Color measurement confirmation device

Abstract

To provide a color measuring-purpose check device that can measure a visual recognition angle (and a visual recognition position) of an observer by a simple configuration as a device for checking and evaluating a color state of an observation object.SOLUTION: A color measuring-purpose check device comprises: an objective part 2 that is provided with a protrusion-like contact shoe abutting in an observation point of an observation object, or in at least two points near to the observation point thereof; an almost rod-like direction check unit 3 that attaches the objective part to a base end, and directs a tip end in a direction toward a light source; a direction fine tuning unit 4 that is installed in a part of the direction check unit 3, has an observation plane 41 facing-arranged in a direction identical to that the direction check unit 3 directs, and is vertically provided with a pointer 43 in the observation plane 41; an angle measuring tool 5 that is provided to be tiltable in a part of the direction check unit 3, and is provided to direct a gravity action direction at any time right below a vertical direction; and a coupling shaft 20 that angle-freely couples / connects the direction check unit 3 to the objective part 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a color measurement confirmation device that can individually measure or evaluate the appearance color of materials such as resin materials and metal materials used in vehicles such as bicycles, motorcycles, and general passenger cars. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, parts and materials that make up various products have often been given a specific color by painting or coloring them, or by mixing in pigments such as metal powder, in order to improve quality.

[0003] Furthermore, depending on the color of the part itself, the color of the paint, or the proportion of pigment mixed in, the specified product color for a resin product used in the interior or exterior of a vehicle may vary slightly depending on the manufacturer of the part. This is because, for example, even slight differences in the composition or content of the pigment or metal powder mixed in the resin material used for the part may result in subtle differences in the absorption and reflectance of the pigment or metal itself for the wavelength of light incident on the material. As a result, even if the parts used are made of the same material, they may appear to be different colors to the observer depending on the proportion of pigment or metal powder mixed in.

[0004] Furthermore, even when the same person observes the same part, the part may appear to be a different color depending on the angle between the observer's eyes and the part being observed (hereinafter, this may be referred to as the "observation angle"). Thus, if an observer attempts to evaluate the color of a product from different observation angles, the product may look and feel differently, and therefore it is not desirable to determine whether the color of the product is appropriate under conditions such as different observation angles.

[0005] Therefore, various means and measures for determining whether the color of each product is appropriate are being considered. That is, with regard to such colorimetric evaluation, calculation of the correlation coefficient between the colorimetric results obtained by a measuring instrument and the colorimetric results obtained by visual observation has also been considered. For example, Patent Documents 1 to 5 propose methods for quantitatively calculating the correlation between the incident angle and reflection angle of light on a sample and visual evaluation data, thereby providing objectivity to the visual evaluation data, or methods for quantifying color differences.

[0006] Specifically, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for evaluating metallic designs that calculates a correlation coefficient by calculating the ratio of the angle of deviation from the specular gloss of the design surface of an object and the lightness at that angle, using the specular reflection direction of light reflected from the design surface as a reference. This allows the metallic feel of an object to be quantified using simple parameters, and the calculated results can be ranked similarly to visual evaluation results. Patent Document 1 also describes a configuration for observing the characteristics of a material according to the angle of deviation from specular reflection light, rather than evaluating its color.

[0007] Furthermore, Patent Document 2 describes a color measurement method capable of measuring color information of a target object that is highly correlated with appearance. Specifically, to achieve this, the document discloses a color measurement device that includes an illumination unit that can freely adjust the illumination angle around the target object, an imaging unit that can freely adjust the imaging angle around the target object, and a color calculation unit that calculates the surface color of the target object. The color calculation unit compares and normalizes data from a measured spectral reflectance image with data from a reference spectral reflectance image, thereby reducing the risk of measurement value fluctuations due to uneven lighting luminance, and enabling measurement of color information of the target object that is highly correlated with appearance. In other words, the document describes technical findings that the "angle of incidence of light" and the "angle of reflection of light" show a correlation with visual evaluation results.

[0008] Patent Document 3 also discloses that a sample is irradiated with light at a predetermined angle, the light reflected from the sample is measured at each predetermined angle, the chromaticness index (a*b*) is calculated from the measured data, the angle between two points of the calculated (a*b*) is calculated, the angle at which this angle is maximum is extracted, and a color difference evaluation number indicating differences in color quality can be calculated from the extracted maximum angle using a predetermined formula. Patent Document 3 also discloses technical information regarding the influence of the "angle of incidence of light" and the "angle of reflection of light" on color appearance.

[0009] Furthermore, Patent Document 4 describes a method for calculating the color difference ΔE between measurement target areas for each geometric optical system (light-receiving angle) based on the amount of reflected light received in multiple geometric optical systems (light-receiving angles) measured using a multi-angle colorimeter. In other words, the method describes an information processing method that applies filtering to this color difference ΔE and weights each geometric optical system, thereby enabling the color difference to be determined in a manner similar to the sensitivity of color differences determined by the human eye. That is, Patent Document 4 describes a configuration in which tristimulus values ​​(X, Y, Z) are measured at multiple light-receiving angles in order to determine color differences in a manner similar to the sensitivity of color differences determined by the human eye.

