Method and system for monitoring and controlling online beverage can color decoration specification

A system is provided in an automated machine vision inspection environment. The system includes inspection cameras and a spectrophotometer or spectrometer, both implemented to be used online to detect the absolute colors of printed portions of items being inspected. The spectrophotometer or spectrometer is aimed at a fixed spot within a field of view of one of the digital cameras of an inspection system, which has a-priori knowledge as to exactly where the spectrophotometer or spectrometer is aimed. The image taken by the camera will be used to determine whether the desired measurement spot on the decoration pattern has actually been measured by the most recent snap of the spectrophotometric data. When the vision system determines that the spectrophotometer or spectrometer was truly aiming at the correct region when it captured its inspection data, it will instruct the system to accept the color measurement and will log the related data and information accordingly. If the correct spot is not measured, the data may simply be discarded or may be kept for other uses.