|Publication number||US6951375 B2|
|Application number||US 10/441,713|
|Publication date||Oct 4, 2005|
|Filing date||May 20, 2003|
|Priority date||May 20, 2003|
|Also published as||US20040233242|
|Publication number||10441713, 441713, US 6951375 B2, US 6951375B2, US-B2-6951375, US6951375 B2, US6951375B2|
|Inventors||David L. Patton, Loretta E. Allen, Dale F. McIntyre, Steven S. Chapman, Jacob L. Pietruszewski|
|Original Assignee||Eastman Kodak Company|
|Export Citation||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Patent Citations (28), Non-Patent Citations (2), Referenced by (20), Classifications (20), Legal Events (7)|
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet|
This application is related to U.S. application Ser. No. 10/346,148, filed Jan. 16, 2003, in the names of David L. Patton et al and entitled, “Printing and Apparatus For Printing An Image on a Selected Surface” and to U.S. application Ser. No. 10/366,933, filed Feb. 14, 2003, in the names of David L. Patton et al and entitled, “Large Area Marking Device and Method for Printing”.
This invention is directed to printing apparatus and method for forming an image over a large surface area or walkway such as driveways, fields and/or decks or patios.
This invention generally relates to a marking apparatus and methods and more particularly relates to an apparatus and method for marking a large surface with multiple colors.
It is often desirable to form color images on a large area. For example, children love to draw and write with colored chalk on a driveway. Similarly to drawing with a crayon on a blank piece of paper the child creates drawings, but does not usually have the ability to draw detailed animals, cartoon characters, scenes, and the like. Children like to color in coloring books and print images using a desktop inkjet printer because they can create detailed drawings that are in full color. These activities are fun, and the child does not need the skills of an artist to produce colorful graphic images. When the child attempts to draw the image manually on a surface such as a driveway, the result may be less than satisfactory. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a marking device capable of forming more pleasing images on a large surface such as a driveway.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,446,559 and 6,062,686 disclose devices that are designed to print on a small smooth surface such as a sheet of paper on a table or desktop. Because of their compact construction, these so-called handheld devices are not burdened by the size and weight of conventional devices that perform similar functions, such as desktop and large format printers. Furthermore, these handheld devices offer superior flexibility in printing and can be used with over sized media. For example, such handheld devices can print on media that is much larger than used in a desktop printer.
Despite such positive attributes of these handheld devices such as being compact, other less desirable attributes still remain. For example, these handheld devices still require the attention and labor of the user to manually sweep them over an appropriate medium to produce printing on the medium. They are limited in size to a medium that is the size of a sheet of paper or a poster. They are not equipped to print on a rough surface such as asphalt or concrete. To overcome the problems of conveying a hand held device over the surface to be printed a drive mechanism was added. Unlike a desktop printer, the drive mechanism contacts the surface being printed. This creates the problem of contacting the area that has just been printed and damaging the image. In small format printers and printers that are printing several lines of text this is not a problem, but it is a problem for a device printing a large area with a continuous image.
Charles Manning in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,299,934 and 6,074,693 discloses a global positioning system for controlling a paint spraying system used to apply paint to a large surface such as a road. The systems described in these patents may be suited for locating a paint sprayer used for painting lines on a road to within a few feet, but GPS systems do not possess the positioning precision required for printing an image. Moreover, the paint-spraying device described by Manning does not have the ability to deliver a marking medium to the marking surface with the amount and with the accuracy necessary to form a desirable image.
Therefore, there has been a long-felt need to provide an apparatus and method for suitably marking a large area in a manner which automatically accurately determines the size of the large area to be printed, the distance to the surface and quickly, yet precisely, applies a marking medium uniformly to predetermined portions of the surface and can provide multiple color marking to the surface wherein the surface comprises large surface areas of pavement, wood or other structural composites, or concrete, asphalt, brick, grass or laid carpeting collectively hereinafter referred to as a “walkway,” even though cars or other vehicles may also be driven over same.
