Identification of recording media

BACKGROUND

[0001] The present invention relates generally to devices and methods for identifying media and more specifically to devices and methods for identifying recording media in a printer or reproduction device.

[0002] Modern printing devices, for example, ink jet and laser printers, print on a wide range of print media. Such media include plain paper, glossy or coated papers, and plastic films including overhead transparency film. For optimal print quality, operating parameters of these printers can be adjusted to meet the requirements of each print medium. Parameters in the image rendering process, in a host computer or in an “on-board” computing engine in the printer, also depend upon media type. For example, the “gamma” (i.e., tone reproduction curve) used for reflective prints (on paper and other reflective media) is different than that used for transparency media. This is required to adapt the printed image to the characteristics of the human visual response under different lighting and viewing conditions. Therefore, both the recording process in the printer and the image rendering process, in a host computer or on-board computing engine, may require knowledge of media type for optimal print quality.

[0003] The software controlling the rendering process and the printer, including the printer driver, sometimes gives the user the opportunity to specify the recording medium. Parameters of the rendering and recording processes are then adjusted according to the recording medium and the quality mode selection. However, users may not always make the correct choice. In addition, specifying the choice is often inconvenient when multiple copies on different media are desired as occurs when overhead transparencies and hardcopy for handouts must be produced from the same data file.

[0004] One approach to this problem is to use recording media marked by machine-readable, visible, near-visible, or invisible marks forming bar codes or other indicia that specify media type and automatically provide process information to the printer. While this offers a practical solution, not all media available to the user will contain these codes.

[0005] Other approaches known in the art distinguish between two broad classes of media, transparency film and paper. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,339, to Courtney et al. discloses a sensor that measures diffuse and specular reflectivity of print media to discriminate between paper and transparency film and to determine the presence of the print medium. Other art cited in Courtney et al. deals mainly with analyzing specular reflections over an area. U.S. Pat. No. 5,323,176 to Suguira et al. describes a printer with means to discriminate between “ordinary printing paper” and “overhead projection transparency film” on the basis of its transparency or opacity. However, the prior art, which relies on gross properties of the print medium either in reflection or in transmission does not allow finer distinctions of the media. Additionally, in particular, the prior art fails to allow a differentiation dependent upon directionality in surface feature granularity, fails to allow a differentiation dependent upon directional structure manufactured into media surface, or both. Further, the existing techniques are typically limited to comparisons of the specular reflections to static, predetermined references for the determination of various recording media.

[0006] What is needed are apparatus and techniques to overcome these shortcomings to better distinguish the types of recording media.

SUMMARY

[0007] The present invention relates to a method and device for identifying recording media. In one embodiment of the present invention, a first illumination source is disposed near a media illumination zone providing light incident on the media illumination zone at a first angle of incidence. A second illumination source is disposed near the media illumination zone providing light incident on the media illumination zone at a second angle of incidence. An image sensor is positioned to receive scattered light from the illumination zone, the image sensor producing signals in response to the received light. Finally, a processing device receives signals corresponding to outputs of the image sensor. The signals are processed to identify a surface placed within said illumination zone.

[0008] In another embodiment of the present invention, a method of identifying recording media in a printer is disclosed. First, a first illumination source is selected to illuminate a surface of the recording medium at a first plane of incidence. The surface is illuminated from the aid selected plane of incidence. Next, a second illumination source is selected to illuminate the surface of the recording medium at a second plane of incidence. The surface is illuminated from the selected second plane of incidence. Then, the light from the surface is sensed by an image sensor. Responsive to the light from the surface, signal is produced. Then, the signal is processed to form a characteristic vector. Finally, the characteristic vector is compared with a plurality of reference vectors characteristic of different recording media to determine media type.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

P-0009[0009]FIG. 1A is a schematic view of the illumination sources and photodetector array, according to a portion of one embodiment of the present invention;

P-0010[0010]FIG. 1B is a schematic view of a portion of the illumination sources and photodetector array, according to another embodiment of the present invention;

P-0011[0011]FIG. 1C is a diagram illustrating the angles and planes of incidence in one embodiment of the present invention;

P-0012[0012]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the components of the recording media identification device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

P-0013[0013]FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of the characteristic values used to identify recording media.

