36494PQA C UserGuide STD V25112017

PQA User’s Guide EOM00341-000
User’s Guide
On-Line Print Inspection System
PQA-C V2
Komori Corporation
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Copyright © 2011 by KOMORI Corporation

Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Due care has been taken in the
preparation of this manual, but if the user notices any errors or other points of concern, please contact
Komori Corporation. Komori Corporation is not responsible for the results of operating this product.
The software described in this manual is furnished under a license agreement or nondisclosure
agreement. The software may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of this agreement.
It is against the law to copy this software on magnetic tape, disk or any other medium for any purpose
other than for backup or archival purposes.
This manual contains information protected by copyright Law. No part of this manual may be
photocopied or reproduced in any form without prior written consent from KOMORI Corporation.
The following are third-party trademarks:
Microsoft, Windows, Windows95/98/NT/Me/2000/Xp, Internet Explorer and IME 2000 are
registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation of the United States of America.
All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective holders.
Release Description Documentation Date Manager

180214 Internal release CG 18/02/2014
280214 Initial release CG 28/02/2014
250314 New IR Inspection Section CG 25/03/2014
230715 Adapted for new release CG 23/07/2015
software
251117 PQA-C V2 release Ohama, Nikhil 25/12/2017
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Operation Conditions and Precautions

• When the inspection substrate material is highly reflective such as paper with foils or
holograms, or when the substrate is a dark color (black, etc.), or is a clear film, etc., the
performance of the system substrate is outside the operation specification range of this device.
Additionally, metallic or other highly reflective inks may not be properly inspected.
• Paper with a strong curl, paper that deforms easily during printing are difficult to inspect with
high accuracy.
• The defect detection accuracy means that the detectable size of a defect of 0.5 x 0.5 mm or
larger has occurred in the background while the tolerance setting is set to the normal
(medium quality/normal). In addition, if there is a character, pattern, etc., close to the defect,
it may not be detectable even if it exceeds the reject size threshold setting.
• The inspection might terminate if the press speed changes abruptly (accelerates, decelerates,
etc.).
• Although the degree coming from fluorescent lights installed in the ceiling does not pose a
problem, a strong light source (mercury lamp, UV or IR lamp, sunlight coming through the
window, etc.) in the vicinity of the camera light axis or the lamp house, may cause this device
to operate abnormally. In this case, take measures to block out the ambient light.
• If an insect passes over the camera light axis during the inspection, or powder or debris has
accumulated on the light axis, it could be erroneously detected as defective printing. In this
case, eliminate the insect or clean the inside of the device.
• Be sure to perform the maintenance presented in maintenance section of this document. Not
performing this maintenance could hinder the specified performance of this device.
• To view the defect history data from a computer on the network, support for the browser
Internet Explorer Version 6.0 or later is required. However, for firewalls and other security
related restrictions, take appropriate measures from the computer on the network.
• KOMORI will determine whether or not to conduct software version upgrades. (Normally,
KOMORI does not perform software upgrades of the system even during the product
warranty period.) However, if it is clear there is a problem with the software, the software
will be revised at the discretion of KOMORI. In this case, separate consultations will be held
with the user.
• If applications other than those installed by KOMORI are installed on the inspection system
computer, the inspection device may not operate normally.
• The LCD display may experience a slight color change caused by temperature changes or
other factors because of its construction.
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Contents
Operation Conditions and Precautions ................................................. ii
Introduction ..................................................................................... vii
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE .................................................................................................................. vii
SPECIAL NOTATION............................................................................................................................ vii

DOCUMENTATION CONVENTIONS ................................................................................................. vii
System Introduction .......................................................................... 8

1.1 OVERVIEW.................................................................................................................................. 8
1.2 INSPECTION UNITS ................................................................................................................... 8
1.2.1 Visible Inspection Unit ............................................................................................................. 8
1.2.2 Infrared Inspection Unit ............................................................................................................ 9
1.3 SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS .................................................................................................... 9

1.3.1 Warning Labels ......................................................................................................................... 9
1.3.2 Protective Clothing.................................................................................................................... 9
1.3.3 Safety precautions for daily operations ..................................................................................... 9
1.3.4 Electrical Safety ........................................................................................................................ 9

1.3.5 Moving Part Hazards................................................................................................................. 9
Print Inspection Concepts................................................................. 11

2.1 PRINT INSPECTION COMPONENTS ..................................................................................... 11
2.1.1 Digital Images ......................................................................................................................... 11
2.1.2 Golden Images ........................................................................................................................ 12
2.1.3 Inspection Tolerances.............................................................................................................. 12

2.2 DETECTING PRINTING DEFECTS......................................................................................... 12
2.2.1 Pixel Comparison .................................................................................................................... 13
2.2.2 Measuring Print Process Layer Registration ........................................................................... 13
2.3 SYSTEM OPERATION.............................................................................................................. 13
The User Interface........................................................................... 15

3.1 OVERVIEW................................................................................................................................ 15
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3.2 INSPECTION MENU................................................................................................................. 15

3.2.1 Status Indicator ....................................................................................................................... 16
3.2.2 Product Name / Job Name ...................................................................................................... 17
3.2.3 Speed Indicator ....................................................................................................................... 17

3.2.4 Sheet Display Counts .............................................................................................................. 17
3.2.5 Press status indicators ............................................................................................................. 18
3.2.6 Job Menu................................................................................................................................. 18
3.2.7 Main Menu .............................................................................................................................. 19

3.2.8 Image Window ........................................................................................................................ 20
3.2.9 Inspection History ................................................................................................................... 21
3.2.10 Product Setting.................................................................................................................... 22
3.2.11 Start / Retarget .................................................................................................................... 22

3.2.12 Stop Inspection ................................................................................................................... 23
3.2.13 Pause Insp ........................................................................................................................... 23
3.2.14 Expand Insp ........................................................................................................................ 23
3.3 Statistical data ............................................................................................................................. 24

3.3.1 Defect Region display ................................................................................................................. 24
3.3.2 Defect Region based reject count ................................................................................................ 24
3.3.3 Note based reject percent ............................................................................................................ 24
Live Image Monitor .......................................................................... 25

4.1 OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................... 25
4.2 SAMPLING DARKER ............................................................................................................... 25

4.3 SAMPLING LIGHTER .............................................................................................................. 25
4.4 STD IMAGE ............................................................................................................................... 26
4.5 LIVE IMAGE ............................................................................................................................. 26
4.6 ZOOM FUNCTIONS.................................................................................................................. 26
4.7 IMAGE POSITION ADJUSTMENT ......................................................................................... 26
Starting the Inspection ..................................................................... 27

5.1 OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................................... 27
5.2 POWERING THE SYSTEM ON ............................................................................................... 27
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5.3 SETTING UP FOR INSPECTION ............................................................................................. 27

5.4 RESTARTING THE INSPECTION ........................................................................................... 29
5.5 MONITORING THE INSPECTION .......................................................................................... 30
5.5.1 Inspec Sheet and Defect Sheet Fields...................................................................................... 30

5.5.2 Adjusting the Air Volume ....................................................................................................... 30
5.6 STOPPING THE INSPECTION ................................................................................................. 30
5.7 TURNING OFF THE POWER ................................................................................................... 31
Tuning the Inspection ....................................................................... 32

6.1 OVERVIEW................................................................................................................................ 32
6.2 DEFECT DETECTION AND REJECTION............................................................................... 32

6.2.1 Defect Detection...................................................................................................................... 32
6.2.2 Defect Rejection ...................................................................................................................... 33
6.3 REGISTRATION TOLERANCES ............................................................................................. 33
6.4 TUNING GUIDELINES ............................................................................................................. 33
6.5 TUNING THE INSPECTION..................................................................................................... 33
Creating Goldens ............................................................................. 36

