Determining positioning of a handheld image translation device

This application is a non-provisional patent application of US Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 891,328 filed February 23, 2007, claiming priority in this Provisional Patent Application Specification. The entire specification of this provisional patent application is incorporated herein by reference, excluding any inconsistencies with this specification.

An embodiment of the present invention relates to the field of image translation, and more specifically to a method of grasping the position of a handheld image translation device.

Conventional printing devices utilize a mechanically operated carriage that transports the printhead in a linear direction as other mechanisms move the medium in the orthogonal direction. Images can be generated as the printhead moves over the medium. Mobile printers have been developed with technology that reduces the size of the operating mechanism. However, the principles that allow relative motion between the printhead and the medium remain the same as in conventional printing devices. Therefore, these mechanisms impose restrictions on the size of the printer and thus the materials available for the medium.

A handheld printing device has been developed that appears to allow an operator to operate the handheld device on the medium to print an image on the medium. However, these devices fail when the operator moves the device in an unexpected non-linear manner. Due to the movement of the device by various operators, including the rotation of the device, it is difficult to know the exact position of the printhead. This type of positioning error can also adversely affect print quality.

Some handheld scanners developed acquire images from symmetric media. During the scan, the image sensor records the image data together with the position grasping data captured by the position grasping sensor surrounding the image sensor. The accumulated image data is associated with the position and recorded as deformed image data. The deformed image data is processed after acquisition and provided as a corrected image in which rotational deformation is corrected. In this correction process, stitching of the final image is also performed by utilizing the overlapping area of the acquired image data.

While this process is useful in the case of scanning, it has other challenges in the case of printing. For example, in the printing process, the position grasping process of the handheld printing device must be performed before the entire scanning of the medium is completed. In addition, composite images will often not be available.

At least some embodiments of the present invention are based on the technical task of providing a handheld image translation device capable of accurately grasping the position (including translation and rotation) of the device during the printing process. More specifically, the control blocks of the handheld image translation (IT) device in various embodiments of the present invention control a communication interface for receiving images from an image source and a plurality of first navigation sensors and second navigation sensors. Take each of the first navigation measurement results and multiple second navigation measurement results, determine the translation of the handheld IT device with respect to the reference position, at least partially based on the multiple first navigation measurement results, and rotate the handheld IT device. The position module, the image, the translation determined for the handheld IT device, and the handheld IT device were determined based on the multiple first navigation measurement results and the multiple second navigation measurement results at least in part. It comprises a rotation and a print module that loads the print material on the medium, at least in part.

In some embodiments, the position module further accumulates a first gradual translational change between successive navigation measurement results among the plurality of first navigation measurement results, and the plurality of second navigation measurement results. Accumulate the second gradual translational change between the continuous navigation measurement results. The position module further determines the rotation of the handheld IT device based, at least in part, on the comparison between the accumulated first incremental translation and the cumulative second incremental translation.

In some embodiments, the first gradual translational change and the second gradual translational change are changes in the first coordinate value (x value in the Cartesian coordinate system) and / or the second coordinate value. Includes changes (y value in Cartesian coordinate system).

In some embodiments, the position module further determines the position of the printhead based at least in part on the determined translation and rotation of the device, and the print module further determines the position of the printhead. Place the print material on the medium, at least in part.

In some embodiments, the position module further builds a reference position based at least in part on the proximity of the handheld IT device to the medium.

Image translation devices according to various embodiments are further disclosed. The image translation device includes a printhead having a plurality of nozzles, a first navigation sensor and a second navigation sensor, and a control block, which is a communication interface for receiving an image from an image source and a first navigation. Control the sensor and the second navigation sensor to take each of the multiple first navigation measurement results and the multiple second navigation measurement results, and translate the handheld IT device with respect to the reference position into at least a portion of the multiple first navigation measurement results. Position modules that determine the rotation of the handheld IT device based on, at least in part, on multiple first navigation measurement results and multiple second navigation measurement results, and the image received by the communication interface. Controlled printheads to load print material on media by a nozzle selected from multiple nozzles, at least in part, based on the translation determined for the handheld IT device and the rotation determined for the handheld IT device. It may have a print module to be used.