P-0014[0014]FIG. 4 is one example of a printer including the recording media identification device of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

P-0015[0015] A method and device for identifying recording media in a printer is described below. The method is based on imaging the fine structure of the recording media. Plain and special papers as well as photographic papers and other recording media have a detailed structure that when viewed under magnification and suitably illuminated is useful for discrimination between media types.

P-0016[0016] Visible features used for media identification result from choices of illumination source and imaging optics, and the optimal choice can be different for each medium. Different media can produce different features not only by using different illumination angles-of-incidence but also by using different orientations of the plane of incidence used for the illumination. Bond paper has a rich surface structure with characteristic feature sizes in the range between about 1 and 100 μm. In addition, it can have a granular directionality that shows up under different directions of illumination about the surface normal. When these features are highlighted with grazing light (light that has large angles of incidence relative to the surface normal), this light interacts with the bulk of paper fibers at or near the surface to create contrast-enhancing shadows much larger than the diameters of individual fibers. Viewed with resolution-limiting optics, only the larger shadow features are seen and produce an image unique to bond paper. Thus, a preferred choice for bond paper is grazing illumination and low-resolution optics that together highlight the lower spatial frequency features. Use of low-resolution optics has the additional benefit of permitting a relatively deep depth-of-field.

P-0017[0017] When bond paper is illuminated at higher angles off the paper surface (lower angles of incidence relative to the normal to the surface) and imaged with higher magnification, the higher spatial frequency features caused by individual fibers will have lower contrast. Moreover, since higher magnification is associated with a shallower depth-of-field, imaging with high magnification requires tighter alignment tolerances on the distance from the optics to the surface of the medium.

P-0018[0018] Photographic paper typically has closely spaced microscopic pits or depressions on the surface, but does not show much directionality. When normally incident illumination is used on photographic paper, light that is specularly reflected (or scattered) off the peaks and interiors of such pits, in directions normal or slightly perturbed from the normal, produces a feature-rich and high-contrast image with characteristic feature dimensions on the order of five microns. Thus, a preferred choice for photographic paper is normally incident illumination with higher magnification.

P-0019[0019] Coated media and the surfaces of transparencies are relatively smooth and flat but often have some small and shallow holes, although with relatively sparse distributions, that can be imaged with some detectable contrast by using grazing illumination and a low or high magnification.

P-0020[0020] According to an aspect of the present invention, a suitable compromise enables a device for identifying recording media to use a single choice of imaging or detection optics in combination with both normal and grazing incidence illumination to image distinguishing features of bond paper, coated paper, photographic paper, and transparencies.

P-0021[0021] As described further below, in addition to discriminating on the basis of feature dimensions, different media may be distinguished directly or by comparisons of such properties as optical density of features, spatial frequency of features, total reflectivity, scattering efficiency, color, wavelength dependence, contrast range, gray-scale histograms, and dependence on orientation of planes of illumination incidence.

