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EP-4518304-B1 - INSPECTION APPARATUS AND INSPECTION SYSTEM

EP4518304B1EP 4518304 B1EP4518304 B1EP 4518304B1EP-4518304-B1

Inventors

  • ICHIHASHI, YUKICHIKA

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240821

Claims (9)

  1. An inspection apparatus (200) comprising: receiving means (221) configured to receive a first image; registration means (223) configured to generate a second image in which multiple first images are continuously arranged based on the first image if the received first image meets a predetermined condition to register the second image as a sample image; a reader (225) configured to read a read image: and inspection means (223) configured to inspect a print based on the sample image and the read image read by the reader from the print resulting from formation of an image on a sheet by image formation means.
  2. The inspection apparatus (200) according to Claim 1, wherein the second image is an image generated through image combining so that the multiple first images are continuously arranged based on the first image.
  3. The inspection apparatus (200) according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the sheet is roll paper, and wherein the reader (225) reads the roll paper that is being conveyed by a size of the second image.
  4. The inspection apparatus (200) according to any of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the predetermined condition is that a size of the first image be smaller than a minimum size that is capable of being inspected by the inspection means in the inspection apparatus (200).
  5. The inspection apparatus (200) according to any of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the registration means (223) registers the first image as the sample image if the received first image does not meet the predetermined condition.
  6. The inspection apparatus (200) according to any of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the registration means (223) generates a third image that includes the multiple first images and that is different from the second image based on the first image if the received first image meets the predetermined condition to register the second image and the third image as the sample images, and wherein the inspection means (223) inspects the print based in the read image, the second image, and the third image.
  7. The inspection apparatus (200) according to Claim 6, wherein the third image is registered as the sample image of a final page of the print.
  8. The inspection apparatus (200) according to any of Claims 1 to 7, further comprising: display control means (223) configured to display a window on a display (226), wherein the display control means is configured to display at least one of: the first image on an inspection registration window used in inspection of the print by the inspection means; the read image read in a size of the second image on a window on which an image that is being inspected is displayed; and the read image including a defect found by the inspection means in a size of the first image on a window on which an inspection result by the inspection means is displayed.
  9. An inspection system comprising an inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present disclosure relates to an inspection apparatus and an inspection system. Description of the Related Art Digital printers using an electrophotographic technology, an inkjet technology, or the like, which is called Print on Demand, are commonly used as production equipment alternative to offset print mainly in printing industries. The digital printers are required to inherit high quality of offset printers to efficiently produce prints. In order to achieve both guarantee of print quality and productivity, inspection apparatuses that inspect the image quality of prints during printing have been proposed in recent years. In the inspection apparatus, an image produced by scanning a print in advance or a raster image processor (RIP) image during printing is generated as a sample image and an image produced by scanning the print during printing is generated as an inspection image. In the inspection, the generated sample image of a page is compared with the generated inspection image of the same page. If any difference exists between the sample image and the inspection image, notification of the difference to a user interface, exclusion of a page of a print including any defect as a waste sheet, marking of the defect, and so on are performed. In the inspection apparatus, an exclusion-making device is frequently provided on a conveyance path about 1,000 mm behind the portion where the inspection image is scanned. Accordingly, it is necessary to shorten the inspection time by the inspection apparatus to perform real-time inspection in which any defect detected by the inspection apparatus is notified before the print passes through the exclusion-making device. In the case of roll label printing using continuous paper, a method is used in which detection marks called eye marks are added to images corresponding to one page and the pattern is separated using the detection marks as trigger signals to perform a detect inspection for each eye mark (refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2011-158421). It is necessary to print multiple copies to inspect all the copies in the inspection. It is necessary for an inspection apparatus to perform image comparison of all the multiple prints with a defect inspection program and to determine whether any defect is detected for each page. Accordingly, it is necessary for a resource (for example, a memory or a graphics processing unit (GPU)) used for the real-time inspection to finish the inspection of the previous page before the inspection of the next page is started. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention in its first aspect provides an inspection apparatus as specified in claim 1. Optional features are specified in claims 2 to 8. The present invention in its second aspect provides an inspection system as specified in claim 9. Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is an example of a schematic diagram illustrating the entire configuration for describing embodiments.Fig. 2 is an example of a schematic diagram illustrating the circuit configuration of each apparatus for describing the embodiments.Fig. 3A to Fig. 3C are examples of diagrams illustrating the respective programs for describing the embodiments.Fig. 4 is an example of a sequence chart for describing registration of a print sample image in a first embodiment.Fig. 5 is an example of a flowchart for describing Step S1005 in the first embodiment.Fig. 6A to Fig. 6F are examples of operation windows and an inspection result window for describing the embodiments.Fig. 7 is an example of a flowchart for describing Step S1008 in the first embodiment.Fig. 8A to Fig. 8J are examples of schematic diagrams for describing the print sample image in the embodiments.Fig. 9 is an example of a sequence chart for describing an inspection process in the first embodiment.Fig. 10 is an example of a schematic diagram for describing a scanned image in Step S5003.Fig. 11 is an example of a flowchart for describing Step S1005 in a second embodiment.Fig. 12 is an example of a flowchart for describing Step S1005 in a third embodiment.Fig. 13 is an example of a flowchart for describing Step S1008 in the third embodiment. DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present disclosure will herein be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating the entire configuration of an image inspection system (a print inspection system) for describing the embodiments. In the following description, a print apparatus 100 may be called an image formation apparatus, a printer, a multifunction apparatus, or a multifunction peripheral. A personal computer (PC) 300 is connected to the print apparatus 100 via a local area network (LAN) 400. In addition, an inspection apparatus 200 is connected to the LAN 400. Th