7.1 OVERVIEW................................................................................................................................ 36
7.2 ELEMENTS OF A GOLDEN ..................................................................................................... 37
7.3 PRODUCT SETTINGS .............................................................................................................. 38
7.4 PRINT TEMPLATES ................................................................................................................. 39
7.5 SPECIAL REGIONS .................................................................................................................. 40

7.5.1 Creating Special Regions ........................................................................................................ 42
7.6 MASK REGIONS ....................................................................................................................... 43
7.7 DYNAMIC MASK REGIONS ................................................................................................... 43
Inspection History ........................................................................... 45

Passwords ....................................................................................... 46
9.1 OVERVIEW................................................................................................................................ 46
Version ........................................................................................... 47
10.1 OVERVIEW................................................................................................................................ 47
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Special Operations ........................................................................... 48

Inspection performance of reflective and Holographic Foils In the ViSIBLE Image INSPECTION ..... 48
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Introduction
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE
You should read and understand this User Guide for a general understanding of the PQA print
inspection system. This document offers both a conceptual overview of the system as well as
specific procedures that contain step-by-step instructions on starting, stopping, monitoring and
tuning an inspection along with instructions for creating a new golden.
SPECIAL NOTATION
The following notation is used throughout this book to denote special circumstances:
Notation Description
Note Provides additional information or a reference to other
documentation that may be helpful in either understanding a concept
or performing a task
Important Information that you need to know when you are performing a task;
not following this information could cause minor problems with
running the system.
Warning Information that you must follow when you are performing a task;
not following this type of information could lead to serious problems
with running the system.
DOCUMENTATION CONVENTIONS
The following table shows the documentation conventions used in this book:
Item Convention Example

Menu Bold type Select Start to start
Buttons the inspection
Field, Capitalize the first letter of each The Side Lay field on
menu and word in the name the Product Setup
window menu
names
Important Italicize Golden
Items
Text that Bold Type When you delete the
needs golden it cannot be
extra recovered
attention
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Chapter 1
System Introduction
1.1 OVERVIEW
The PQA print inspection system inspects sheets of currency and other security materials at a rate up
to 10,000 sheets per hour. The standard system configuration incorporates a visible inspection unit
which detects flaws in the visible light spectrum. On some presses, optional equipment may be
configured to inspect in the Ultra-violet and Infrared light spectrums. Results from each inspection
are used to determine if the sheet meets the standard of quality defined by the customer. Sheets are
then sorted into accept and reject piles according to these inspection results.
This chapter is meant to be read so that you get a basic introduction to the system. There are no
procedures to follow or tasks to perform in this chapter. However, knowing and understanding the
information in this chapter is a good first step in learning and using the system.
1.2 INSPECTION UNITS

The primary operation of the inspection system compares differences between the inspected sheets
and a previously defined reference standard or golden. These differences are classified as defects if
they exceed a user defined tolerance range. The inspection system capable of detecting ink spots,
stains, wiping, etc. Detailed measurements can also be made such as mis-registered print to paper.
The inspection system supports the following inspection units:
• Visible inspection unit (standard)
• Infrared inspection unit (optional)
Each of these inspection units process their respective images in a similar manner. Much of the
information in this manual can be applied to any of the inspection units and the manual describes the
operation of inspection in a generic manner because of this. However the visible inspection unit is
the primary component described in this manual. Where the operation of an optional unit differs
from the standard, an additional manual or an appendix to this manual will be provided to describe
those differences as an exception.
Note: The inspection system measures the overall quality according to the standards created by the
operator. Defects in the standard sample and defects that occur after the sheet has passed through the
inspection system are beyond the control of this system. In addition, defects are harder to detect in
complex print patterns than in white areas, so please conduct regular sampling inspections of the
printed matter and adjust the inspection performance accordingly.
1.2.1 Visible Inspection Unit

The visible inspection unit uses color images to measure the overall quality of the sheet. The unit
detects visible print defects on each sheet and can measure the register accuracy between two
printing processes such as offset and intaglio printing as well as the register accuracy of the print to
the sheet edge. In addition, the visible inspection unit dynamically locates and masks windowing
security threads from the quality measurement analysis.
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1.2.2 Infrared Inspection Unit

This is an optional subsystem of the PQA system and is not a standard component. It is not available
on all applications. The Infrared (IR) inspection unit uses IR images to measure the overall quality
of the sheet. The unit detects print IR defects on each sheet and can measure the register accuracy of
the IR visible ink to security devices such as a security thread or watermark. The system can also
detect certain substrate defects such as holes.
1.3 SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS

Before operating the system, read this section carefully and understand the safety precautions before
starting up the device.
This device is equipped with two types of safety devices for either protecting the safety of the
operator or for preserving the functionality of the device.
This device was manufactured giving due consideration to safety, but to promote greater safety,
please check the installation locations of the safety devices and be sure to understand their
function before starting up the device.
1.3.1 Warning Labels

Warning labels that promote safety are affixed to this device or printing press to identify areas
where there is high-voltage power, rotating parts or moving parts. Please use the device with being
fully aware of the areas where these warning labels are posted.
1.3.2 Protective Clothing

Wear clothing that is suitable for the work when operating this device.
1.3.3 Safety precautions for daily operations

• Immediately wipe off any oil, water or other substance that gets on the floor or device to
keep the walking and other areas around the device safe. Always keep the working
environment clean.
• Bundle the power cords and other cables to promote safety.
• Do not operate the device with wet hands
• Do not place objects on the device and do not drop anything into the device. Also, do not use
a pen or tool to push operator buttons, etc. Doing so could damage the device or cause it to
malfunction.
1.3.4 Electrical Safety

In the normal operation of the system, a high voltage current is used to operate the equipment. To
protect the operator and others against accidental contact with any hazardous voltages, do not open
any inspection system chassis during operation.
1.3.5 Moving Part Hazards

Perform any servicing of the camera or strobe light only when the press is stopped. As a precaution,
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remove all jewelry and ties while working around moving components such as the press equipment.
WARNING:
Remove all jewelry and ties when working around any
moving components.
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Chapter 2
Print Inspection Concepts

2.1 PRINT INSPECTION COMPONENTS
The PQA inspection system uses the following components to inspect sheets for printing or other
defects:
• A digital image of the sheet under inspection. This image is captured from a set of digital
camera and illumination devices mounted onto the press. When the image is captured it is
sent to the computer which houses one or more camera interface boards that form the digital
image in the computer’s memory.
• Information about what an ideal sheet looks like which is stored as a Golden. The Golden is
created by the operator and compared to the sheet under inspection to determine the
accept/reject status of each sheet.
• Inspection tolerances that tell the inspection how strict to be when deciding the severity of a
defect and if the sheet under inspection should be accepted or rejected.
2.1.1 Digital Images

The system uses high-resolution cameras to capture digital images of each sheet under inspection. A
digital image can be thought of as a photograph that has been broken down into tiny squares that
range in both color and intensity. These squares are called pixels. The following figure shows how a
digital image is broken into pixels.
At a resolution of approximately 0.25mm per pixel, the digital image created by the system breaks
the image down into approximately 3,700 x 3,000 color pixels, resulting in over twelve million
pixels of resolution for each sheet under inspection.
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2.1.2 Golden Images

A Golden contains information that describes what an ideal sheet looks like and how the sheets under
inspection should be inspected. The print inspection process is based on a comparison between the
sheet under inspection and the Golden. A Golden contains the following:
Reference Image — This is the result of compositing together several digital images of “known
good” sheets combined to produce an image of the ideal sheet for use during inspection. The value
for each pixel in the reference image is compared to the corresponding pixel value on the sheets
under inspection. The tolerance of the differences between the two determines whether or not it is
considered a flaw.
Special Regions — Consist of areas defined within the Golden image that are treated differently
than other areas during the inspection. Special Regions treat defects found within their areas more or
less important than defects found in other areas. The operator defines Special Regions when creating
a new Golden. Special Regions can also be defined as a mask where the system ignores defects
found in these areas.
Dynamic Mask — Allows the operator to define the location of the security thread wander area in
the Golden reference image. Based on this definition, the inspection dynamically locates the security
thread on each sheet under inspection and ignores it to prevent falsely classifying it as a defect.
2.1.3 Inspection Tolerances

