Method and apparatus for assigning to a sample coating an attribute perceptible by at least one human

Abstract

Aspects described herein generally relate to a method, and respective apparatus, or computer element, for assigning at least one human-perceivable attribute to a sample coating based on a visual evaluation of the sample coating relative to a reference coating. More specifically, aspects described herein relate to a method, and respective apparatus, or computer element, for assigning at least one human-perceivable attribute to a sample coating based on a visual evaluation of the sample coating relative to a reference coating by displaying within a user interface an image of the reference coating modified with respect to an appearance such as darkness and / or lightness and / or color and / or texture and / or gloss and / or clear coat appearance. Thereby, the deviation perceived in the physical world by a human observer can be easily and intuitively evaluated by comparing the image of the modified reference coating displayed within the user interface with the visually perceived deviation of the sample coating from the reference coating, and thus a standardized classification of the visually perceived differences in appearance between the sample coating and the reference coating layer can be provided, avoiding the use of words and terms that are subject to interpretation by a human observer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Aspects described herein generally relate to a method for assigning at least one human-perceived attribute to a sample coating based on a visual evaluation of the sample coating relative to a reference coating, and to respective apparatuses, or computer elements. More specifically, aspects described herein relate to a method for assigning at least one human-perceived attribute, such as, for example, darkness and / or lightness and / or color and / or texture and / or gloss and / or clear coat appearance, to a sample coating based on a visual evaluation of the sample coating relative to a reference coating by displaying an image of the reference coating modified with respect to appearance (modified reference coating) within a user interface. This enables a visually perceived deviation of the sample coating from the reference coating to be easily and intuitively evaluated by comparing, within the user interface, the deviation perceived in the physical world by a human observer with the image of the displayed modified reference coating (modified reference coating), and thus enables a standardized classification of the visually perceived differences in appearance between the sample coating layer and the reference coating layer to be provided and the use of words and terms subject to interpretation by a human observer to be avoided.

Background Art

[0002] Surface coatings such as monocots, clear coats / color coats, and tricots are preferred for protecting and decorating substrates such as vehicle bodies. The surface coating can include one or more pigments or effect pigments to impart a desired color or appearance, such as solid, metallic, pearlescent effect, gloss, and image clarity, to the vehicle body. Metal flakes such as aluminum flakes are commonly used to produce coatings with a flake appearance such as texture, sparkle, glint, and glitter, as well as to enhance the depth perception of the coating imparted by the flakes.

[0003] When performing a visual evaluation of color matching, the observed deviations are often difficult to describe, especially for untrained individuals. Such visual comparisons are generally performed in the repair process by selecting a sample coating material that best matches so that the repaired area does not have a color that is visually distinct from the non-damaged area. For this purpose, the appearance data of the non-damaged area is obtained and can be used in the color matching process to identify the sample coating material that best matches. The best match is selected and can be used in the preparation of the sample coating. The prepared sample coating can be visually compared with the non-damaged area representing the reference (e.g., reference coating). The direction in which the color deviation is perceived depends on color classes, chromaticity, effects, etc. Furthermore, the perception and interpretation of color are highly subjective. Eye fatigue, age, the environment in which the color is being viewed, and other factors can affect color perception. Ideally, trained individuals perform color evaluations based on color space values such as CIELab and terms such as defined color difference formulas. For example, the visual difference between chromatic colors is described using chromaticity and hue deviation (=dC, dH), while the difference between the red-green or blue-yellow axes (=da, db) is used for achromatic colors. Nevertheless, each trained observer interprets color based on personal preferences. Each observer defines the color of an object differently in words. When collecting color matching evaluations from different observers, this leads to a lack of comparability and limited usefulness of the cumulative evaluations. Summary of the Invention Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Therefore, it is desirable to provide a standardized method for visually evaluating the deviation of a sample coating from a reference coating that is not related to the aforementioned drawbacks. More specifically, there is still a need to provide some standardization in the evaluation of color deviation so that evaluations by different observers can be compared and the collected evaluations can be accumulated. Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] Definition As used herein, "determine" includes "begin to determine or cause to be determined", and "generate", "query", "access", "correlate", "match", "select" include "begin to generate, access, query, correlate, select and / or match or cause to be generated, accessed, queried, correlated, selected and / or matched", and "provide" includes "begin to determine, generate, access, query, correlate, select and / or match, transmit and / or receive or cause to be determined, generated, accessed, queried, correlated, selected and / or matched, transmitted and / or received". "Begin an action or cause to be executed" includes any processing signal that causes a computing node to begin to execute each respective action.

[0006] "Appearance" refers to the visual impression of a coated object on the observer's eye and includes the perception in which the spectral and geometric aspects of the surface are integrated with its irradiation and observation environments. Generally, appearance includes color, visual texture such as roughness caused by effect pigments, gloss, or other visual effects of the surface, especially when viewed from varying viewing angles and / or varying irradiation angles. The term "clearcoat appearance" refers to the visual impression of a coated object having at least one clearcoat layer on the observer's eye. Clearcoat appearance can be characterized, for example, by the presence or absence of orange peel (reflected by short and long wavelength values), as well as by gloss and distinctness of image (DOI or image clarity value). A "clearcoat layer" refers to a transparent coating layer. "Transparent" means that the coating layer is not completely opaque, but instead has a certain degree of transparency such that the color of the underlying coating layer can be seen through the clearcoat layer. A clearcoat layer may thus contain no pigments at all, contain only transparent pigments, or contain an amount of pigment that does not color the clearcoat layer.

[0007] "Reference coating" can refer to a coating having defined properties such as defined colorimetric properties. The reference coating can be prepared by applying at least one defined coating material to a surface and curing the applied coating material. In contrast, the term "sample coating" can refer to a coating that is evaluated in comparison to a reference coating with respect to at least some of the defined properties such as colorimetric properties. The sample coating can be prepared using a mixing formula or by mixing components according to a given recipe. Such a mixing formula or recipe can be specified based on the reference coating. For example, the appearance data of the reference coating can be used to perform generally known color matching processes to specify a mixing formula or recipe that is assumed to result in a sample coating that matches the appearance of the reference coating. The term "sample coating formulation" refers to the coating materials used to prepare the sample coating, while the term "reference coating formulation" refers to the coating materials used to prepare the reference coating. The terms "formulation", "color formulation" and "paint formulation" are used synonymously herein.

[0008] "Digital representation" may refer to the representation of a reference coating in a computer-readable format. In particular, the digital representation of a reference coating includes the appearance data of the reference coating, and the appearance data is determined by a plurality of measurement geometries. The digital representation of a reference coating may further include a color name, a color number, a color code, a barcode, a QR code (registered trademark), a unique database ID, a mixing formula (i.e., instructions for preparing the coating materials associated with each coating), a color ranking, a price, the layer structure of the coating, the manufacturer of the coating materials used to prepare the reference coating, the manufacturer of the substrate including the reference coating, the model including the reference coating, the production year of the substrate including the reference coating, an automotive part including the reference coating, or a combination thereof.

[0009] The "human-perceivable attributes" assigned to a sample coating refer to the attributes of the sample coating relative to the reference coating, such as differences in lightness, darkness, texture, color, gloss, and / or appearance of the clear coat, that are perceived by a human observer, such as a repairer, when the sample coating is visually compared to the reference coating.

[0010] "Display image" refers to the image content formed on a display. A typical display image is the content of a television broadcast. The display image occupies all or part of the display.

[0011] "Display" refers to the screen of an output device for presenting information in a visual or tactile format (the latter may be used for a tactile electronic display for visually impaired persons). The display may include a physical display, a projection area, or a combination thereof.

[0012] "Communication interface" may refer to software and / or hardware interfaces for establishing communications such as signal or data transfer or exchange. Software interfaces include, for example, function calls and APIs. A communication interface may include a transceiver and / or a receiver. The communication may be wired or wireless. The communication interface may be based on or support one or more communication protocols. Communication protocols may be, for example, short-range communication protocols such as Bluetooth® or WiFi, or wireless protocols such as cellular or mobile network long-range communication protocols such as, for example, the 2nd generation mobile phone network ("2G"), 3G, 4G, Long Term Evolution ("LTE"), or 5G. Alternatively, in addition thereto, the communication interface may be based on its own short-range or long-range protocol. The communication interface may support any one or more standard protocols and / or proprietary protocols.

[0013] The term "hardware processor" refers to any logic circuit configured to execute the basic operations of a computer or system, and / or, generally, a device configured to perform computing or logical operations. In particular, the processing means or computer processor can be configured to process the basic instructions that drive the computer or system. As an example, the processing means or computer processor can include at least one arithmetic logic unit ("ALU"), at least one floating-point unit ("FPU") such as a math coprocessor or a numeric coprocessor, a plurality of registers, in particular, registers configured to supply operands to the ALU and store the operation results, and memory such as L1 cache memory and L2 cache memory. In particular, the processing means, or computer processor, can be a multi-core processor. Specifically, the processing means, or computer processor, can be a central processing unit ("CPU"), or can include a central processing unit. The processing means or computer processor can be a graphics processing unit ("GPU"), a tensor processing unit ("TPU"), a complex instruction set computer microprocessor ("CISC"), a reduced instruction set computer ("RISC") microprocessor, a very long instruction word ("VLIW") microprocessor, or a processor implementing another instruction set, or a processor implementing a combination of instruction sets. The processing means can also be one or more special-purpose processing devices such as an application-specific integrated circuit ("ASIC"), a field-programmable gate array ("FPGA"), a complex programmable logic device ("CPLD"), a digital signal processor ("DSP"), a network processor, or the like. The methods, systems, and devices described herein can be implemented as software within a DSP, microcontroller, or other side processor, or as hardware circuits within an ASIC, CPLD, or FPGA.The term "processing means" or "processor" may refer to one or more processing devices, such as a distributed system of processing devices arranged across multiple computer systems (e.g., cloud computing), and is not limited to a single device, unless otherwise specified.

[0014] The term "hardware logic circuit" corresponds to one or more hardware processors (e.g., CPU, GPU, etc.) that execute machine-readable instructions stored in memory, and / or one or more other hardware logic components (e.g., FPGA) that perform operations using a task-specific collection of fixed and / or programmable logic gates. Section C provides additional information regarding one implementation of the hardware logic circuit. The terms "component" and "engine" each refer to a part of the hardware logic circuit that performs a specific function.

[0015] "Data storage medium" may refer to a physical medium and other computer-readable media for carrying or storing computer-executable instructions and / or data structures. Such computer-readable media can be any available media accessible by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer system. Computer-readable media can include physical storage media for storing computer-executable instructions and / or data structures. Physical storage media includes computer hardware such as RAM, ROM, EEPROM, solid state drive ("SSD"), flash memory, phase change memory ("PCM"), optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, or other magnetic storage devices, or any other hardware storage device that can be used to store program code in the form of computer-executable instructions or data structures, and these can be accessed and executed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer system to implement the disclosed functions of the present invention.

[0016] The "computer-readable program instructions" described herein can be downloaded from a computer-readable storage medium to respective computing / processing devices, or to an external computer or external storage device via a network such as the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network, and / or a wireless network. The network may include copper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers, and / or edge servers. The network adapter card or network interface of each computing / processing device receives the computer-readable program instructions from the network and transfers the computer-readable program instructions for storage on a computer-readable storage medium within each computing / processing device. The computer-readable program instructions for carrying out operations of the present invention may be in any combination of source code or object code written in one or more programming languages, including assembly instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, or object-oriented programming languages such as Java, Smalltalk, C++, and conventional procedural programming languages such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages. The computer-readable program instructions may be executed entirely on the user's computer, partly as a stand-alone software package on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, partly on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer via any type of network including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or to an external computer (e.g., via the Internet using an Internet service provider).In some embodiments, an electronic circuit, including, for example, a programmable logic circuit, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or a programmable logic array (PLA), may execute computer-readable program instructions by personalizing the electronic circuit using state information of the computer-readable program instructions to implement aspects of the present invention.

[0017] A "database" may refer to a collection of related information that can be searched and retrieved. The database can be a searchable electronic numerical, alphanumeric, or text document; a searchable PDF document; a Microsoft Excel (registered trademark) spreadsheet, or a database generally known in the art. The database can be a set of electronic documents, photographs, images, diagrams, data, or drawings present on a computer-readable storage medium that can be searched and retrieved. The database can be a single database, a set of related databases, or a collection of unrelated databases. "Related databases" means that there is at least one common information element in the related databases that can be used to associate such databases.

