Metallic color formulation method and apparatus using same

Abstract

According to an embodiment disclosed in the present document, a metallic color formulation method includes the steps of: acquiring target color information and target particle information of a target object; generating at least one set of blending information on the basis of the target color information and the target particle information; comparing blend color information and blend particle information, which correspond to the blending information, with the target color information and the target particle information, respectively; and determining optimal blending information on the basis of results of comparing the blend color information and the blend particle information with the target color information and the target particle information, respectively.

Description

Metallic color mixing method and device using the same

[0001] Cross-citation with related applications

[0002] This invention claims the benefit of priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0179827, filed December 12, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] Technology field

[0004] The embodiments disclosed in this document relate to a metallic color mixing method and a device using the same.

[0005] There are several types of paints for painting (including refinishing) target objects (e.g., automobiles), including solid color paints (when metallic particles and / or pearl particles are not included) and effect color paints (when metallic particles and / or pearl particles are included).

[0006] Among them, in the case of solid colors, since metallic particles and / or pearl particles do not exist, mixing information is generated based on the color information of the target object acquired through a conventional colorimeter, and the color of the paint generated according to the mixing information applied to the target object is identical / similar to the existing color of the target object.

[0007] On the other hand, in the case of effect colors, since metallic particles and / or pearl particles exist, there was a problem in that it was impossible to know the particle feel without directly checking the metallic particles and / or pearl particles applied to the target object with the naked eye, and therefore it was impossible to generate mixing information suitable for the target object.

[0008] Accordingly, in the past, a physical specimen of the target object was required to generate appropriate mixing information for refinishing the target object, but there was a problem in that a lot of time and cost were consumed in generating the physical specimen of the target object and delivering / delivering it to the appropriate location.

[0009] In addition, in the past, mixing information was generated by visually judging the particle feel of metallic particles or pearl particles, and there was a problem that the particle feel was expressed differently for each colorant even for the same target object.

[0010] The embodiments disclosed in this document are intended to provide a metallic color mixing method and a metallic color mixing device using the same.

[0011] The embodiments disclosed in this document are intended to provide a metallic color mixing method and a metallic color mixing device using the same for accurately deriving optimal mixing information corresponding to a target object without an actual sample for the target object.

[0012] The embodiments disclosed in this document are intended to provide a metallic color mixing method and a metallic color mixing device using the same for quickly deriving optimal mixing information corresponding to a target object by transmitting and obtaining color information and particle information for a target object online.

[0013] The embodiments disclosed in this document are intended to provide a metallic color mixing method for transmitting optimal mixing information corresponding to a target object online and a metallic color mixing device using the same.

[0014] The embodiments disclosed in this document are intended to provide a metallic color mixing method for transmitting online to derive optimal mixing information by taking human visual acceptability (Visual Acceptability_Tolerance) into consideration, and a metallic color mixing device using the same.

[0015] A metallic color mixing method according to an embodiment disclosed in the present document may include: obtaining target color information and target particle information of a target object; generating at least one mixing information based on the target color information and the target particle information; comparing mixing color information and mixing particle information corresponding to the mixing information with the target color information and the target particle information, respectively; and determining optimal mixing information based on a result of comparing the mixing color information and the mixing particle information with the target color information and the target particle information, respectively.

[0016] As an example, in the step of determining the optimal mixing information, if the color difference value between the specific mixing color information corresponding to the specific mixing information among the mixing information and the target color information is within a critical color difference range, and the particle difference value between the specific mixing particle information corresponding to the specific mixing information and the target particle information is within a critical particle difference range, the specific mixing information may be determined as the optimal mixing information.

[0017] As an example, the target color information may include first target color information to n-th target color information at a first color measurement angle to an n-th color measurement angle, the target particle information may include first target particle information to m-th target particle information at a first particle measurement angle to an m-th particle measurement angle, the blended color information may include first blended color information to n-th blended color information at the first color measurement angle to the n-th color measurement angle, and the blended particle information may include first blended particle information to m-th blended particle information at the first particle measurement angle to the m-th particle measurement angle.

[0018] As an example, in the step of determining the optimal blending information, (i) when a color difference value between the first specific blending color information to the n-th specific blending color information at the first color measurement angle to the n-th color measurement angle of the specific blending information and the first target color information to the n-th target color information is within the critical color difference range, and (ii) a particle difference value between the first specific blending particle information to the m-th specific blending particle information at the first particle measurement angle to the m-th particle measurement angle of the specific blending information and the first target particle information to the m-th target particle information is within the critical particle difference range, the specific blending information may be determined as the optimal blending information.

[0019] As an example, the color difference value may be calculated based on brightness information (lightness), saturation information (chroma) and color information (hue) of each of the specific blended color information and the target color information, and the particle difference value may be calculated based on particle intensity information (sparkle intensity) and particle frequency information (sparkle area) of each of the specific blended particle information and the target particle information.