Inspection tolerances control how strictly the inspection reacts to the size, location, and number of
flaws that a sheet can have and still be accepted. With a strict tolerance, smaller and fewer defects
cause sheets to be rejected. The tolerances for each region are defined in the Golden but the operator
can modify these tolerances to alter the inspection results. When a Golden is loaded, the system
automatically loads the tolerances set for that Golden. The operator can also change the tolerances at
any time, even during and inspection.
2.2 DETECTING PRINTING DEFECTS

The inspection system compares each digitized image of a sheet under inspection to the reference
image in the Golden. The inspection compares each pixel in the digitized image captured to the same
pixel location of the reference image in the Golden. If a pixel in the image of the sheet under
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inspection differs from the same pixel in the reference image, and the difference exceeds the
acceptable tolerance, it is considered a defect. Each defect detected is then classified as acceptable or
not depending on its size and location.
2.2.1 Pixel Comparison

The pixel comparison determines the severity of the defect according to its location in the image.
Differences identified during the comparison in user defined masked areas are measured against
higher or lower thresholds than those in other locations, depending on the sensitivity defined by the
operator. Additionally, once defects are classified, their size is also compared to size thresholds
defined by the operator for the masked area the defect is located within. All of these thresholds can
be set and changed before and during the inspection.
2.2.2 Measuring Print Process Layer Registration

The inspection system can measure the registration between two printed layers on each sheet under
inspection relative to their nominal positions. It measures the registration between layers relative to
the ideal registration between the same layers stored in the inspection standard. Any difference
found between the registration of the sheet under inspection and the standard image is considered an
error. If this relative error exceeds the tolerance, the sheet under inspection is rejected.
2.3 SYSTEM OPERATION

This inspection system is integrated onto a press to be configured for inline or offline inspection of
banknote sheets. The inspection process requires the operator to create a standard image pattern of
the printed sheet and store this as a Golden. This Golden image is then compared to sheets
being inspected for differences in density. A difference is considered a defect if the difference
exceeds the tolerance range for that pixel in the Golden. The Golden is held as the standard pattern
until printing is completed. Detailed settings can also be made, such as the improper printing paper
registration setting and continuous generated defect settings.
The detected defect image is displayed with the standard image for comparison to make it easy to
determine and confirm the defect on the screen. The sheet containing the defect is also sent to the
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reject pile to be sorted from the acceptable material. Furthermore, the defect history data is
automatically saved in the XML data, so if the system computer is connected to a LAN, the defect
history can be browsed remotely from a network computer installed with a browser that can display
XML data (Internet Explorer Version 6.0 or later).
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Chapter 3
The User Interface
3.1 OVERVIEW
Most of us are familiar with user interfaces that have buttons and menu options. For example, most
computer applications and web pages operate this way. Typically, each button or menu choice
executes a task or brings up a new screen or menu.
The PQA inspection system’s user interface provides access to all the features for setting up, running,
monitoring, and adjusting the inspection performance. Use the mouse and keyboard to access and
control these features. This chapter focuses on the characteristics of the user interface and how to use
it. It is meant to be read so that you get a better understanding of the system. There are no
procedures to follow or tasks to perform in this chapter.
3.2 INSPECTION MENU

The Inspection Menu is the primary screen most operators will interface with. It presents buttons
along the top and bottom of the screen with the inspection images displayed in the center. The
buttons on this screen allow you to choose specific actions or access other menus for additional
choices.
This section describes various elements associated with the Main Menu screen.
• Status Indicator — The status indicator reflects the current state of the system.
• Product Name / Job Name — The Product Name and Job Name buttons display the
currently defined names being used by the system. These buttons also allow the operator to
edit these names.
• Speed Indicator — The speed indicator shows the current sheet processing rate
• Sheet Counts — The speed counts reflect the number of sheets processed by the current job
• Job Menu — The Job Menu button allows the save a new job name the current job, save it as
a new job or select a previously defined job
• Main Menu — The Main Menu button brings the operator to another screen providing
access to additional functions.
• Image Window — The image window shows the current golden being inspected. This
image will update when a defect is found by the inspection.
• Inspection History — The inspection history shows the most current list of defects found by
the inspection. The operator can select any of these defects and view them in the image
window.
• Mask Setting — The Mask Setting button provides access to the golden generation
functions.
• Retarget — The Retarget button allows the operator to update the golden while inspecting.
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• Pause Insp. — The Pause Insp. Button temporarily stops the inspection until the operator
resumes it by pressing the Start Button. When the Start Button is pressed, the inspection
begins without resampling.
• Stop Insp. — The Stop Inspection button gives the operator the ability to stop the current
job.
The following figure shows the Main Interface Screen.
3.2.1 Status Indicator

At the top of the Inspection Menu is the Status Indicator. This indicator reflects the current state of
the system.
Status Description Indicator
Inspection System The image processing board is starting

Initializing after the computer is turned on.
Inspection Stopped The inspection has been stopped.
The system is searching for print

Searching for the template
characteristics (templates).
The template search has finished and the

Inspection Ready inspection standard is loaded. The
system is ready to begin inspection.
Standard sampling in After the standard is defined, the system

progress begins to sample the printed sheets to
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create the inspection standard.
After the tolerance is created, this is

Tolerance creation
displayed to show that the system is
completed
ready to conduct inspections.
After the standard is loaded and the

Inspection in progress machine is feeding sheets, the machine
will begin inspecting.
Transferring inspection area information

Transferring Mask
to image processing board.
The
This is displayed when a defect is
Defect detected
detected.
The inspection has been paused in mid

Inspection Pause 1
operation due to speed fluctuations.
3.2.2 Product Name / Job Name
The currently selected project name / job name is displayed in these. The defect history data is
identified by these names in addition to the job start time. Pressing the button for the project name or
job name allows the operator to edit the currently selected project or job name.
When this button is pressed, the name of the current job report output information can be changed by
the operator. For more details on the contents of the job report please see the Defect History section.
3.2.3 Speed Indicator

The speed bar is displayed in blue when ready for inspection, but
it will change to red when not ready for inspection.
3.2.4 Sheet Display Counts

After the inspection is started, the number of sheets fed
through the system and number of sheets rejected by the
inspection system are displayed here. These counts are
cleared when a new job is started. This section also
indicates the number of times the golden has been
17
expanded to incorporate additional image samples that contain examples of good quality print that
may not have been available when the golden was originally created.
3.2.5 Press status indicators
Indicator Name Description

Feeder… This lights up in green when the press feeder is on
Printing… When the printing cylinder engages this will illuminate
Waste Sheet… This lamp turns on after a defect sheet is detected and the
reject signal is set
PR This is a toggle lamp with the MR lamp and turns on when
the inspection system is in production mode indicating that
all defect sheets will be sorted to the reject pile
MR This is a toggle lamp with the PR lamp and turn on when
the inspection system is in Make-Ready mode indicating
that any defect sheets will be sent to the production piles
and not sorted to the reject pile
New Job… This lamp turns on when a change job signal is received
from the press
Communicating… This lights up in green when operating properly and in red
when there is a communication error
3.2.6 Job Menu

The Job Menu button displays the Job Selection Screen. The system considers a job to be data
consisting of the project name, job name, tolerance name and mask data. The system can store up to
100 jobs. By clicking on the “Job Menu” button at the top right of the Inspection Screen, the dialog
box below will be displayed. This dialog box allows the operator to choose three options:
• Select - A project or job already registered can be selected from the list and its contents
edited. When an existing project is selected the corresponding golden information is
automatically loaded and the system will be ready to inspect when it is finished and the Start
button is pressed
• Save - This saves all the current job data under the current job name on disk. When an
operator creates a new golden, it is not saved until they use this function.
• Save as New - This allows the operator to save the current job data to the database under the
same name and with a new date and time stamp.
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3.2.7 Main Menu