P-0022[0022] The recording media identification device of one embodiment of the present invention includes one or more illumination sources as shown schematically in FIG. 1A wherein only one of multiple planes of illumination incidence is shown. Three sources of illumination <b>12</b>, <b>14</b>, and <b>16</b>, are directed at recording medium <b>10</b>, supported on a media path (not shown). The transmission illuminator <b>12</b> is positioned below the recording medium <b>10</b> such that light from source <b>12</b> is collimated (or otherwise directed) by illumination optics <b>13</b> and passes through the medium <b>10</b> within illumination zone <b>11</b>. The illumination zone is that area of the medium <b>10</b> that scatters light from one or more illuminators such that the scattered light is detected by a sensor. Grazing illuminator <b>14</b> provides light on the medium <b>10</b> within the illumination zone <b>11</b> at a grazing angle of incidence. Light from grazing illuminator <b>14</b> is collimated (or otherwise directed) by illumination optics <b>15</b> and/or by optics included in illuminator <b>14</b>. The grazing angle, which is the complement of the angle of incidence, is preferably less than about thirty degrees. To obtain higher contrast, preferably, the grazing angle is less than about sixteen degrees. Light from the illuminators <b>12</b>, <b>14</b>, <b>16</b> can have different wavelength distributions compared to each other.

P-0023[0023] The illumination source <b>16</b> for normal incidence illumination (i.e., perpendicular to the plane of medium <b>10</b>) is also illustrated in FIG. 1A. Light from normal illuminator <b>16</b>, collimated or otherwise directed by illumination optics <b>17</b>, is redirected by a beam splitter <b>18</b> to illuminate the medium <b>10</b> at normal incidence placed within an illumination zone <b>11</b>.

P-0024[0024] Focal lengths of the illumination optics <b>13</b>, <b>15</b>, and <b>17</b> are implementation dependent; however, in experiments, focal lengths of 10 mm to 16 mm have been successfully used.

P-0025[0025] The recording medium identification device further includes a photodetector array <b>22</b>, also referred to as an image sensor <b>22</b>, shown at the top of FIG. 1A. Light from the grazing angle illuminator <b>14</b>, for example, which is scattered by the medium from within the illumination zone <b>11</b>, passes through the beam splitter <b>18</b>, an aperture <b>21</b>, and imaging optics <b>20</b>, and is detected by the photodetector array <b>22</b>. The photodetector array <b>22</b> similarly senses reflected light from normal illuminator <b>16</b> and transmitted light from illuminator <b>12</b>. In an alternative geometry, normal illuminator <b>16</b>, illumination optics <b>17</b>, and beam splitter <b>18</b> could be positioned much further above the plane of medium <b>10</b> such that beam splitter <b>18</b> is between photodetector array <b>22</b> and imaging optics <b>20</b>, with appropriate modifications to the optic powers of normal illuminator <b>16</b> and illumination optics <b>17</b>. In tests, an aperture stop of about 2 mm in diameter, providing front numerical aperture of about 0.1, has been used. In yet another alternative geometry, the position in FIG. 1A of the group of elements <b>16</b> and <b>17</b> could be interchanged with the group of elements <b>20</b>, <b>21</b>, and <b>22</b>, relative to the beam-splitter <b>18</b>. A beam division beam splitter, or other beam selecting device such as a rotatable wheel of multiple apertures and/or mirrors, can be used in place of beam splitter <b>18</b>. Or, beam splitter <b>18</b> can alternatively be eliminated altogether by placing both the illuminator <b>16</b> and its optics <b>17</b> along a first optical axis, placing the photodetector array <b>22</b> and its imaging optics <b>20</b> and aperture <b>21</b> along a second optical axis, and tilting these two optical axes approximately an equal angle away from the normal to the medium surface and from one another, wherein both of these axes remain intersecting within the illumination zone <b>11</b>.

P-0026[0026] The photodetector array <b>22</b> (also referred to as photodetection array, photosensor array, or photosensing array) is an array of optoelectronic image sensing devices, elements, or cells, such as comprising CCD or CMOS imaging devices. In a preferred embodiment, the photodetection cells (also referred to as photodetector cells, photosensor cells, or photosensing cells) are arranged in a two-dimensional array. To insure that the image field contains a sufficient number of features for medium identification, practical arrays may require as many as 100 by 100 elements, but smaller arrays of as few as 16 by 16 are preferable from design, cost, and signal processing considerations. It is not necessary for the number of elements in the two orthogonal directions of the array to be equal.

