Color measurement instruments can be broadly classified as calorimeters, abridged spectrometers, and spectrometers. Devices that measure reflected light are called photometers, e.g., spectrophotometer, whereas devices that measure emitted light are called radiometers, e.g., spectroradiometer. Some color measuring devices can measure both reflective and emissive objects. In general, spectrometers are more color accurate than abridged spectrometers which are in turn more color accurate than calorimeters. This is often due to a decreasing number of color channels as devices proceed from full spectrometers to colorimeters.
The number of color channels can be associated with sampling theory. The more color channels, the finer the sampling of a light spectrum associated with a particular color. Colorimeters may have 3-4 color channels, abridged spectrometers may have 5-16 channels whereas spectrometers may have 17 or more channels. The number of channels associated with a particular classification of instrument is somewhat flexible, particularly between abridged and full spectrometers.
Typically, the signal associated with a color channel arises from the collection of light energy from a range of continuous wavelengths. For example, the light energy passing through a color filter that transmits wavelengths from a range such as 380-500 nm onto an electronic sensor that generates a signal, can be called the ‘Blue’ channel signal. To create a color channel, light has to be separated into multiple ranges of wavelengths.
Most instruments are based on a small set of light-separation technologies. These technologies include: (1) diffraction gratings; (2) interference filters; (3) color filter arrays; and (4) Light Emitting Diode (LED) based designs.
Technologies 1-3 separate light into ranges of wavelengths which then falls on multiple sensors to generate a simultaneous set of signals. LED-based designs use a monochromatic sensor and a series of different colored LED's which are turned on one-at-a-time to generate a sequence of signals. Color filter arrays (CFA's) have used 3-4 color channels which are found in calorimeters.
Illumination sources are an important component of color measuring instruments. Higher-cost instruments often use annular tungsten-halogen tubes to generate a light source that is relatively well-behaved, that is, they are spectrally smooth across the desired measurement wavelength range, e.g., 380-730 nm.
Lower-cost instruments often use LED's. LED's by their very nature are not spectrally smooth, i.e., they have ‘spikey’ spectra, and they emit light in very narrow wavelength ranges. Even so-called ‘white light’ LED's are not well-behaved and usually do not span the desired illumination wavelength range, e.g., 380-730 nm.
Embodiments of the present disclosure include systems, devices, and methods for providing an abridged spectrophotometers and/or spectroradiometers. For example, in some embodiments through use of a larger number of color channels, e.g., greater than about 6 or 8, it is possible to reconstruct or estimate the original spectral content of a measured color for reflective objects. The present disclosure includes embodiments that describe the use of CFA's with 5 or more color channels to create such devices.
The present disclosure also includes a number of embodiments that use multiple illumination sources to solve various color measurement problems. In such embodiments, the arrangement of light sources and/or lightpipes can be adjusted to compensate for paper positional errors or characteristics (e.g., cockle) and, in some embodiments, the lightpipe can be used to direct light and/or adjust the shape and the uniformity of the light striking the object.
The visible spectrum can be defined as light with wavelengths approximately between 400-700 nm. For example, the wavelength range of 380-730 nm can be considered the visible spectrum for many applications, which constitutes a range of 350 nm (i.e., 730 nm minus 380 nm).
Some color capture devices that have been proposed, such as some digital cameras, use 3 filters to separate the incoming visible light into 3 channels of color information. Most digital cameras that use on-chip Color Filter Arrays (CFA) have RGB (red, green, and blue) transmissive color filters, while some use CMY filters (cyan, magenta, and yellow). Such filters have transmission curves which are relatively broadband having widths of about 150 nm or so (e.g., usually a little larger than 350/3≈117).
When using these filters, a portion of the spectrum passes through each filter onto a number of sensors which create signals proportional to the total light energy passing through each filter. For example, if a blue (B) filter allows light from 380-560 nm to be transmitted to the sensor beyond the filter, the total light energy transmitted through the filter is integrated by the sensor to produce a single B signal or value. The same is true for the R and G filters. Consequently, the spectrum of any impinging color produces 3 channels of color information, 3 signals associated with the R, G, and B filters.