[0010] Patent Document 5 also discloses a method for quantitatively measuring color differences that correlate with visual observation, in which light is irradiated onto a sample from a specific direction, and the values ​​of L (lightness index), a (perceived chromaticity), and b (perceived chromaticity) are calculated for the light reflected from the sample at two different angles (first measurement point, second measurement point) using the specularly reflected light as a reference, and differences and correction values ​​for L, a, and b are calculated from the calculated values ​​at each measurement point. Patent Document 5 also describes that the "angle of incidence of light" and the "angle of reflection of light" affect the appearance of colors, and discloses that there is a correlation between these angles and visual evaluation results.

[0011] As described above, Patent Documents 1 to 5 disclose that the "angle of incidence of light" and "angle of reflection of light" affect the appearance of colors, and further disclose that there is a correlation between these angles and the results of visual evaluation. In particular, Patent Document 4 discloses that it is possible to calculate color differences at any light-receiving angle, not just the angle at which reflected light is actually received, and that it is possible to accurately measure color differences between multiple measurement target locations.

[0012] Therefore, in order to calculate the correlation coefficient between the color measurement results obtained by a measuring instrument and the color measurement results obtained by visual observation, a technical method is known in which the angle of incidence and angle of reflection of light on the sample, as well as visual evaluation data, are used to quantitatively calculate the correlation coefficient, thereby bringing the mechanical measurement results closer to the visual evaluation.

[0013] On the other hand, devices that are necessary as a prerequisite for using a method of calculating and quantifying such evaluation data and using it to conduct visual evaluation, such as color measurement devices for objectively evaluating colors, have also been proposed (see, for example, Patent Documents 6 to 8). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0014] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-54522 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-151165 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-273962 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-207198 [Patent Document 5] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-114247 [Patent Document 6] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-178959 [Patent Document 7] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-81199 [Patent Document 8] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-227012 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0015] However, the devices described in Patent Documents 6 to 8 use precision optical elements and optical components such as collimators, gratings, integrating lenses, UV filters, and polarizing filters, which makes the devices more complex, requires careful handling, and increases costs.

[0016] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a color measurement confirmation device that can measure the view angle (and view position) of an observer with a simple configuration as a device for confirming and evaluating the color state of an object to be observed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0017] The color measurement confirmation device of the present invention is characterized by comprising an objective section provided with protruding contact members that contact the observation point of the object to be observed or its vicinity at at least two points; a generally rod-shaped direction confirmation section having the objective section attached to its base end and its tip oriented in a direction toward the light source; a direction fine adjustment section installed in part of the direction confirmation section, with the observation surface facing the direction indicated by the tip of the direction confirmation section and with a pointer vertically erected on the observation surface; an angle measuring tool installed in part of the direction confirmation section in a tiltable state so that the direction of gravity always points directly below the vertical; and a rotation means for connecting and coupling the direction confirmation section to the objective section in an angle-free manner.

[0018] This allows the contactor, which is the abutting member of the objective unit, to abut against the object near the measured measurement point (X, Y, Z). In this case, if the direction confirmation unit is initially set at a right angle (normal state) to the objective unit, the declination angle (γ') can be read with an angle measuring tool. That is, the direction confirmation unit is tilted from the normal pointing direction to the light source direction, and the direction confirmation unit is accurately aligned until the shadow of the needle on the direction fine adjustment unit disappears. By reading the angle difference from the normal pointing direction to the light source pointing state (hereinafter referred to as the "incident angle (θ)"), the angle difference (γ' - θ), i.e., the incident angle θ, minus the declination angle (γ'), is obtained as the elevation angle α from the light source shining into the observation point (P), or the pseudo-elevation angle (α) described below.

[0019] Next, when the direction confirmation unit is rotated and moved to the position of the observer's eyes, the angle δ by which the direction confirmation unit has been rotated from the normal state to this point is read, and the angle (90-δ) obtained by subtracting this angle from 90° is the depression angle β based on the tangent, that is, the pseudo depression angle (β) described below. By reading angles in this way, the observation conditions of the observer at the measurement point on the observation object can be objectively quantified.

[0020] Therefore, by uniquely quantifying such observation conditions, including viewing angle information, it becomes possible to measure the color of identically manufactured objects under the same conditions at any time, even in different locations, making it possible to accurately determine the quality of products.

[0021] Further, in the color measurement confirmation device according to the present invention, the rotating means is Has a roughly T-shaped cross section The direction confirmation unit is configured with a connecting shaft consisting of a horizontal shaft and a vertical shaft. Therefore, with this configuration, the direction confirmation unit can be rotated in a desired direction relative to the objective unit, improving operability.

[0022] In addition to the direction confirmation unit, the objective unit of the color measurement confirmation device according to the present invention further comprises a rod-shaped color measurement unit having a colorimeter or color difference meter attached to its base end via the rotating means. Therefore, with this configuration, the color of the object to be observed can be measured not by an operator but by the colorimeter or color difference meter.

[0023] In addition, in the color measurement confirmation device according to the present invention, at least one of the objective unit and the direction confirmation unit is provided with legs for holding the device on the floor. This configuration therefore stabilizes the fixed and held state of each unit during operation, further improving work operability.