By pressing the “Menu” button at the top right side of the Inspection screen, the Menu Screen shown
opposite is displayed. A detailed description of these functions will follow in a subsequent chapter.
Button Name Description
Displays the Inspection Menu Screen. The system defaults to this

Inspection
screen at power up.
Displays the screen for viewing the defect history. The defects for the
History
past 100 jobs can be viewed.
Camera Test Displays the screen for checking the camera input data
Password Allows new passwords to be defined for the system
Version Displays the current software versions of all subsystems.
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System Reset Initializes the inspection system. This is typically not used.
Backup Tool Perform save and restore functions
Change Mode This is used by KOMORI service personnel
Application
This is used to perform a controlled exit of the system.
Exit
3.2.8 Image Window
At the center of the Inspection Menu is the Image Window. The Inspection Window provides a
visual image of the sheet being inspected. While the inspection is proceeding, this window is
updated constantly to show the operator when and where print defects are being detected in the sheet.
If a print defect is detected that causes a sheet to be rejected, the Inspection Window will change to
show the full sheet image with a red box highlighting the location of the worst defect location on the
left side of this window. Any other banknotes that contain rejects will also be identified in this image
by a yellow box to highlight their locations. The time the defect was found relative to the current
time is displayed below this image. If contiguous sheets have been rejected, the location of the
defects causing their rejects will be displayed with a solid red box, but they will not be highlighted
with a box. The right side of this window displays a zoomed image of the most recent defect found.
This image is displayed alternating with the same location in the standard image as shown in the
image below.
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3.2.9 Inspection History
The defect history is displayed to the right of the Image Window in the Main Interface Screen. It
displays information about 10 most recent defects detected. When a defect sheet is found, it is
displayed in the first window of the top row. The displayed items in the list are:
<Defect image> <time> <sheet number> <defect description> <count size> <repeat count>
<time> Time defect was detected

<sheet number> Infeed sheet number from start of batch.
<defect description> Explanation of found defect detected. This item identifies the defect as
lighter or darker than the reference image. It does not try to classify the
defect as what may have caused it.
<count size> This number refers to the total relative size of the defect found on the sheet
in pixels.
<repeat count> Total number of consecutive sheets rejected.
The most recent defect is shown at the very top. A maximum of 10 cases can be displayed. To check
more history than this, select History Data from the Menu Screen. The defect data of the 10 cases
shown in the history can be checked by clicking the defect image displayed. This will also update the
Image Window to show the detected defect image and its location on sheet..
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3.2.10 Product Setting

The Product Setting button will take you to the Product Settings menu where you can view and edit
an existing golden, create a new one or modify the inspection tolerances. The details of these
operations will follow in subsequent chapters.
3.2.11 Start / Retarget

The Start button is available when the system is idle after a golden has been created and loaded by
the system. After you are ready to begin, press the Start button to begin inspecting sheets. After the
Start button is pressed, the button changes to the Retarget button and is only available while the
system is inspecting.
The Retarget button is used to expand the golden information based on new additional image data.
If for some reason there has been a shift in the quality of printing which is causing too many good
quality sheets to be rejected this function can be used to adjust the system parameters. When the
Retarget button is pressed, the operator has a choice to recreate the entire Golden data or simply
capture additional images and add them to the existing Golden so that the current print quality can be
accepted by the inspection system.
Use the following procedure to Retarget the golden information.
Step Action
1. After determining that the golden data needs to be updated, select the Retarget button
at the bottom of the Inspection Menu. The system will then display a message asking
the operator to confirm this operation. Select the Cancel button if this action was
chosen by mistake and return to the Inspection Menu.
Warning: Once the OK button is chosen, the existing golden will be

changed and cannot be recovered.
22
2. After confirming this operation, the system displays the next option window to choose
either replace the existing golden data with newly created data or add 5 images to the
existing golden data.
Select the OK button to add 5 images to the current golden data. Select the Cancel
button to capture a new set of sample images to recreate the entire golden data.
3.2.12 Stop Inspection

The Stop button stops the current inspection process, changes the Retarget button to Start and
returns the system to an idle state. Inspection will not restart until the Start button is pressed even if
the press is printing. If the Start button is pressed without loading the Golden, the system will
automatically resample the Golden data and create a new reference image.
3.2.13 Pause Insp

The Pause Insp button suspends the inspection and send all sheets to the reject pile as uninspected.
While the inspection is suspended the system ignores all printed sheets. They are not inspected or
counted by the inspection system. The operator can exit this state by pressing the Start button. The
operation of this button is currently being modified and will be reflected in the next revision of this
document.
3.2.14 Expand Insp

The Expand Insp button allows additional images to be built into the current golden. When this
button is pressed, the system suspends the inspection and captures 5 additional images to be built into
the golden. When the expand function is completed the system automatically resumes the inspection.
Although the inspection golden criteria is updated, it is not automatically saved to disk. The operator
is required to save the information manually through the Job Menu.
23
3.3 Statistical data

The user interface displays statistics of rejected sheets while inspection as explained in following
sections.
3.3.1 Defect Region display

The defect region display is in the lower left portion of the inspection screen. It has an image of
single note and the regions defined (if any) on the Note Mask screen. Whenever a defect is detected
this display gets updated and the region that has a defect in it is displayed in solid color..
3.3.2 Defect Region based reject count

Region based reject count is a graph that displays number of
sheets rejected for each region (along vertical-axis) for every
region (along horizontal-axis) as shown in following figure.
For example if there is 1 region defined then there will be 1
entry corresponding to it along with two default entries. First
default entry is for defect in region other than the Note Grid,
second default entry is for the rejects outside defined regions
and from third entry onwards are the entries for rejects in the
defined regions.
3.3.3 Note based reject percent

The note based reject display shows
the reject percentage of each note. It is
the percentage of number of sheets
rejected for each note (amongst total
number of defect sheets).
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Chapter 4
Live Image Monitor
4.1 OVERVIEW
The Live Image Monitor allows the operator to view the live printed work on the press to monitor the
quality of the sheets while the inspection is operating. The PQA allows for several image views to
help the operator adjust and optimize the inspection system performance.
4.2 SAMPLING DARKER

The Sampling Darker image allows the operator to view the dark golden image data
as determined during the sampling procedure. This image shows the darkest pixel
value of all the sample images at each pixel location. This does not represent the
darkest sheet image. It is a composite of image data from all the images that were captured to
generate the golden. From this collection of images, the system found the darkest pixel at every pixel
location to create this dark image. It can be used to represent the darkest acceptable print image
before the thresholds are applied to help better understand what the inspection system considers good
quality work.
4.3 SAMPLING LIGHTER

The Sampling Lighter image allows the operator to view the light golden image
data as determined during the sampling procedure. This image shows the lightest
pixel value of all the sample images at each pixel location. This does not represent
the lightest sheet image. It is a composite of image data from all the images that were captured to
generate the golden. From this collection of images, the system found the lightest pixel at every
25
pixel location to create this light image. It can be used to represent the lightest acceptable print
image before the thresholds are applied to help better understand what the inspection system
considers good quality work.
4.4 STD IMAGE

The STD Image represents an image of the perfect printed sheet created by the
inspection system during the sampling process. This is the image the inspection
system uses to compare all printed sheets against to locate printing defects and
reject unacceptable work. It can be viewed by the operator to see the criteria the
system is comparing the printed work against to determine the overall print quality of the product.
4.5 LIVE IMAGE