A method and apparatus for conveying a portable printing mechanism over a large surface area such as a walkway having a printing means for forming indicia on the surface area is described.
In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for printing an image on a surface, the apparatus comprising: a movable marking engine including a scanner, the marking engine moving along the surface and the scanner being operative to sense a crude image upon the surface and to generate data signals representing the crude image or boundaries defined by the crude image scanned; and a controller for controlling the marking engine, the controller being responsive to the data signals to control the marking engine to print an enhanced image of the crude image and/or to color the crude image so that the printing overlies the crude image.
In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for printing an image on a surface, the method comprising the steps of providing a movable marking engine that includes a scanner; moving the marking engine along the surface and operating the scanner to sense a crude image upon the surface and generating data signals representing the crude image or boundaries defined by the crude image scanned; and in response to the data signals operating the marking engine to print an enhanced image of the crude image and/or to color the crude image so that the printing overlies the crude image.
In the preferred embodiment, the invention comprises a printing assembly including a housing, a drive and steering mechanism, a power supply, a printer, logic and control unit, and a communications device. The portable printing mechanism can be electronically guided by a removable Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM) located in the logic and control unit or it can be guided by transmissions from a remote control device. Alternately, the portable printing mechanism can optically follow a line manually drawn on the driveway or other large surface area.
The portable printing mechanism maps the area to be printed, determines where within the area the indicia is to be formed and the initial starting position, maintains the correct distance between the print head and the surface area to be printed, and maintains the correct spacing of the lines being printed while the indicia is formed.
While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter of the present invention, it is believed the invention will be better understood from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
The invention will be described in detail with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention.
Marking engine 23 is mounted on a sliding or rotating arm 25 having an arm positioner 26. Apparatus 10 further comprises a steerable wheel 27, a steering control 28, a power supply 30, a logic and control unit 35, a communications device 40, sensors 42 a and 42 b, guide finger 43 and reservoirs 45 a, 45 b, 45 c and 45 d. In this embodiment, four reservoirs are shown however there may be more or fewer reservoirs. Reservoirs 45 a, 45 b, 45 c and 45 d contain marking solutions 50 a, 50 b, 50 c, and 50 d for example, cyan, magenta, yellow and white marking solutions, respectively. In the present invention, marking solutions can be inks, dyes, paint, or pigments etc., and can form a permanent or temporary visible image. It is understood that any color or combination of colors may be used to form an image as required. Additional reservoirs and print stations may be provided for printing spot colors particularly suited for coloration of logos.
The apparatus 10 is controlled by logic and control unit 35 that includes a microprocessor and which receives instructions from various sources such as from an input panel 37, from an internal memory source (not shown), from the communication device 40, from the sensors 42 a and 42 b, from guide finger 43 or from an Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM) 55, which can be inserted into the Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM) slot 60. Other types of memory such as floppy disks, CD, CD-R, DVD, Picture Disc, memory sticks, tape, etc. may be used. The logic and control unit 35 uses instructions from the aforementioned sources to control the marking engine 23, the propulsion assembly 15, the steering control 28, the rotating arm 25 and arm positioner 26 to form an image 65 on large surface area or walkway 100 as shown in FIG. 9. The logic and control unit 35 is connected to marking engine 23, the rotating arm 25 and arm positioner 26, sensors 42 a and/or 42 b and positioning mechanism 62 for controlling the position of marking engine 23 in relationship to the area 100. The rotating arm 25 allows the marking engine 23 supported on the rotating arm 25 to be positioned outboard of the apparatus 10 such that when a swath 29 a or 29 b is printed the wheels 18 do not run over the swath 29 a or 29 b. As used herein the term “outboard” implies support of the print head for printing on the walkway at locations outside of the enclosed area defined by the current points of contact of the wheels (such as for example 18 a, 18 b and 27) which support the apparatus on the walkway. The wheels 18 a, 18 b and 27 may be relatively positioned on the vehicle so that they engage the surface as a tricycle would with three points of contact. The arm 25 may be rotated as indicated by the arrows 31 to positions “A”, “B”, or “C” depending on what is being printed. In this regard rotation of the arm 25 may be provided by a stepper motor or other mechanism attached to the arm for swinging it outboard from a storage position. In an alternative embodiment, the arm may be locked in the outboard position.