[0024] In addition, the color measurement confirmation device according to the present invention has an auxiliary angle measuring tool fixed to one or both ends of the horizontal axis of the rotating means for measuring the angular difference between the normal direction at the observation point and the direction of the light source. This makes it possible to immediately read the angular difference without having to calculate it by simply rotating the direction confirmation unit from the normal direction to the direction of the light source, which is convenient. [Effects of the Invention]

[0025] According to the present invention, an objective unit having a protruding contact member that contacts at least two points on or near a measurement point on an object to be color-evaluated, a generally rod-shaped direction confirmation unit attached to the base end of the objective unit and oriented with its tip toward a light source, a direction fine adjustment unit installed in a part of the direction confirmation unit and oriented with an observation surface facing the same direction as the pointing direction of the tip of the direction confirmation unit and having a pointer vertically attached to the observation surface, an angle measuring tool tiltably installed in a part of the light source directing unit so that the direction of gravity always points directly downward in the vertical direction, and a rotation means for connecting and coupling the direction confirmation unit to the objective unit so that the angle of the angle can be freely adjusted. Therefore, by uniquely quantifying such observation conditions including viewing angle information, color measurement can be performed under the same conditions at any time for objects manufactured in the same way, as long as they are under a light source with the same emission wavelength pattern, even if the color measurement location is not always fixed. This enables highly accurate product pass / fail judgment anywhere.

[0026] Therefore, with the color measurement confirmation device of the present invention, even if a specific part is supplied by multiple manufacturers, if each manufacturer has the device prepared in advance when checking the color of the specific part, it becomes easy to select uniform parts of the same color and use them in the product, which in turn eliminates the risk of producing products equipped with parts that vary, leading to the provision of high-quality products. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a color measurement confirmation device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the same color measurement confirmation device as viewed from another direction. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] 1 is a light path diagram showing the incident and reflected state of light from a light source when an observer observes an object using the same color measurement confirmation device. FIG. [Figure 5]FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of an angle measuring device used when measuring the angle of incidence of light from a light source in the color measurement confirmation device. [Figure 6] 1 is a light path diagram showing the incident and reflected state of light from a light source when an observer observes an object using the same color measurement confirmation device. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a color measurement confirmation device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] The present invention comprises an objective section provided with contacts, which are protruding abutment members that abut at least two points on the observation point of the object to be observed or in the vicinity thereof; a generally rod-shaped direction confirmation section, the base end of which is attached to the objective section and whose tip is oriented in a direction toward the light source; a direction fine adjustment section, which is installed in part of the direction confirmation section and has an observation surface facing the direction indicated by the tip of the direction confirmation section and has a pointer vertically erected on the observation surface; an angle measuring tool, which is tiltably installed in part of the direction confirmation section and is arranged so that the direction of gravity always points directly below the vertical; and a rotation means for connecting and coupling the direction confirmation section to the objective section in an angle-free manner.

[0029] With this configuration, the present invention can quantitatively obtain the color state of an object being observed as objective data that includes the view angle (and view position) of the observer. By uniquely quantifying the observation conditions, including the view angle information, it becomes possible to measure the color of identically manufactured objects under the same conditions at any time, even in different locations, enabling highly accurate quality judgment of products.

[0030] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. First Embodiment 1 and 2 are perspective views showing a color measurement confirmation device 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a right-handed three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system is set in which three mutually orthogonal directions are designated as XYZ to define a three-dimensional space, but except for the origin O shown in Fig. 6, the origin can be set at any location unless otherwise specified.

[0031] The color measurement confirmation device 1 of this embodiment comprises an objective section 2, a direction confirmation section 3, a direction fine adjustment section 4, an angle measurement tool 5 (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as the "measurement tool 5"), an auxiliary angle measurement tool 6 (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as the "auxiliary measurement tool 6"), and a leg section 7.

[0032] (Configuration explanation) The objective section 2 comprises an arm bar 21 having a fixed length, rod-shaped contacts 22A and 22B constituting protruding abutment members provided on the lower surface opposite to the upper surface which is the connecting surface side of the arm bar 21 with the direction confirmation section 3, and an auxiliary angle measuring tool 6.

[0033] 5, arm bar 21 has the base end of direction confirmation part 3 rotatably connected to the center of upper surface 21A via connecting shaft 20 which constitutes a rotation means. This connecting shaft 20 has vertical shaft 20A which protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the upper surface of base 23 which is fixed to upper surface 21A of arm bar 21, and horizontal shaft 20B which is fixed in a direction perpendicular to vertical shaft 20A.

[0034] Both ends of the horizontal shaft 20B are rotatably connected to the lower end of the main body 31 via a pair of bearings 32 provided on the left and right sides at the lower end of the main body 31 of the direction confirmation unit 3. Furthermore, of the two ends of the horizontal shaft 20B, an auxiliary angle measuring tool 6 is fixed along and parallel to one end of the main body 31B, particularly the end facing the one surface 31B on which the angle measuring tool 5 is provided. The auxiliary angle measuring tool 6 will be described later.

[0035] In this embodiment, contacts 22A and 22B are provided on the underside of arm-bar 21 at symmetrical positions spaced the same distance from the center and protruding by the same length. In objective unit 2 configured as above, contacts 22A and 22B, each consisting of a protrusion that abuts at two points, are provided at or near observation point P of observation object B shown in Figure 6, which is the object of observation, that is, the position indicated by three-dimensional coordinates P (X0, Y0, X0) with origin O. These contacts 22A and 22B are provided vertically from underside 21B at positions spaced the same distance on both sides from the center of the underside of arm-bar 21.