P-0027[0027] The image resolution for scanning the medium <b>10</b> surface can be determined by the most demanding medium to be identified, that is the medium and illumination combination resulting in an image with the smallest maximum feature sizes. For example, to distinguish bond paper and coated paper, the appropriate resolution corresponds to a pixel dimension on the surface of medium <b>10</b> (i.e., the projected pixel dimension) on the order of 40 μm on a side. In another embodiment, a projected pixel dimension of approximately five microns (5 μm) on a side will allow photographic paper to be better identified.

P-0028[0028] One suitable compromise for discriminating bond paper, coated paper, and photographic paper with a single set of optics is to use optics with a resolution of about 10 μm, which can be used with both grazing and normal incidence illumination. For imaging optics <b>20</b> that provide a 5-fold magnification, in this embodiment, each array element of photodetector array <b>22</b> is approximately 50 μm on a side. For a photodetector array <b>22</b> of 100 by 100 elements, using 50 μm elements and optics with a 5× magnification, an area of the surface of medium <b>10</b> that is at least 1 mm on a side should be illuminated within the illumination zone <b>11</b>. Those skilled in the art will appreciate the tradeoff between feature identification and the size of the photodetector array and recognize the possibility of reducing cost by using photodetector arrays with fewer elements. Those skilled in the art will also realize additional engineering tradeoffs are possible among resolution, magnification, and size of the elements of the photodetector array.

P-0029[0029] The illumination sources <b>12</b>, <b>14</b>, and <b>16</b> within a plane of incidence may be one or more light emitting diodes. Alternatively, the illumination sources may be other light sources such as incandescent lamps, laser diodes or surface emitting laser diodes. For applications where medium <b>10</b> is moving rapidly, the light sources may be pulsed at higher drive levels to assure sufficient photons reach the photodetector during the exposure interval and to prevent significant motion blurring. The illumination optics <b>13</b>, <b>15</b>, and <b>17</b>, which may be conventional, may comprise a single element or a combination of lenses, filters, and/or diffractive or holographic elements to accomplish suitably directed and/or generally uniform illumination of the target surface.

P-0030[0030] If the illumination zone <b>11</b> is fully illuminated, but not uniformly, then image sensor data from an image of a uniform reflecting surface, such as a smooth surface of opal glass, placed in the illumination zone <b>11</b>, provides calibration image data for compensating any fixed non-uniformity exhibited within the illumination itself. Alternatively to using a uniform reflecting surface by which to obtain an image of this non-uniformity, a motion-blurred image can be taken of a relatively featureless medium surface, such as clay-coated paper. Motion blurring can also be used with the opal glass to reduce the potential of imaging microscopic features (patterns) within or on the opal glass.

P-0031[0031] In an alternative embodiment, the photodetector array <b>22</b> is a linear array and the recording medium is scanned past the photodetector array to produce a two-dimensional image. For example, medium <b>10</b> is scanned past photodetector array <b>22</b> by the medium transport mechanism of a printer to which the recording medium identification device of the present invention is attached. In another embodiment, photodetector array <b>22</b> is a one-dimensional array and forms a one-dimensional image, without the medium moving, that is used for medium identification. Alternatively, a single photodetector element is used, and the ink carriage, medium feeding mechanisms of the printer, or both, are used to scan the medium such that a one-dimensional or two-dimensional image is created and used for medium identification.