In some embodiments, the position module further accumulates a first gradual translational change between successive navigation measurement results among the plurality of first navigation measurement results, and the plurality of second navigation measurement results. Accumulate the second gradual translational change between the continuous navigation measurement results.

In some embodiments, the position module is also a handheld IT device, at least in part, based on a comparison between the cumulative first incremental translational change and the cumulative second incremental translational change. Determine the rotation of.

In some embodiments, the first gradual translational change and the second gradual translational change include a change in the first coordinate value and / or a change in the second coordinate value.

In some embodiments, the image translation device position module further positions the printhead based on, at least in part, the translation determined for the handheld IT device and the rotation determined for the handheld IT device. decide.

In some embodiments, the position module further builds a reference position based at least in part on the proximity of the handheld IT device to the medium.

In some embodiments, both the first navigation sensor and the second navigation sensor are located on the first surface of the printhead.

Further, various embodiments of the present invention disclose printing methods using handheld image translation devices. The method consists of receiving an image from an image source, taking multiple first navigation measurement results and multiple second navigation measurement results, and translating the handheld IT device with respect to the reference position, and multiple first navigation measurement results. At least partially based on the rotation of the handheld IT device, and at least partially based on the multiple first navigation measurement results and the multiple second navigation measurement results, and the received image. It comprises a step of loading the print material on the medium, at least in part, based on the determined translation and the determined rotation.

In some embodiments, the stages of determining rotation are a stage of accumulating a first gradual translational change between successive navigation measurement results among a plurality of first navigation measurement results and a plurality of second navigations. It may have a step of accumulating a second gradual translational change between continuous navigation measurement results in the measurement results. In addition, it may have a step of comparing the accumulated first gradual translational change with the cumulative second gradual translational change.

In addition, various embodiments of the invention disclose machine-accessible media associated with instructions. When the associated instruction is executed, the handheld image translation (IT) device is made to receive an image from the image source, take multiple first navigation measurement results and multiple second navigation measurement results, and handheld IT for the reference position. Device translation is determined at least partially based on multiple first navigation measurements, and handheld IT device rotation is at least partially based on multiple first navigation measurements and multiple second navigation measurements. To place the print material on the medium, at least in part, on the received image, the determined translation, and the determined rotation.

In some embodiments, when the associated instruction is executed, the handheld IT device accumulates a first gradual translational change between successive navigation measurement results among multiple first navigation measurement results. By accumulating the second gradual translational change between consecutive navigation measurement results among the plurality of second navigation measurement results, The rotation of the handheld IT device is determined by comparing the accumulated first gradual translational change with the accumulated second gradual translational change.

Further, in various embodiments of the present invention, another handheld image translation device is disclosed. The handheld image translation device is a means of receiving an image from an image source, a means of taking a plurality of first navigation measurement results and a plurality of second navigation measurement results, and a plurality of first translations of the handheld IT device with respect to a reference position. Means to determine at least partly based on navigation measurement results, and means to determine the rotation of the handheld IT device based on at least partly based on multiple first navigation measurement results and multiple second navigation measurement results, and print. The head may be provided with means for loading the print material on the medium, at least in part, based on the received image, the determined translation, and the determined rotation.

In some embodiments, the means for determining rotation are a means of accumulating a first gradual translational change between successive navigation measurement results among a plurality of first navigation measurement results and a plurality of second navigations. Consecutive navigation in the measurement results A means of accumulating the second gradual translational change between the measurement results, and a second gradual translational change in which the accumulated first gradual translational change is accumulated. You may have a means of comparison.

Other features that are considered to be features of the embodiments of the present invention are also described in the appended claims.