[0036] The contacts 22A and 22B in this embodiment are formed as thin-diameter cylindrical members, with their tips formed in a conical shape (or a truncated conical shape). The contacts may be formed from a relatively soft material to prevent damage to the surface S of the observation object B while in contact with the surface. Alternatively, the contacts may be retractable so that they normally protrude to their maximum length but retract into the arm bar 21 when a force exceeding a certain level is applied.

[0037] In the objective section of this embodiment, two contacts are provided for one arm bar, but the objective section of the present invention is not particularly limited to this. For example, three contacts may be provided radially with the attachment part to the rotation means at equiangular angles of 120° apart from each other. Armbar Alternatively, a cross-shaped arm bar may be provided with the mounting portion of the rotation means 6 at its center, and contacts may be provided at equal distances in four directions from the center of the cross where the arm bars intersect, although this may also depend on the shape of the observation object B.

[0038] The direction confirmation unit 3 has a long, roughly rod-shaped main body 31, the base end of which is rotatably connected to the objective unit 2 via a connecting shaft 20, which serves as a rotation means. By orienting the main body 31 so that its tip faces the direction of a light source (not shown) or other device, the angle from an observation point P on the observation object B toward the light source can be read using an angle measuring tool 5. The angle between the direction confirmation unit 3 and the arm bar 21 of the objective unit 2 can be easily measured using an auxiliary measuring tool 6, as will be described in detail later.

[0039] The direction confirmation unit 3 is made up of a main body 31, which is made up of a lower body 3A and an upper body 3B overlapped inside and outside, and the upper body 3B is provided with a knob T1 attached by a slide screw (not shown), while the lower body 3A is formed with a slide groove 3C through which the slide screw passes. By loosening the knob T1, the main body 31 configured in this way releases the engagement and restraint state between the lower body 3A and the upper body 3B, allowing the lower body 3A to move in an expanding and contracting manner.

[0040] Furthermore, pin-shaped readers 33A and 33B are erected on both sides of the upper body 3B near the angle measuring tool 5, facing each other. For example, by pressing a ruler or the like against the pair of left and right readers 33A and 33B simultaneously, the elevation angle γ of the direction confirmation unit 3, which will be described later, can be easily read.

[0041] In order to easily measure the tilt angle of the direction confirmation unit 3 relative to the component observation site, for example, a return spring (e.g., a torsion spring or a coil spring) not shown may be attached to the connecting shaft 20. That is, the main body 31 of the direction confirmation unit 3 may be configured so that, when no external force is acting, the return spring provided in the rotating means 6 returns it to a position perpendicular to the upper surface 21A of the arm bar 21 of the objective unit 2. Furthermore, the means for returning the objective unit 2 to its original state is not particularly limited to such a spring, and various means may be used.

[0042] Furthermore, the direction confirmation unit 3 of this embodiment has a direction fine adjustment unit 4 and an angle measurement tool 5 attached to the middle portion.

[0043] The direction fine adjustment unit 4 is installed as part of the direction confirmation unit 3, near the top in this embodiment, and is equipped with an observation surface 41 arranged facing the same direction as the direction indicated by the tip of the direction confirmation unit 3, and a pointer 43 erected perpendicular to this observation surface 41.

[0044] The direction fine adjustment unit 4 determines whether the direction confirmation unit 3 to which it is attached is pointing its direction accurately toward the light source, and if the angle of the pointing direction is off from the direction of the light source, it adjusts the direction to confirm this. That is, the direction fine adjustment unit 4 of this embodiment determines whether the direction is correctly pointing toward the light source using the shadow formed on the pointer 43 by the light source LS shown in Figure 6 as a clue. Furthermore, if the direction is not correctly pointed, it can easily be corrected so that the direction correctly matches the light source direction.

[0045] The observation surface 41 that constitutes this direction fine adjustment unit 4 is composed of a surface that is parallel to a plane perpendicular to the extension line (normal line) N when the main body 31 of the direction confirmation unit 3 is extended, as shown in Figure 1, and is installed on the surface of a base 41A that is fixed to one side surface 31A of the main body 31 of the direction confirmation unit 3.

[0046] 2, a plurality of concentric circles 42 are drawn on the observation surface 41, and a pointer 43 of a predetermined length is provided at the center of each of the circles 42. Tare The direction fine adjustment unit is not limited to this configuration, and any other unit that can achieve the same effect can be used.

[0047] In the direction fine adjustment unit 4 configured as described above, when the main body 31 of the direction confirmation unit 3 is pointed toward a light source (not shown), for example, if the orientation of the main body 31 accurately matches the light source, the shadow cast by the pointer 43 on the observation surface 41 will be nearly zero, allowing the user to confirm that the pointing direction is correct. On the other hand, if the direction of the main body 31 does not match the direction of the light source, the shadow cast by the pointer 43 on the observation surface 41 will not be zero, and a shadow will be cast in one direction or the other. Therefore, by rotating the main body 31 in the opposite direction so as to cancel out the direction in which the shadow is cast, the misalignment with the light source can be eliminated.

[0048] The angle measuring tool 5 is provided in a tiltable state in a part of the direction confirmation part 3, and is provided so that the direction of gravity always points directly below the vertical (Z) direction. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the angle measuring tool 5 of this embodiment comprises a protractor body 52 that can be tilted around a central axis 51, and a weight 53 provided on the back surface of the protractor body 52. ​​The weight 53 is provided on the protractor body 52. 2 In other words, the posture of this main body 5 is always maintained in a fixed direction. 2 The center of gravity is set downward.