The apparatus 10 may move laterally to the right in the direction indicated by arrows 44 a and 44 b or to the left in the direction indicated by arrows 44 c and 44 d by auxiliary wheels not shown. Sensors 42 a and/or 42 b are disposed in sensing relationship to area 100 for sensing the vertical distance to area 100. Sensors 42 a and/or 42 b sense the distance to area 100, and send a signal via logic and control unit 35 to the positioning mechanism 62. The positioning mechanism 62 moves the marking engine 23 and thus print head 24 as indicated by arrow 66 (
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is adopted a printing method wherein the printing operation is divided into printing a plurality of printing swaths 29 a or 29 b upon the large surface area 100. The plurality of printing swaths 29 a or 29 b are adjacent to one another and are printed in sequential order as the apparatus 10 is guided over the surface area 100. The printing may also be accomplished by printing a raster line rather than a swath, which comprises a plurality of raster lines. The printing is carried out by activating the stepper motors 20 a and 20 b to propel the apparatus 10 over the surface area 100. In response to the encoders 19 a and 19 b, sensors 42 a and 42 b, and a print signal received by the apparatus 10, the print head 24 is selectively activated by the logic and control unit 35 to print the sequential printing swaths 29 a or 29 b. In addition, to prevent apparatus 10 from rolling over a swath already printed, the apparatus 10 is controlled in accordance with programming in the logic and control unit to; laterally translate to the right in the direction indicated by arrows 44 a and 44 b or to the left in the direction indicated by arrows 44 c and 44 d by auxiliary wheels not shown, pivot around the common point 72 using the drive propulsion mechanism 15 and steering control 28 and/or move the print head 24 via the arm positioner 26 moving the arm 25 outboard of the apparatus 10 as shown in
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring again to
The coarseness of the surface can be determined by how the distance from the surface to the print head varies in relation to linear distance traveled. In the case where the sensors 42 a and/or 42 b sense a dark surface such as asphalt driveway, a supplementary white color may be applied to the area 100 before the cyan, magenta and yellow is applied to create the image 65. Alternately in the case where the sensors 42 a and/or 42 b sense a light surface such as concrete a supplementary black color may be added similar to a desktop inkjet printer applying cyan, magenta, yellow and black. When the sensors sense a particular color surface, the printing algorithm in the logic and control unit 35 can automatically adjust the amount of cyan, magenta, yellow, black or white marking solution based on look up tables that have been heuristically determined. Depending on what surface a user desires to mark, any number of colors deemed appropriate for generation of full-color images can be used.
Therefore, referring to
The logic and control unit 35 counts the number of electrical pulses sent to the stepper motors 20 a and 20 b and steering control 28. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited in the use of a stepper motor and steering control since other types of electric motors can be substituted and controlled by electric signals from the logic and control unit 35 with beneficial results. Accordingly, the encoder can be alternatively embodied, for example, by software which programs the logic and control unit 35 to count a number of electrical pulses respectively generated by shaft rotation encoders respectively coupled to each of the rolling members.