The Live Image is the latest captured image under the inspection cameras. It
updates regularly to show the printing performance. If the operator selects the
Live Image button and then presses the button again to deselect it, the display
will not update until one of the image buttons is pressed. This will allow the
operator time to analyze the image on the monitor in detail.
4.6 ZOOM FUNCTIONS
The zoom functions allow the operator to zoom the displayed image to see the image in more detail.
The system allows for the image to be viewed in 5 different sizes. Fill size shows the entire captured
image on the monitor. The 1x, 2x, 3x and 4x buttons will display the image at that magnification.
When viewing the image at anything other than full size, the image window will show scroll bars at
the bottom and right side of the image to pan around the image.
4.7 IMAGE POSITION ADJUSTMENT

The Image Position Adjustment buttons are the only
buttons on this screen that do not change any attributes of
the displayed image. It is used to adjust the starting
position of the image acquisition. Changing the printing
pressure on the press can sometimes cause the image
acquisition start position to drift. The operator can correct this drift by changing the start position
using this widget.
When the printing pressure is changed and periodically through the print run, the image position
should be monitored. Using the Live Image, check the position of the sheet to ensure it is in the
correct position. A properly adjusted image should show the top of the grippers set just below the
blue line as shown in the image below. Use the offset adjustment buttons to adjust the sheet position
accordingly if there is any deviation.
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Chapter 5
Starting the Inspection
5.1 OVERVIEW
This chapter contains the basic procedures that are used to start and end an inspection. The following
list describes the sequence of steps to follow:
• Powering the system on
• Setting up for inspection
• Starting the inspection
• Monitoring the inspection
• Stopping the inspection
• Powering off the system
5.2 POWERING THE SYSTEM ON

Normally, the power to the inspection system can be turned on when the main press panel is turned
on. After the Startup screen is displayed, the Inspection Menu is automatically displayed. If
maintenance is required then the Maintenance screen will be displayed. If this happens
perform the necessary maintenance before continuing.
Note: The inspection console power may be off even if the press main panel is turned on. If this
happens, open the front door of the operation stand, locate the inspection breaker switch on the
cabinet floor and switch it on. When turned on it should illuminate.
5.3 SETTING UP FOR INSPECTION

When the inspection system powers on and initialization completes it can be setup to inspect a new
print job on the press. The following procedure assumes the press has been setup to print the
desired product before beginning this procedure.
Note: Some measurements used by the system may not match the physical measurements of the
sheet exactly due to pixel size round-off calculations.
Step Action
1. Set the PQA system in Make Ready (MR) mode to allow time to setup the inspection
while the press setup continues. Press the Job Menu button and a pop-up window will
be displayed. In this window press the green Product button to change to the
Make-Ready state. When finished press the Close button. The blue MR status light
should now be displayed.
27
2. When printing begins, in the Live Image Monitor, check the gripper edge position of the
sheet to ensure it is in the correct position. The top of the gripper should be set just
above the gripper as shown here. Use the position offset adjustment buttons at the
bottom of the Live Image Monitor screen to properly adjust the sheet position.
3. Monitor the next captured images to ensure proper setup.

4. Press the Product Settings button to begin setting up the next job. The first step is to
define the product dimensions.
5. Setup the banknote to the correct dimensions and matrix size. First define the banknote
size width and height to the correct dimensions.
6. Set the Side Lay and Front Lay parameters to adjust the note matrix position inside the
print area.
7. Setup the sheet width and height to the correct dimensions. View the top left and the
bottom right banknote positions and adjust the Gripper Edge Paper Tail ,Left Edge
and Right Edge parameters to ensure the print area is properly fit on the sheet image.
When properly adjusted, red lines should outline the print area of the sheet.
8. When the banknote sheet dimensions are setup correctly, press the Note Mask button to
the banknote inspection criteria. First define the Primary template search area(s). The
primary template refers to the current print process and should be placed in a high
contrast print area from the current print process. If another print layer exists, define this
print layer as the Secondary template and ensure that it is uniform and without high
contrast print that may confuse the inspection. Draw a rectangle using mouse to define
the template search window. Once the template position is defined, the operator must
select the color that contains the contrast image.
Note: the template search area should not include any of the security thread motion area.
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9. If a surfacing security thread exists in the banknote design setup the dynamic mask
function of the inspection. In the Note Mask window, select the Thread Enabled
button to turn on the function.
10. Set the Thread Width parameter to the width of the security thread.
11. Set the SideMask Width parameter to the desired amount of extra mask beyond the
actual thread width.
12. Select the Search Color to the image color that displays the greatest amount of contrast
between the print and the security thread. The operator can view the individual image
colors by selecting the Color Selector button below the banknote image.
13. Complete the setup by creating all special mask regions and defining default sensitivity
tuning parameters. More detail of defining special mask regions can be found in the
discussion on tuning later in this manual.
14. Save the new golden and copy all the new settings to every other banknote on the sheet.
Verify that the copy procedure worked correctly by checking the settings on other
banknotes. When you are satisfied with the copy function, save the golden. When the
save completes, the system will automatically start the sampling process to create the
new golden. When sampling completes the inspection should automatically begin
inspecting. If this does not happen press the Start Insp button to begin inspecting. If
the sampling process fails, repeat step #8 and try again.
15. Monitor the inspection results and adjust any golden parameters according to the
inspection results. If the system inspection is too sensitive then adjust tune the
inspection accordingly.
16. Once the inspection is setup and running properly return to Production Mode. Press the
Job Menu button and a pop-up window will be displayed. In this window press the blue
Make Ready button to change to the Production state. When finished press the Close
button. The green PR status light should now be displayed.
5.4 RESTARTING THE INSPECTION

If restarting an existing job after powering up the system, there is no need to create a new golden.
The previous golden can be loaded and used to inspect the print job. The following procedure
assumes the press has been setup to print the desired product before beginning this procedure.
Step Action
1. Select the golden to inspect with by pressing the Job Menu button at the top of the
inspect screen and a pop-up window will be displayed
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2. .Choosing the Select button in the Job Menu Pop-up window to see a list of all goldens
stored on the system from the Job Details Screen. Select the golden data to use from the
list on this screen and load it
3. When the golden has finished loading the system will automatically return to the
Inspection Menu Screen. Press the Start Insp button to begin the inspection.
5.5 MONITORING THE INSPECTION

When a defect is detected the defect image is zoomed and displayed alternatively with the Golden
image in the Image Window. The whole sheet image is also displayed with the location of the
banknote containing the found defect outlined with a red box to help you locate the defect on the
sheet. Inside the defective banknote image is also a color coded box indicating the type of defect
found:
• Red and White alternating box displayed => Dark defect was found
• Blue and White alternating box displayed => Light defect was found
When a defect is detected, an alarm sounds together with an update to the display screen to alert the
operator.
5.5.1 Inspec Sheet and Defect Sheet Fields

The Inspec Sheet and Defect Sheet fields on the Inspection Menu show an ongoing tally of the
inspection results. Large values in the Defect Sheet field indicate a problem either with the material
being inspected or with the inspection criteria.
5.5.2 Adjusting the Air Volume

The inspection system has been completely integrated with the press to maximize sheet
stability for the in-line inspection. Some banknote paper however requires additional
assistance to best stabilize the sheets. The press therefore provides air assist specifically for
this reason. On the inspection console table top there is a touch panel that permits the operator
to adjust the air flow that is helping to press the sheets against the cylinder. If while monitoring
the inspection you notice that the sheets may require additional air assist to improve sheet
stability, use this touch panel to make the necessary adjustments.
5.6 STOPPING THE INSPECTION

By pressing the Stop Insp button the inspection is stopped. Whenever the Stop Insp button is
pressed the system will stop inspecting the print work until the Start Insp. button is pressed. When
the inspection is restarted, the system will automatically resample the production and replace the
30
existing golden data with a new copy using the latest production work.
WARNING: The operator should avoid using this function
unless creating new golden data is an acceptable outcome.
5.7 TURNING OFF THE POWER