Unfortunately, in such systems, it is possible for two colors with different spectra to produce the same RGB values. This phenomenon is often referred to as instrument metamerism (e.g., multiple colors producing the same instrument reading).
This is possible for the B channel, for example, since the light spectra in the 380-560 nm range may be different on a wavelength-by-wavelength basis, but may integrate across the B wavelength range to generate the same B value at the sensor. For instance, color #1 might have more light energy at 423 nm while color #2 might have more energy at 516 nm.
However, if the total light energy transmitted through the B filter to the B sensor is the same, the B values will be the same and, hence, indistinguishable from the standpoint of the B signal. If this is true for the R and G signal, as well, then RGB1=RGB2. Consequently, color #1 and color #2 can be indistinguishable to the instrument even though the two colors may appear very different to the human observer.
One way to reduce instrument metamerism and/or improve color accuracy in general is to use more than 3 channels of color information. In general, more color channels can result in higher color accuracy
Highly accurate instruments might be obtained using 35 or even 70 channels whereas less accurate instruments might be obtained using 6-16. However, the law of diminishing returns is generally at work in such implementations. That is, 70 channels may not be twice as accurate as 35 channels.
For general purpose color measurement work, 6-12 channels can be used to produce acceptable color accuracy. Such additional channels of color information can be created with additional filters (e.g., 8 color channels can be accomplished by utilizing 8 color filters).
There are several methods of creating additional filters. For example, with on-chip CFA's, existing RGBCMY filters may be combined in several ways. These may include, but are not limited to, different manufacturing procedures, such as, for example, stacking 2 or more filter materials, mixing 2 or more filter materials, varying the thicknesses, and/or varying the concentration of the colorant or material, among other manners of creating filters with different color characteristics.
Labor and material costs can be reduced by combining materials with different color transmittance characteristics. For example, as described below, combining a material used in a filter having a blue (B) transmittance intensity peak with a material used in a filter having a magenta (M) transmittance intensity peak can result in a color filter having a different transmittance than either a B or M color filter.
As such, a combined B-M color filter, for example, can be used in addition to, or instead of, another color filter to contribute to forming a color filter array (CFA). A C-M filter might be combined by mixing C and M colorants together before on-chip deposition or by stacking C and M filters on top of each other, one after the other.
Accordingly, among various embodiments of the present disclosure, a color measuring device can detect a color spectrum of an object using a number of color filters, where a number of materials each having a different color spectral characteristic are used to form an array of color filters transiting at least five portions of the color spectrum. The color measuring device can utilize at least one color filter that is a combination of at least two of the number of materials having a different color spectral characteristic.
The color filters can be associated with circuitry for sensing an intensity of a portion of the color spectrum transiting each associated color filter. System and/or color measuring device embodiments can interpret the intensities of the sensed portions of the color spectrum as measurements thereof by using a processing circuit.
In some embodiments, transiting at least five portions of the color spectrum can be performed by using each of at least five color filters to provide a fraction of the spectrum of light, within one of the portions of the color spectrum, to the circuitry for sensing the intensity thereof. In various embodiments, selecting particular color filters can be performed based upon a shape of a color spectrum fraction transiting each color filter to be used in the array such that the portions are spaced across a range that substantially covers a visible color spectrum. The spacing may be in substantially regular interval across the range or in irregular intervals across the range. In some instances the use of substantially regular spacing may be beneficial in providing better overlap between filters and/or coverage of the range, among other benefits.
Characteristics regarding the shape of the color spectrum transiting each color filter that can affect consideration of a particular filter for an array can include height, width, area under the curve above a particular transmittance wavelength range, and/or location of the particular transited spectrum within the visible color spectrum, among other factors. Determination of a particular combination of color filters that can be used in a CFA can be based upon simulations, modeling, and/or experimentation, among other considerations. In some embodiments, selecting color filters can be performed such that the peaks of the at least five portions of the color spectrum are spaced at intervals across a visible color spectrum.