The present invention will be described by way of exemplary embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings without any limitation, but in the accompanying drawings, similar elements are given similar reference numbers.<figref num="1">FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of a system including a handheld image translation device according to various embodiments of the present invention.</figref><figref num="2">FIG. 3 is a bottom view of a handheld image translation device according to various embodiments of the present invention.</figref><figref num="3">FIG. 3 is a top view of a handheld image translation device according to various embodiments of the present invention.</figref><figref num="4">It is a flow diagram which shows the position grasp process of the handheld image translation device by various embodiments of this invention.</figref><figref num="5">It is a figure which graphically expresses the position grasping process of the handheld image translation device by various embodiments of this invention.</figref><figref num="6">It is a flow diagram which shows the printing process of the handheld image translation device by various embodiments of this invention.</figref><figref num="7">A computing device capable of implementing a control block of a handheld image translation device according to various embodiments of the present invention is shown.</figref>

In the following detailed description, the attached drawings which form a part thereof are referred to, but the same members are given the same reference numbers in the attached drawings in general, and specific embodiments in which the present invention can be carried out as an example. Is shown. Other embodiments can be used as long as they do not deviate from the scope of the present invention, and structural or logical changes can be made. Therefore, the following detailed description should not be understood in a limited sense and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

The phrase "one embodiment" or "one embodiment" in the specification means that at least one embodiment includes a particular feature, structure, or property described in the context of that embodiment. Means. The phrase "in one embodiment" is found throughout this specification, but these are not necessarily the same, but they may be.

The phrase "A and / or B" means (A), (B), or (A and B). The phrase "A, B, and / or C" means (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B, And C). The phrase "(A) B" means (AB) or (B), meaning that A is optional.

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a system 100 including a handheld image translation (IT) device 104 according to various embodiments of the present invention. The IT device 104 may include a control block 108 that includes a member designed to allow accurate and precise positioning of the input / output (I / O) member 112 at all IT processing stages. As described below, this positioning process will certainly allow the IT device 104 to translate images on a truly mobile and versatile platform.

As used herein, the term image translation may mean converting an image that exists in a particular context (eg, in a medium) into an image in another context. For example, the IT process may be a scan process. In this case, the target image (the image existing on the physical medium) is scanned by the IT device 104, the acquired image corresponding to the target image is generated, and the acquired image is stored in the memory of the IT device 104. In another example, the IT process may be a print process. In this case, the acquired image (for example, the image existing in the memory of the IT device 104) can be printed on the medium.

The control block 108 may include a communication interface 116 that communicatively connects the control block 108 to the image transfer device 120. The image transfer device 120 may include any kind of device capable of transmitting and receiving image data (or image data) related to IT processing. The image transfer device 120 may include a general-purpose computing device (for example, a desktop computing device, a laptop computing device, a mobile computing device, a personal digital assistant, a cellular phone, etc.), or data such as image data. It may be a detachable storage device for storing (for example, a flash memory data storage device). If the image transfer device 120 is a removable storage device (eg, a universal serial bus (USB) storage device), the communication interface 116 is a port (eg, a USB port) of an IT device 104 designed to receive the storage device. Can be linked to.

The communication interface 116 may include a wireless transceiver that makes a communicable connection with the image transfer device 120 over a wireless link. Image data may be transmitted wirelessly over the link by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies in the radio, infrared, or microwave spectrum.

Wireless links can help bring mobility and versatility to IT devices 104. However, in some embodiments, in addition to / instead of this, a wired link may be utilized that communicatively connects the image transfer device 120 to the communication interface 116.

In some embodiments, the communication interface 116 is an image transfer device 120 by one or more wired and / or wireless networks including, but not limited to, personal area networks, local area networks, wide area networks, metropolitan area networks, and the like. May communicate with. Data transmission includes multiple standards and / or specifications including but not limited to 802.11, 802.16, Bluetooth®, GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), CDMA (code-division multiple access), Isanet, etc. It may be done to be compatible with any of them.

When the IT process includes a print process, the communication interface 116 may receive image data from the image transfer device 120 and transmit the received image data to the mounted image processing module 128. The image processing module 128 may process the received image data so that subsequent printing processing can be facilitated. Image processing techniques can include dithering, decompression, halftone, color plane separation, and / or image storage. In various embodiments, some or all of these image processing may be performed by the image transfer device 120 or another device. After that, the processed image may be transmitted to the I / O module 132 that can function as the print module of the present embodiment, and is cached here in anticipation of the print process.