P-0032[0032] An embodiment of the invention having a certain alternative configuration is partly shown in FIG. 1B and FIG. 1C. Portions of this embodiment are similar to those shown in FIG. 1A. For convenience, components in FIG. 1B and FIG. 1C that are similar to components in FIG. 1A are assigned the same reference numerals, analogous but changed components are assigned the same reference numerals accompanied by letters “a,” “b,” and “c,” and different components are assigned different reference numerals. In FIG. 1B, illuminators <b>14</b><i>a </i>(first illumination source) and <b>14</b><i>b </i>(second illumination source) have incidence angles, a1 and a2, nominally at 45 and 75 degrees, respectively. Incidence angles are given relative to the normal angle to the recording medium <b>10</b>. Depending upon the surface profile of microstructure comprising the surface of the media <b>10</b>, different angles produce different degrees of contrast within the surface images collected and processed by the sensor <b>22</b> of FIG. 1A. For clarity of illustration, only two illuminators <b>14</b><i>a </i>and <b>14</b><i>b </i>are shown in FIG. 1B illuminating the illumination zone <b>11</b>; however, three, four, or more illuminators can be used to illuminate the medium <b>10</b> in ways to obtain a greater differentiation between measured characteristics. In FIG. 1B, the illuminators <b>14</b><i>a </i>and <b>14</b><i>b </i>are shown as lying in a common plane-of-incidence, although oppositely directed. In FIG. 1C, the illuminators <b>14</b><i>a </i>and <b>14</b><i>c </i>are shown as lying in different planes of incidence. Such implementation can be used to help discriminate media on a contributing basis of grain-directionality or other feature directionality.

P-0033[0033] Using multiple illuminators in such fashion can permit use of illuminations with different colors, different angles of incidence, and different orientations of planes-of-incidence. The different colors could include, for example, blue, green, red, and infrared. LED (Light Emitting Diodes) can be used for this purpose. The first plane of incidence and the second plane of incidence can be orthogonal to each other. In addition, one of the angles of incidence can be at an angle ranging between 0 and 85 degrees relative to normal to the illuminated medium surface.

P-0034[0034] Since different media scatter and reflect light in different ways, it is advantageous to illuminate the media in as many different ways as practical. Different media will scatter light differently with different incidence angle and orientations of the planes of incidence about the surface normal. It is the uniformity or lack thereof in this scattering behavior with position on the surface that enables an imaging array <b>22</b> to help differentiate media. But the mean behavior across the photodetecting elements of such an imaging array <b>22</b> also remains an important differentiator. Combining information about both the mean behavior and the variation of behavior across an imaging array <b>22</b> greatly improves the discrimination ability of the current invention over the prior art. The use of multiple illumination colors of course greatly helps differentiate colored media or media that otherwise interacts differently with light of different wavelengths. Use of illumination with short wavelengths in the blue to ultraviolet (some even non-visible wavelengths) can easily aid in the differentiation of media having a whitening agent from those that do not have a whitening agent.

P-0035[0035] In FIG. 1B, a media supporting surface <b>24</b> is shown on the opposite side of the media <b>10</b> from the illuminators <b>14</b><i>a </i>and <b>14</b><i>b</i>. Also shown is a supporting surface positioner <b>26</b> connected to the supporting surface <b>24</b>. It is important that the reflecting and scattering properties of this supporting surface be well controlled. Preferably, the supporting surface <b>24</b> is a light-absorbing black and may have a hole for passing illumination from below. The surface <b>24</b> may be removed using the supporting surface positioner <b>26</b> when illuminating the media <b>10</b> from below, as when using illuminator <b>12</b> in FIG. 1A. Media such as paper and transparencies are not totally opaque and will therefore scatter a different amount of light to the array <b>22</b> from the illuminators <b>14</b><i>a </i>and <b>14</b><i>b </i>depending upon the properties of this support surface <b>24</b>, so it is important that it not be an uncontrolled variable.