In some embodiments, the color intensity values measured by the CFA sensors can be stored for image reproduction at a time determined by a user. By way of example and not by way of limitation, color imaging devices that can utilize embodiments of color measuring components of the present disclosure can include various embodiments of printers (e.g., inkjet, laser, etc.), scanners, facsimile (fax) machines, and digital cameras, among others.
The color filter array 200 shown in
As described throughout the present disclosure, a color filter can be labeled with a particular color (e.g., a red filter) and/or a material can be labeled as contributing to a particular color (e.g., a green color). It is to be understood that the color filter and/or material is labeled as such as an abbreviated form of stating that the color filter and/or material can allow transit of light having a peak wavelength intensity in a portion of the color spectrum identified with the particular color label being used. For example, referring to a particular color filter as a Blue (B) filter is intended to describe a filter that transits a peak wavelength intensity in a portion of the color spectrum classifiable as blue, which can include a range of wavelengths.
The embodiment of the three color filter array 200 illustrated in
The pattern discussed with respect to
The second row 225 up from the bottom of the three color filter array 200 illustrated in
In the embodiment of the RGB color filter array 200 illustrated in
Portions of a color spectrum of light transited to sensors by three colors of filters can be limited to three peak wavelength intensities interpretable as measurements thereof. Reproduction of a captured image (e.g., by a printer or a digital camera) of an object using measurements of the three peak wavelengths can result in an image having a mixture of colors that appears to differ from that of the original object.
In some embodiments of CFAs that use a limited number of materials each having a different color spectral characteristic to form an array of color filters, adjustments in the proportion of numbers of each color filter to the other color filters can be made in an attempt to enhance the appearance of resulting image reproductions. For example, the RGB filter array 200 illustrated in
Because sensitivity of human color perception in the middle portion of the color spectrum (e.g., where the color green is located) differs from that of the sensitivity toward both ends of the color spectrum (e.g., where the colors red and blue are separately located) using more G color filters in a RGB color filter array can be done in an attempt to compensate for the differing sensitivities. For example, as shown in the RGB color filter array 200 of
Such adjustments of color measurements can be used in an attempt to compensate for measurement of peak intensities in a limited number of portions of the visible color spectrum. However, when color intensities are measured using more color filters that can provide a peak intensity of light within more portions of the color spectrum, in order to allow the circuitry for sensing the intensities to provide more measurements within a range of the color spectrum, the accuracy of the measured colors can be improved and/or the reproduction of colors in an image can be enhanced thereby, for example. Additionally, selecting color filters such that the peaks of the portions of the color spectrum are spaced at intervals across a visible color spectrum can contribute to enhancement of the image reproduction.
The CFA 300 shown in
Embodiments of the present disclosure include a number of materials each having a different color spectral characteristic that, for example, can be used to form an array of color filters transiting at least five portions of the color spectrum. For example, five materials each having a different color spectral characteristic can be used to form five different color filters that transit portions of a color spectrum having five different peak intensities.
In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a fifth given color filter can be formed using a combination of two or more materials that includes a combination of materials. Moreover, in various embodiments, one or more of the color filters that can be used in an array of color filters transiting at least five portions of the color spectrum can be formed using a combination of at least two materials each having a different color spectral characteristic. For example, Cyan (C) and Magenta (M) filters may be combined in various ways to produce a color filter that is unique from either C or M.
In the embodiment of the CFA 300 shown in
The embodiment of the CFA 300 can include a second row 307 that includes a number of color filters 308-1, 308-2, . . . 308-N that, in some embodiments, can use a number of materials each having a different color spectral characteristic to form different color filters that transit portions of a color spectrum having different peak intensities. In some embodiments, each of the examples of color filters (i.e., 305-1, 305-2, 305-3, . . . 305-N) in the first row 304 can use materials having a color spectral characteristic that is different from the color spectral characteristics of each of the example color filters (308-1, 308-2, . . . 308-N) in the second row 307.
As illustrated in the embodiment of CFA 300 shown in
Such CFA embodiments can include a number of sensing circuits for sensing light transiting at least one of the filters, where each of the filters is associated with at least one sensing circuit. The CFAs can be further associated with a processing circuit to interpret the color spectral characteristics of the sensed light as at least five color channels, where the number of filters used can enable the color measuring device to measure the color channels as spaced in a color spectrum.
