1993-06-17 1995-01-05 The Analytic Sciences Corporation Systeme automatise de controle de la qualite d'impression

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
D. S. GARRISS: "BAR-CODED DELIMITERS FOR OCR-CODED INFORMATION", IBM TECHNICAL DISCLOSURE BULLETIN, vol. 20, no. 11b, April 1978 (1978-04-01), NEW YORK US, pages 4891, XP002031632 *

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP3139315A1 (fr) * 2009-12-22 2017-03-08 Inexto Sa Procédé et appareil permettant de définir des articles manufacturés et de stocker des données relatives aux articles manufacturés
US11797512B2 (en) 2009-12-22 2023-10-24 Philip Morris Usa Inc. Method and apparatus for storage of data for manufactured items
US12079190B2 (en) 2009-12-22 2024-09-03 Philip Morris Usa Inc. Method and apparatus for storage of data for manufactured items
WO2016009188A1 (fr) * 2014-07-14 2016-01-21 Enable (Marketing & Promotions) Ltd. Améliorations associées au marquage d'identificateurs uniques sur des articles

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB9603998D0 (en) 1996-04-24
EP0883858A1 (fr) 1998-12-16

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