Referring now to
Referring now to
In still another embodiment, the apparatus 10 using the sensor 42 a and/or 42 b to sense the line 205 previously created by the hand marker 215 maps the large surface area or walkway 100 where the line 205 is drawn (the mapping process is described later with reference to FIG. 15). The map 130 of the large surface area or walkway 100 and line 205 and/or outline 230 is stored in the internal memory of the logic and control unit 35 and can be displayed on the input panel 37 as shown in FIG. 10. The map 130 of the large surface area or walkway 100 and line 205 and/or outline 230 can be transmitted via the communications device 40 shown in FIG. 1 and displayed on a computer monitor, PDA or other external display not shown. The user using input panel 37 or in the case of the external computer or display a mouse, stylus or touch screen can input the desired colors to be used by the apparatus 10 by touching the portions of the line 205 and/or outline 230 on the area 240 displayed map 130 with the desired color. Referring now to
Now referring to
Referring again to
Therefore, referring to
Moreover, this first measurement point “1” will have coordinates of x=x1, y=y1, and z=z1, where the values of x1, y1, and z1 are distances defining location of measurement point “1” from datum point “0” and a scanned color image data value d1 for point x1, y1, in the well-known three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system as illustrated by Step 340. The coordinates and color image data value d1 of measurement point “1” are sent to logic and control unit 35 and stored therein as at Step 350. Logic and control unit 35 then activates propulsion assembly 15 to increment drive wheels 18 a and 18 b and encoders 19 a and 19 b epsilon distance “δ” to a second measurement point “2” on area 100 as at Step 360. That is, this second measurement point “2” is located at the epsilon distance “δ” on area 100 in a predetermined direction from first measurement point “1” following raster scan pattern 900 as illustrated by Step 370. Moreover, this second measurement point “2” will have coordinates of x=x2, y=y2 and z=z2, where the values of x2, y2 and z2 are distances defining separation of measurement point “2” from datum point “0” and the scanned color image data value d2 for point x2, y2 in the three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system as illustrated by Step 380. These coordinates of second measurement point “2” and color image data value d2 are sent to logic and control unit 35 and stored therein as at Step 390. In similar manner, logic and control unit 35 activates propulsion to assembly 15 to increment drive wheels 18 a and 18 b and encoders 19 a and 19 b by increments equal to epsilon distance “δ” about the entire area 100 to establish values of x=0, 1, . . . nx; y=0, 1, . . . ny; and z=0, 1, 2, . . . nz, where nx, ny and nz equal the total number of measurement points to be taken on area 100 in the x, y and z directions and image data values of d=0, 1, . . . nd, where nd equals the total number of image data values taken on area 100 in the x, y direction following the raster scan pattern 900 respectively as at Step 400. Each measurement point is spaced-apart from its neighbor by epsilon distance “δ” as illustrated by Step 410. In this manner, all measurement points describing area 100 and color image data values describing the line 205 or outline 230 following raster scan pattern 900 are defined relative to initial datum point “0”, which is defined by x=0, y=0 and z=distance from sensor 42 a and 42 b as illustrated by Step 420. The process disclosed hereinabove results in a three-dimensional image raster map 905 of area 100 and the line 205 or outline 230 being stored in logic and control unit 35 as x, y and z coordinates as at Steps 430 and 440.
Referring again to
The logic and control unit 35 using the line 205 or outline 230 and the image raster map 905 controls the marking engine 23, the propulsion assembly 15, and the steering mechanisms 28 determines the appropriate raster pattern 915 to follow to print the newly completed colorized image 910 without running over a previously printed area 920 as at Step 505.
Now referring to
Referring now to
Therefore, referring to
Referring now to
As is evident from the foregoing description, certain other aspects of the invention are not limited to the particular details of the examples illustrated, and it is therefore contemplated that other modifications and applications will occur to those skilled in the art. It is accordingly intended that the claims shall cover all such modifications and applications as do not depart from the true spirit and scope of the invention.
