A method of inspecting images on printed products by a computer in a printing machine. Printed products are recorded and digitized by an image sensor of an image inspection system in the course of the image inspection process, and the computer compares them to a digital reference image. If deviations are found, the defective printed products are removed. The computer analyzes the deviations found in the course of the image inspection process together with further data from other system parts and from the machine, determines specific defect classes and the causes thereof based on the defects by machine learning processes, assigns the defects found in the image inspection process to the defect classes in a corresponding way, and displays the classified detected defects with their defect classes and causes to an operator of the machine so that the operator can initiate specific measures to eliminate the defect causes.

The invention relates to a method for online quality control of decorative prints on substrate materials, including similarity comparisons of actual and target images and adjusting decorative prints if deviations of color values are detected. The method may include the steps of: a) producing a hyperspectral digital image of a print decoration; b) calibrating the print decoration via a hyperspectral digital image; c) producing and storing a digital target image of the print decoration; d) creating a first print decoration on a first substrate material; e) producing and storing a digital actual image of the printed decoration on the first substrate material; f) determining color deviations between the digital target image and the digital actual image via a computer program; and g) printing on at least one side of substrate materials so as to form a decorative layer. The invention also relates to a device for carrying out the method.

The present invention relates to a print quality inspection apparatus comprising: an illuminator (35 or 35A-35C) for irradiating light onto a printout (1) provided with a motion thread (1b); a camera (34 or 34A) for capturing an image of the printout; and a print quality inspection unit (10) for inspecting the print quality of the printout (1) on the basis of image data captured by the camera (34 or 34A). The camera (34) captures images of printouts (1) for each RGB color, and the print quality inspection unit (10) performs a print quality inspection having a scope that includes the motion thread (1b) on the basis of image data of a color of the same hue as the color of the motion thread (1b), or the illuminator (35A-35C) emits a color of the same hue as the color of the motion thread (1b), and the monochrome camera (34A) captures a monochrome image.

A method for inspecting printed products of a machine for processing printing substrates includes recording and digitizing produced printed products by using at least one image sensor and analyzing the printed products by using a computer to find potential defects. Defects in the printed products are detected by the computer by comparing the recorded and digitized printed image with a digital reference image, analyzing occurring deviations, and marking defective printed products in a manner suitable for removal. The computer spatially subdivides every digitized printed image into regions with deviations, calculates the time required to analyze every one of the regions, and terminates the analysis of a digitized printed image when the time required to analyze the regions exceeds a predefined value of time per digitized printed image.

The invention relates to an apparatus for inspecting printed images for a printing or finishing machine with continuously moving printed products with an image detection device (3) with at least one camera (7), which is set up to detect a multi-line section of a recording region (5). In accordance with the invention, the device is characterized by an evaluation device (8) which is set up to process at least two partial areas of the multi-line section as one strip image each, and has a validation mode in which at least two strip images of a test image are compared with each other to check whether deviations of the strip images are detected. In a method according to the invention for validating the inspection algorithms, a stencil (20; 40) is placed in a recording region (5) of the device (1) for print image inspection, at least two multi-line strip images are acquired and compared with each other to determine whether deviations between a first and a second pattern are detected.

An inspection apparatus includes a reading device and a processor. The reading device is configured to read printed matter with an image that is printed on a printing medium based on a source image to generate a read image. The processor is configured to generate a reference image based on the source image, determine whether an inspection is to be executed based on a size of the source image and a size of the printing medium, and compare the reference image with the read image to inspect quality of the printed matter in response to a determination that the inspection is to be executed.

A detection sensitivity is set such that a detection sensitivity for a defect corresponding to a predetermined local pattern in a reference image, which is a reference printing result, is lower than for a region other than the predetermined local pattern in the reference image. Image data representing an image of an inspection target is acquired and the image of the inspection target is inspected based on the reference image and the set detection sensitivity.

A verification apparatus comprises setting a feature point of a reference image as a verification target image, and a reference region of a predetermined pattern formed in advance on a recording medium on which the verification target image is to be formed; extracting the set feature point from a read image obtained by reading a formed image; specifying, based on a positional relationship between the set feature point and the reference region, from an image position of the extracted feature point, a first region on the read image, which indicates a region where the predetermined pattern should have been formed, and a second region other than the first region of the read image; and performing verification for the first region by a first algorithm, and verification for the second region by a second algorithm.

The occurrence of an erroneous inspection is suppressed by preventing a failure of position adjustment by non-linear transformation. In position adjustment between an inspection image obtained by reading a printed material and a reference image, after performing position adjustment by linear transformation, only in a case where a certain condition is satisfied, position adjustment by non-linear transformation is further performed for the inspection image for which the position adjustment by linear transformation has been performed.

An apparatus and methods of monitoring and adjusting a decorator for metallic containers are provided. More specifically, the present invention relates to apparatus and methods used to provide a decoration on a predetermined portion of a metallic container body. The decorator includes a sensor that senses decorations on metallic containers. A control system receives information related to the sensed decorations from the sensor and then determines if the decorations at least meet predetermined color, density, thickness, orientation, and consistency targets. The control system can optionally automatically adjust elements of the decorator to correct a deficient decoration. In one embodiment, the control system can automatically send a signal to the decorator to adjust the color, density, orientation, positioning, and consistency of decorations transferred to the metallic containers. In another embodiment, the control system can send a signal to adjust a position of an inking assembly, an ink roller, a ductor roller a plate cylinder, a printing plate, a blanket cylinder, and a transfer blanket of the decorator.