Although the I / O module 132 can control the I / O member 112, it may receive position grasp information from the position module 134 indicating the position of the printhead of the I / O member 112 with respect to the reference position. The position module 134 may control one or more navigation sensors 138 to take navigation measurement results that track the incremental movement of the IT device 104 with respect to the reference position.

In some embodiments, the navigation measurement result may be a navigation image of a medium adjacent to the IT device 104. In these embodiments, the navigation sensor 138 may include one or more image navigation sensors. The imaging navigation sensor includes a light source such as a light emitting diode (LED), a laser, etc., and an optoelectronic sensor that captures a series of navigation images of adjacent media as the IT device 104 moves over the medium. sell.

The position module 134 can process the navigation image to detect structural changes in the medium. The fluctuating structural changes in the continuous image may indicate that the IT device 104 is moving relative to the medium. By tracking this relative motion, it is possible to promote accurate position grasping determination of the navigation sensor 138. The navigation sensor 138 can calculate the exact position of the I / O member 112 by maintaining a structurally strong relationship with the I / O member 112.

In other embodiments, non-imaging navigation sensors (eg, accelerometers, gyroscopes, pressure sensors, etc.) may be utilized in addition to / instead of taking navigation measurement results.

The navigation sensor 138 may have operating characteristics sufficient to track the movement of the image translation device 104 with the desired accuracy. In one example, the image navigation sensor is capable of processing approximately 2000 frames per second, each frame containing a rectangular array of 30x30 pixels. Each pixel can detect a 6-bit grayscale value (eg, 64 different levels of patterns).

Once the I / O module 132 receives the position grasp information, the position of the printhead may be linked with a part of the processed image having the corresponding position. The print module then controls the printhead to place the print material on a medium adjacent to the IT device 104 to represent the corresponding portion of the processed image.

The printhead may be an inkjet printhead having a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink droplets. The ink may be contained in a reservoir or cartridge and may be in any of black and / or a plurality of various colors. A common, full-color inkjet printhead can have multiple nozzles for cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks. In other embodiments, other printing techniques can be utilized, such as toner-based printers such as laser printers or LED printers, solid ink printers, die-sublimation printers, ink-free printers, and the like.

In embodiments where the IT processing includes scanning processing, the I / O module 132 can function as an imaging module and be communicably linked to one or more optical imaging sensors on the I / O member 112. The optical imaging sensor may include a plurality of individual sensor elements to capture a plurality of surface images of a medium adjacent to the IT device 104. Each surface image can be referred to as a component surface image. The I / O module 132 can generate a composite image by synthesizing the component surface images. The I / O module 132 may receive the position grasp information from the position module 134 to promote the composition of the component surface image into the composite image.

Optical imaging sensors may have higher resolution, smaller pixel size, and / or higher optical requirements than imaging navigation sensors. The optical imaging sensor may capture an image of the surface of the medium itself while the imaging navigation sensor captures details about the structure of the underlying medium.

In embodiments where the IT device 104 can scan full-color images, the optical imaging sensor may have sensor elements that scan various colors.

The composite image acquired by the IT device 104 may then be transmitted to the image transfer device 120 by, for example, e-mail, facsimile, file transfer protocol, or the like. The composite image may additionally / instead be stored locally by the IT device 104 for review, transmission, printing, etc. that may be performed later.

In addition to (or instead of) acquiring the composite image, an imaging module may be utilized to calibrate the position module 134. In various embodiments, if the position module 134 loses sight of the reference point in the track, the image processing module 128 creates a component surface image (individually, in some group, or as a composite image as a whole). By comparing with the printed image, the cumulative position grasp error can be corrected and / or the orientation of the position module 134 can be changed. This can occur, for example, when the IT device 104 is removed from the medium during IT processing.