By way of example and not by way of limitation, each sensor 404-1, 404-2 shown in the embodiment of CFA 400 can be associated with at least one color filter. For example, sensor 404-1 can be positioned under color filter 406-1 and sensor 404-2 can be positioned under color filter 406-2, among other possible configurations.
In the embodiment of CFA 400, color filter 406-1 is shown to be formed using a material with a color spectral characteristic different from that of the material used to form color sensor 406-2, as indicated by the different patterns used to illustrate each color sensor. As previously described in the present disclosure, materials having different color spectral characteristics can allow transit of light in portions of a color spectrum having different peak intensities.
Forming layered color filters is an embodiment of combining at least two color filter materials that can allow transit of light in a portion of a color spectrum having a peak intensity different from each of the peak intensities of the individual color filters. For example, the layered color filter 438 of CFA 430 in the embodiment of
The CFA 430 shown in
For example, the layered color filter 440 of CFA 430 in the embodiment of
By way of example and not by way of limitation, the embodiment of CFA 460 illustrated in
For example, the embodiment of film 466 shows a portion 468 of film without colorant. The embodiment of film 466 shows a first section 470 in which at least one colorant has been printed, for example, and second section 472 in which at least one other colorant, in some embodiments, has been applied (e.g., by layering, printing, or mixing). In some embodiments, as shown in
In the embodiment of CFA 460 illustrated in
As shown in the embodiment of CFA 460, the sections of light-permeable film 466 on or in which colorant has been printed, layered, and/or mixed can be positioned substantially over the sections of light-permeable film 476 on or, in which colorant has been printed, layered, and/or mixed. In embodiments of the present disclosure, at least one of the sections on a first film that is colored with a first colorant color can be positioned over at least one of the sections on a second film that is colored with a second colorant color. Positioning may be accomplished physically through the use of geometry, mechanical, or optical alignment or electronically by adjusting (e.g., maximizing or minimizing) appropriate sensor signals.
As such, the combination of colorant colors can allow transit of light in a portion of a color spectrum having a peak intensity different from each of the peak intensities allowed by the individual colorant colors on the two light-permeable films. For example, the colored section 470 of film 466 positioned over the colored section 480 of film 476 in the embodiment of
In various embodiments, the colored section 472 of film 466 can have at least one colorant that is the same as, or different from, the at least one colorant on the same film, for example, in colored section 470. Similarly, the colored section 482 of film 476 can have at least one colorant that is the same as, or different from, the at least one colorant on the same film, for example, in colored section 480.
As described with reference to the CFA embodiments shown in
Each transmission curve can be referred to by the wavelength value of its peak or maximum transmittance value. Each transmission curve also has an associated width. The width can be determined by the wavelengths where the transmittance values fall to some predetermined level (e.g., where the transmittance is 50% of the peak transmittance or falls below 10% without regard to the peak transmittance). For example, if a filter has its peak transmittance value at a wavelength equal to 550 nm and the transmittance falls to 0.1 at wavelengths of 530 nm and 580 nm, the filter can be referred to as the ‘550 nm’ or green filter with a 0.1 bandwidth of 50 nm (580-530 nm).
In the 0.0 to 1.1 scale on the vertical axis of graph 500, a low value can indicate relatively little transmittance of a particular color wavelength through a particular color filter, whereas a value closer to 1.0 can indicate relatively higher transmittance of a particular color wavelength through a particular color filter. The wavelength spectrum shown on the horizontal axis of graph 500 can represent a color spectrum mostly visible to the human eye, which can range from around 380 nm through around 730 nm. The peak transmittance of any particular filter can range anywhere from 0.0 to 1.0. The general shape of the filter curves may also vary substantially from one filter to another.
A graph, such as that shown in
In graph 500, transmittance intensity curves for eight color filters are shown as measured across the visible color spectrum. As discussed herein, the eight color filters can be formed using one or more materials with differing color spectral characteristics. As discussed above, this could also be accomplished by changing the thickness or concentration of the same type of material, or in other manners discussed herein, thereby creating different color spectral characteristics.