|Cited Patent||Filing date||Publication date||Applicant||Title|
|US3858359||Jan 10, 1974||Jan 7, 1975||Wheelabrator Frye Inc||Mobile surface treating apparatus|
|US4748453||Jul 21, 1987||May 31, 1988||Xerox Corporation||Spot deposition for liquid ink printing|
|US4763281 *||Jul 2, 1985||Aug 9, 1988||Canon Kabushiki Kaisha||Recording system comprising a recording apparatus and/or an information storage cartridge detachably attached to the recording apparatus|
|US5186983||Feb 25, 1991||Feb 16, 1993||Brown Robert J||Process for decorating a hard surface|
|US5373350 *||Dec 22, 1993||Dec 13, 1994||Xerox Corporation||Xerographic/thermal ink jet combined printing|
|US5434956 *||Nov 4, 1992||Jul 18, 1995||Hewlett-Packard Company||Method and apparatus for printing an image in a specified positional relationship with a preprinted registration mark|
|US5446559||Oct 5, 1992||Aug 29, 1995||Hewlett-Packard Company||Method and apparatus for scanning and printing|
|US5790915 *||Oct 9, 1997||Aug 4, 1998||Hewlett-Packard Company||Plane registration for monochrome and color printing systems|
|US5806996||May 6, 1997||Sep 15, 1998||Agfa-Gevaert||Thermal printer with adjustable thermal head|
|US5893678||Apr 21, 1997||Apr 13, 1999||Euroliners||Device for commanding a supply circuit especially applicable to a road marking machine|
|US5925889||Oct 21, 1997||Jul 20, 1999||Hewlett-Packard Company||Printer and method with media gloss and color determination|
|US5927872||Jul 29, 1998||Jul 27, 1999||Hewlett-Packard Company||Handy printer system|
|US5931166||Dec 22, 1998||Aug 3, 1999||Weber; Paul J.||Fingernail decorating|
|US6058843||Feb 2, 1996||May 9, 2000||Cadex Limited||Machine and method for printing on surfaces of edible substrates|
|US6059392||Dec 4, 1997||May 9, 2000||Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.||Apparatus for adjusting head gap depending upon the thickness of printing paper in ink jet printer|
|US6062686||Oct 17, 1996||May 16, 2000||Brother Kogyo Kabsushiki Kaisha||Hand held ink jet printer|
|US6074693||Feb 22, 1999||Jun 13, 2000||Trimble Navigation Limited||Global positioning system controlled paint sprayer|
|US6116707||Dec 18, 1997||Sep 12, 2000||Electronics For Imaging, Inc.||Robotic plotter system|
|US6173904||Apr 6, 1999||Jan 16, 2001||John A. Doherty||Apparatus and system for synchronized application of one or more materials to a surface from a vehicle and control of a vehicle mounted variable position snow removal device|
|US6227643||Feb 25, 1998||May 8, 2001||Encad, Inc.||Intelligent printer components and printing system|
|US6241410||Oct 13, 1999||Jun 5, 2001||Michael Eugene Hager||Chalk holding device|
|US6295737||Jan 15, 2001||Oct 2, 2001||Eastman Kodak Company||Apparatus and method for marking a contoured surface having complex topology|
|US6298154 *||Mar 29, 1999||Oct 2, 2001||Eastman Kodak Company||Method for rendering improved personal handwriting|
|US6299934||Mar 1, 2000||Oct 9, 2001||Trimble Navigation Limited||Global positioning system controlled paint sprayer|
|US6536345||Apr 17, 2000||Mar 25, 2003||Cadex Limited||Printing on the surface of edible substrates|
|US6561607||Oct 5, 2000||May 13, 2003||Eastman Kodak Company||Apparatus and method for maintaining a substantially constant closely spaced working distance between an inkjet printhead and a printing receiver|
|US6719467 *||Apr 30, 2001||Apr 13, 2004||Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.||Floor printer|
|US6729706 *||Feb 14, 2003||May 4, 2004||Eastman Kodak Company||Large area marking device and method for printing|
|1||U.S. Appl. No. 10/346,148, filed Jan. 16, 2003, David L. Patton et al. entitled, "Printing and Apparatus For Printing An Image on a Selected Surface".|