The IT device 104 may include a power source 150 coupled to the control block 108. The power source 150 may be a mobile power source such as a battery, a rechargeable battery, a solar power source, or the like. In other embodiments, the power source 150 regulates the power supplied by, in addition to, or instead of, another component (eg, an image transfer device 120, a power cord connected to an alternating current power (AC) outlet, etc.). It's okay.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the IT device 200 according to various embodiments of the present invention. The IT device 200 may be substantially interchangeable with the IT device 104 and may include a first navigation sensor 204, a second navigation sensor 208, and a printhead 212.

Navigation sensors 204 and 208 may be utilized by a position module (eg, position module 134) to determine position grasp information for the printhead 212. As described above, by fixing the print head 212 in a positional relationship close to the navigation sensors 204 and 208, the position grasp of the print head 212 can be promoted by the information acquired by the navigation sensors 204 and 208.

The printhead 212 may be an inkjet printhead having a plurality of nozzle rows for inks of different colors. In particular, as shown in FIG. 2, the printhead 212 has a nozzle row 212c for cyan ink, a nozzle 212m for magenta ink, a nozzle row 212y for yellow ink, and a nozzle row 212k for black ink. Can have.

In FIG. 2, the nozzle rows 212c, 212m, 212y, 212k are arranged in rows by color, but in other embodiments, the natural movement of the IT device 200 on the medium allows the appropriate amount of the medium to be appropriate. Nozzles of various colors can be matched to increase the chances of color ink being placed.

In another embodiment, the IT device 200 may include an optical imaging sensor adjacent to the nozzle array.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the IT device 200 according to various embodiments of the present invention. The IT device 200 has various user inputs and outputs and provides functions enabled by using the IT device 200. Some examples of inputs and outputs that can be used to provide some of the basic functionality of the IT device 200 may include IT control inputs 304 and display 308 that initiate / resume printing and / or scanning. Not limited to them.

The display 308 may be a passive display, an interactive display, or the like, and may provide various information to the user. The information includes the current operating status of the IT device 200 (eg, printing, scanning, print ready, scan ready, image data receiving, image data sending, etc.), battery power, errors (eg, positioning / printing). / Error scanning, etc.), instructions (for example, "Place the IT device on the medium before starting IT processing", etc.). If the display 308 is an interactive display, a control interface may be provided in addition to or instead of the IT control input 304.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram 400 showing a position grasping process of the IT device 200 according to various embodiments of the present invention. At block 404, for example, by invoking the IT control input 304, the position grasping process may start with the start of the printing process. The location module within the IT device 200 may set a reference position (block 408). The reference position may be set when the IT device 200 is placed on the medium at the start of IT processing. This is by the user instructed to activate the IT control input 304 when the IT device 200 is deployed, and / or as a prerequisite for performing the positioning process with the proper placement of the IT device 200. Confirmation may be made by handling. In some embodiments, the proper placement of the IT device 200 may be automatically determined by navigation sensors 204 and / or 208 and / or other sensors (eg, proximity sensors).

Once the reference position is set in block 408, the position module uses the navigation sensors 204 and 208 to determine position grasp information such as translation or rotation change from the reference position and to obtain the determined position grasp information. May be sent to the I / O module (block 412). The translational change may be determined by tracking the incremental change in the position of the navigation sensor in the two-dimensional coordinate system (eg Δx and Δy). The rotational change may be, for example, an angular change in the IT device 200 with respect to the y-axis (eg, ΔΘ). These translational and / or rotational changes can be determined by the position module comparing the continuous navigation measurements taken by the navigation sensors 204 and 208 to detect these movements. This process will be further described in detail with reference to FIG.

An embodiment of the present invention describes an example of tracking an IT device in a two-dimensional coordinate system, but in other embodiments, the track may be performed in a three-dimensional coordinate system.

FIG. 5 is a graphic representation of the position grasping process of the IT device 200 according to various embodiments of the present invention. At the start (eg t = 0), the sensors 204 and 208 may be in the starting positions indicated by 204 (t = 0) and 208 (t = 0), respectively. For example, in a continuous time interval of t = 1-4, sensors 204 and 208 may move to the end positions indicated by 204 (t = 4) and 208 (t = 4), respectively. The "start position" and "end position" used in the description of the present embodiment are used for this particular process and do not necessarily mean the start or end of the print process or other position grasping process.