Combination of at least two colors and/or other materials having different color spectrum characteristics can result in forming a color filter that transits a peak intensity of a wavelength that can differ from peak wavelengths transited by color filters such as those that are identified as transiting. In some embodiments, combining at least two materials identified with forming color filters can assist in forming a CFA that transits peak intensities of wavelengths spaced across a visible color spectrum. Achieving particular ratios of materials contributing to particular colors can be performed by, in some embodiments, using two layers of B color filters to one layer of G color filter, for example, or by, in some embodiments, mixing double the concentration of a material used in a B color filter with a concentration used in a G color filter, for example.
As illustrated in graph 500 of
For instance, increasing the thickness of a color filter, and/or increasing the concentration of materials used to form the color filter, can, in some embodiments, result in decreasing the intensity of light transited by the color filter, including the peak transmittance wavelength. Such peak intensity differences can, in some embodiments, be compensated for using processing circuitry, if it is not useful.
As illustrated by graph 500 in
In various embodiments, appropriate combinations of materials can enable selecting color filters such that the peaks of the portions can be spaced at intervals across the visible color spectrum. Using various embodiments described in the present disclosure, a color measuring device can have color channel spacing that can be determined by spacing of a peak intensity of light transiting each filter associated with each channel through a number of sensing circuits.
In some embodiments, the overlap of the color channels can be used to more specifically identify a color sensed by using information collected via more than one of the color channels. In this manner, the combination of color channel information can provide more accurate information and can reduce or eliminate instrumental metamerism.
Embodiments of the present disclosure can utilize a number of light sources having different light emitting characteristics. In providing such light sources, the device can be applied in a number of situations. For example, the device can be designed with suitable light sources to provide color accuracy, measurement according to industry standards, and/or measurement of special materials, among other functions.
The graph 600 illustrated in
In the 0.0 to 1.0 scale on the vertical axis of graph 600, a low value can indicate relatively little emission of a particular color wavelength by a particular LED, or a particular combination of LEDs, whereas a value closer to 1.0 can indicate relatively higher emission of a particular color wavelength by a particular LED, or a particular combination of LEDs. The wavelength spectrum shown on the horizontal axis of graph 600 represents a color spectrum mostly visible to the human eye, which can range from around 380 nm through around 730 nm. This range should not be viewed as limiting the embodiments of the present disclosure and greater, lesser, higher, or lower ranges may be used with the various embodiments of the present disclosure.
A graph such as that shown in
As further described below, a particular LED that emits light in a defined wavelength range can be combined with a particular phosphor(s) that can be excited by the light emitted by the LED and can emit light having a range of longer light wavelengths to broaden the color spectrum of the light emitted by the LED light source. The five LED light sources shown in graph 600 were formed using a number of individual LEDs with a specific phosphor(s), or combinations thereof. Some embodiments may be formed without specific phosphors or combinations, but rather, other suitable LED characteristics may be utilized for such selection of LED's.
Illuminating an object to enable potential reflection of light wavelengths ranging across a visible color spectrum, and thereby enabling adequate measurement of the object's colors, can be achieved using light sources that emit relatively high intensities of light, across the spectrum to be measured, for example, from around 380 nm through around 730 nm, in some embodiments. Some spectrophotometers can use a light source such as a tungsten lamp that can provide a broad range of illumination. However, such devices are often expensive. A less expensive color measuring device can use a “white light LED”, as described below, among other light sources.
The graph 600 illustrated in
A curve 620 illustrating intensities of light in a visible spectrum that can be produced by an embodiment of a white light LED is shown in graph 600. The curve 620 shows that a white light LED can emit light having high intensity (normalized to 1.0) in the blue region of the color spectrum with more moderate intensities (from around 0.2 to around 0.4) in to the orange-red region of the color spectrum.
Notably, as shown in the curve 620 of graph 600, the white light LED embodiment can emit an intensity that drops from around 0.1 to around 0.0 at wavelengths shorter than around 430 nm. Because objects can reflect light or absorb and re-emit light as a result of illumination in a short wavelength region (e.g., 360-430 nm), illumination of an object with a white light LED that does not emit wavelengths that short, can introduce error in color measurements made by a color measurement device.