[0018] Summary To solve the above problems in one aspect, the following is proposed: A computer-implemented method for assigning at least one human-perceptible attribute to a sample coating based on a visual evaluation of the sample coating relative to a reference coating, the method comprising, on a computing device having a display: (i) displaying on the display a user interface including at least one display image of a modified reference coating; and (ii) detecting, on the computing device, a user input indicating that at least one display image of the modified reference coating has been selected; (iii) In response to the detected user input, on a computing device, assigning at least one human-perceivable attribute to the sample coating, and including.

[0019] A computer-implemented method for assigning at least one human-perceivable attribute to indicate a deviation of a sample coating from a reference coating, wherein the sample coating is prepared based on the reference coating and the human-perceivable attribute is assigned to the sample coating based on a visual evaluation of the sample coating relative to the reference coating, the method comprising, on a computing device having a display: (i) Displaying on the display a user interface including at least one display image of a modified reference coating, wherein the display image of the modified reference coating is generated by modifying appearance data associated with the reference coating and displaying the modified appearance data (modified appearance data) as the display image of the modified reference coating; (ii) Detecting, on the computing device, a user input indicating selection of at least one display image of the modified reference coating, wherein the user input is associated with a visual evaluation of the sample coating relative to the reference coating; (iii) In response to the detected user input, on the computing device, assigning at least one human-perceivable attribute to the sample coating, the assignment including mapping a deviation associated with the detected user input to a predefined human-perceivable attribute; and including.

[0020] An essential advantage of the method according to the invention is that a visually perceivable deviation between a sample coating prepared based on a provided reference coating and the reference coating is displayed using a display image within a user interface. Thereby, by the user selecting a display image of a corrected reference coating that best represents the difference between the prepared sample coating and the reference coating visually perceived in the physical world, it becomes possible to easily and intuitively evaluate the deviation in the virtual world represented by the user interface. Thus, the difference between the sample coating and the reference coating in the physical world can be converted, using a standardized process, into the virtual world, for example, into human-perceivable attributes associated with the sample coating. The human-perceivable attributes can represent data that define a visually perceivable difference between the sample coating and the reference coating. The standardized process does not require in-depth knowledge of colorimetry and reduces the risk of misinterpreting the words and terms commonly used to describe the color difference. This standardized process can be used during the repair of a damaged multilayer coating to describe a visually perceivable difference between a prepared sample coating, for example, a sample coating prepared from a sample coating material identified as matching during a color matching process, and the damaged reference coating. The human-perceivable attributes obtained from the visually recognized difference can be used to identify further sample coating materials that better match in terms of appearance when compared to the reference coating. The labelling of the images of the corrected reference coating can be used to further improve the evaluation process. The display image of the corrected reference coating is obtained by manipulating the appearance data of the reference coating to a predetermined extent in possible directions and / or, optionally, within the range of a pre-defined color space using a color distance formula.

[0021] Further disclosed is An apparatus for assigning at least one human-perceptible attribute to a sample coating, the apparatus comprising: a display; one or more computing nodes; and one or more computer-readable media having thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more computing nodes, cause the apparatus to perform the method of the invention described herein.

[0022] Further disclosed is A computer program element having instructions that, when executed by a computing device such as a computing device of a computing environment, is configured to perform steps of the method of the invention or steps provided by the apparatus of the invention.

[0023] All of the disclosures and embodiments described herein relate to the methods, systems, apparatuses, and computer elements disclosed herein, and vice versa. Any advantages provided by any of the embodiments and examples provided herein apply equally to all other embodiments and examples, and vice versa.

[0024] Embodiments Embodiments of the method of the invention: According to a computer-implemented method of the invention, at least one human-perceptible attribute is assigned to a sample coating by a computing device. The sample coating can be prepared, for example, by identifying a sample coating formulation that matches based on the appearance data of a reference coating, as is commonly done during repair work, applying the matching sample coating formulation and optionally further coating formulations such as a clear coat formulation onto a substrate, and curing the applied coating formulations to form the coating. The computing device can be a mobile or stationary computing device such as a personal computer, laptop, smartphone, tablet, etc.

[0025] In one aspect, the human perception attribute indicates the deviation of the sample coating from the reference coating. The sample coating may be a sample coating prepared based on the reference coating, for example, by using a color matching process that identifies the best matching sample coating material. The reference coating may include one or more damaged areas. The reference coating may be a coating used as a reference regarding appearance. The deviation of the sample coating from the reference coating can be visually evaluated, for example, by visually comparing the sample coating and the reference coating. The deviation of the sample coating from the reference coating is preferably selected from appearance deviations. In one example, the deviation is a deviation in lightness and / or darkness. In another example, the deviation is a deviation in color and / or texture. In yet another example, the deviation is a deviation in gloss. In yet another example, the deviation is a deviation in the appearance of the clear coat. The latter may be preferred when the sample coating and the reference coating each include at least one clear coat layer.

[0026] Step (i): In step (i) of the method of the present invention, at least one display image of the modified reference coating is displayed on a display within a user interface. The user interface may be generated from a user interface display and may include additional icons, menus, bars, text, labels, or combinations thereof, separate from the display image of the modified reference coating. The display may be part of a computing device or may be part of a separate display device connected to the computing device via a communication interface.

[0027] The display device can be constructed according to any emissive or reflective display technology having an appropriate resolution and color gamut. An appropriate resolution is, for example, a resolution of 72 dots per inch (dpi) or higher, for example, 300 dpi, 600 dpi, 1200 dpi, 2400 dpi or higher. This ensures that the generated appearance data can be displayed with high quality. An appropriately wide color gamut is a color gamut above standard red green blue (sRGB). In various embodiments, the display can be selected to have a color gamut close to the color gamut perceptible by human vision. In one aspect, the display is constructed according to liquid crystal display (LCD) technology, particularly liquid crystal display (LCD) technology further including a touch screen panel. The LCD may be backlit by any appropriate illumination source. However, the color gamut of the LCD display can be widened or otherwise improved by selecting a light emitting diode (LED) backlight or a plurality of backlights. In another aspect, the display is constructed according to light emitting polymer or organic light emitting diode (OLED) technology. In yet another aspect, the display device is constructed according to reflective display technology such as electronic paper or ink. Manufacturers of electronic ink / paper displays are known, such as E INK and XEROX. Preferably, the display also has a moderately wide viewing field such that the image does not become unclear or change significantly when the user views the display from different angles. Since LCD screens operate by polarization, some models exhibit high viewing angle dependence. However, various LCD structures have a relatively wide viewing field and may therefore be preferred. For example, an LCD display constructed according to thin film transistor (TFT) technology can have an appropriately wide viewing field. Also, displays constructed according to electronic paper / ink technology and OLED technology can have a wider viewing field than many LCD displays and may be selected for this reason.

[0028] In one aspect, the display image of the modified reference coating is modified with respect to the lightness and / or darkness and / or color and / or texture and / or gloss and / or appearance of the clear coat when compared to the display image of the reference coating. The term "color" refers to the color, chroma, and hue of the coating. For example, the display image of the modified reference coating has a darker color and / or a lighter color than the display image of the reference coating. In another example, the display image of the modified reference coating may be bluer, yellower, greener, or redder than the display image of the reference coating. In yet another example, the display image of the modified reference coating may be shinier, less shiny, rougher, or smoother than the display image of the reference coating. Further, in a further example, the display image of the modified reference coating may have increased or decreased gloss, more or less orange peel, or a lower or higher DOI than the display image of the reference coating. The modification of the reference coating is preferably done up to a predefined range using a defined color space and optionally generally known color tolerance equations, or, for example, by adding additional layers to the appearance data of the reference coating to modify the gloss or appearance of the clear coat as described later. The use of the display image enables visualization of the possible deviations in appearance between the sample coating and the reference coating, and in this way, without requiring a deep understanding of colorimetry and applicable terms for defining the deviations of each coating type, such as solid color coatings (i.e., coatings without effect pigments), effect color coatings (i.e., coatings with effect pigments), colored coatings, achromatic coatings, etc., it is possible to easily determine the observed visual deviations.

[0029] In one aspect, step (i) further includes displaying at least one display image of a reference coating within a user interface. Thereby, the user can directly compare the reference coating and the modified reference coating with respect to appearance within the user interface, so that the user can more appropriately determine the observed deviation. Preferably, at least one display image of the reference coating is displayed adjacent to at least a part of the display image of the modified reference coating. Particularly preferably, the display image of the reference coating is displayed adjacent to each display image of the modified reference coating. Thereby, by displaying the display image of the reference coating between the display images of the modified reference coating, for example, between the display image of the modified reference coating having a higher chromaticity and the display image of the modified reference coating having a lower chromaticity, the deviation of the reference coating can be displayed in two directions, for example, the increase or decrease of chromaticity.

[0030] In one aspect, step (i) is (i - 1) providing, via a communication interface, a digital representation of a reference coating including appearance data determined by one or more measurement geometries to a processor of a computing device; (i - 2) generating, by the processor, modified appearance display data (modified appearance display data) of the reference coating based on the provided digital representation; (i - 3) generating a user interface display for displaying the modified appearance display data generated in step (i - 2) as a display image of a modified reference coating, and displaying the generated user interface display. and includes.

[0031] The term "appearance data" includes reflectance data, color data such as color space data, texture characteristics, texture images, gloss data, short wavelength values, long wavelength values, DOI values, or combinations thereof. The term "texture characteristics" refers to the roughness characteristics and / or the brilliance characteristics of the effect coating. The roughness characteristics and the brilliance characteristics of the effect coating can be determined, for example, from a texture image obtained by a multi-angle spectrophotometer, as is known in the art. The texture image may be a black-and-white image or a color image. An example of color space data is defined by L * a * b * where L * represents lightness, a * represents the red / green appearance, and b * represents the yellow / blue appearance. Another example of color space data is defined by L * C * h, where L * represents lightness, C * represents chroma, and h represents hue. Yet another example of color space data is defined by RGB, where R represents the red channel, G represents the green channel, and B represents the blue channel.

[0032] The term "appearance display data" refers to appearance data used to present the appearance of the reference coating as a display image, while the term "modified appearance display data" refers to modified appearance data (e.g., appearance data modified with respect to the appearance data of the reference coating) used to present the appearance of the modified reference coating as a display image. The appearance display data and the modified appearance display data preferably have a standard dynamic range (SDR) format, so that no additional tone mapping is required to display the data as required for high dynamic range (HDR) data.

[0033] Separate from the appearance data, the digital representation of the reference coating provided in step (i-1) can further include a color name, a color code, a barcode, a QR code, a unique database ID, a mixing formula (i.e., instructions for preparing the coating materials used to prepare the reference coating), a color ranking, a price, a layer structure, the manufacturer of the coating materials used to prepare the reference coating, the manufacturer of the substrate including the reference coating, the model including the reference coating, the production year of the substrate including the reference coating, the automotive part including the reference coating, or a combination thereof.

[0034] Step (i-1): In step (i-1), the digital representation of the reference coating is provided to the processor of the computing device via a communication interface. The digital representation of the reference coating includes appearance data determined in one or more measurement geometries. The digital representation of the reference coating can be provided in a number of ways, some of which are described in the following non-limiting ways.

[0035] In one example, providing the digital representation of the reference coating involves - Measuring the appearance of the reference coating in one or more measurement geometries using a measuring device and optionally determining the appearance data from the measurement data using the measuring device, and - Optionally combining the determined appearance data with the measurement data and / or further metadata and / or user input and searching for it in a computer processor via a communication interface, or - Optionally combining the measured data with further metadata and / or user input, searching for it in a computer processor via a communication interface, and determining the appearance data from the measurement data in the computer processor, and includes.

[0036] The appearance of the reference coating can be measured using a suitable measuring device, such as an RGB camera, a single-angle spectrophotometer, or a multi-angle spectrophotometer. Commercially available RGB cameras include smartphone cameras, digital cameras, mirror cameras, etc. Commercially available multi-angle spectrophotometers are, for example, spectrophotometers of the Byk-Mac® I or XRite MA®-T family. Commercially available single-angle spectrophotometers include, for example, Byk ColorView, Datacolor Spectraflash SF450, Konica Minolta CM 3600-d.

[0037] The measuring device is preferably connected to a computer processor via a communication interface. In one example, the processor is programmed to process measurement data such as reflectance data and texture images by calculating appearance data for each measurement geometry from the measured reflectance and / or by calculating texture characteristics of the defined measurement geometry from the acquired texture image. The processor can be housed inside a computing device, i.e., the computing device can search for measured data and optionally additional metadata and / or user input from the measuring device via the communication interface and calculate appearance data using the retrieved data, or the processor can be located separately from the computing device, for example, inside the measuring device. In this case, the computing device searches for the determined appearance data, optionally in combination with additional metadata and / or user input, via the communication interface. In another example, for instance, when an RGB camera is used for appearance measurement, the processor searches for the measured data and optionally the additional data described above without performing further calculations. In this case, the measurement data corresponds to the appearance data.