When the press main power is turned off, the power to the inspection system will also be turned
off and the system will shut down after the UPS in the operation stand turns off. If it is
necessary to cycle the power on and off repeatedly, such as during machine maintenance, then
turn off the power breaker switch in the PQA operation stand in advance.
31
Chapter 6
Tuning the Inspection
6.1 OVERVIEW
Tuning an inspection allows you to change the default settings and tolerances that the system uses for
print inspection. Typically, tuning an inspection is done when good quality sheets are rejected or
when poor quality sheets are accepted. In some cases, tuning is also done when borderline material
is being accepted or rejected. You can tune any area of the inspection at any time, even when an
inspection is running.
Another tuning feature allows you to create a new composite reference image during an in-progress
inspection. The new composite reference image is compared to the sheets under inspection in real
time, seamlessly replacing the composite reference image that was used at the start of the inspection.
This feature is especially useful when you want the composite reference image to reflect the quality
of the printed material in real time as it comes off the press.
6.2 DEFECT DETECTION AND REJECTION

A flaw is defined as differences in image values between the pixels on a sheet under inspection and
the same pixels on the composite reference image in the golden. The print defect inspection has a
default flaw detection and rejection setting for these pixel values. The detection component finds the
flaws. The rejection component determines whether the size and location of the flaws are serious
enough to reject the sheet. Based on your observation of how the inspection is going, you can tune
the detection and/or rejection components to change the inspection results.
6.2.1 Defect Detection

Defect detection is the process of finding all the pixels in the sheet under inspection that deviate
greater than the specified threshold from the corresponding golden image pixels. The inspection
system defines two sets of thresholds that are used to find printing defects. Since the inspection
algorithm is looking at individual pixels, it is only capable of detecting if the pixel is brighter or darker
than the reference golden pixel. The system therefore provides for bright and dark threshold settings.
The PQA system provides for 2 types of thresholds each for dark and bright defects. These thresholds
are:
• Base Tolerance – The base tolerance is used as a fixed value offset from the golden pixel
value.
• Tolerance – The tolerance is used as a % offset from the golden pixel value. In this manner,
the value of the golden pixel is used to determine the overall sensitivity to differences
detected.
Both of these threshold values are used in combination to determine the overall detection threshold
that the pixel differences are compared to in order to classify an acceptable deviation or a reject pixel.
32
6.2.2 Defect Rejection

Once all the image pixels are examined and all the defect pixels have been found the system then
accumulates the total number of defect pixels found in any given area. It compares this defect pixel
count to the size threshold for the area the defects pixels were found to determine if the sheet should
be accepted or rejected. The system measures the size by using a counting format internal to the
inspection algorithms and displays the defect images with the total counts found. The method for
determine the relative size based on the counts is not necessary since the system provides for the size
thresholds to be set in millimeters and converts this size internally to a counts threshold for the
inspection software to use.
6.3 REGISTRATION TOLERANCES

Some inspection measures check the differences between a sheet under inspection and the golden and
compare the measured difference against a set of tolerances. For example, if the sheet edge to start
of print distance measurement for a sheet under inspection is found to be different from the golden, the
system checks to see if that difference is within the tolerances defined for the inspection. If the
difference is outside the tolerance, the system fails the inspection and the sheet is rejected.
6.4 TUNING GUIDELINES

Use the following guidelines when tuning an inspection:
• Determine whether to tune the flaw detection or rejection area. For example, if the
inspection is correctly detecting flaws but incorrectly rejecting small defects, change the size
threshold assigned to the region where that defect is found.
• Determine whether to change to a higher or lower sensitivity setting. If the system is
accepting material that should be rejected, change the threshold settings to be more sensitive
for the region where the defect is found.
• Tune one area at a time. If multiple regions have defects and are both failing but the
sheets are of acceptable quality, pick one region and tune that until the defect is accepted then
tune the other area.
• Tuning can raise new problems. Tuning in one area may cause problems in another area. For
example, if the system is not detecting flaws in one area of the banknote, you can change the
sensitivity by adjusting the thresholds for that masked region of the banknote. However, this
increases the sensitivity to all differences inside that masked region on every banknote across
the entire sheet.
6.5 TUNING THE INSPECTION

You can tune an inspection by modifying the inspection thresholds. The system allows for two types
of thresholds to be set; detection or density thresholds and rejection or size thresholds. Together they
define the quality standards of the inspection for each defined region.
Detection Thresholds:
Detection thresholds define the allowable density differences (both too light and too dark) from the
golden image. Increasing these values allows greater tolerance in the difference between flaws
found on the sheets under inspection and the golden. For example, if you increase any of the values,
this allows a greater density difference between the sheet under inspection and the golden. Any
density difference from the golden within the defined threshold will be considered acceptable by the
33
system. Those exceeding the threshold will be considered a defect.

Rejection Thresholds:
Once defects are found, their size is measured against the allowable size for the specified region they
are contained within. If the size exceeds the threshold then the banknote is rejected and the sheet is
diverted to the reject pile. This size threshold is the Rejection Threshold.
Note: When tuning the inspection, be sure to select the correct region you want to tune.
The tuning screen allows you to adjust the detection settings by individual image color (R, G or B).
This allows you to optimize the sensitivity to specific defects while also maximizing the system yield
or accept rate. The detection settings for each region and each color are divided into 4 thresholds,
dark tolerance, base dark tolerance, base light tolerance and light tolerance. These are explained in
the table below:
Tolerance Description
Dark Tolerance % difference from the golden pixel value. If the golden pixel value
was 50 and this threshold value is set to 10, then the resulting
threshold value is 5 pixel counts darker than the golden.
Base Dark Tolerance This tolerance represents the % of total white light in the image
(200). A 10% setting here would represent a threshold pixel value
20 counts darker than the golden pixel..
Base Light Tolerance This tolerance represents the % of total white light in the image
(200). A 10% setting here would represent a threshold pixel value
20 counts lighter than the golden pixel.
Light Tolerance % difference from golden pixel value. If the golden pixel value is
200 and this threshold value is set to 10 then the resulting threshold
value is 20 pixel counts darker than the golden.
34
Note: The dark and light tolerances are incremental around 50% density. The threshold increases
from 0% density to 50% density and then inverts to 100% density. The image below represents the
threshold value settings from 0% density to 100% density of the golden and inspected images.
In order to adjust the inspection tolerances, press the Mask Settings button at the bottom right of the
Inspection Menu Screen. If you know the region you wish to make changes to then from here you
can go directly to the tolerances screen shown above by pressing the Levels button. If you need to
Plot of Sample Inspection Threshold

Inspected Image Value
Dark Rejects
Dark Threshold
Base Dark Offset
Base Light Offset
Light Threshold
Light Rejects
Golden Image
review the masks to learn the region to adjust then press the Note Mask button at the top of right of
the screen and select any banknote. This will bring you to the Note Mask screen where you can
select any drawn region and the corresponding region level will be highlighted on the right side of
the screen. With this information you can then double click the Level Settings title bar to go to the
Level Menu screen. When you have finished making the necessary changes to the thresholds click
the Set button to save these changes.
Warning: press the Cancel button to exit the Note Mask
menu screen. Do not press the Set button as this will cause
the system to resample the golden image data.
35
Chapter 7
Creating Goldens
7.1 OVERVIEW
A golden contains inspection criteria along with a composite reference image that is based on a
number of sheets of good quality printing. The composite reference image or “golden image” is
compared to each sheet under inspection with the results of this comparison determining the
accept/reject decision for each sheet.
Follow the steps outlined in Section 5.3 to create a simple golden without any special regions of
interest drawn. In addition to explaining the components of a golden and how the Product Setting
menu works, this chapter explains how to define special regions where unique inspection thresholds
can be defined and mask regions where areas of the banknote are ignored.
The majority of the golden definition is performed on the Note Mask menu screen (shown above).
The operator gets to this screen by pressing the Note Mask button at the bottom of the Product
Settings screen. This menu screen allows the operator to define many of characteristics of the golden
by defining them in a single banknote. Once the banknote definition is complete all the golden
characteristics can be copied to the rest of the banknotes on the sheet using the Copy To All function
provided by the system.
36
7.2 ELEMENTS OF A GOLDEN