[0049] 4, the surface of the protractor body 52 has an angle scale engraved with many fine, equal divisions of a central angle of 360°, which is the full circumference angle, and the reference lines are a horizon line 52A and a zenith line 52B, which will be described next. The horizon line 52A is set vertically downward where gravitational acceleration (g) acts, that is, in a direction rotated by 90° from the zenith line 52B, which is the Z direction of the three-dimensional coordinate system XYZ (the direction of this zenith line 52B is 180° opposite to the direction of gravitational acceleration), which is described as an auxiliary.

[0050] The main body 52 of this protractor can be tilted around a central axis 51, but no matter what direction the main body 31 of the direction confirmation unit 3 is tilted, the horizon 52A always maintains a horizontal orientation (or the zenith line 52B always maintains a zenith orientation). In order to constantly maintain this horizontal state, in this embodiment, the weight 53 that serves as the ballast is attached to the back of the main body 52. ​​Note that the means for constantly maintaining the horizontal state of the main body of the angle measuring tool of the present invention is not limited to that of this embodiment, and any other means that can achieve a similar effect will suffice. In other words, other structures such as a gyrocompass in a compass or a gimbal in the galley of a ship such as a yacht may also be used.

[0051] The auxiliary angle measuring tool 6 is used to check the angle of the main body 31 of the direction confirmation unit 3 relative to the top surface of the arm bar 21 of the objective unit 2, and as shown in Fig. 5, for example, it is possible to check the directivity angle of the top surface 21A of the arm bar 21, that is, the relative angle difference of the main body 31 of the direction confirmation unit 3 relative to the direction of the normal line N. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 4, if the main body 31 of the direction confirmation unit 3 is perfectly aligned with the light source LS, the incident angle θ of the light source LS to the observation point P can be read.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 5 , the auxiliary angle measuring tool 6 of this embodiment is fixed integrally to the horizontal axis 20B of the connecting shaft 20 integrally provided on the upper surface of the arm bar 21 of the objective unit 2, and is capable of measuring the relative tilt angle of the main body 31 of the direction confirmation unit 3 with respect to the upper surface 21A of the arm bar 21. That is, the auxiliary angle measuring tool 6 has a scale marked with many angles isometrically from a reference line N (see FIG. 1 or FIG. 6 ) in which the direction along the vertical axis 20A (here, referred to as the zenith of the objective unit 2) is set to zero degrees. By reading the angle from this reference line SL (specifically, the zenith line 52B), it is possible to easily determine the angle of tilt with respect to the normal line N of the objective unit 2. For this reason, a reference mark M in the form of an inverted triangle (▼) is marked on the lower body 3A of the main body 31 of the direction confirmation unit 3 near the auxiliary measuring tool 6. That is, when the main body 31 of the direction confirmation unit 3 is aligned with the direction of the light source LS, the angle indicated by the reference mark M at that time is the elevation angle relative to the tangent T of the observation point P, that is, the pseudo-elevation angle α described later can be read.

[0053] It should be noted that this auxiliary angle measuring tool 6 is not particularly essential in this embodiment. For example, immediately after measuring the angle of the normal N using the angle measuring tool 5, the main body 31 of the direction confirmation unit 3 is tilted to a direction that matches the light source LS, and the angle of the light source LS using the angle measuring tool 5 is read. The difference between these two angles can then be calculated, and the pseudo elevation angle α can be similarly derived.

[0054] The legs 7 are provided so that the instrument can be stably installed in an inspection booth or the like equipped with a predetermined light source and prepared for measuring and confirming the color of an object to be observed and for detecting whether the color of each product falls within a standard color range, and so that the legs can be easily brought into contact with the observation portion of the object to be measured.

[0055] The leg 7 of this embodiment includes a main leg body 71, a side branch body 72, and a lateral branch body 73, and is capable of holding the color measurement confirmation device 1 in a stationary state while standing upright on the floor. In order to maintain left-right balance, the leg 7 of this embodiment is made of a high-density material, particularly the lateral branch body 72, so that its weight is approximately equal to the total weight of the lateral branch body 73 and the weight of the main components of the color measurement confirmation device 1, and it also functions as a balancer.

[0056] The leg 7 is not limited to this particular structure, and any structure that provides a similar effect will suffice. Furthermore, the leg is not essential to the present invention, and for example, if the color measurement confirmation device is small and handy, it may be configured to be held by hand.

[0057] Therefore, the color measurement confirmation device 1 of this embodiment enables highly accurate product quality determination anywhere. Therefore, for example, if a specific part is delivered from multiple manufacturers and the color of the specific part needs to be confirmed, if each manufacturer prepares a color measurement confirmation device of this embodiment in advance, it becomes easy to select uniform parts with the same color and use them in the product. As a result, there is no risk of producing products with parts that vary in color, which ultimately leads to the provision of high-quality products.

[0058] (How to use the color measurement confirmation device) Next, we will explain how to use the color measurement confirmation device 1 according to this embodiment and how the observer specifies angles when using it to measure color. As will be explained below, the observer directly measures the angle of incidence and the observation angle (i.e., the angle of reflection) at observation point P with his or her own eyes, and these angles and the following five types of angles can be used to correlate with each other. Therefore, the names of each angle, their definitions, and the correspondence between the symbols are summarized in Table 1 below.