[0038] Appearance data can be stored in a data storage medium such as an internal memory or a database before providing the appearance data to a computing device via a communication interface or after providing the data to the computing device. This may include correlating the appearance data with additional data and / or metadata and / or user input before storing the appearance data so that the stored appearance data can be retrieved using the additional data and / or metadata and / or user input as needed. Storing the appearance data may be preferred if the data is needed multiple times because it eliminates the need to acquire the data each time the method of the present invention is executed.

[0039] Additional data and / or metadata and / or user input can include a color number / color code / barcode / unique database ID associated with each coating, the layer structure of each coating, the wet film thickness or dry film thickness of each coating, the preparation instructions for each coating material associated with each coating, price, or combinations thereof.

[0040] As an example, appearance data is obtained from data acquired with a single measurement geometry. This may be preferred if the reference coating is a solid color or a straight shade coating, or if a single angle measurement device (i.e., a measurement device that acquires appearance data of the reference coating only with a single measurement geometry) is used. The term "solid color or straight shade coating" refers to a coating in which the colored coating layer mainly contains a coloring pigment and the coating does not exhibit a visible flop or a two-tone metallic effect, i.e., the visual appearance does not change with the viewing angle and / or the irradiation angle.

[0041] In another example, the appearance data is obtained from data acquired with a plurality of measurement geometries, the plurality of measurement geometries including at least one specular measurement geometry and at least one non-specular measurement geometry. The term "specular measurement geometry" refers to a measurement geometry having a relevant specular angle of up to 30°, for example from 10° to 30°, the specular angle being the difference between the direction of the observer and the specular direction of the measurement geometry. The use of these specular angles makes it possible to measure the specular color produced by the effect pigments present in the effect coating. The "non-specular measurement geometry" refers to a measurement geometry having a relevant specular angle greater than 30°, i.e. all measurement geometries that are not specular measurement geometries, such as the flop measurement geometry and the intermediate measurement geometry described below, for example. The use of appearance data obtained from data acquired with a plurality of measurement geometries is preferred when the reference coating is an effect coating, i.e. a coating comprising at least one colored coating layer containing effect pigments and optionally other colored pigments or spheres that give rise to a visual flop effect or a two-tone metallic effect, since the appearance of the effect coating varies depending on the viewing angle and / or the irradiation angle.

[0042] In another example, the digital representation of the reference coating includes providing reference coating identification data, obtaining the digital representation of the reference coating based on the provided reference coating identification data, and providing the obtained digital representation. The digital representation of the reference coating can be obtained by searching for the digital representation of the reference coating based on the provided reference coating identification data and providing the searched digital representation to a computer processor via a communication interface. In one example, obtaining the digital representation of the reference coating based on the provided reference coating identification data includes accessing a database that includes the digital representation of the reference coating that is associated with the reference coating identification data, such as the appearance data of the reference coating, the color name of the reference coating, a color code, a barcode, or additional data indicating the reference coating, and searching for the digital representation of the reference coating based on the provided data. The data indicating the reference coating can include, for example, a color name, a color number, a color code, a barcode, an ID, a VIN combined with vehicle part information (such as a bumper, a trunk, etc.) associated with the reference coating. The data indicating the reference coating can be input by a user via a GUI displayed on a display, obtained from a database based on a scanned code such as a QR code, or associated with a predefined user action. The predefined user action can include, for example, displaying a list of saved measurements including associated images, or selecting a desired action on a GUI displayed on a display that displays a list of available reference coatings according to search criteria, a user profile, etc.

[0043] The database is preferably connected to a computing device via a communication interface, and the digital representation of the reference coating can be provided to the computing device by selecting the digital representation stored in the data storage medium, for example, via a GUI displayed on the screen of a display, or by inputting data indicating the reference coating such as a color name, a color code, etc. and searching for the digital representation of the reference coating based on the input data.

[0044] Step (i-2): In step (i-2), the modified appearance display data of the reference coating is generated by a processor of the computing device based on the digital representation provided in step (i-1).

[0045] The modified appearance data can be generated by modifying at least a part of the appearance data included in the digital representation of the provided reference coating with respect to lightness, darkness, color, texture, gloss, clear coat appearance, or a combination thereof.

[0046] In one example, modifying at least a portion of the appearance data includes using predefined color space distance values, particularly dL, da, db, dC, dH, and / or texture distance values. The appearance data of the modified reference coating can be obtained by combining the appearance data included in the digital representation of the provided reference coating with the predefined color space distance values dL, da, and db or dL, dC, and dH using a well-known color tolerance equation, such as, in particular, the Delta E(CIE1994) color tolerance equation, the Delta E(CIE2000) color tolerance equation, the Delta E(DIN99) color tolerance equation, the Delta E(CIE1976) color tolerance equation, the Delta E(CMC) color tolerance equation, the Delta E(Audi95) color tolerance equation, the Delta E(Audi2000) color tolerance equation, or other color tolerance equations to determine the modified appearance data. Additionally, using a color tolerance equation, particularly the Audi95 or Audi2000 color tolerance equation, can be beneficial in achieving a standardized offset of the modified appearance data from the appearance data of the reference coating across the entire color space because the color space values are weighted according to the color and measurement geometry.

[0047] Modifying the appearance data of the reference coating using predefined color space distance values enables obtaining modified appearance display data that appears greener, redder, bluer, yellower, darker, brighter, more saturated, or less saturated, or modified appearance display data with a positive or negative hue shift when displayed within a user interface on a display.

[0048] Modifying the appearance data of the reference coating layer using predefined texture distance values enables obtaining modified appearance display data that appears less shiny, or more shiny, or finer, or coarser when displayed within a user interface on a display.

[0049] In another example, modifying the appearance data includes adding a predefined appearance layer to at least a portion of the appearance data. By adding a predefined appearance layer, particularly a predefined clear coat appearance layer, modifying the appearance data of the reference coating layer can result in a modified appearance display data that appears glossier or less glossy, or has a higher or lower orange peel, within the user interface on the display.

[0050] In one aspect, step (i-2) further comprises: - For each pixel in the created image, the corresponding color data, particularly CIEL * a * b * values are generated from the digital representation provided in step (i-1) and an ordered list of measured geometries, the generated modified appearance data, or at least one L * value in the generated modified appearance data is greater than 90, the scaled modified appearance data, and calculating based thereon to generate a color image, - Optionally, a lightness scaling factor s L , an aspect ratio-dependent scaling function sf aspecular and optionally a texture contrast scaling factor s c are used to add a texture layer to each color image generated on a pixel-by-pixel basis. This includes.

[0051] The generated color image, and thus the appearance display data corresponding to the color image or generated by adding a texture layer to the color image, also preferably has a defined resolution. Suitable resolutions are in the range from 160×120 pixels to 720×540 pixels, particularly 480×360 pixels. The defined resolution of the color image can be achieved, for example, by defining the number of pixels in the x and y directions and creating an empty image by using the empty image created to generate the color image.

[0052] The ordered list of measurement geometries is - selecting at least one predefined measurement geometry from one or more measurement geometries included in the digital representation, and optionally, if a plurality of measurement geometries are selected, sorting the selected measurement geometries according to at least one predefined sorting criterion; - optionally, if a plurality of measurement geometries are selected, calculating the cumulative delta aspect angle for each selected measurement geometry; and can be generated from the provided digital representation by

[0053] In one example, at least one predefined measurement geometry includes at least one gloss measurement geometry and at least one non - gloss measurement geometry, or at least one, particularly exactly one, intermediate measurement geometry. The at least one intermediate measurement geometry preferably corresponds to an aspecular angle of 45°. In a first case, at least two predefined measurement geometries are selected from the plurality of measurement geometries included in each provided digital representation, i.e., at least one gloss measurement geometry and at least one non - gloss measurement geometry. In this case, the selected measurement geometries are sorted according to at least one predefined sorting criterion. In a latter preferred case, exactly one predefined measurement geometry, i.e., the intermediate measurement geometry, is selected from one or more measurement geometries included in each provided digital representation. In this case, sorting of the predefined measurement geometries is not necessary.

[0054] At least one predefined sorting criterion can include a defined order of the measurement geometries. This defined order of the measurement geometries is preferably selected such that when the appearance display data is displayed within a user interface, a visual 3D impression, for example, the visual impression of a bent metal sheet, is obtained. Examples of the defined order of the measurement geometries include 45°>25°>15°>25°>45°>75°, and - 15°>15°>25°>45°>75°>110°. The use of these defined orders of the measurement geometries can be beneficial for an effect coating since this order results in a color image that displays the color label of the effect coating under directional irradiation conditions. At least one predefined measurement geometry and / or at least one predefined sorting criterion may be retrieved by a computer processor from a data storage medium based on the provided digital representation of a reference coating and / or further data. The further data may include data regarding a user profile, or data indicating a measurement device and the measurement geometries associated with the measurement device.

[0055] The delta specular angle for each measurement geometry is the absolute difference angle between the specular angle associated with the selected measurement geometry, e.g., a specular angle of 45°, and the specular angle associated with the next selected measurement geometry, in this example a specular angle of 25°. The cumulative delta specular angle can be obtained by adding the delta specular angle associated with the selected measurement geometry, e.g., the delta specular angle associated with 25°, to the delta specular angle associated with the next selected measurement geometry, in this case the delta specular angle associated with 15°, and repeating this step for each measurement geometry in the ordered list.

[0056] If at least one L value included in the generated modified appearance data is greater than 90, preferably greater than 95 or 99, all L values included in the generated modified appearance data * are scaled using at least one lightness scaling factor s * to generate a scaled digital representation. The use of this scaling factor can retain the color information included in the gloss measurement geometry by compressing the color space while keeping the existing color distances constant. If the color space is not compressed, L values greater than 90 L values, preferably L values greater than 95 * values, especially L values greater than 99 * values, will have the hue clipped and be displayed as almost white or pure white, i.e., the equidistance of the color information that may exist in the a * values and b * values associated with these L * values is lacking. The lightness scaling factor s * can be based on the maximum measured L L value of the CIEL * a * b * values included in the provided digital representation. *

[0057] ​In one example, calculating the corresponding color data, particularly CIEL * a * b * values for each pixel of each created image involves correlating one axis of each created image with the generated ordered list of measurement geometries and mapping a digital representation or scaled digital representation associated with the ordered list of measurement geometries, particularly associated color values or scaled color values, to the correlated row of the created image. Interpolation methods, particularly spline interpolation methods, are used to obtain a smooth transition between the CIEL * a * b * values of the pixels associated with the measured geometry and the intermediate CIEL * a * b * values. For pixels not associated with the measured geometry, intermediate CIEL * a * b * values, i.e., CIEL * a * b * values, may be used to calculate. The calculated CIEL * a * b * values are converted to sRGB values and optionally stored on a data storage medium, particularly the internal memory of a computing device. By converting the calculated CIEL * a * b * values to sRGB values, the calculated color information can be displayed by a commonly available display that uses an sRGB file to display information.

[0058] A texture layer can be added to the generated color image to provide spatially decomposed texture information (e.g., distribution, size distribution, lightness distribution) or information regarding texture color. This is preferred when the reference coating is an effect coating that includes a visible texture. The lightness scaling factor s used when adding the texture layer Lis preferably the brightness scaling factor s used when generating the color image L corresponding thereto, i.e., the same brightness scaling factor s L is preferably used, or is set to 1 when the brightness scaling factor s L is not used during the generation of the color image. By using the same brightness scaling factor sL, the brightness of the texture image can be adjusted to the brightness of the color image, and a mismatch between the color information and the texture information regarding brightness can be prevented. The aspect ratio-dependent scaling function sf aspecular used when adding the texture layer weights each pixel of the texture layer in correlation with the aspect ratio angle corresponding to the measured geometry in the generated ordered list of measured geometries. Thereby, the pixels of the texture layer can be weighted in correlation with the visual impression of the effect coating layer under different measured geometries, and thus, generated appearance data that closely resembles the visual impression of the effect coating layer when the observer views from different viewing angles can be obtained. Generally, visual textures, i.e., roughness characteristics and gloss characteristics, are more prominent in the gloss measurement geometry than in the specular geometry. Considering this, the aspect ratio-dependent scaling function sf aspecular preferably outputs a scaling factor s close to 1 for the gloss measurement geometry aspec and outputs a scaling factor s close to 0 for the specular measurement geometry aspec .