This section describes various elements associated with a golden.
• Product: The product settings define the characteristics of the banknote sheet and are located
on the first screen of the Product Settings menu. When a new golden is created it uses this
information to correctly define the banknotes to be inspected.
• Print Templates: You must define one Template in an area with the primary printing layer and
one in an area with the secondary printing layer (if present). The primary template allows the
system to recognize each note and copy the specifications for each note, such as special
regions and regions to ignore, to all the other notes on a sheet. This saves you time in not
having to duplicate identical regions on each note. Templates are also used to ensure that the
sheets under inspection are in the proper position when the inspection occurs. If the system is
installed on an offset press, then both the Primary and Secondary template points should be
created in an offset area.
• Special Regions — You can define special regions on the base golden and specify that the
system treats flaws found in these regions as more or less important than flaws found
elsewhere on the sheet under inspection.
• Mask Regions — You have the option to specify mask regions on the golden that the system
ignores on the sheet under inspection.
• Dynamic Mask Region — You can define an area on the golden where the security thread is
isolated and inspected for its size and position. After the thread is inspected it is masked out
for the remainder of the print inspection.
• Detection Thresholds — A sensitivity setting associated with a specified Special Region
that the system uses to detect flaws.
• Rejection Thresholds — A sensitivity setting associated with a specified Special Region
that the system uses to reject sheets under inspection.
37
7.3 PRODUCT SETTINGS
The Product Settings define the physical properties of the banknote sheet. The sheet layout as
expressed by rows and columns results in the definition of a single banknote within the sheet.
The Product Settings menu allows you to define the sheet properties and the dimensional
thresholds of the print on the sheet. The Product Settings menu is accessed from the Main
Inspection window by pressing the Mask Setting button. The Product Setting fields are defined
as follows:
• View Information – This section defines the camera field of view and is set by the
factory. It is available here only as additional information and can be changed.
Width – Width of the captured image
Height – Height of the captured image.
• Sheet Information – This information defines the position of the sheet in the image.
Side Lay -- Distance from the side of the image to the start of the print
Front Lay – Distance from the top of the image to the start of the print
• Note Information – This information defines the size of a single banknote and the
number of rows and columns of banknotes on the sheet.
Width – width of a single banknote
Height – height of a single banknote
Row – number of rows on the sheet
Column – number of columns on the sheet
• Sampling Sheet Size – This value defines the number of sheets to be captured and
38
composited into the golden. The value can range between 10 and 100 and depends on
several factors such as presence of security devices, number of print processes completed
and variability of print. As a rule of thumb if there is only one print process on the sheet
to be inspection (for example only offset) and the sheet does not contain any security
threads or foils then the number of sample images can be small such as 10 above. If the
sheet to be inspected is very complex and contains several security devices such as
threads and foils with multiple printing processes (i.e. offset and intaglio) then the
number of sample images should be increased.
• Edge Mask Setting – These values define the active inspection area or region of interest.
These values define the region of the image to be inspected. Outside this region is
automatically masked from the print inspection although distance measurements are still
performed.
Gripper – Defines the top edge of the inspection region of interest.
Paper Tail – Defines the bottom edge of the sheet inspection region of interest.
Left Edge – This value defines the left edge of the inspection region of interest.
Right Edge – This value defines the right edge of the print inspection region of interest.
• Paper Edge Quality Tolerance – These values define the distance tolerances from the
sheet edge to the start of the print to ensure the print is accurately positioned on the sheet.
If the distance on the inspected sheet exceeds the golden distance by more than these
tolerances the sheet will be rejected.
Side Tolerance – Allowable variance of the print registration on the horizontal sides of
the sheet.
Top Tolerance –Allowable variance of the print registration on the top side of the sheet.
Layer Register Tolerance – the allowable wander between two printing process layers.
For example, if the position of an offset print feature on the banknote has wandered more
than this tolerance in relation to the intaglio print on the sheet the sheet will be rejected.
When adjusting the sheet dimensions, the system will draw lines outlining the parameters being
adjusted. The operator can adjust the display to zoom the image to ensure the dimensions are
properly outlining the currency sheet correctly. The two zoom buttons at the bottom of the screen
provide the functions to zoom the image and reset the image to fit the window.
7.4 PRINT TEMPLATES

Print templates are high contrast areas of single print layers. These templates are for two purposes.
39
1. To locate each banknote on the sheet individually to account for sheet movement under the
camera as well as sheet distortion caused by the printing process.
2. To measure the relative registration between multiple (two) printing processes.
The system provides for the operator to define print templates from two printing process layers on
the banknote. These two templates must contain high contrast printing with minimal interference
from other printing processes in order to maximize their accuracy.
7.5 SPECIAL REGIONS

Special Regions are areas within the banknote or on the sheet that can be defined with unique
detection and rejection tolerances. The system uses these regions to specify how the pixels within
them are to be used to create the golden information as well as how they are to be measured against
the resulting golden image. The system provides for up to 16 user defined region levels to be defined
by the operator. Multiple special region areas can be assigned to a single region level.
Note 1: Although the system provides for special region definitions, the operator is not required to
create them. If a golden is created without any special regions then the default region level
thresholds will be applied to the entire sheet.
Note 2: Although the system provides for up to 16 region levels, a user can draw several region areas
and assign them to the same region level.
Special regions are drawn by the operator from the Note Mask Screen. The operator has several
options available to simplify the process of defining a region. By selecting these operations on the
right side of the screen the operator is able to define special regions for the specified banknote.
The right side of the screen is divided into five sections that define an operation to be performed or an
attribute of the region to be created. These five sections are defined below:
Special regions can also be defined in the Sheet Mask screen. From this screen all the same region
creation functions are available from the Note Mask screen except masks created from this screen
cannot be copied to each banknote.
The Operation Functions menu provides the following functions:
• Select – Choose one of the already created regions to perform

additional actions to.
• Select Multiple – Choose several already created regions to
perform additional actions to.
• Select All – Choose all created regions to perform additional
actions to.
• New – Define a new region
• Delete – Delete a selected region
• Delete All – Delete all previously created on this banknote.
40
When an image is built from multiple production steps such as Litho

and Intaglio printing, the relative position of each process layer may
show some movement. The Layer/Jitter menu provides the ability for
the operator to adjust the sensitivity within a region due to this
movement. The operator can select from 6 Jitter settings and also
define the amount of Jitter applied to each setting.
When defining Jitter, the operator must consider how many process
layers are contained within the defined special region. In areas where
the design contains only the process layer produced by the current
printing process the Jitter setting can be as small as 1 pixel. In areas
where multiple process layers exist, the Jitter setting should allow for
the amount of movement allowed between the two process layers. In all
cases, the specified Jitter setting is rounded to the nearest pixel.
When drawing a new region, the operator can select from one of the
following shapes:
Rect – A rectangular shape where the operator only needs to define the
location and size.
Round Rect – See above
Ellipse – A round shape where the operator only needs to define the
size and position.
Triangle – A triangular shape where the operator only needs to define
the size and shape.
Right Triangle – Similar to Triangle, only the shape will be different.
Polygon – A dynamic shape where the operator defines all the vertices
of the polygon.
The shape operation menu allows the operator Copy,

Paste, Rotate Left, Rotate Right and Flip
Horizontally special regions.
41
The Level Setting selection allows the operator to choose which region
level to associate the current region with. This region level will be used
to define the corresponding inspection thresholds used to determine if a
pixel is to classified as a defect or not and what size defect should cause
the sheet to be rejected.
When defining the region area the operator also has the option to select
the “Mask” level which defines the current region as an area to be
ignored by the inspection system. If any printing defects exist within a
Masked region they will not be measured and will not be considered
when determining if the sheet should be rejected.
The operator has a total of 15 special regions to select from with one
being the Mask level. The operator also has the ability to associate a
special region area with the Default region settings. The Default region
settings are generally used to inspect all areas of the banknote that do
not have a special region level defined.
7.5.1 Creating Special Regions