[0059] [Table 1]

[0060] [Measurement of the incident angle of light source] 1) For example, in a dedicated color matching booth (not shown) having an output light source LS of a specific wavelength (see FIG. 6), a user first brings in a part B, which is an observation object B to be color-measured, and then abuts and locks the objective part 2 of the color measurement confirmation device 1 near an observation point P (X0, Y0, X0), which is the part to be inspected of the part B. Specifically, the contacts 22A and 22B of the objective part 2 are brought into abutment with the surface S of the observation part so that the contacts 22A and 22B sandwich the observation point P from both sides, i.e., so that the observation point P is located midway between the contacts 22A and 22B. However, the observation point P (X0, Y0, X0) may be located anywhere.

[0061] Here, the tilt angle of the main body 31 of the direction confirmation unit 3 when it points in the direction of the normal N in FIG. 6 (hereinafter, this will be referred to as the "deflection angle γ'") is first confirmed, and then used as reference data for calculating various angles, such as the incident angle α (hereinafter, this may be referred to as the "pseudo elevation angle α") and the angle β, which is the complementary angle of the reflection angle δ (hereinafter, this may be referred to as the "pseudo depression angle β"). In this embodiment, in FIG. 6, the angle γ with respect to the light source LS with respect to the X-axis direction as the reference may be referred to as the elevation angle, and the observation angle ε of the observer's eye E with respect to the X-axis direction as the reference may be referred to as the depression angle. Furthermore, among these angles, the incident angle θ and the reflection angle δ, in particular, can be directly read without the need for calculations by using the auxiliary angle measuring tool 6 described above.

[0062] 2) Next, grasp the direction confirmation unit 3 and rotate the main body 31 along the XZ plane around the horizontal axis 20B as the rotation center so that the extension direction of the tip of the main body 31 faces the light source LS. The angle by which the main body 31 is rotated at this time is defined as θ (see FIG. 6).

[0063] 3) After that, it is confirmed whether or not the shadow cast by the pointer 43 erected on the observation surface 41 of the direction fine adjustment unit 4 is cast on the observation surface 41.

[0064] That is, if the shadow of the pointer 43 remains on the pointer 43 itself on the observation surface 41, i.e., if there is no shadow, so to speak, it can be confirmed that the main body 31 of the direction confirmation unit 3 is facing the direction of the light source with high accuracy. On the other hand, if the shadow of the pointer 43 appears to be casting on the circle 42 on the observation surface 41, fine adjustment is made to the main body 31 so that it is oriented in a direction that will eliminate the shadow. Specifically, if this is likened to the hands of a sundial, and the direction in which the shadow of the pointer 43 points is, for example, 1:10 on a single-hand clock, the main body 31 can be tilted toward 7:10, and the fine adjustment of the direction of the rotation and tilt of the main body 31 can be stopped when the tip of the shadow of the pointer 43 passes over the pointer 43 itself during the tilt.

[0065] 4) In Figure 6, the angle at which the light from the light source is incident on point P, the area to be examined, is γ (hereinafter, this angle γ corresponds to the angle of elevation if the light source LS is assumed to be the observer's eye, and so will be referred to as the "angle of elevation γ"). This angle of elevation γ is read using angle measuring tool 5.

[0066] 5) Once the elevation angle γ has been measured in this manner, the hand holding the main body 31 of the direction confirmation unit 3 is used to rotate the direction confirmation unit 3 back to its original position, i.e., directly below the arm bar 21 of the objective unit 2. The optically defined incident angle θ (i.e., θ = ∠Q'PN) can then be calculated by calculating the difference between the angle γ' read by the angle measuring tool 5 when the main body 31 of the direction confirmation unit 3 is returned to the direction of the normal N, i.e., γ - γ' (= θ: incident angle). As mentioned above, by using the auxiliary angle measuring tool 6, the angle can be read directly without the need for the above calculation, simply by looking at the scale on the auxiliary angle measuring tool 6 when the main body 31 of the direction confirmation unit 3 is aligned with the direction of the light source LS. However, it goes without saying that measuring with the measuring tool 5 after fine adjustment with the direction fine adjustment unit 4 can provide a more accurate measurement of the incident angle than using the auxiliary angle measuring tool 6.

[0067] [Measurement of the reflection angle of light source] 1) Then, while holding the direction confirmation unit 3 in his / her hand, he / she rotates and tilts the main body 31 in the opposite direction by an angle δ (sometimes called the reflection angle δ) different from the elevation angle γ. The rotation direction at this time is such that the main body 31 of the direction confirmation unit is rotated and tilted in the direction of the light source LS from the attitude angle state (main body 31 pointing in the N direction) before the observer holds the main body 31 in his / her hand. However, when measuring the reflection angle, the observer tilts the main body 31 of the direction confirmation unit 3 to an appropriate angle other than the specular reflection angle while pushing it with his / her hand. For example, after temporarily returning the main body 31 to a state pointing in the direction of the normal N, he / she rotates and tilts the main body 31 in the opposite direction by an arbitrary angle δ while holding the main body 31 in his / her hand.

[0068] In this case, in order to avoid a reflection angle that results in a specular reflection state, the angle δ is arbitrarily selected to be different from the previous incident angle θ (δ ≠ θ) and rotated. However, the rotation direction does not necessarily have to be opposite to the N direction. In other words, the reflection angle δ may be set by rotating and tilting the main body 31 around the previous incident angle without crossing the N direction.