[0059] The texture layer - provides at least one acquired texture image (acquired texture image) or a synthetic texture image, - calculates the average color of each provided acquired texture image or synthetic texture image, and generates a corrected texture image by subtracting the average color from each provided acquired texture image or synthetic texture image, - the brightness scaling factor s L and the aspect ratio-dependent scaling function sf aspecularand optionally a contrast scaling factor s c Add each modified texture image weighted in pixel units by c to the respective generated color image, and can be added in pixel units by .

[0060] The "acquired texture image (the acquired texture image)" refers to a texture image such as a grayscale image or a color image acquired using a multi-angle spectrophotometer as described above. In contrast, the term "synthetic texture image" refers to a texture image generated from texture characteristics such as roughness and / or brightness characteristics determined from the acquired texture image as described above.

[0061] The synthetic texture image is - Create an empty image, and - Provide a target texture contrast c v and - For each pixel of the created image, generate a random number between -c v and +c v using a uniform random number generator or a Gaussian random number generator, and add the generated random number to each pixel of the created image, and - Blur the obtained image using a blur filter, particularly a Gaussian blur filter, and - Optionally provide the obtained synthetic texture image, and can be created by .

[0062] The created empty image preferably has the same resolution as the color image in order to prevent texture layer mismatches when adding the texture layer to the generated color image. This eliminates the need to downscale the texture layer before adding the layer to the color image. The target texture contrast c vpreferably corresponds to a predefined value associated with the gloss characteristic and / or the roughness characteristic, or the formulation of the reference coating material. The predefined value can be retrieved from a database based on the formulation of the reference coating material, for example, based on the type and / or amount of the effect pigment present in the formulation of the reference coating material.

[0063] The same resolution is used for all the color images calculated in step (i-2). When the display images of the reference coating are displayed in different sizes, it is preferable to use a resolution different from the resolution of the display images, while when the display images of the reference coating are all displayed in the same size, it is preferable to use the same resolution.

[0064] Furthermore, it is preferable that the same ordered list of the generated measurement geometries is used during the generation of all the color images in step (i-2). Thereby, when the generated appearance data are arranged horizontally and displayed, each line of the displayed data (for example, the display image of the corrected reference coating) belongs to the same measurement geometry (for example, the same specular angle), so that the corrected appearance display data can be visually compared.

[0065] The same scaling factor s L is preferably used to scale all the L * values of the corrected appearance data. Thereby, in particular in the region related to the gloss measurement geometry, it is ensured that the visual differences between the generated corrected appearance display data are not due to the use of different lightness scaling factors s L and thus a display image optimized for the visual comparison of different coatings is obtained.

[0066] The modified appearance data of the reference coating may be generated based on the provided digital representation and user input indicating the selection of at least one category indicating a visual deviation of the sample coating from the reference coating, the user input being detected by displaying a user interface including the at least one category.

[0067] At least one visual deviation of the sample coating from the reference coating can include a deviation in lightness, a deviation in darkness, a deviation in color, a deviation in texture, a deviation in gloss, and a deviation in clear coat appearance. The category can be indicated by a text label indicating the type of deviation, such as a deviation in color, a deviation in texture, a deviation in gloss, etc.

[0068] The selection of the category can simplify the identification of the display image of the modified reference coating that matches the sample coating because the number of display images of the modified reference coating displayed within the user interface is significantly reduced by displaying only the display images of the modified reference coating obtained by modifying the appearance of the reference coating with respect to the selected category.

[0069] Step (i-3): In step (i-3), a user interface display is generated that displays the modified appearance display data generated in step (i-2) as a display image of the modified reference coating, and the generated user interface display is displayed on the display. Displaying the generated appearance display data of the reference coating in step (i-3) can simplify the selection of the display image of the modified reference coating that most closely matches the deviation of the sample coating from the reference coating visually perceived in the physical world because the possible deviation between the reference coating and the sample coating is mimicked in the virtual world through the use of the display image of the modified reference coating via the user interface.

[0070] Step (i) may include a further step (i-4) of generating, using a processor, appearance data of a reference coating based on the provided digital representation and displaying the generated appearance data as a display image of the reference coating. The display image may be displayed within the user interface display generated in step (i-3). Step (i-4) may be executed before step (i-3). Step (i-4) may be executed before step (i-2). Step (i-4) may be executed after step (i-3). Step (i-4) may be, for example, executed when at least one display image of the reference coating generated from the CIEL * a * b * values of the reference coating is displayed within the user interface of step (i). If an RGB image of the reference coating is provided in step (i-1), step (i-4) may be omitted because the provided RGB image can be directly used as the display image of the reference coating. Displaying at least one display image of the reference coating is beneficial for mimicking in the virtual world represented by the user interface the visual comparison between the reference coating and the sample coating in the physical world, thereby facilitating for the user the selection of a modified reference display image that most closely resembles the appearance of the sample coating or the visually perceived difference between the sample coating and the reference coating.

[0071] Step (i-4) is: - For each pixel in the created image, the corresponding color data, in particular the CIEL * a * b * values are generated from an ordered list of measured geometries of the digital representation provided in step (i-1) and the digital representation provided in step (i-1), or, if at least one L * value included in the provided digital representation is greater than 90, the scaled digital representation; By calculating based on, generate a color image, and - Optionally, a lightness scaling coefficient s L , an aspecular-dependent scaling function sf aspecular , and optionally a texture contrast scaling coefficient s c To add a texture layer to each generated color image on a pixel-by-pixel basis using, and including.

[0072] The ordered list of measurement geometries, the scaled modified appearance data, and the generation of the color image, as well as the addition of the texture layer, can be performed as described above for step (i-2).

[0073] The same resolution may be used for all color images calculated in step (i-4). When step (i-2) is performed, the same or different resolutions may be used for the color images generated in steps (i-2) and (i-4). When the display image of the reference coating is displayed in a size larger or smaller than the display image of the modified reference coating, it is preferable to use different resolutions for the display images of the reference coating and the modified reference coating. However, when the display images of the reference coating and the modified reference coating are displayed in the same size, it is preferable to use the same resolution.

[0074] The same generated ordered list of measurement geometries can be used during the generation of all color images in step (i-4). When step (i-2) is performed, the ordered list of measurement geometries used in step (i-2) can also be used in step (i-4). Thereby, when the generated appearance data is arranged horizontally and displayed, each line of the displayed data (e.g., the display images of the modified reference coating and optionally the reference coating) belongs to the same measurement geometry (e.g., the same aspecular angle), so that the appearance display data of the reference coating can be visually compared with the modified appearance display data.

[0075] the same scaling factor s L can be used to scale all L* values of the modified appearance data. If step (i-2) is executed, the scaling factor s used in step (i-2) L can also be used to generate the modified appearance display data in step (i-4). Thereby, the visual difference between the generated modified appearance display data and the appearance display data, particularly in the region associated with the gloss measurement geometry, is due to different lightness scaling factors s L is guaranteed not to be caused by the use of, and as a result, a display image optimized for visual comparison of different coatings is obtained.

[0076] In one aspect, step (i) further includes displaying a label on at least a part of the display image of the modified reference coating, the label indicating a modification of the reference coating regarding lightness or darkness or color or texture or gloss or the appearance of the clear coat. Since the label indicates the direction of the deviation being observed by the user, it can simplify the selection of the display image of the modified reference coating that most closely matches the appearance of the sample coating with respect to the reference coating.

[0077] Step (ii): In step (ii) of the method of the present invention, a user input indicating selection of at least one display image of the corrected reference coating is detected by a computing device. The user input may be based on a visually perceived difference between the adjusted sample coating and the provided reference coating. The user input may be related to a visually perceived difference between the adjusted sample coating and the provided reference coating. For example, the user can visually compare the sample coating with the reference coating and select the display image of the corrected reference that is closest in appearance to the sample coating, or closest to the observed visual difference between the prepared sample coating and the provided reference coating. The visual comparison of the sample coating and the provided reference coating may be performed before selecting at least one display image. Selecting at least one display image may include performing a user input for each display image. Thus, selecting can be understood to mean performing a user input for each display image.

[0078] The user input is preferably provided by an input device. An "input device" can refer to any device that provides an input signal in response to a user input, that is, any device that enables a user to perform an input and, in response to that user input, provides an input signal indicating the user input to a computer system. Suitable input devices include a mouse device, a touch-sensitive surface, a keyboard, and the like. In one example, a touch screen is present within the display, whereby the display also functions as an input device. The user input is detected by a processor present within the display and provided to the processor of the computing device via a communication interface. In another example, the input device exists separately from the display. In this case, the input device is connected to the computing device via a communication interface, enabling detection of the user input by the processor of the computing device.

[0079] Step (iii): In step (iii), at least one human-perceivable attribute is assigned to the sample coating by the computing device in response to the detected user input. The human-perceivable attribute can correspond to a visually perceived difference by a human observer, such as a body shop repairer who repairs a damaged reference coating when visually comparing the provided reference coating and the adjusted sample coating. For this purpose, the computer processor determines which display image of the corrected reference coating was selected in step (ii) and, based on this determination, assigns at least one human-perceivable attribute to the sample coating.

[0080] In one aspect, assigning at least one human-perceivable attribute to the sample coating in response to the detected user input includes mapping the deviation associated with the detected user input to each human-perceivable attribute. Each human-perceivable attribute can include pre-defined human-perceivable attributes. In this way, the deviation associated with the display image of the corrected reference coating selected by the user is mapped to each human-perceivable attribute, and the human-perceivable attribute can be assigned to the sample coating. The deviation associated with the display image of the corrected reference coating is determined by determining the display image of the corrected reference coating selected in step (ii) and identifying the associated deviation. The mapping can be performed using a mapping table in which each deviation, such as dL+2, is assigned to a respective human-perceivable attribute, such as brighter.

[0081] Further steps In one aspect, steps (i) through (iii), or (ii) and (iii) are repeated at least once. This may be preferable when the user wishes to select at least two display images of the reference coating. This may be the case, for example, when the sample coating deviates in color and texture from the reference coating, and the user wishes to select both deviations by clicking on the display image of the reference coating that best reflects the observed deviation of the sample coating from the reference coating.

[0082] Step (iv): In one aspect, the method of the present invention includes step (iv) of storing in a data storage medium the human-perceptible attributes assigned to the sample coating and the digital representation of the reference coating. This includes correlating the data with a unique ID and optionally data indicating the sample coating, whereby the human-perceptible attributes can be retrieved from the data storage medium using the ID or the data. The data storage medium is preferably a database connected to a computing device via a communication interface.

[0083] Step (v): In one aspect, the method of the present invention further includes step (v) of determining at least one additional sample coating based on the assigned human-perceptible attributes. For this purpose, at least one adjusted sample coating is calculated, and then it is determined whether the calculated adjusted sample coating improves at least one of the assigned human-perceptible attributes. The at least one adjusted sample coating can be calculated using a color adjustment process well known in the art, such as that described in EP2149038B1.

[0084] Determining whether the adjusted sample coating improves at least one of the assigned human-perceptible attributes includes, for example, - calculating the color data of the adjusted sample coating, and - For each determined human perception attribute, based on the provided digital representations of the adjusted sample coating, the sample coating, and the reference coating, determine the difference between the adjusted sample coating and the reference coating, and the difference between the sample coating and the reference coating; - For each determined human perception attribute, determine whether the difference between the adjusted sample coating and the reference coating is less than the difference between the sample coating and the reference coating; can be done by performing the following.

[0085] If the adjusted sample coating does not improve at least one, and particularly all, human perception attributes, a list of matching sample coatings retrieved by performing a database search can be displayed to the user. If the adjusted sample coating improves at least one, and particularly all, human perception attributes, the formulation of the adjusted sample coating is displayed to the user.

[0086] By using the human perception attributes assigned to the sample coating to determine whether the adjusted sample coating improves the said attributes, an adjusted sample coating that more accurately matches the visual appearance of the reference coating can be provided.

[0087] Embodiments of the device of the present invention: In one aspect, the apparatus of the present invention further comprises at least one appearance measurement device, separate from the display, the one or more computing nodes, and the one or more computer-readable media. The term "appearance measurement device" refers to any measurement device suitable for obtaining data regarding appearance, such as the color, texture, gloss of a coating and / or the appearance of a clear coat. Such suitable measurement devices include cameras, such as the camera of a smartphone or other color camera, single angle spectrophotometers or multi-angle spectrophotometers, gloss meters, and measurement devices for determining orange peel (i.e., short wave value and long wave value) and DOI.