Sensors 204 and 208 can take navigation measurement results while moving, for example, at each time interval t = 0-4. This measurement period can be synchronized between the sensors 204 and 208, for example, by hard-wiring the imaging signals transmitted by the position module. The measurement period can be changed and determined based on a set period, detected movements, or other triggers. In some embodiments, each of the sensors 204 and 208 may have different measurement periods that may or may not be based on different triggers.

The navigation measurements taken are used by the position module to determine the translation and rotation of the IT device 200 with respect to the reference position of the IT device 200 (eg, sensors 204 (t = 0) and 208 (t = 0)). Good. In some embodiments, the translation of the device 200 may be determined by analyzing the navigation measurement results from the first sensor (eg sensor 204) and the rotation of the device 200 may be determined by analyzing the second sensor (eg sensor 204). It may be determined by analyzing the navigation measurement result from the sensor 208). In particular, in some embodiments, the rotation of the IT device 200 compares the translational information obtained from the navigation measurement results obtained from the sensor 208 with the translational information obtained from the navigation measurement results obtained from the sensor 204. It may be decided by doing. Making decisions about both translation and rotation of the IT device 200 may allow accurate positioning of all nozzles of the printhead 212.

The translation of sensors 204 and 208 may be determined within a world space (ws) coordinate system (eg, a Cartesian coordinate system). In particular, the translational value may be determined by a two-dimensional ws coordinate system (eg, x-axis and y-axis in FIG. 5). For example, the position module may accumulate incremental Δx and Δy over consecutive periods to determine the total translation of sensors 204 and 208 from time zero to time 4. The cumulative change of sensor 204 is Δx₁And Δy₁The cumulative change of sensor 208 is Δx₂And Δy₂May be called. The sensors 204 and 208 may be separated from each other by a distance d minutes. The rotation Θ of the IT device 200 may be determined by the following equation.<maths num="1"><img file="JP2010522650A_D0001.tif" /></maths>

In some embodiments, sensors 204 and 208, respectively, may report incremental delta values for their respective coordinate systems, after which they are mapped to the ws coordinate system and the ws translation and / or rotation values are May be provided.

As shown in Equation 1, the rotation Θ is partially obtained by including the distance d in the denominator of the arcsin value. Therefore, if the distance d is large, the rotation Θ can be determined more accurately for any sensor resolution. Therefore, in the IT device 200 design, the distance d may be constructed, at least in part, based on the resolution of the data output from the sensors 204 and 208. For example, if the sensors 204 and 208 have a resolution of about 1600 counts per inch, the distance d may be about 2 inches. In embodiments with this sensor resolution and distance d, the rotation Θ can be calculated accurately up to about 0.0179 degrees.

In the embodiment of FIG. 2, both the sensors 204 and 208 are located on the first surface of the printhead 212, but other configurations can be utilized to maintain the desired distance d. For example, the sensors 204 and 208 may be placed on different faces of the printhead 212. The configuration can be selected based on the purpose of the particular embodiment. For example, placing both sensors 204 and 208 on the same side of the printhead 212 reduces ink contamination of the top of sensors 204 and 208 during printing and before printing a second time in the same area. Allows time to dry the ink on the medium (wet medium can cause more drag as the member passes through the partially printed zone). In another example, placing the sensors 204 and 208 on opposite sides of the printhead 212 facilitates edge detection of the medium.

Referring to FIG. 4, following the position determination in block 412, the position module may determine in block 416 whether the position grasping process is complete. If the position grasping process has not been completed yet, the process may loop back to block 412. When it is determined that the position grasping process is completed, the process may be terminated at block 420. The end of the position grasping process is linked to the end of the print process, which will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram 600 showing the printing process of the IT device 200 according to various embodiments of the present invention. The printing process begins at block 604. The print module may receive the processed image from the image processing module at block 608. Upon receiving the processed image, the display 308 may indicate at block 612 that the IT device 200 is ready for printing.