[0069] When measuring the elevation angle γ or the incident angle θ, it is required to accurately match and direct the direction of the light source LS, but the reflection angle δ can be set arbitrarily as long as it allows the observer to take a posture that is easy for observation. However, since the color measurement operator is not necessarily the same person in the same place, taking these circumstances into consideration, it is acceptable to set multiple reflection angles so that the reflection angle δ can be set ambiguously.

[0070] 2) In this way, the reflection angle δ is read. Once the reflection angle δ is read, the pseudo elevation angle α and pseudo depression angle β are derived by the following method.

[0071] [Calculation of pseudo elevation angle α and pseudo depression angle β] Once the measurements of the above-mentioned angles, i.e., the elevation angle γ, the reflection angle δ, etc., are completed, the pseudo elevation angle α corresponding to the elevation angle γ at point P, which is the observation location, and the pseudo depression angle β corresponding to the depression angle ε are derived as follows in Fig. 4. Here, the symbol T is the tangent at point P, N is the normal at point P, and the angle θ is the angle of incidence, i.e., the angle between the direction of the normal N and the direction of the light source LS.

[0072] ·Pseudo elevation angle α: The pseudo elevation angle α is defined as the angle when point P, which is the observation point, is viewed upward with respect to the horizon (corresponding to the tangent line T perpendicular to the normal line N in Figure 6). Therefore, this pseudo elevation angle α is an angle smaller than the normal line N by the incident angle θ, so α=90-θ (However, the argument γ´ = γ + θ.) can be calculated easily and uniquely.

[0073] ·Pseudo depression angle β: Similarly, the pseudo depression angle β is defined as the angle when the observation point P is looked down with respect to the horizontal line (corresponding to the tangent line T perpendicular to the normal line N in FIG. 6). Therefore, this pseudo depression angle β is β=90-δ (However, the depression angle is ε=180-(γ´+δ).) can be calculated easily and uniquely.

[0074] As described above, the color measurement confirmation device 1 of this embodiment allows an observer to easily set, using a device with a simple configuration, angle information, such as the pseudo elevation angle α and pseudo depression angle β at observation point P (X0, Y0, Z0), which are observation setting conditions when performing color measurement of a target part or the like. In other words, by arbitrarily specifying the position of the observation point in three dimensions and uniquely identifying angle information related to the light source LS, i.e., the pseudo elevation angle α and pseudo depression angle β, which are the elevation angle and depression angle on the tangent line T perpendicular to the normal line N at that observation point, color measurement work and color difference inspection and evaluation work at that observation point P can be performed objectively anywhere and by anyone. Furthermore, rather than sensory measurement with the observer's eye E, it is also possible to quantitatively and objectively measure digitized data using a dedicated colorimeter or the like.

[0075] In this case, the light source LS must have the same wavelength pattern (distribution characteristics).The normal N can be set, for example, by placing the observation point P at the center and abutting the contacts 22A and 22B on the surface of the object at equidistant positions on both the left and right sides of the center.

[0076] In this way, by using the color measurement confirmation device 1 of this embodiment, anyone can reliably measure the color of target parts, etc., and even check the color differences between each part, anywhere, provided that a light source with the same wavelength is used, which is convenient because it makes it possible to objectively determine the color of the target parts.

[0077] <Second embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In the first embodiment described above, the observing operator uses his or her own eyes to perform color measurement and color difference work on the parts to be observed, but the color measurement confirmation device 1' of this embodiment differs in that the color measurement and color difference work are performed using a color measuring tool (or color difference meter) 9 instead of an observing operator. In this embodiment, the same parts as in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals to avoid redundant explanation.

[0078] The color measurement confirmation device 1' includes an objective unit 2, a direction confirmation unit 3, a direction fine adjustment unit 4, an angle measurement tool 5, an auxiliary angle measurement tool 6 (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as the "auxiliary measurement tool 6"), and a leg unit 7, as well as a color measurement unit 8, a color measurement tool 9, and an auxiliary angle measurement tool 6' (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as the "auxiliary measurement tool 6'").

[0079] (Configuration explanation) The color measurement unit 8 of this embodiment is provided so as to be rotatable in parallel with the rear side of the color measurement unit 8 via a connecting shaft 20, which is a rotation means, specifically only along the XZ plane.

[0080] Furthermore, the color measurement unit 8 is composed of an elongated main body 81 divided into two halves, a lower body 81A and an upper body 81B, and the upper body 81B is connected to the lower body 81A so that it can slide in the longitudinal direction, making the main body 81 as a whole extendable and contractible.

[0081] The lower half 81A is configured so that the upper half 81B can move in the longitudinal direction relative to the lower half 81A, so that the main body 81 can be extended and retracted. In this embodiment, the upper half 81B is provided on the lower half 81A. body A knob T2 is provided to restrict movement of the color measurement unit 81B. The base end of the lower half 81A is rotatably connected to the objective unit 2 via a horizontal shaft 20B of a connecting shaft 20, which serves as a rotation means. The horizontal shaft 20B also has an auxiliary measuring tool 6' fixed to the other end, opposite to the end where the auxiliary measuring tool 6' is fixed, and when the color measurement unit 8 is tilted at a desired angle with respect to the objective unit 2, the relative angular difference between the color measurement unit 8 and the objective unit 2 can be read.

