Polaroid Corporation

Richard G Egan

Russell A Gaudiana

William T Plummer

Joseph DelPico

Vivek K Soni

J Barry Mahoney

Bennett H Rockney

Bruce K Johnson

Philip D Chapnik

Albert B Conti

Techniques are disclosed for performing color registration estimation and correction in a multi-head printer. A registration target is printed by the printer and captured by an image capture device (such as a camera) within the printer. The registration target includes a plurality of shapes, each of which is printed by a single one of the print heads in the printer, and which are arranged in a pattern designed to enable cross-web and down-web registration estimates to be generated. The printer analyzes the captured target to generate such cross-web and down-web registration estimates and thereby to generate cross-web and down-web registration corrections. The printer applies the registration corrections to subsequent print jobs, thereby reducing or eliminating misregistration in printed output. The techniques disclosed herein are suitable for use in printers having print heads that differ in resolution from each other.

Printer color registration correction

The present invention relates to encoding and decoding of information using materials that are capable of mildly absorbing radiation over a wide range of infrared wavelengths and substantially non-absorbing in the visible wavelengths. Examples of such encoding of information are bar codes and area markings. Information is encoded in markings on a base medium by depositing or intertexturing on the base medium a material where the surface dimensions, thickness and presence of the material contain the encoded information. The encoding, as disclosed in this invention, utilizes a lower cost, more stable material than a material that is capable of highly absorbing over a range of infrared wavelengths and substantially non-absorbing in the visible wavelengths. However, since the material used in this invention is mildly absorbing in the infrared range, the signal obtained by reflecting or transmitting infrared radiation from the markings will be less distinct. Thus, inventive methods are needed to ensure that the encoded information can be decoded. Two different approaches are disclosed; (a) detecting the absorption spectrum and comparing to the known spectrum of the material in order to detect the presence and surface dimensions of the material and (b) utilizing techniques to improve the signal-to-noise such as restricting the range of wavelengths, matched filters and narrowing the bandwidth.

Method and apparatus for encoding and decoding information in a non-visible manner

A compact light weight printhead capable of direct quasi-contact printing includes an OLED&#x2014;Color Filter structure deposited onto a substrate. The OLED&#x2014;Color Filter structure includes an OLED structure emitting over a broad range of wavelengths and color filter arrays that selectively transmit radiation in different distinct ranges of wavelengths. The printhead is designed for contact or quasi-contact printing, without additional optical elements. The printhead design ensures that the desired pixel sharpness and reduced crosstalk is achieved.

Integral organic light emitting diode printhead utilizing color filters

A compact light weight printhead capable of direct quasi-contact printing includes an OLED-Color Filter structure deposited onto a substrate. The OLED-Color Filter structure includes an OLED structure emitting over a broad range of wavelengths and color filter arrays that selectively transmit radiation in different distinct ranges of wavelengths. The printhead is designed for contact or quasi-contact printing, without additional optical elements. The printhead design ensures that the desired pixel sharpness and reduced crosstalk is achieved.

The present invention relates to encoding and decoding of information using materials that are mildly absorbing radiation over a wide range of infrared wavelengths and substantially non-absorbing in the visible wavelengths. Examples of such encoding of information are bar codes and area markings. Information is encoded in markings on a base medium by depositing or intertexturing on the base medium a material where the surface dimensions, thickness and presence of the material contain the encoded information. The encoding utilizes a lower cost, more stable material than a material that is highly absorbing over a range of infrared wavelengths and substantially non-absorbing in the visible wavelengths. However, since the material is mildly absorbing in the infrared range, the signal obtained by reflecting or transmitting infrared radiation from the markings will be less distinct. Thus, inventive methods are needed to ensure that the encoded information can be decoded. Two different approaches are disclosed; (a) detecting the absorption spectrum and comparing to the known spectrum of the material in order to detect the presence and surface dimensions of the material and (b) utilizing techniques to improve the signal-to-noise such as restricting the range of wavelengths, matched filters and narrowing the bandwidth.

A compact light weight printhead capable of direct quasi-contact printing includes an OLED structure disposed on a fiber optic faceplate substrate. The printhead is designed for contact or quasi-contact printing printing. The printhead design ensures that the desired pixel sharpness and reduced crosstalk is achieved. Two possible different arrangements for the printhead are disclosed. One arrangement includes at least one array of OLED elements. Each OLED array in this arrangement includes at least one triplet of OLED elements, and each element in each the triplet is capable of emitting radiation in a distinct wavelength range different from the distinct wavelength range of the other two color filters in the same triplet. In the second arrangement, the printhead includes at least one triplet of arrays of individually addressable Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) elements. In this second arrangement, each OLED array in each triplet has elements that are capable of emitting radiation in a distinct wavelength range different from the distinct wavelength range of the other two arrays in the triplet.