Use the following procedure to create Special Regions in the golden.
Step Action
1. From the main screen select the Product Setting button to take
you to Product Setup menu screen
2. Select Note Mask button at the bottom of the screen and then move the
mouse over one of the central banknotes in the sheet image and click the
left mouse button.
3. In the Operations Function menu to the right select the New button.
4. Select the appropriate Layer for the Special Region area.
5. Select the shape to be used to create the Special Region.
42
6. Select the Mask Level to be associated with the new Special Region
7. Move the mouse to the image of the banknote area where the new region is to be
defined. If you have selected a preset shape then click the mouse and drag the mouse
until the shape is created.
Note: If you are creating a polygon region then click the mouse at every around the
printed object until the entire Special Region area is encompassed by the newly drawn
region.
8. Adjust region shape and position until you are satisfied. When the region is selected
any of the black select boxes that surround the region area can be used to adjust the
shape of the region. With the region selected, the mouse can also be used to adjust the
position of the Special Region.
7.6 MASK REGIONS

The mask region is a special region drawn by the operator where the system ignores any differences
in pixel values between the golden and the sheet under inspection. The system may detect a
difference, but it is not counted when determining if the sheet should be rejected or not. Mask
regions are created exactly the same as special regions, only when selecting the region level, choose
the Mask button.
7.7 DYNAMIC MASK REGIONS

The dynamic mask function allows you to define the area where the security thread traverses in the
banknote. With this definition, the thread on each banknote can be located and removed from the
image before it is falsely considered a print defect.
Step Action
43
1. From the main screen select the Product Setting button to take
you to Product Setup menu screen
2. Select Security Thread button at the bottom of the screen and then
move the mouse over one of the central banknotes in the sheet image
and click the left mouse button.
3. Press the security thread

Enable/Disable button to enable
security thread setting.
4. Search Color defines the color channel in which security thread is to be searched. Select
and cycle between color channels to identify color channel in which the contrast
between the thread and background is the most.
5. Set the actual width of the security thread.
6. Set the width of the side mask.
7. Adjust the thread search region with the help of mouse.
44
Chapter 8
Inspection History
The inspection reports are currently being reviewed for development. This section is therefore to be
completed.
45
Chapter 9
Passwords
9.1 OVERVIEW
The Password button on the Main Menu screen provides an interface for the system passwords to be
setup for the operator and the administrator. When the Password button is pressed on the Main
Menu screen a password pop-up menu is displayed as shown below. In this window you can select
which password you wish to setup and proceed to define the password. When you are finished you
can save the changes you have made by clicking the OK button. You can also cancel the operation
by clicking the Close button.
46
Chapter 10
Version
10.1 OVERVIEW
The Version button on the Main Menu screen displays the current PQA version. When the Version
button is pressed, a pop-up window is displayed with the version numbers of each of the PQA
subsystems. The pop-up window can be cleared by clicking the OK button.
47
Appendix A
Special Operations
INSPECTION PERFORMANCE OF REFLECTIVE AND HOLOGRAPHIC
FOILS IN THE VISIBLE IMAGE INSPECTION
The PQA visible inspection system is not designed to inspect holographic foils due to their variable
imaging properties. A hologram changes shape when imaged from different angles. Since the PQA
system image the sheet by moving it under the camera, it is very difficult to inspect these devices. If
the foil is only reflective without any holographic properties, then it may be possible to inspect these
devices, but they must be considered on a case by case basis. The following issues must be
determined when considering to inspect reflective foils in the banknote:
1. Is the foil flat without any holograms or reflective patterns which may shift on the surface
of the foil? Holograms and other surface patterns can cause too much variation when
creating the reference golden information to create reliable thresholds which can detect foil
defects.
2. Does the foil design contain a large solid area or is a collection of small reflective windows
on top of the printed surface. The size of the foil also will determine if the PQA system can
reliable inspect it. Based on the registration of the foil to the intaglio print and the
underlying offset print, any visible print which varies within the foil pattern will lower the
sensitivity of the PQA inspection in this area.
3. What is the registration accuracy of the foil to the print? For the same reasons as above, the
more registration allowance of the foil will significantly degrade the sensitivity to foil
defects especially if the foil size is small.
4. Is the foil place in a uniformly printed area? The underlying and surrounding print will
greatly affect the PQA inspection performance of the foil. Especially if there is intaglio
overprint on the foil. Since the PQA does not contain any intelligence, there is no way for it
to determine what is print and what is foil and the variation between the print and the foil
will lower the sensitivity to flaws.
5. Can the sheet be presented to the camera in a uniform way to minimize sheet flutter. With
the current implementation the operator can adjust the air flow across the sheet to minimize
the flutter. If the operator is not able to completely stabilize the sheet, then the PQA may be
limited to inspecting only half of the sheet starting from the gripper edge.
When setting up to inspect a foil device, create a region surrounding only the foil and set the jitter
setting for this region to be larger than the offset region. Typically, this setting should be greater than
1mm or 4 pixels. If the foil registration to the print accuracy is poor then the jitter setting should be
increased accordingly.
Note: When creating a region to inspect the foil device with the visible camera, the PQA system can
only verify the existence of the foil. It is not capable to determine the quality of the foil on the
banknote.
48

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PQA User’s Guide EOM00341-000

On-Line Print Inspection System

Copyright © 2011 by KOMORI Corporation

Release Description Documentation Date Manager

Operation Conditions and Precautions

SPECIAL NOTATION............................................................................................................................ vii

System Introduction .......................................................................... 8

1.3 SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS .................................................................................................... 9

1.3.4 Electrical Safety ........................................................................................................................ 9

Print Inspection Concepts................................................................. 11

2.1.3 Inspection Tolerances.............................................................................................................. 12

The User Interface........................................................................... 15

3.2 INSPECTION MENU................................................................................................................. 15

3.2.3 Speed Indicator ....................................................................................................................... 17

3.2.7 Main Menu .............................................................................................................................. 19

3.2.11 Start / Retarget .................................................................................................................... 22

3.3 Statistical data ............................................................................................................................. 24

Live Image Monitor .......................................................................... 25

4.2 SAMPLING DARKER ............................................................................................................... 25

Starting the Inspection ..................................................................... 27

5.3 SETTING UP FOR INSPECTION ............................................................................................. 27

5.5.1 Inspec Sheet and Defect Sheet Fields...................................................................................... 30

Tuning the Inspection ....................................................................... 32

6.2 DEFECT DETECTION AND REJECTION............................................................................... 32

Creating Goldens ............................................................................. 36

7.5 SPECIAL REGIONS .................................................................................................................. 40

Inspection History ........................................................................... 45

Special Operations ........................................................................... 48

Item Convention Example

1.2 INSPECTION UNITS

1.2.1 Visible Inspection Unit

1.2.2 Infrared Inspection Unit

1.3 SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS

1.3.1 Warning Labels

1.3.2 Protective Clothing

1.3.3 Safety precautions for daily operations

1.3.4 Electrical Safety

1.3.5 Moving Part Hazards

Print Inspection Concepts

2.1.1 Digital Images

2.1.2 Golden Images

2.1.3 Inspection Tolerances

2.2 DETECTING PRINTING DEFECTS

2.2.1 Pixel Comparison

2.2.2 Measuring Print Process Layer Registration

2.3 SYSTEM OPERATION

3.2 INSPECTION MENU

3.2.1 Status Indicator

Status Description Indicator

Inspection System The image processing board is starting

Inspection Stopped The inspection has been stopped.

The system is searching for print

The template search has finished and the

Standard sampling in After the standard is defined, the system

create the inspection standard.

After the tolerance is created, this is

After the standard is loaded and the

Transferring inspection area information