P-0036[0036] The illuminators <b>14</b><i>a</i>, <b>14</b><i>b</i>, and <b>14</b><i>c </i>are typically turned on one at a time. A microprocessor controls the illuminators <b>14</b><i>a</i>, <b>14</b><i>b</i>, and <b>14</b><i>c</i>, etc. including selecting which illuminator to turn on at any given time. To realize the media differentiation, the microprocessor selects the first illuminator <b>14</b><i>a </i>to illuminate the surface of the recording medium <b>10</b> at a first plane of incidence, thus illuminating the surface from said selected plane of incidence. Then, scattered light from the surface is sensed by at least one sensor element. Next, a signal is produced from the sensed light and the signal is processed alone, or in combination with signals corresponding to other illuminations, to form a characteristic vector. Finally, the formed characteristic vector is compared with a plurality of reference vectors characteristic of different recording media to determine media type by choosing the closest match. One skilled in the art can appreciate that a variety of alternatives is available by which to define what is a closest match. These steps and one such match-choosing criterion are discussed in more detail herein.

P-0037[0037]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the components of one embodiment of the recording media identification device. The photodetector array <b>22</b> is connected to an analog to digital converter <b>40</b>, which provides input to a processor <b>42</b> with associated memory <b>44</b>. Converter <b>40</b> may use quantization levels for a 256 level gray scale or lower, such as a 16 level gray scale. Processor <b>42</b> controls the measurement process, including the selection sequence of illumination and image capture, and processes the digitized photodetector values. For example, the processor <b>42</b> is used as the means for selecting, at any instant in time, one of the available illuminators for providing light within the illumination zone by turning on the selected illuminator. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, processor <b>42</b> is connected to a printer controller <b>46</b>. Processor <b>42</b> may be a serial processor, or it may be an ASIC designed for rapid extraction of characteristics. Processor <b>42</b> may involve, for example, software or hardware implemented Fourier Transform. Alternatively, processor <b>42</b> may actually be the printer controller <b>46</b>. For example, the processor <b>42</b> can calculate the characteristic vector as an average of local differences between pixels within an image. Further, the average can be normalized by a local mean. Later, the characteristic vector is compared to a reference vector as discussed herein below. In another implementation, the characteristic vector is proportional to a summation of local differences between pixels within an image.

P-0038[0038] Image processing in the printer for media identification may be as simple as compressing the data and transmitting it to a host computer, via communication link <b>56</b> attached to the printer controller <b>46</b>, or as complex as all the operations necessary to derive a characteristic vector. In the simple case, pixel values are communicated to the host (with optional data compression) where the characteristic vector is computed and the media identification made. This is attractive because it simplifies the image processing in the printer with a potential saving in cost and increase in flexibility. Using the resources of the host computer, the characteristic vector and media identification may be done very rapidly, and the process and selection criteria can be updated when new drivers are made available. The minor disadvantage is a short delay as pixel data are sent back to the host.

P-0039[0039] When the characteristic vector is computed in the printer, fewer bytes are transmitted than when the identification process is performed in the host computer. This would be more appropriate when two-way communication with a host is not convenient, as when print jobs are sent to a print queue on a printer server on a network, or as when a print job is downloaded by infra-red link from a portable information appliance.

P-0040[0040] In FIG. 2, the printer controller <b>46</b> is shown controlling the printhead <b>50</b>, media transport drive <b>51</b>, printer carriage <b>52</b>, and user interface <b>54</b> including an output device such as a display and an input device such as selection buttons, alpha or numeric keypads, or a combination of these devices. It will be appreciated that other elements of a printer could also be controlled by the printer controller <b>46</b> in response to identification of specific recording media. The processor <b>42</b> is also connected to the illumination sources <b>12</b>, <b>14</b>, and <b>16</b>, the photodetector array <b>22</b>, converter <b>40</b>, and support surface positioner <b>26</b> via link <b>48</b>. Link <b>48</b> is used to send signals from the processor <b>42</b> to control, for example, the timing of illumination by each illuminator, positioning of the support surface, and data acquisition by the array <b>22</b> and converter <b>40</b>.