Complying with a particular color imaging standard (e.g., an ISO Proofing Standard) can involve illuminating an object with a light source that includes specific wavelengths and/or wavelength ranges. For example, some high-brightness print medium can have “brighteners” to enhance the appearance of ‘whiteness’. Consequently, a brightener can increase brightness so that a print medium appears whiter than it would otherwise appear. Such high-brightness print medium may utilize short wavelength light to excite the brighteners. Some ISO Proofing Standards specify that brighteners are to be excited with light sources that emit wavelengths in the 380-420 nm range. This is typically not possible with ‘white’ or ‘warm white’ LED's.
As illustrated in graph 600 of
To improve accuracy of color measurement and/or better comply with applicable imaging standards (e.g., the ISO Proofing Standard), a light source can be used for illuminating an object to be measured that includes an array of at least two LEDs each having different color characteristics, wherein a combination of emitted light substantially covers the visible color spectrum. For example, graph 600 of
To more strongly excite brighteners in a print medium (e.g., to comply with the ISO Proofing Standard), a light source can be used having higher intensity emissions in wavelengths closer to 380 nm. For example, graph 600 of
The embodiment of the super-white LED illustrated in graph 600 can be formed, for example, using a violet LED combined with three phosphors. The curve 628 for the super-white LED shows an emission intensity having a broad peak (around 0.3) from around 390-400 nm. In some embodiments, combining the super-white LED with the ultra-blue LED and/or the white light LED can provide relative uniformity in the shorter wavelengths of the visible spectrum.
However, as shown in curve 628, at longer wavelengths (e.g., around 615-630 nm and around 700 nm) the super-white LED embodiment can have notable spikes in emission intensity. Hence, in some embodiments, accuracy of color measurement may decrease when using a super-white LED. Consequently, having an ability to selectively turn off and on any of the available light sources to perform a particular measurement task can be advantageous.
Graph 600 of
From the peak, the curve 632 shows intensities that decline gradually as wavelengths reach the red and far-red portions of the color spectrum (e.g., the intensity reaches around 0.2 at around 705 nm). In some embodiments, combining the warm-white LED with the super-white LED, the ultra-blue LED, and/or the white light LED can provide increased intensity and/or relative uniformity in the longer wavelengths of the visible spectrum.
Graph 600 of
The curve 636 for the warm-white LED shows an emission intensity reaching a peak (at around 1.0) at a wavelength around 630-640 nm in the red portion of the color spectrum. From the peak, the curve 636 shows intensities that decline more sharply than the 632 curve as wavelengths reach the far-red portion of the color spectrum (e.g., where the intensity also reaches around 0.2 at around 705 nm).
In some embodiments, combining the second embodiment of the warm-white LED with the first embodiment of the warm-white LED, the super-white LED, the ultra-blue LED, and/or the white light LED can provide increased intensity and/or relative uniformity in the longer wavelengths of the visible spectrum. Hence, an illumination system for a color measuring device can include a number of embodiments of LEDs and/or other light sources, each of which can be turned on and off independently, or in programmed combinations, to improve color measurement and/or to comply with a particular imaging standard and/or to match interests of a particular user.
The color measuring device 700 illustrated in
In various embodiments, the color measuring device 700 shown in
When the surface of a print medium, for example, to be measured has a deformity (e.g., a cockle), the deformation alters the expected angular orientations of the surface to be measured. Consequently, both the angles of the incident light and the reflected light can be affected such that the angles differ from what would otherwise be observed.
Reflection from a cockled surface can create a deviation from the substantially 0 degree reflection angle expected from the intended position of a print medium, for example, as to direct the reflected light to partially or substantially miss an intended sensor and/or it can change the nature of the reflected light. Hence, in some instances, cockles and other deviations in a print medium can reduce the ability of a color measuring device to make accurate color measurements.