[0088] In one aspect, the apparatus of the present invention further comprises at least one database containing a digital representation of a reference coating. The database is preferably connected via a communication interface to the one or more computing nodes, enabling each digital representation to be retrieved from the database by the one or more computing nodes.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0089] These and other features of the present invention are more fully described in the following description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention. To facilitate the identification of any particular element or act of discussion, the most significant digit or digits of the reference number refer to the figure number in which that element is first introduced. This description is presented with reference to the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 4

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Figure 6

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Figure 8

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0090] Detailed Description of the Drawings The following detailed description is intended as an explanation of various aspects of the present subject matter and is not intended to represent the only configuration in which the present subject matter can be implemented. The accompanying drawings are incorporated herein and constitute a part of the detailed description. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a complete understanding of the present subject matter. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present subject matter can be practiced without these specific details.

[0091] In some cases, separately illustrating various components in the figures may reflect the use of corresponding separate physical and tangible components in an actual implementation. Alternatively, or additionally, any single component shown in the figures may be implemented by a plurality of actual physical components. Alternatively, or additionally, the depiction of two or more separate components in the figures may reflect different functions performed by one actual physical component.

[0092] In other figures, the concepts are described in the form of flowcharts. In this form, a given operation is described as constituting separate blocks that are executed in a given order. Such embodiments are illustrative and non-limiting. The given blocks described herein can be grouped and executed in a single operation, the given blocks can be divided into a plurality of component blocks, and the given blocks can be executed in an order different from that illustrated herein (including the manner of executing the blocks in parallel). In one implementation, the blocks shown in the flowchart belonging to the processing-related functions can be implemented by the hardware logic circuit described in connection with FIG. 6, which, alternatively, can be implemented by one or more hardware processors and / or other logic components including a collection of task-specific logic gates.

[0093] Regarding terms, the phrase "configured to" encompasses various physical and tangible mechanisms for performing a specified operation. The mechanism can be configured to perform the operation using the hardware logic circuit described in connection with FIG. 6. The term "logic" similarly encompasses various physical and tangible mechanisms for performing a task. For example, each processing-related operation shown in the flowchart corresponds to a logic component for performing that operation. The logic component can perform that operation using the hardware logic circuit as described in connection with FIG. 6. When implemented by a computing device, the logic component, however implemented, represents an electrical component that is a physical part of the computing system.

[0094] Any storage resource described herein, or any combination of storage resources, can be considered a computer-readable medium. Often, a computer-readable medium represents some form of physical and tangible entity. The term computer-readable medium includes, for example, propagated signals that are transmitted or received via a physical conduit and / or air or other wireless media. However, the specific term "computer-readable storage medium" explicitly excludes propagation signals themselves while including all other forms of computer-readable media.

[0095] In the following description, one or more features may be identified as "optional". This type of description is not to be construed as an exhaustive listing of features that may be considered optional; that is, other features may be considered optional even if not explicitly identified in the text. Further, any description of a single entity is not intended to exclude the use of a plurality of such entities; similarly, a description of a plurality of entities is not intended to exclude the use of a single entity. Additionally, in this specification, a particular feature may be described as an alternative way of performing a particular function or implementing a particular mechanism, but the feature can also be combined together in any combination. Finally, the terms "exemplary" or "illustrative" refer to one implementation out of potentially many possible implementations.

[0096] FIG. 1 shows a first non-limiting embodiment of a computer-implemented method 100 for assigning to a sample coating an attribute that is perceived (human-perceived) by at least one human or is visually perceived, the method being implemented by a computing device including a computer processor and a display, such as the computing device described in the context of FIG. 6. The computing device may comprise a display and may be a mobile device having an LCD display such as a tablet or a laptop. The computing device may be a fixed device such as a fixed computer attached to a peripheral display such as an LCD screen. The reference coating and the sample coating may be effect coatings including effect pigments. The reference coating and the effect coating may be solid shade coatings including color pigments but not effect pigments. The sample coating may be provided (block 102) with a reference coating and can be prepared by determining the appearance of the reference coating. The reference coating may correspond to a multi-layer coating including one or more damaged areas within the multi-layer coating. The appearance of the reference coating may be determined as described in the context of FIG. 2. The determined appearance may be used to determine a best-matching sample coating formulation using a generally known color matching process. One of the identified best-matching sample coating formulations is selected and can be used to prepare a sample coating using the selected sample coating formulation and optionally a further clear coat formulation (see block 104). The sample coating can be prepared by applying a sample coating material prepared from the selected sample coating formulation and optionally a clear coat coating material to the surface of a substrate and co-curing or separately curing the applied coating material. After preparation of the sample coating, the user may initiate method 100.

[0097] In block 106, a user interface may be displayed on a display, and the user interface includes at least one display image of a calibration reference coating. The user interface may be generated as described in the context of FIG. 2. The display image of the calibration reference coating may be generated as described in the context of FIGS. 4A to 4C. The user interface may further include at least one display image of a reference coating. Thereby, a visual comparison between the reference coating in the physical world and the prepared sample coating can be mimicked in the virtual world represented by the user interface, and thus, it becomes easy to select the display image of the calibration reference coating that is closest to the appearance of the prepared sample coating. At least one display image of the reference coating can be displayed adjacent to at least a part of the display image of the calibration reference coating. Thereby, by displaying the display image of the reference coating between the display images of the calibration reference coatings, for example, between a display image of a calibration reference coating having a higher hue and a display image of a calibration reference coating having a lower hue, the deviation of the reference coating can be displayed in two directions, for example, an increase or decrease in chromaticity, etc.

[0098] In block 108, user input indicating that at least one display image of the modified reference coating has been selected may be detected by the computing device. For this purpose, the computing device may be coupled to an input device via a communication interface to enable detection of user input. Suitable input devices may include a mouse device, a touch-sensitive surface, a keyboard, etc. The display may comprise a touch screen and may function as an input device by detecting touch screen gestures as user input. The input device may be connected to the computing system via a communication interface to enable detection of user input by a processor of the computing device. The user input may be based on a visually perceived difference between the adjusted sample coating and the provided reference coating. The user input may be associated with a visually perceived difference between the adjusted sample coating and the provided reference coating. For example, the user may visually compare the prepared sample coating and the reference coating and select the display image of the modified reference coating that most closely resembles the appearance of the sample coating or the observed visual difference between the prepared sample coating and the provided reference coating. The visual comparison of the prepared sample coating and the provided reference coating may be performed by the user before block 106. The visual comparison of the prepared sample coating and the provided reference coating may be performed by the user after block 106. The visual comparison of the prepared sample coating and the provided reference coating may be performed by the user, for example, between block 108 and before performing the user input.

[0099] In block 110, at least one human-perceivable attribute can be assigned to a sample coating by a computing device in response to a detected user input. The human-perceivable attribute can correspond to a visually perceived difference by a human observer, such as a body shop repairer repairing a damaged reference coating, when visually comparing the provided reference coating with the adjusted sample coating. For this purpose, a display image of the modified reference coating selected in block 108 may be determined. Thereafter, at least one human-perceivable attribute can be assigned to the sample coating by matching the deviations associated with the determined display image to respective or predefined human-perceivable attributes. For this purpose, the deviations associated with the display image of the modified reference coating selected in block 108 are determined and can be mapped to respective or predefined human-perceivable attributes for assigning the human-perceivable attributes to the sample coating. The mapping may be performed using a mapping table in which each deviation used to generate the modified appearance data of the reference coating, such as dL+2, is assigned to a respective human-perceivable attribute, such as brighter.

[0100] Blocks 106 to 110, or blocks 108 and 110, can be repeated, for example, when a further deviation of the sample coating from the reference coating is selected based on the displayed image. Blocks 106 to 110 are repeated to allow selection of another category when a category is selected in block 106, while blocks 108 and 110 can be repeated when different categories of deviations of the sample coating from the reference coating, such as color, texture, gloss, clear coat appearance, etc., are displayed in block 106.

[0101] After the end of block 110, method 100 may end or may return to block 106.

[0102] FIG. 2 shows an exemplary method 200 for generating a user interface display used within a computer-implemented method for assigning sample codings to at least one human-perceivable or visually-perceivable attribute, such as the user interface shown in block 106 of FIG. 1, which is displayed on a display of a computing device. The user interface display can present modified appearance display data (e.g., a display image of a modified reference coding) and optionally appearance display data (e.g., a display image of a reference coding). The user interface display can include additional content such as icons, text, labels, menus, etc.

[0103] At block 202, the routine implementation method 200 can determine whether the user wants to determine the color and / or texture of the reference coding or whether a digital representation of the reference coding is retrieved from a database (see block 206). The color and / or texture of the reference coding can be determined, for example, by measuring the color and / or texture as described previously. A graphical user interface (GUI) can be displayed where the user can make an appropriate selection, and depending on the user's selection, the routine implementation method 200 can proceed to block 204 or 206. The routine implementation method 200 can detect the acquisition of measurement data or the provision of appearance data and can automatically proceed to block 204. If it is determined at block 202 that the color and / or texture has been determined, the routine implementation method 200 can proceed to block 204. If the color and / or texture of the reference coding is not determined - for example, if appearance data is retrieved from a database - the routine implementation method 200 can proceed to block 206, which is described later.

[0104] In block 204, the color and / or texture of the reference coating can be determined using a measurement device such as an RGB camera, a single-angle spectrophotometer, or a multi-angle spectrophotometer, as described above. The measurement device can be connected to a computing device via a communication interface to enable data transfer. When a spectrophotometer is used, the appearance data can be determined by the processor of the spectrophotometer from the acquired reflectance data and texture image, or the appearance data can be determined by a computing device using the acquired reflectance data and texture image. When a single-angle spectrophotometer or a multi-angle spectrophotometer can be used, the appearance data can be determined by the spectrophotometer and provided to the computing device via a communication interface. Along with the appearance data, at least the measurement geometry used, optionally additional metadata and / or user input can be provided to the computing device. When an RGB camera is used, the appearance data in the form of the RGB values of each pixel can be directly acquired by the camera and transferred to the computing device as appearance data without the need for further calculations. The color and texture can be determined using a multi-angle spectrophotometer that acquires reflectance data at angles of incidence of 45° and a texture image at field-of-view angles of -15°, 15°, 25°, 45°, 75°, and 110°.

[0105] In block 206, a digital representation of the reference coating (hereinafter referred to as DRR) may be provided. Providing the DRR may include obtaining the DRR from a database based on reference coating identification data. The reference coating identification data may include a color name, color number, color code, barcode, ID, VIN combined with vehicle part information (such as bumper, trunk, etc.) associated with the reference coating. Data indicating the reference coating may be input by the user via a GUI displayed on the display, obtained from the database based on a scanned code such as a QR code, or associated with a predefined user action. The predefined user action may include, for example, displaying a list of saved measurements including associated images, or selecting a desired action on a GUI displayed on the display that displays a list of available reference coatings based on search criteria, user profile, etc.

[0106] In block 208, the appearance display data of the reference coating may be generated based on the appearance data provided in block 204 or the digital representation obtained in block 206 (this block is generally optional). The appearance display data of the reference coating may be generated as described in connection with FIG. 3 below. Generally, this block needs to be executed when the display image of the reference coating is displayed in block 216, rather than RGB data such as CIEL * a * b * values. For example, block 208 may use CIEL * a * b *Execution can be performed when appearance data in the form of values and texture characteristics is provided to enable the display of a display image of a reference coating within a user interface display. Displaying the appearance display data (such as a display image) of the reference coating next to the modified appearance display data of the modified reference coating enables the visual comparison of the prepared sample coating in the physical world with the provided reference coating to be mimicked within the virtual world represented by the user interface, whereby the user can more easily select an appropriate display image of the modified reference coating that most closely approximates the appearance of the prepared sample coating.

[0107] In block 210, the routine implementation method 200 can determine whether to generate a user interface that includes at least one category indicating a visual deviation of a prepared sample coating from a provided reference coating. This determination may be made according to the programming of the routine implementation method 200 or based on detected user input indicating the generation of the user interface. If it is determined in block 210 whether such a user interface is to be generated, the routine implementation method 200 can proceed to block 212. Otherwise, the routine implementation method 200 can proceed to block 214.

[0108] In block 212, a user interface generation can be generated and displayed on a display, and the user interface generation includes at least one category indicating a visual deviation of a prepared sample coating from a provided reference coating. At least one visual deviation of the prepared sample coating from the provided reference coating can include a deviation in lightness, a deviation in darkness, a deviation in color, a deviation in texture, a deviation in gloss, and / or a deviation in clear coat appearance. The category can be indicated by a text label indicating the type of deviation, such as a deviation in color, a deviation in texture, a deviation in gloss, etc.

[0109] In block 220, modified appearance display data of the reference coating can be generated based on the data provided in block 204 or the DRR provided in block 206. The modified appearance display data of the reference coating can be generated using the method described in the context of FIGS. 4A to 4C. The modified appearance display data can be generated by modifying at least a part of the appearance data included in the digital representation provided in block 206, or the appearance data determined in block 204, with respect to lightness, darkness, color, texture, gloss, the appearance of the clear coat, or a combination thereof. The method for generating the modified appearance display data is various and mainly depends on the type of the appearance data determined in block 204 or provided in block 206.