Integral organic light emitting diode fiber optic printhead

A compact light weight printhead capable of direct quasi-contact printing includes an OLED structure deposited onto a substrate. The printhead is designed for contact or quasi-contact printing, without additional optical elements. The printhead design ensures that the desired pixel sharpness and reduced crosstalk is achieved. Two possible different arrangements for the printhead are disclosed. One arrangement includes at least one array of OLED elements. Each OLED array in this arrangement includes at least one triplet of OLED elements, and each element in each the triplet is capable of emitting radiation in a distinct wavelength range different from the distinct wavelength range of the other two color filters in the same triplet. In the second arrangement, the printhead includes at least one triplet of arrays of individually addressable Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED), elements. In this second arrangement, each OLED array in each triplet has elements that are capable of emitting radiation in a distinct wavelength range different from the distinct wavelength range of the other two arrays in the triplet.

Integral organic light emitting diode printhead

A compact light weight printhead capable of direct quasi-contact printing includes an OLED&mdash;Color Filter structure disposed on a fiber optic faceplate substrate. The OLED&mdash;Color Filter structure includes an OLED structure emitting over a broad range of wavelengths and color filter arrays that selectively transmit radiation in different distinct ranges of wavelengths. The printhead is designed for contact or quasi-contact printing printing. The printhead design ensures that the desired pixel sharpness and reduced crosstalk is achieved. Two possible different arrangements for the printhead are disclosed. One arrangement includes at least one array of OLED elements and at least one color filter array. Each color filter array in this arrangement includes at least one triplet of color filters, and each element in each the triplet is capable of transmitting radiation in a distinct wavelength range different from the distinct wavelength range of the other two color filters in the same triplet. In the second arrangement, the printhead includes at least one triplet of arrays of individually addressable Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) elements and at least one triplet of arrays of color filter elements, each OLED array in the triplet being in effective light transmission relation to the light receiving surface of one color filter array in the triplet thereby constituting an OLED&mdash;Color filter array set. In this second arrangement, each color filter array in each triplet has elements that are capable of transmitting radiation in a distinct wavelength range different from the distinct wavelength range of the other two arrays in the triplet.

Integral organic light emitting diode fiber optic printhead utilizing color filters

An optical system is disclosed wherein an illumination device is used to project colored light into a lens and focus through a spatial light modulator onto a photosensitive medium wherein the illumination device is configured so as to produce a uniform light distribution through the use of an aperture stop, a symmetrical placement of solid state light sources such as LEDs, or by LEDs fabricated such that the top surface emitting the colored light is not obstructed by an electrode or contacts connecting the light-emitting diode to a current source. Such a configuration is accomplished by providing a substantially transparent attachment layer that may include an opaque conductive material, but preferably includes transparent conductive particles that, in combination, attach and electrically connect the LED to a first electrode disposed upon a substrate. The light source is configured and spaced so as to allow incorporation of the light source into a print head, such that the print head can expose a photosensitive medium and focus down to produce a relatively uniform strip of light. The print head remains in relative motion with the photosensitive medium and allows for a delayed printing of some of the color information of each uniform strip of light. The spacing employed in the lighting device separating light-emitting diodes is as precisely defined so as to ensure overlay of each of the colors red, green and blue on each line of the photosensitive medium.

Optical system for transmitting a graphical image

A light source is disclosed for use an optical printer illuminating a spatial light modulator to efficiently and uniformly project light onto a photosensitive medium while providing a simpler design of the spatial light modulator in the optical printer. The light source uses light emitting diodes opposed across a light pipe. The light from the light emitting diodes propagates in the light pipe until striking a redirection structure which redirects the light out of lateral surface of the light pipe.

Efficient LED light geometry for optical printers

A programmable limited play video tape cassette includes a microcircuit that is programmed to provide a play limit signal at the termination of a selected play period based on time, a calendar period or play count. The cassette also includes selected peripheral devices which render prerecorded picture information on the video tape non-viewable in response to the play limit signal from the programmable microcircuit. In addition to the programmable microcircuit and peripheral devices, the cassette includes a battery, an LCD panel, and one or more sensors.

Programmable limited play video tape cassette

An apparatus is provided for determining the angular deviation of a randomly angular oriented article from a desired angular orientation in preparation for its engagement by a robotic part handling device. The apparatus projects a rotating image of the article onto a mask which is representative of the article in a desired orientation and provides an angular deviation signal indicative of the cummulative angular displacement of the image from an initial reference position at which the image matches the mask.

Growing community of inventors

Dover, MA, United States of America

Richard G Egan