For example, when the print medium 712, for instance, in
The outside lines of the reflected light 714 can represent a two-dimensional illustration of a three-dimensional cone of reflection of light. Based upon a number of considerations, for example, some of which may be related to a probable extent of anticipated deformity, or cockling, the size, shape, and/or nature of a light cone of interest can be determined.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in the embodiment of the color measuring device in
In some embodiments, as shown in
By using multiple color filters and multiple light sources, it is possible to approximately reconstruct the spectral response of a reflective sample. This is typically often desired for Graphics Arts purposes, among use in other fields. Colorants found in everyday items generally have a well-behaved spectral characteristic, and the full spectrum can be reconstructed relatively accurately from the limited number of channels provided by the abridged spectrophotometer.
For a sensor of a color measurement device included in an imaging device (e.g., a printer) where the print medium is moving, the movement of the print medium can affect a color measurement by causing formation of a deformity (e.g., a cockle) in the print medium, as described above. In some color measurement devices an annular ring light source can be used, which can illuminate an object from all sides in order to reduce the effect of a deformity.
Annular ring light sources, however, can be large and/or expensive, which can limit use of the annular ring light source in a number of consumer products (e.g., a portable color sensing device). As described below, a number of individual light sources can be placed around and directed toward a position to be measured on a moving print medium.
Such embodiments may be smaller and more cost effective. In such embodiments, a sensor(s) that detects reflected light emitted by a number of light sources arranged around the position to be measured can be connected to processing circuitry that averages, sums, or determines the differences of the intensity readings which can, in turn, be used to reduce the effects of a deformity at the position being measured.
The color measuring device embodiment 800 illustrated in
In the embodiment of the color measuring device 800 illustrated in
The four light sources shown in the embodiment of color measuring device 800 can, for example, be positioned at substantially equal angles (e.g., at substantially 90 degrees) at substantially equal distances on radii of a circle surrounding a sensor 815 (or a CFA in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure). Substantially equal spacing of the light sources can assist in illuminating a position on a print medium from as many different directions as allowable given the number of light sources in order to achieve effective illumination of a cockled surface, for example. However, the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to substantially equal spacing of light sources being used.
In some embodiments of the color measurement device 800 illustrated in
If the paper varies in the z-direction along the y-direction, the amount of light reflected from illumination sources 810-1 and 810-2 may increase while the light reflected from sources 810-3 and 810-N may decrease. The difference between the signal produced by sources 810-1 and 810-2 and the signal produced by 810-3 and 810-N can be indicative of the amount of cockle whereas the sum or average of the four signals will improve the accuracy versus a single illumination source.
In various embodiments, using more than one light source (e.g., the four shown in
A sensor can be associated with processing circuitry that can calculate an average intensity by dividing a cumulative intensity by the number of light sources and/or can calculate an average intensity by adding the pulse intensities and dividing by the number of light sources. In some embodiments, processing circuitry can use other statistical methods (sum, differential, etc.) to handle received intensity measurements.
As described above, the potential effect on color measurement of an object having a deformation on a surface being measured by a color measuring device can be reduced by using the configuration and methodologies described in association with
The embodiments described herein can be performed using logic, software, hardware, application modules, or combinations of these elements, and the like, to perform the operations described herein. Embodiments as described herein are not limited to any particular operating environment or to software written in a particular programming language. In various embodiments, the elements just described can be resident on the systems, and/or devices shown herein, or otherwise.
Logic suitable for performing embodiments of the present disclosure can be resident in one or more devices and/or locations. Processing modules used to execute operations described herein can include one or more individual modules that perform a plurality of functions, separate modules connected together, and/or independent modules.
The embodiment illustrated in
Block 930 of the embodiment shown in
Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that an arrangement calculated to achieve the same techniques can be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover all adaptations or variations of various embodiments of the present disclosure.
It is to be understood that the above description has been made in an illustrative fashion, and not a restrictive one. Combination of the above embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description.
The scope of the various embodiments of the present disclosure includes other applications in which the above structures and methods are used. Therefore, the scope of various embodiments of the present disclosure should be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
In the foregoing Detailed Description, various features are grouped together in a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the disclosed embodiments of the present disclosure have to use more features than are expressly recited in each claim.
Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.