P-0041[0041] To identify a recording medium, output from the photodetector array <b>22</b> is converted to digital form and processed into a vector of characteristic values (described later). This vector is compared to previously stored reference vectors, each reference vector being characteristic of a different type of recording medium, to determine the medium type. The apparatus can also process a new medium type, generating a newly acquired characteristic vector, from one or more samplings of this new medium, and store this newly acquired characteristic vector as a new reference vector representing the new medium. This would comprise a method permitting the apparatus to train itself to recognize new media types. For example, when the processor <b>42</b> determines that a characteristic vector does not fit into any of the existing reference vectors, then the processor <b>42</b> may communicate with the printer controller <b>46</b>, and, ultimately with the user interface <b>54</b> to query the operator of the printer whether to store (in the memory <b>44</b>) the acquired characteristic vector as a new reference vector. During the query process, the user interface <b>54</b> can be used to enter an identification or a name for the new reference vector. The user interface can also be used by a user to directly command the processor to sample a new media and store its characteristic vector as a new reference vector.

P-0042[0042] As described above, the medium identification device of the present invention includes one or more illumination sources. In some embodiments, information from multiple illumination sources is obtained by time sequencing the measurements, first turning on one illumination source and obtaining a signal, and then turning on a second illumination source and obtaining a second signal, etc. Alternatively, information from multiple photodetector arrays (with respective converters, illumination sources, and optics) is obtained and processed together. The spectral output of the various sources may be different to provide optimized differentiation of characterization vectors and/or to allow dichroic filters to be used to combine some of the optics when using multiple photodetector arrays.

P-0043[0043] Characteristics of the recording medium forming the basis of classification of media may include integrated reflectivity (or scattering efficiency) (or average gray scale value) over the field, distribution parameters of gray scale values, spatial frequency parameters of features in the image, number of features in the image within a specified band of feature parameters, or any combination of these or other characteristics.

P-0044[0044] Features are defined, for example, as regions of contiguous pixels, all above (or alternatively below) a threshold gray scale value. These and other characteristics are derived from processing the digitized output of the photodetector array <b>22</b>. Spatial frequencies may be determined, for example, by a standard use of one- or two-dimensional Fourier transforms. Alternative or additional characteristic values, or parameters, can include such parameters as pixel-value mean, median, root-mean-absolute-difference-from-the-mean, and standard deviation. Statistical parameters can be normalized by parameters such as mean or median.

P-0045[0045] Each characteristic value constitutes one element of the characteristic vector. For embodiments in which multiple types, locations, or orientations of illumination sources are used, each utilized combination of illumination type, location, or orientation produces a characteristic value or element. Each type of illumination could be implemented with a unique spectral property or color, as by choice of illuminant or by incorporation of a color filter in the illumination or imaging optics. Some elements of the characteristic vector may be valued on a continuous scale, while others may be on a scale of discrete values.

P-0046[0046] The characteristic vector, denoted by V, is compared with reference vectors R_ithat have been stored in the memory <b>44</b> (or within the host computer) to identify the recording medium. Each reference vector R_iis characteristic of a different type of recording medium. If P characteristic values provide reliable media identification, then the reference vectors R_iand the characteristic vector V have the dimension P. In typical applications, P will range between 3 and 10. Each recording medium corresponds to a region in a P-dimensional space representing the range of expected values corresponding to that medium. The size of the range reflects batch to batch variation in manufacture of the media, differences between manufacturers of similar media, and variation of measurement. If the characteristic vector V lies within the region corresponding to a particular medium type, it is identified as that medium.