[0082] The auxiliary measuring tool 6' has the same configuration as the auxiliary measuring tool 6 used in the first embodiment, and therefore a description of how to use it will be omitted.

[0083] The color measuring tool 9 is configured to capture the reflected light when light from a light source LS, which emits light of a specified wavelength, is reflected at an observation point P and then travels at an angle other than the specular reflection angle θ, and analyze the wavelength of the reflected light, thereby mechanically and optically obtaining information about the physical properties of the material on the surface of the observation point P and inside the object nearby, particularly the wavelength absorption and reflection properties. Note that with the color measuring tool 9 of this embodiment, the upper half 81B can be extended or contracted to improve the ability to obtain optical information such as the amount of incident reflected light and brightness.

[0084] (How to use the color measurement confirmation device) Next, a method for using the color measurement confirmation device 1 according to this embodiment, namely, a method for specifying an angle when an observer uses it to measure color, will be described.

[0085] The measurement of the angle of incidence of light from the light source onto the observation point of the observation part and the measurement of the angle of reflection of the light from the light source onto the observation point of the observation part are the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. With this configuration, data relating to the angle of incidence of light from the light source onto the observation point of the observation part and the angle of reflection of the light from the light source onto the observation point of the observation part can be acquired, and therefore such observation conditions including this viewing angle information can be uniquely quantified.

[0086] This makes it possible to perform color measurement, color difference, or color measurement evaluation on an observation object B that has been manufactured in the same way, under a light source with the same emission wavelength pattern, at any time, under the same conditions, even at a point with any three-dimensional coordinates (X, Y, Z) that is not a specified (fixed) point.

[0087] Therefore, it becomes possible to judge the quality of any part of the observation object B, and therefore it becomes possible to check the product with high accuracy over the entire surface even for observation object B where subtle color differences are provided for each part, and ultimately it becomes possible to provide a product with exactly the same color balance for a product where the color balance differs from part to part.

[0088] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but also includes configurations in which the components disclosed in the above-described embodiments are substituted with each other or the combinations are changed, known inventions, and configurations in which the components disclosed in the above-described embodiments are substituted with each other or the combinations are changed, etc. In other words, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but extends to the matters set forth in the claims and their equivalents.

[0089] Furthermore, the application of the present invention is not limited to automotive parts as in the above-described embodiment, but can also be applied to devices used for evaluating the colorimetry of parts and checking color differences in various fields. [Explanation of symbols]

[0090] 1, 1´ Color measurement confirmation device 2 Objective section 20 Connection shaft (rotation means) 20A vertical axis 20B Horizontal axis 21 Armbar 21A Top 21B Bottom side 22A, 22B contact 23 Base 3-way confirmation section 3A lower body 3B Upper body 3C slide groove 31 Main Unit 31A Side 31B One side 32 Bearings 33A, 33B reader 4 direction fine adjustment section 41 Observation surface 41A Base 42 concentric circles 43 Guidelines 5 Angle measuring tools (measuring tools) 51 Center axis 52 Protractor body 52A Horizontal line 52B Zenith Line 53 Pyramid 6, 6´ Auxiliary angle measuring tool (auxiliary measuring tool) 7 Legs 71 Main landing gear 72 Side branch body 73 Lateral branch body 8 Color measurement unit 81 Main Unit 81A lower body 81B Upper body 9 color measurement tools B. Observation object (part) E. The observer's eye LS light source M fiducial mark N normal O Origin P observation point T tangent T1, T2 knobs (X0,Y0,X0) 3D coordinates at the observation point α Incident angle (pseudo elevation angle) β Reflection angle (pseudo depression angle) γ elevation angle γ´ Declination angle δ reflection angle ε Observation angle (depression angle)

Claims

1. an objective unit provided with protruding contacts that come into contact with an observation point on an object to be observed or in the vicinity thereof at least at two points; a substantially rod-shaped direction confirmation unit having a base end to which the objective unit is attached and a tip end to which the objective unit is oriented in a direction toward the light source; a direction fine adjustment unit that is installed in a part of the direction confirmation unit, that has an observation surface facing the same direction as the direction indicated by the tip of the direction confirmation unit, and that has a pointer that is set up vertically on the observation surface; An angle measuring tool provided in a tiltable state at a part of the direction confirmation unit so that the direction of gravity always points directly below the vertical direction; a rotation means for rotatably connecting the direction confirmation unit to the objective unit; A color measurement confirmation device comprising:

2. The rotating means is composed of a vertical shaft and a horizontal shaft, The longitudinal axis is fixed to the objective section, and The horizontal shaft is rotatably connected to the main body of the direction confirmation unit.

2. The color measurement confirmation device according to claim 1.

3. The objective unit further includes a substantially rod-shaped color measurement unit having a colorimeter or a color difference meter at a base end thereof via the rotating means.

3. The color measurement confirmation device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. At least one of the objective unit and the direction confirmation unit is provided with a leg for supporting the objective unit on a floor surface.

4. The color measurement confirmation device according to claim 1, wherein the color measurement confirmation device is a color measuring device.

5. an auxiliary angle measuring tool is fixed to one end or both ends of the horizontal axis of the rotating means for measuring the angular difference between the normal direction at the observation point and the direction of the light source; 3. The color measurement confirmation device according to claim 2.

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