[0110] When the appearance data includes CIEL * a * b * values or CIEL * C * h * values, the modified appearance display data can be generated by modifying at least a part of the CIEL * a * b * values or CIEL * C * h * values, respectively, using the predefined color space distance values dL, da, and db or dL, dC, and dh. The modified CIEL * a * b * values or CIEL * C * h * values can be used to generate the modified appearance display data as described above. Apart from the predefined color space distance values, well-known color tolerance equations such as the Audi95 color tolerance equation or the Audi2000 color tolerance equation may be used during the modification of the appearance data. Since the color space values are weighted according to the color and the measurement geometry, the use of the color tolerance equation can be beneficial, and in this way, a standardized offset of the modified appearance display data can be achieved across the entire color space.

[0111] If the appearance data further includes a texture image and / or texture characteristics, the modified appearance display data may be generated by modifying at least a part of the texture image and / or texture characteristics using a texture distance value. The modified texture characteristics may be used, for example, to generate a synthesized modified texture image as described in the context of FIGS. 4A to 4C below.

[0112] If the appearance data includes RGB values, the modified appearance display data converts the RGB values to CIEL * a * b * values, uses a predefined color space distance value as described above to modify at least a part of the CIEL * a * b * values, and optionally converts the modified CIEL * a * b * values to modified RGB values so that the data can be displayed on a display of a computing device.

[0113] In block 214, a user input indicating selection of a category may be detected by a display or a computing device including the display. The user input may be used to determine which category has been selected by the user in block 214. The selected category may be used in block 216 to determine the modified appearance display data for this category. For example, if the user selects the category "color", the appearance data is modified only in block 216, and the color of the reference coating may change to obtain a display image of a modified reference coating that shows a color shift such as greener, redder, bluer, yellower, brighter, darker, more saturated, less saturated, a positive hue shift, or a negative hue shift with respect to the display image of the reference coating.

[0114] In block 216, modified appearance display data of the reference coating can be generated based on the data provided in block 204 or 206 and the user input detected in block 214. The modified appearance display data of the reference coating can be generated as described in the context of FIGS. 4A to 4C. The category selected by the user in block 214 is determined, and the appearance data provided in block 204 or 206 may be modified with respect to the determined category. For example, if the user selects the category "color", the provided appearance data may be modified with respect to color such that the color appears to be greener, redder, bluer, yellower, more saturated, less saturated, brighter, darker, or have a positive or negative hue shift. This may include modifying the CIEL * a * b * value or the CIEL * C * h * value, or modifying the RGB values as described above. If the user selects the category "texture", a texture layer may be added as described above or as described in the context of FIGS. 4A to 4C below such that the texture appears to be rougher, finer, shinier, or less shiny.

[0115] In block 218, a user interface display may be generated that displays the modified appearance display data generated in block 216 or 220, and optionally the display appearance data generated in block 208. The generated user interface display may be displayed on the display of the computing device. The user interface display may include, for example, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, an image of the reference coating (i.e., the display appearance data of the reference coating generated in block 208) adjacent to at least one display image of the modified reference coating (i.e., the modified display appearance data generated in block 216 or 220). The user interface display may include additional icons, text, label buttons, menus, and links to improve user guidance. After the end of block 220, the routine implementation method 200 may proceed to block 104 of FIG. 1.

[0116] FIG. 3 shows an exemplary method 300 for generating appearance display data of a reference coating as described in connection with block 208 of FIG. 2. The appearance data provided in block 204 or 206 may include CIEL * a * b * values and associated measurement geometries, i.e., the measurement geometries associated with the reflectance data used to determine the CIEL * a * b * values.

[0117] In block 302, routine implementation method 300 can generate an ordered list of measurement geometries from the measurement geometries included in the appearance data provided in block 204 or 206. The ordered list of measurement geometries can be generated by selecting at least one predefined measurement geometry from the plurality of measurement geometries provided in block 204 or 206, and optionally sorting the selected measurement geometries according to at least one predefined sorting criterion if a plurality of measurement geometries are selected, and optionally calculating a cumulative delta aspherical angle for each selected measurement geometry if a plurality of measurement geometries are selected.

[0118] In one example, the predefined measurement geometry can be an intermediate measurement geometry such as 45°. In this case, only one measurement geometry is selected and no sorting is required. The selection of the intermediate measurement geometry can generate appearance display data under diffused illumination conditions (such as overcast conditions).

[0119] The predefined measurement geometry can include at least one gloss geometry such as 15° and 25°, and at least one non-gloss measurement geometry such as 45° and / or 75° and / or 110°. The selected predefined measurement geometries can then be sorted according to a predefined sorting criterion such as the defined order of the measurement geometries. In one example, a defined order of 45° > 25° > 15° > 25° > 45° > 75° can be used. In another example, a defined order of -15° > 15° > 25° > 45° > 75° > 110° can be used. The predefined measurement geometries and / or the predefined sorting criterion can be retrieved from a database based on further data such as the data provided in block 204 or 206 or a user profile before generating the ordered list. After sorting the predefined measurement geometries selected according to the predefined sorting criterion, the delta aspherical angle can be calculated for each selected measurement geometry as described above (for example, refer to the table above).

[0120] In block 304, the routine implementation method 300 may generate an empty image having a resolution defined for the display image of the reference coating (e.g., the appearance display data of the reference coating). The resolution can vary greatly and generally depends on the resolution of the color and texture data obtained using a multi-angle spectrophotometer. It should be noted that the order of block 302 and block 304 may be reversed, that is, block 304 may be executed before block 302.

[0121] In block 306, the routine implementation method 300 may determine whether at least one L value included in the CIELab values provided in block 204 or 206 is greater than 95. In block 306, if it is determined that at least one of all the L values provided in block 204 or 206 is greater than 95, the routine implementation method 300 may proceed to block 308. If all the provided L values are less than 95, the routine implementation method 300 may proceed to block 310. * a * b * value is greater than 95. * In block 306, for all the L values provided in block 204 or 206, at least one of the L values * value is greater than 95. * value is determined to be greater than 95, the routine implementation method 300 may proceed to block 308. For all the provided L values * value is less than 95, the routine implementation method 300 may proceed to block 310.

[0122] In block 308, the routine implementation method 300 may scale all the L values provided using the lightness scaling factor s to obtain a scaled digital representation (hereinafter also referred to as SDR) or scaled appearance data. In this example, the lightness scaling factor of Equation (1) L can be used to scale all the L values provided, * where

Equation

Equation

Equation

[0123] The use of this lightness scaling factor makes it possible to retain the color information included in the gloss measurement geometry by compressing the color space while maintaining the existing color distance constant.

[0124] In block 310, the routine implementation method 300 - The ordered list of measurement geometries generated in block 302, and - The CIEL provided by block 204 or retrieved by block 206 * a * b * values, or the scaled digital representation generated in block 308, and Based on this, for each pixel of each image generated in block 304, the corresponding CIEL * a * b * values can be calculated to generate a color image of the reference coating.

[0125] The calculated CIEL * a * b * values can then be converted to sRGB values and stored in the internal memory of the processing device that executes this block. The corresponding CIEL of each pixel of the generated image * a * b * values correlate one axis of each image generated in block 304 with the ordered list of measurement geometries generated in block 302, and the CIEL associated with the ordered list of generated measurement geometries and the reference coating * a * b * values or the scaled CIEL * a * b* Values can be calculated by mapping them to the correlated columns of each created image. For example, for the color image of the reference coating, i.e., the CIEL * a * b * value color image, the y-axis of the image generated in block 304 is correlated with the list of measurement geometries generated in block 302, and the ordered list of generated measurement geometries is associated with the related CIEL * a * b * value or the scaled CIEL * a * b * values obtained by mapping them to the correlated columns of the generated image.

[0126] In block 312, the routine implementation method 300 can determine whether a texture layer is added to the color image generated in block 310. This determination may be made based on the appearance data provided in block 204. For example, if the provided appearance data includes a texture image and / or texture parameters, the routine implementation method 300 may determine that a texture layer is added and proceed to block 314. Otherwise, the routine implementation method 300 may proceed to block 210 of FIG. 2.

[0127] In block 314, the routine implementation method 300 can determine whether the texture image is generated from the data provided in block 204 or 206. If the texture image is generated using the data provided in block 204 or 206, the routine implementation method 300 may proceed to block 318. Otherwise, the routine implementation method 300 may proceed to block 316, for example, if the data provided in block 204 or 206 does not include the obtained texture image, or if the texture image cannot be retrieved from the database based on the data provided in block 204 or 206.

[0128] In block 316, method 300 - generates an empty image having the same resolution as the image generated in block 304, - obtains the target texture contrast c v and - for each pixel of the generated image, generates a random number between -c v and +c v using a uniform random number generator or a Gaussian random number generator, and adds the generated random number to each pixel of the created image, - blurs the resulting image using a blur filter, particularly a Gaussian blur filter, to generate a composite texture image thereby.

[0129] The target texture contrast c v can be provided by searching for the roughness and / or brightness characteristics determined from the data provided in block 204 or 206 and providing the searched roughness and / or brightness characteristics, particularly the roughness characteristic, as the target texture contrast c v If the determined or provided data does not include texture characteristics, the target texture contrast c v can be obtained by searching for the target texture contrast c v from a database based on the data provided in block 204 or 206. The target texture contrast c v stored in the database can be obtained, for example, by associating a defined texture target contrast c v with the amount or range of the amount of aluminum pigment present in the coating formulation used to prepare each reference coating, and searching for each texture target contrast c v based on the formulation data associated with the reference coating.

[0130] In block 318, method 300 can generate a texture image from each acquired texture image, particularly the texture image acquired with a measurement geometry of 15°, by searching the texture image from the data provided in block 204 or 206, or by searching the data storage medium based on the data provided in block 204 or 206 from each acquired texture image, particularly the texture image acquired with a measurement geometry of 15°.

[0131] In block 320, method 300 can generate a corrected texture image for each acquired texture image or composite texture image provided in block 316 or 318 by calculating the average color of each acquired texture image or composite texture image provided in block 316 or 318 and subtracting the calculated average color from each acquired texture image or composite texture image provided in block 316 or 318. The average color of each provided acquired texture image or composite texture image can be calculated by summing all the pixel colors of the provided acquired texture image or composite texture image and dividing this sum by the number of pixels of the provided acquired texture image or composite texture image, or by calculating a local average color in pixel units.

[0132] In block 322, method 300 is the lightness scaling factor s L and the specular dependent scaling function sf aspecularBy adding each of the corrected texture images generated by the block 320 weighted in pixel units to each of the color images generated by the block 310, the appearance display data of the reference coating can be generated. The aspect ratio-dependent scaling function weights each pixel of the texture layer in correlation with the aspect ratio angle corresponding to the measurement geometry present in the generated ordered list of measurement geometries. This enables weighting the pixels of the texture layer in correlation with the visual impression of the effect coating layer when observed by an observer under different measurement geometries, and thus, it is possible to generate appearance data that closely resembles the visual impression of the effect coating when observed under real-world conditions.

[0133] Either of the following aspect ratio-dependent scaling functions (2a) and (2b) can be used,

Number

Number

Number

Number

[0134] The brightness scaling coefficient s L used in the block 322 is the brightness scaling coefficient s used in the block 308L can correspond to, i.e., the same brightness scaling factor s L can be used in blocks 308 and 322, or can be 1 if the brightness scaling factor s L is not used (i.e., block 308 is not executed). The use of the same brightness scaling factor s L in block 322 enables adjusting the brightness of the texture image to the brightness of the color image, thus preventing a mismatch between the color information and the texture information regarding brightness.

[0135] The addition can be performed according to Equation (3)

Number

Number

Number

Number

Number

Number

Number

[0136] Figures 4A through 4C illustrate an exemplary method 400 for generating modified appearance display data described in connection with block 216 or 220 of FIG. 2. The appearance data to be modified (i.e., the data provided at block 204 or 206 of FIG. 2) can be CIEL * a * b * values determined with a plurality of measurement geometries, as well as the associated measurement geometries, i.e., the measurement geometries associated with the reflectance data used to determine the CIEL * a * b * values.

[0137] At block 402, routine implementation method 400 can determine whether user input has been detected, i.e., whether the user has selected a category, as described in connection with blocks 212 and 214 of FIG. 2. If user input has been detected, routine implementation method 400 may proceed to block 404; otherwise, it may proceed to block 406, described below.