P-0047[0047] The comparison of characteristic vector V with reference vectors R_iis shown schematically in FIG. 3 for the case where the dimension P is three. The comparison may take the form of a simple algebraic test of whether the vector V lies within a P-dimensional sphere of radius S_ior other region around a reference vector R_i. Expressed mathematically using spherical regions, vector V is identified as belonging to recording medium i if the inequality: <maths id="MATH-US-00001" num="1"><math overflow="scroll"><mrow><msup><mrow><mo>[</mo><mrow><munderover><mo>∑</mo><mrow><mi>j</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow><mi>P</mi></munderover><mo></mo><mstyle><mtext> </mtext></mstyle><mo></mo><msup><mrow><mo>(</mo><mrow><msub><mi>V</mi><mi>j</mi></msub><mo>-</mo><msub><mrow><mo>(</mo><msub><mi>R</mi><mi>i</mi></msub><mo>)</mo></mrow><mi>j</mi></msub></mrow><mo>)</mo></mrow><mn>2</mn></msup></mrow><mo>]</mo></mrow><mrow><mn>1</mn><mo>/</mo><mn>2</mn></mrow></msup><mo>≤</mo><msub><mi>S</mi><mi>i</mi></msub></mrow></math><img file="US20030193034A1-20031016-M00001.TIF" id="EMI-M00001" he="27.13095" wi="216.027" img-format="tif" img-content="mf" /><attachments><attachment idref="MATHEMATICA-00001" attachment-type="nb" file="US20030193034A1-20031016-M00001.NB" /></attachments></maths>

P-0048[0048] is satisfied, where S_iis a maximum threshold distance of vector V from reference vector R_i. Alternatively, standard techniques known in the art for finding membership functions using fuzzy logic, such as use of multidimensional polynomials or look-up tables, may be used for the comparison. Weighting factors may be applied to the j-terms on the left-hand-side of the above expression, and the best match with a reference vector can be selected as that which produces the smallest resultant sum.

P-0049[0049] Although FIG. 3 illustrates only three (3) dimensions of analysis, additional dimensions can be utilized to allow even finer distinction among print media.

P-0050[0050] The printer elements indicated schematically within FIG. 2 are elements, for example, of a desktop ink jet printer <b>60</b> as shown in FIG. 4. The device of FIG. 1 is internal to the printer <b>60</b> along the media path. Generally, printer <b>60</b> has a media tray in which sheets <b>62</b> of media are stacked. A roller assembly forwards each sheet <b>62</b> into a print zone <b>63</b> for printing. Print cartridges <b>64</b> mounted in a carriage <b>52</b> are scanned across the print zone, and the medium is incrementally shifted through the print zone. Ink supplies <b>66</b> for the print cartridges <b>64</b> may be external to or internal to the print cartridges <b>64</b>.

P-0051[0051] This and other printers typically operate in multiple, user-specified quality modes, termed, for example, “draft”, “normal”, and “best” modes. To optimize performance of an ink jet printer, properties such as ink type, ink drop volume, number of drops per pixel, printhead scan speed, number of printhead passes over the same area of the medium, and whether pigmented black or composite dye-based black (i.e., combination of cyan, magenta, and yellow dyes) is used, are customized to each recording medium and for each print quality mode. In a laser printer, typically, the media feed rate, exposure levels, toner charging, toner transfer voltage, and fuser temperature might be adjusted to optimize performance on different media.

P-0052[0052] The main categories of recording media are plain paper, coated matte paper, coated glossy paper, transparency film, and “photographic quality” paper. Large format ink jet printers support additional media or material such as cloth, Mylar, vellum, and coated vellum. In printers designed to use these and other additional media, appropriate additional categories can be defined to identify these additional media or materials.

P-0053[0053] A new characteristic vector R_ican be developed for new or unknown media type by training the printer with several measurements and samples with user intervention to specify the preferred print mode. This allows old media to be retired and new formulations introduced. In addition, the print mode can be automatically set to optimize print quality to the formulation of a local special paper, such as an organization's stationery, which may have a special rag and wood pulp content, filler, sizing, or even applied physical texture.

P-0054[0054] Although the invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, the description is only an example of the invention's application and should not be taken as a limitation. For example, implementations of various aspects of the invention have demonstrated the utility of a stand-alone, portable, media identification tool, not tied to a printer but given a display and push-button controls with which to effectively “read” media types the tool is placed against. Various adaptations and combinations of features of the embodiments disclosed are within the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.