|2||U.S. Appl. No. 10/366,933, filed Feb. 14, 2003, David L. Patton et al. entitled, "Large Area Marking Device and Method for Printing".|
|Citing Patent||Filing date||Publication date||Applicant||Title|
|US7385594 *||Feb 19, 2004||Jun 10, 2008||Au Optronics Corporation||Position encoded sensing device and a method thereof|
|US7705870 *||Nov 10, 2004||Apr 27, 2010||Arai Corporation||Laser marking device, laser marking method, and object to be marked|
|US7922272 *||Apr 11, 2008||Apr 12, 2011||The Boeing Company||Method for application and accurate positioning of graphics on a surface|
|US8028426||Jul 15, 2009||Oct 4, 2011||Tofani Ernest F||Collision tool|
|US8152260||Feb 28, 2011||Apr 10, 2012||The Boeing Company||Apparatus for application and accurate positioning of graphics on a surface|
|US8291855||Jan 16, 2009||Oct 23, 2012||Hoerl Jr Jeffrey Joseph||Mobile robot printer for large image reproduction|
|US8467968||Jan 17, 2012||Jun 18, 2013||LimnTech LLC||Global positioning system roadway marker|
|US8724118||Nov 28, 2012||May 13, 2014||Eastman Kodak Company||Mobile apparatus with local position referencing structure|
|US8758076||Jul 31, 2006||Jun 24, 2014||Gwen Austin||Radio controlled toy for free form drawing|
|US8935057||Jan 15, 2013||Jan 13, 2015||LimnTech LLC||Roadway mark data acquisition and analysis apparatus, systems, and methods|
|US9046346||Nov 28, 2012||Jun 2, 2015||Eastman Kodak Company||Determining a position of a mobile apparatus|
|US20050184964 *||Feb 19, 2004||Aug 25, 2005||Au Optronics||Position encoded sensing device and a method thereof|
|US20070086822 *||Nov 10, 2004||Apr 19, 2007||Technology Transfer Service Corp.||Laser marking device, laser marking method, and object to be marked|
|US20080075511 *||Sep 21, 2006||Mar 27, 2008||William Henry Reed||Method for Position Acquisition for Use with a Hand-operated Printer|
|US20090257070 *||Apr 11, 2008||Oct 15, 2009||The Boeing Company||Apparatus and method for application and accurate positioning of graphics on a surface|
|US20100182356 *||Jul 22, 2010||Hoerl Jr Jeffrey Joseph||Mobile robot printer for large image reproduction|
|US20100245412 *||Dec 2, 2007||Sep 30, 2010||Hewlett-Packard Developement Company, L.P.||Image printing using specialty ink|
|US20100304009 *||Dec 2, 2010||Airbus Deutschland Gmbh||Device and method for painting curved outer surfaces of an aircraft|
|US20110199431 *||Aug 18, 2011||The Boeing Company||Apparatus for Application and Accurate Positioning of Graphics on a Surface|
|WO2012144969A1||Nov 4, 2010||Oct 26, 2012||American Road Printing Llc||Apparatus and method for applying a fluid to a surface|
|U.S. Classification||347/3, 358/1.9, 347/37|
|International Classification||G05D1/02, H04N1/207, H04N1/10, B41J3/28|
|Cooperative Classification||B41J3/28, G05D1/0272, G05D2201/0214, H04N1/10, H04N2201/0464, H04N2201/0438, G05D1/0274, G05D1/0236, H04N1/207|
|European Classification||H04N1/10, B41J3/28, G05D1/02E14M, H04N1/207|
|May 20, 2003||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY, NEW YORK
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:PATTON, DAVID L.;ALLEN, LORETTA E.;MCINTYRE, DALE F.;ANDOTHERS;REEL/FRAME:014103/0397;SIGNING DATES FROM 20030514 TO 20030519
|Dec 6, 2005||CC||Certificate of correction|
|Mar 20, 2009||FPAY||Fee payment|
Year of fee payment: 4
|Feb 21, 2012||AS||Assignment|
Free format text: SECURITY INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY;PAKON, INC.;REEL/FRAME:028201/0420
Effective date: 20120215
Owner name: CITICORP NORTH AMERICA, INC., AS AGENT, NEW YORK
|May 17, 2013||REMI||Maintenance fee reminder mailed|
|Oct 4, 2013||LAPS||Lapse for failure to pay maintenance fees|
|Nov 26, 2013||FP||Expired due to failure to pay maintenance fee|
Effective date: 20131004