The print module may receive the print command generated by the user invoking the IT control input 304 at block 616. The print module may receive position grasp information from the position module at block 620. The print module may determine in block 624 whether or not the print material should be placed in place. The decision as to whether or not to place the print material may be made according to the total drop volume at that position and the amount of volume previously placed.

If it is determined in block 624 that there is no more printing material to be loaded, the process may proceed to block 628 to determine whether the printing process is complete. If at block 624 it is determined that there is still more print material to load, the print module at block 632 will generate and transmit a control signal to the printhead to eject the print material from the nozzles, thereby printing the appropriate amount. The substance may be placed.

As can be seen, the position module makes decisions about the translation and rotation of the IT device 200 before the print module controls the printhead to load the print material. In order for the position grasp information to continue to faithfully represent the printing decision, it would be preferable to make the position grasp information decision as soon as possible after the acquisition of the navigation measurement result on which it is based. Therefore, translation and rotation calculations may be performed in real time based on the data accumulated at that time. Rotational values are not determined retroactively based on translational and comprehensive accumulation of image data as was done when scanning the device with the prior art described above.

The determination in block 628 as to whether or not the printing process is completed may be made by comparing all printed volumes to all scheduled print volumes. In some embodiments, the printing process may end even if the total printed volume is less than the total planned volume. For example, in one embodiment, even if the total printed volume is 95% of the total planned printing volume, it may be considered that the printing process is completed. However, the distribution of residual volumes can also be considered in the print end analysis. For example, if 5% of the residual volume is distributed to a relatively small area, it may not be considered that the printing process is finished.

In some embodiments, the end of the print job may be established by the user manually canceling the process.

If it is determined at block 628 that the printing process is finished, the printing process may be finished at block 636.

If at block 628 it is determined that the print process has not finished, the print process may loop back to block 620.

FIG. 7 shows a computing device 700 capable of implementing control blocks according to various embodiments (eg, control block 108). As shown, in embodiments, the computing device 700 includes one or more processors 704, memory 708, and bus 712 that are connected to each other as shown. In addition, the computing device 700 includes a storage device 716 connected to each other, one or more I / O interfaces 720, and the elements described above. The components of the computing device 700 may provide the printing and / or positioning function of the control block of the IT device described herein.

Memory 708 and storage device 716 may specifically include temporary and permanent copies of code 724 and data 728, respectively. Code 724 may include instructions that, when accessed by processor 704, cause the computing device 700 to perform the processes described for the various modules of the control block according to embodiments of the present invention. The processing data 728 may include data to be processed by the instruction of code 724. In particular, access to processor 704 code 724 and data 728 may facilitate the printing and / or locating process described herein.

Processor 704 may include one or more single-core processors, multi-core processors, controllers, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and the like.

The memory 708 may include random access memory (RAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), synchronos DRAM (SDRAM), dual data rate RAM (DDRRAM), and the like.

Storage device 716 may include, but is not limited to, disks and related drives (eg, magnetic, optical), USB storage devices and related ports, flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), non-volatile semiconductor devices, etc. Or it may include peripheral storage devices. The storage device 716 may be a storage resource that is a physical part of the computing device 700, or may be accessible (but not necessarily a part) by the computing device 700. For example, the storage device 716 may be accessed by the computing device 700 over the network.

The I / O interface 720 may include peripheral hardware (eg, I / O member 112, navigation sensor 138, etc.) and / or an interface that communicates with a remote device (eg, image transfer device 120).

In various embodiments, the computing device 700 may have more or fewer elements and / or may have a different architecture.

Although illustrated and described herein with respect to specific embodiments, those skilled in the art and others will appreciate various alternative and / or equivalents without departing from the scope of the invention. Understand that the specific embodiments illustrated and described can be replaced with. The present application is intended to cover all conforming or modifying examples of the embodiments described herein. Therefore, the invention is expressly and intended to be limited only by the claims and their equivalents.