[0138] In block 404, the routine implementation method 400 may generate modified appearance data based on the appearance data provided in block 204 or block 206 of FIG. 2 and the user input detected in block 214 of FIG. 2. The modified appearance data may be generated by modifying the provided appearance data using predefined color space distance values dL, da, and db, and / or texture distance values, as described in connection with block 216 of FIG. 2, according to the category selected by the user in block 214. The modified appearance data may be generated by modifying the provided / search retrieved appearance data using predefined color space distance values dL, da, and db, well-known color tolerance equations such as the Audi95 color tolerance equation or the Audi2000 color tolerance equation, and / or texture distance values, as described in connection with block 216 of FIG. 2, according to the category selected by the user in block 214. The use of the Audi95 color tolerance equation or the Audi2000 color tolerance equation may be beneficial in that the color space values are weighted according to the color and measurement geometry, thus making it possible to achieve a standardized offset of the modified appearance data from the appearance data of the reference coating across the entire color space.

[0139] In block 406, the routine implementation method 400 may generate modified appearance data based on the appearance data provided in block 204 or block 206 of FIG. 2. The modified appearance data may be generated as described in connection with block 404 without considering the user input. All of the appearance data provided in block 204 or 206 of FIG. 3 may be modified. Only a portion of the appearance data provided in block 204 or 206 of FIG. 2 may be modified based on predefined rules, for example, based on the appearance data of the reference coating.

[0140] In block 408, an ordered list of measurement geometries can be generated. The generation of the ordered list of measurement geometries may be performed as described in the context of block 302 of FIG. 3. When the generated appearance data is presented side by side in a horizontal arrangement in the user interface display, each line of the display data (e.g., the display image of the correction reference coating and the reference coating) belongs to the same measurement geometry (e.g., the same aspect angle), so the same ordered list of measurement geometries can be generated in the same manner as block 302 of FIG. 3, enabling comparison between the appearance display data associated with the reference coating and the corrected appearance display data.

[0141] In block 410, routine implementation method 400 may generate an image having a defined resolution. Using the same resolution as block 304 of FIG. 3, a display image having the same size as the display image of the reference coating can be obtained. By using the same resolution, the display image of the reference coating and the display image of the corrected reference coating can be easily compared. In another example, different resolutions are used to obtain a display image larger or smaller than the display image of the reference coating.

[0142] In block 412, routine implementation method 400 can determine whether at least one L value included in the corrected CIEL * a * b * value generated in block 404 or block 406 is greater than 95, and whether block 308 of FIG. 3 described above has been executed. In block 412, if at least one L value among all the corrected L values generated in block 404 or block 406 is greater than 95 and it is determined that block 308 of FIG. 3 has been executed, routine implementation method 400 may proceed to block 414. If all the provided L values are less than 95 and block 308 of FIG. 3 has not been executed, routine implementation method 400 may proceed to block 416. * * * *

[0143] In block 414, the routine implementation method 400 uses the lightness scaling factor s to obtain scaled modified appearance data (denoted as SMAP) and scale all modified L L values. The lightness scaling factor of Equation (1) described in relation to block 308 of FIG. 3 may be used. Preferably, the same scaling factor s * as in block 308 of FIG. 3 can be used to avoid differences in lightness due to the use of different lightness scaling factors. L

[0144] In block 416, the routine implementation method 400 - based on the ordered list of measured geometries generated in block 408 and - the modified CIEL * a * b * values generated in block 404 or block 406, or the scaled modified appearance data generated in block 414, calculates the corresponding CIEL * a * b value for each pixel of each image generated in block 410, and can generate a color image of the modified reference coating as described in relation to block 310 of FIG. 3.

[0145] In block 418, the routine implementation method 400 can determine whether to add a texture and / or clear coat appearance layer to the color image generated in block 416. This determination may be made based on the provided appearance data or modified appearance data. For example, if the provided appearance data or modified appearance data includes a texture image and / or texture parameters, the routine implementation method 400 can determine that the texture layer is to be added and proceed to block 422. If the texture and clear coat appearance layers are not added, the routine implementation method 400 may proceed to block 218 of FIG. 2. This may be the case, for example, when the reference coating and modified reference coating are solid or straight shade coatings that do not contain effect pigments and thus do not have a visual texture. If only the clear coat appearance layer is added, for example, when the clear coat appearance of a solid shade coating is modified, the routine implementation method 400 can proceed to block 420.

[0146] In block 420 (see FIG. 4B), the routine implementation method 400 can determine whether the texture image is generated from the provided data (i.e., the data provided in block 204 or 206 of FIG. 2) or the modified data (i.e., the modified appearance data generated in block 404 or 406). If the texture image is generated using the provided data or the modified data, the routine implementation method 400 can proceed to block 422. Otherwise, for example, if the provided data or the modified data does not include the acquired texture image, or if the texture image cannot be retrieved from the database based on the provided data or the modified data, the routine implementation method 400 can proceed to block 424.

[0147] In block 422, the routine implementation method 400 can generate each texture image, particularly the texture image obtained with a measurement geometry of 15°, from each texture image by obtaining the texture image from the provided data or the modified data, or by searching for each texture image, particularly the texture image obtained with a measurement geometry of 15°, from a data storage medium based on the provided data or the modified data. The texture image may be generated as described in the context of FIG. 3.

[0148] In block 424, the routine implementation method 400 can generate a composite texture image as described in connection with block 316 of FIG. 3.

[0149] In block 426, the routine implementation method 400 can calculate the average color of each texture image provided in block 422 or 424, and generate a modified texture image for each texture image generated in block 422 or 424 by subtracting the average color calculated from each provided acquired texture image or composite texture image as described in connection with block 320 of FIG. 3.

[0150] In block 428, the routine implementation method 400 can determine whether the texture contrast is scaled by using a texture scaling factor, for example, during the generation of the modified appearance display data. This determination may be made according to a program and may be based on the type of effect pigment present in the reference coating formulation, the modifications displayed with respect to the texture, etc. If the routine implementation method 400 determines to scale the texture contrast, it can proceed to block 430. Otherwise, it can proceed to block 432 described below.

[0151] In block 430, the routine implementation method 400 has a texture contrast scaling factor s cExcept when set to a value greater than 1 or less than 1, as described in connection with block 322 of FIG. 3, the brightness scaling factor s L , the aspect ratio-dependent scaling function sf aspecular , and the texture contrast scaling factor s c , each modified texture image generated at block 426, weighted in pixel units by s, sf, and s, can be added to each color image generated at block 416. Preferably, the same brightness scaling factor s L as used in blocks 308 and 414 of FIG. 3 can be used. Further, the same aspect ratio-dependent scaling function sf aspecular as used in block 322 of FIG. 3 may be used at block 430. The use of the texture contrast scaling factor s c enables scaling the contrast of the texture to visualize color differences by setting the value of the texture contrast scaling factor to a value greater than 1 (to obtain higher texture contrast) or less than 1 (to obtain lower texture contrast).

[0152] At block 432, routine implementation method 400 can add each modified texture image generated at block 426, weighted in pixel units by the brightness scaling factor s L and the aspect ratio-dependent scaling function sf aspecular , to each color image generated at block 416, as described in connection with block 322 of FIG. 3 and block 430 of FIG. 4.

[0153] In block 434, the routine implementation method 400 can determine whether a clear coat appearance layer is added to the image generated in block 430 or 432. This determination may be made according to the user input detected in block 214 of FIG. 2 or according to programming, and may also be made, for example, based on the corrections displayed for the clear coat appearance. If the routine implementation method 400 determines in block 434 that the appearance layer is to be added, the routine implementation method 400 can proceed to block 436. Otherwise, it may proceed to block 218 of FIG. 2.

[0154] In block 436, the routine implementation method 400 searches for a clear coat appearance image or layer, for example, from a database, and generates modified appearance display data by adding the searched image or layer to the image obtained in block 430 or 432 in pixel units. Thereafter, the routine implementation method 400 proceeds to block 218 of FIG. 2.

[0155] In block 438 (see FIG. 4C), the routine implementation method 400 may generate modified appearance display data by searching for a clear coat appearance image or layer, for example, from a database as described in the context of FIG. 3, and adding the searched image or layer to the color image generated in block 416 in pixel units. Thereafter, the routine implementation method 400 can proceed to block 218 of FIG. 2.

[0156] FIG. 5 shows a second non-limiting embodiment of a computer-implemented method 500 for assigning attributes that are perceived or visually perceived by at least one human to a sample coating, the method being implemented by a computing device comprising a computer processor and a display, such as the computing device described in the context of FIG. 6. The computing device may comprise a display and may be a mobile device having an LCD display, such as a tablet or laptop. The computing device may be a fixed device, such as a fixed computer connected to a peripheral display, such as an LCD screen. The reference coating and the sample coating may be effect coatings comprising effect pigments. The reference coating and the effect coating may be solid shade coatings comprising color pigments but not effect pigments. The sample coating may be prepared from the provided reference coating as described in the context of FIG. 1. Blocks 502 to 506 in FIG. 5 may correspond to blocks 106 to 110 in FIG. 1. The user interface displayed in block 502 may be generated in the manner described in connection with FIGS. 2 to 4C above. Further, method 500 may include additional blocks 508 to 514, which are described in more detail below.

[0157] In block 508, the routine implementing method 500 can determine whether the user desires to save the human-perceived attribute assigned to the sample coating in block 506. For this purpose, the routine can generate and display a graphical user interface display comprising respective menus or selections that enable the user to indicate that they desire to save the assigned human-perceived attribute. If the routine determines that the user desires to store the human-perceived attribute assigned in block 506, it can proceed to block 510. Otherwise, it can proceed to block 512, described below.

[0158] In block 510, the human-perceptible attributes assigned in block 506 can be provided to a data storage medium by a routine. Before providing the attributes, the assigned human-perceptible attributes are displayed to the user, and the user can select which attributes to save to the data storage medium. The data storage medium can be the internal memory of a computing device or a database connected to the computing device via a communication interface. The graphical user interface display can include a menu that enables the user to determine a desired storage location and assign a name to the attributes to be saved. In this example, the assigned attributes are associated with each other a unique ID and data indicating an optional sample coating. Thereby, the data can be retrieved from the data storage medium using the unique ID or the data indicating the sample coating.

[0159] In block 512, the routine can determine whether a further sample coating is determined based on the human-perceptible attributes assigned in block 506. This determination can be made, for example, by generating and displaying a graphical interface display including respective menus or selections that indicate to the user that a further sample coating is to be determined.

[0160] The determination of the further sample coating can be - calculating a sample coating adjusted using a color adjustment process, and - determining whether the adjusted sample coating improves at least one, and in particular all, of the human-perceptible attributes assigned in block 506. and can be done by.

[0161] An appropriate color adjustment process for calculating an adjusted sample coating is described, for example, in EP2149038B1. The determination of the adjusted sample coating can be performed fully or at least partially using a processor of a computing device or using a further processor existing separately from the computing device. For example, a further processor existing separately from the processor of the computing device can calculate the adjusted sample coating, while the processor of the computing device can determine whether the adjusted sample coating improves human-perceptible attributes. To enable data exchange, both processors may be connected via a communication interface. By shifting the calculation of the adjusted sample coating to a further processor, a computing device with a lower computing capacity can be used as compared to the case where the calculation of the adjusted sample coating is performed by the processor of the computing device.

[0162] The determination of whether the adjusted sample coating improves at least one, in particular all, of the assigned human-perceptible attributes - calculating the color data of the adjusted sample coating, and - for each determined human-perceptible attribute, determining the provided digital representation of the adjusted sample coating, the difference between the adjusted sample coating and the reference coating, and the difference between the sample coating and the reference coating based on the adjusted sample coating and the reference coating, and - for each determined human-perceptible attribute, determining whether the difference between the adjusted sample coating and the reference coating is smaller than the difference between the sample coating and the reference coating can be done by.

[0163] If the adjusted sample coating does not improve at least one, and in particular all, human-perceptible attributes, a list of matching sample coatings retrieved by performing a database search may be presented to the user. If the adjusted sample coating improves at least one, and in particular all, human-perceptible attributes, the formulation of the adjusted sample coating may be presented to the user. Using the human-perceptible attributes assigned to the sample coating to determine whether the adjusted sample coating improves the attributes makes it possible to provide an adjusted sample coating that more precisely matches the visual appearance of the reference coating than the sample coating.

[0164] FIG. 6 shows a computing device 600 with a display that can be used to implement any aspect of the methods described in FIGS. 1-5 above. In all cases, the computing device 600 represents a physical and specific processing mechanism. The computing device 600 may be a portable device such as a tablet, smartphone, laptop, or a stationary device such as a desktop computer.

[0165] The computing device 600 may include one or more hardware processors 602. The hardware processor may include, without limitation, one or more central processing units (“CPUs”), and / or one or more graphics processing units (GPUs), and / or one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc. More generally, any hardware processor may correspond to a general-purpose processing unit or an application-specific processor unit.

[0166] Computing device 600 can also include a computer-readable storage medium 604 corresponding to one or more computer-readable media hardware units. The computer-readable storage medium 604 can hold any kind of information 606 such as machine-readable instructions, settings, data, etc. Without limitation, for example, the computer-readable storage medium 604 can include one or more solid-state devices, one or more magnetic hard disks, one or more optical disks, magnetic tapes, etc. As any example of the computer-readable storage medium 604, any technology for storing and retrieving information can be used. Further, as any example of the computer-readable storage medium 604, it can represent a fixed or removable component of the computing device 600. Further, as any example of the computer-readable storage medium 604, it can provide volatile or non-volatile retention of information.

[0167] Computing device 600 can utilize any example of the computer-readable storage medium 604 in different ways. For example, as any example of the computer-readable storage medium 604, it can represent a hardware memory unit (such as random access memory (RAM)) for storing temporary information during the execution of a program by the computing device 600, and / or a hardware storage unit (such as a hard disk) for holding / archiving information on a more permanent basis. In the latter case, the computing device 600 can also include one or more drive mechanisms 608 (such as a hard drive mechanism) for storing information and retrieving information from an example of the computer-readable storage medium 604.

[0168] When the hardware processor 602 of the computing device 600 executes computer-readable instructions stored in any example of the computer-readable storage medium 604, it can perform any of the functions described above. For example, the computing device 600 can execute computer-readable instructions to perform each block of the methods described in FIGS. 1 to 5.

[0169] Alternatively or additionally, the computing device 600 may rely on one or more other hardware logic components 610 to perform operations using a task-specific set of logic gates. For example, the hardware logic component 610 may include a fixed configuration of hardware logic gates that are created and set during manufacture and then cannot be changed. Alternatively or additionally, the other hardware logic components 610 can include a set of programmable hardware logic gates that can be configured to perform different application-specific tasks. Devices in the latter category include, but are not limited to, programmable array logic devices (PALs), generic array logic devices (GALs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and the like.

[0170] FIG. 6 generally shows that the hardware logic circuit 612 includes any combination of the hardware processor 602, the computer-readable storage medium 604, and / or other hardware logic components 610. That is, the computing device 600 can employ any combination of a hardware processor 602 that executes machine-readable instructions provided on the computer-readable storage medium 604 and / or one or more other hardware logic components 610 that perform operations using a fixed and / or programmable set of hardware logic gates. More generally stated, the hardware logic circuit 612 corresponds to any type of one or more hardware logic components that perform operations based on logic stored in the hardware logic components and / or logic embodied in the hardware logic components.

[0171] The computing device 600 can also include an input / output interface 614 for receiving various inputs (via the input device 616) and providing various outputs (via the display device 618 with the GUI 200). The display device 618 is used to display the modified reference coating and optionally the display image of the reference coating, while the input device 614 can be used to provide user input indicating selection of at least one display image of the modified reference coating and the additional inputs described above. Exemplary input devices can include a keyboard device, a mouse input device, a touch screen input device, and / or a digitizing pad. The display device 618 can correspond to a liquid crystal display device, a light emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube device, a projection mechanism, etc. Other output devices (not shown) can include a printer, one or more speakers, a tactile output mechanism, an archive mechanism (for storing output information), etc.

[0172] Computing device 600 may also include one or more network interfaces 622 for exchanging data with other devices via one or more communication conduits 624. The communication conduits 624 may be implemented in any manner, for example, by a local area computer network, a wide area computer network (e.g., the Internet), a point-to-point connection, etc., or any combination thereof. The communication conduits 624 may include any combination of hardwired links, wireless links, routers, gateway functions, name servers, etc., controlled by any protocol or combination of protocols. Other devices may include measurement devices such as RGB cameras, single angle or multi-angle spectrophotometers, databases, or combinations thereof.

[0173] One or more communication buses 626 can communicatively couple the components described above.

[0174] FIG. 6 shows a computing device 600 composed of a discrete set of separate units. In some cases, the set of units may correspond to discrete hardware units provided in a computing device chassis having any form factor. FIG. 6 shows an exemplary form factor at its bottom.

[0175] FIG. 7 shows an exemplary user interface display 700 generated by a computing device, such as the computing device of FIG. 6 that executes the methods described in FIGS. 1 and 5, and displayed on a display of a computing system. The user interface display may be generated according to the methods described in FIGS. 2 through 4C. In this non-limiting case, the display 700 can indicate a category 702 of modifications to the provided effect criteria coating. In this example, the texture / effect of the provided reference effect coating has been modified. The category may be selected by the user as described in connection with FIG. 2 above. The user interface display 700 can further display an overall evaluation 704 of the prepared sample effect coating. The overall evaluation can be defined by the user, for example, by selecting an appropriate number of stars by clicking on each star.

[0176] The user interface display 700 can further include a series of display images of the provided reference effect coatings 706, 712 and the associated modified reference effect coatings 708, 710, 714, 716. In this example, two different reference effect coatings 706, 712 are displayed. In another example, only one reference effect coating may be displayed. Adjacent to each reference effect coating 706, 712, display images of the modified reference effect coatings 708, 710, 714, 716 generated by modifying the texture of the reference effect coating with respect to brightness grade and roughness may be displayed. In this example, the display images of the reference effect coatings are generated according to the method of FIG. 3, and the display images of the modified reference effect coatings are generated according to the methods of FIGS. 4A and 4B (without addition of an appearance layer). Labels can be displayed on each display image of the modified reference effect coating to indicate the modifications made to the reference effect coating. This can enhance the user's comfort when selecting the display image of the modified reference effect coating that most closely approximates the prepared sample effect coating.

[0177] The user interface display 700 can also include a button 718 that enables the user to return to the previous menu, for example, to select different categories.

[0178] The user interface display 700 can further include a comment field (not shown) and / or additional buttons, icons, menus.

[0179] FIG. 8 shows an exemplary user interface display 800 generated by a computing device (such as the computing device of FIG. 6), executing the methods described in FIGS. 1 and 5, and displayed on a display of a computing system. The user interface display may be generated according to the methods described in FIGS. 2 through 4C. In this non-limiting case, the display 800 can indicate a category 802 of modifications to a provided reference coating. In this example, the color of the reference coating has been modified. The category can be selected by the user as described in connection with FIG. 2 above. The user interface display 800 can further display an overall evaluation 804 of the sample coating. The overall evaluation can be defined by the user, for example, by clicking on the appropriate number of stars, by selecting the appropriate number of stars.

[0180] The user interface display 800 may further include a set of display images of the provided reference coating 806, and two sets of associated modified reference coatings 808, 810. The set of display images of the provided reference coating 806 may be displayed centrally, while each set of display images of the modified reference coatings 808, 810 may be displayed adjacent to the set of display images of the provided reference coating 806. The display images of the provided reference coating may be generated according to the method of FIG. 3, and the display images of the modified reference coating may be generated according to the method of FIG. 4A. The reference coating may be modified with respect to darkness / brightness, chroma, and hue shift. The color of the reference coating can be modified to appear more green and / or more yellow and / or more red and / or more blue (not shown). Labels may be displayed on each display image of the modified reference coating to indicate the modifications made to the reference coating.

[0181] The user interface display 800 may also include a button 812 that enables the user to return to the previous menu, for example, to select different categories.

[0182] The user interface display 800 may further include a comment field (not shown) and / or additional buttons, icons, menus.

[0183] The use of the user interface displays of FIGS. 7 and 8 greatly facilitates the appropriate determination of the visual deviation of the prepared sample coating from the provided reference coating, as possible color deviations of the provided reference coating from the prepared sample coating are displayed within the graphical user display, and thus, the user can easily select the display image of the modified reference coating that most closely approximates the appearance of the sample coating without the need for knowledge of color science, as would be the case if the user had to select an explanation of the color deviation in words or describe the observed color deviation in their own words.

[0184] The present disclosure has been described in terms of examples and, in addition, preferred embodiments. However, other variations can be understood and implemented by those skilled in the art by considering the drawings, the present disclosure, and the claims. It should be noted that it is not essential that different steps be performed at a given single location or at one node of a distributed system; that is, each step may be performed at different nodes using different facilities / data processing units.

[0185] In the claims and the specification, the terms "comprising" or "including" do not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite articles "a" or "an" do not exclude a plurality. A single element or other unit may perform the functions of a plurality of entities or items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain means are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these means cannot be advantageously employed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for assigning at least one human-perceptible attribute to a sample coating based on a visual evaluation of the sample coating relative to a reference coating, the method comprising, on a computing device having a display: (i) displaying, on the display, a user interface having at least one display image of a modified reference coating; (ii) detecting, on the computing device, a user input indicating selection of at least one display image of the modified reference coating, the user input being related to a visual evaluation of the sample coating relative to the reference coating; (iii) in response to detection of the user input, assigning, on the computing device, at least one human-perceptible attribute to the sample coating. A method as described above.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the human-perceptible attribute indicates a deviation of the sample coating from the reference coating.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the display image of the modified reference coating is modified with respect to lightness and / or darkness and / or color and / or texture and / or gloss and / or clear coat appearance when compared to the display image of the reference coating.

4. Step (i) comprises: (i-1) providing, via a communication interface, to a processor of the computing device, a digital representation of the reference coating including appearance data determined in one or more measurement geometries; (i-2) generating, by the processor, modified appearance data of the reference coating based on the provided digital representation; (i-3) generating a user interface display for displaying the modified appearance data generated in step (i-2) as a display image of the modified reference coating, and displaying the generated user interface display. The method according to claim 1 or 2, including the steps above.

5. The appearance data includes reflectance data, color data, particularly CIE L ＊ a ＊ b ＊ value, CIE L ＊ C ＊ h ＊ value or RGB value, gloss data, texture parameters, particularly specular characteristics and / or roughness characteristics, texture image, short wavelength value, long wavelength value, DOI value, or a combination thereof, the method according to claim 4.

6. Generating the modified appearance data includes modifying at least a part of the appearance data of the provided digital representation with respect to lightness, darkness, color, texture, gloss, clear coat appearance, or a combination thereof. In particular, modifying at least a part of the appearance data includes using predefined color space distance values, in particular dL, da, db, dC, dH, and / or texture distance values, or adding a predefined appearance layer to at least a part of the appearance data. The method according to claim 4.

7. Step (i-2) further comprises: - For each pixel in the generated image, the corresponding color data, particularly CIE L ＊ a ＊ b ＊ values, Generating a color image by calculating based on an ordered list of measured geometries generated from the digital representation provided in step (i-1); The generated modified appearance data, or at least one L included in the modified appearance data ＊ If the value is greater than 90, the scaled modified appearance data, and The method according to claim 4, comprising: - Optionally, a brightness scaling factor s Ｌ , an aspect ratio-dependent scaling function sf ａｓｐｅｃｕｌａｒ , and optionally a texture contrast scaling factor s ｃ are used to add a texture layer to each generated color image on a pixel-by-pixel basis, and

8. The method according to claim 4, further comprising generating, by the processor, appearance data of the reference coating based on the provided digital representation and displaying the generated appearance data as a display image of the reference coating.

9. The modified appearance data of the reference coating is generated based on the provided digital representation and user input indicating selection of at least one category indicating a visual deviation of the sample coating from the reference coating. The user input is detected by displaying a user interface including the at least one category. The method according to claim 4.

10. Step (i) further comprises displaying a label on at least a part of the display image of the modified reference coating, the label indicating a modification of the reference coating with respect to lightness or darkness or color or texture or gloss or clear coat appearance. The method according to claim 1 or 2.

11. Step (i) includes displaying at least one display image of the reference coating, in particular at least a part of the display image of the modified reference coating, in particular adjacent to each display image of the modified reference coating. The method according to claim 1 or 2.

12. Steps (i) to (iii) or steps (ii) and (iii) are repeated at least once. The method according to claim 1 or 2.

13. ​ Assigning at least one human perception attribute to the sample coating in response to the detected user input includes mapping the deviations associated with the detected user input to respective human perception attributes, the method according to claim 1 or 2.

14. An apparatus for assigning at least one human perception attribute to a sample coating, the apparatus comprising: a display; one or more computing nodes; and one or more computer-readable media having thereon computer-executable instructions structured to cause the apparatus to perform the method according to claim 1 or 2 when executed by the one or more computing nodes.

15. A computer program element having instructions configured to perform the steps of the method according to claim 1 or 2 when executed by a computing device such as a computing device of a computing environment.

Images