[0020] As an example, the step of determining the optimal blending information may include the step of generating at least one piece of modified blending information based on the target color information and the target particle information when a color difference value between the blending color information and the target color information is outside a critical color difference range or a particle difference value between the blending particle information and the target particle information is outside a critical particle difference range; the step of comparing each of the modified blending color information and the modified blending particle information corresponding to the modified blending information with each of the target color information and the target particle information; and the step of determining the optimal blending information based on a result of comparing each of the modified blending color information and the modified blending particle information with each of the target color information and the target particle information.

[0021] As an example, after the step of determining the optimal mixing information, the method may further include a step of providing the optimal mixing information to a user terminal.

[0022] A metallic color mixing device according to an embodiment disclosed in the present document may include: an acquisition unit that acquires target color information and target particle information of a target object; a generation unit that generates at least one combination information based on the target color information and the target particle information; a comparison unit that compares each of combination color information and combination particle information corresponding to the combination information with each of the target color information and the target particle information; and a determination unit that determines optimal combination information based on a result of comparing each of the combination color information and the combination particle information with each of the target color information and the target particle information.

[0023] As an example, the decision unit may determine the specific mixing information as the optimal mixing information when a color difference value between specific mixing color information corresponding to the specific mixing information among the mixing information and the target color information is within a critical color difference range, and a particle difference value between specific mixing particle information corresponding to the specific mixing information and the target particle information is within a critical particle difference range.

[0024] As an example, the target color information may include first target color information to n-th target color information at a first color measurement angle to an n-th color measurement angle, the target particle information may include first target particle information to m-th target particle information at a first particle measurement angle to an m-th particle measurement angle, the blended color information may include first blended color information to n-th blended color information at the first color measurement angle to the n-th color measurement angle, and the blended particle information may include first blended particle information to m-th blended particle information at the first particle measurement angle to the m-th particle measurement angle.

[0025] As an example, the determining unit may determine the specific mixing information as the optimal mixing information when (i) a color difference value between the first specific mixing color information to the n-th specific mixing color information at the first color measurement angle to the n-th color measurement angle of the specific mixing information and the first target color information to the n-th target color information is within the critical color difference range, and (ii) a particle difference value between the first specific mixing particle information to the m-th specific mixing particle information at the first particle measurement angle to the m-th particle measurement angle of the specific mixing information and the first target particle information to the m-th target particle information is within the critical particle difference range.

[0026] As an example, the color difference value may be calculated based on brightness information (lightness), saturation information (chroma) and color information (hue) of each of the specific blended color information and the target color information, and the particle difference value may be calculated based on particle intensity information (sparkle intensity) and particle frequency information (sparkle area) of each of the specific blended particle information and the target particle information.

[0027] As an example, the generation unit may generate at least one piece of modified mixing information based on the target color information and the target particle information when a color difference value between the mixing color information and the target color information is outside a critical color difference range or a particle difference value between the mixing particle information and the target particle information is outside a critical particle difference range, the comparison unit may compare each of the modified mixing color information and the modified mixing particle information corresponding to the modified mixing information with each of the target color information and the target particle information, and the determination unit may determine optimal mixing information based on a result of comparing each of the modified mixing color information and the modified mixing particle information with each of the target color information and the target particle information.

[0028] As an example, the method may further include a communication unit that provides the optimal mixing information to a user terminal.

[0029] The embodiments disclosed in this document can provide a metallic color mixing method and a metallic color mixing device using the same.

[0030] The embodiments disclosed in this document can provide a metallic color mixing method and a metallic color mixing device using the same for accurately deriving optimal mixing information corresponding to a target object without an actual sample for the target object.

[0031] The embodiments disclosed in this document can provide a metallic color mixing method and a metallic color mixing device using the same for quickly deriving optimal mixing information corresponding to a target object by transmitting and obtaining color information and particle information for a target object online.

[0032] The embodiments disclosed in this document can provide a metallic color mixing method for transmitting optimal mixing information corresponding to a target object online and a metallic color mixing device using the same.

[0033] The embodiments disclosed in this document can provide a metallic color mixing method for transmitting online to derive optimal mixing information by taking human visual acceptability (Visual Acceptability_Tolerance) into consideration, and a metallic color mixing device using the same.

[0034] In addition, various effects may be provided, either directly or indirectly, through this document.

[0035] FIG. 1 is a drawing illustrating a color mixing conversion device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0036] FIG. 2 is a flowchart schematically illustrating a metallic color mixing method according to one embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0037] Figure 3 is a diagram showing the average particle difference value by judgment section.

[0038] FIGS. 4A to 4D are drawings schematically illustrating a UI corresponding to a metallic color mixing method according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0039] In connection with the description of the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals may be used for identical or similar components.

[0040] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and it should be understood that the present invention encompasses various modifications, equivalents, and / or alternatives of the embodiments.

[0041] In this document, the singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of said items, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this document, phrases such as "A or B," "at least one of A and B," "at least one of A or B," "A, B, or C," "at least one of A, B, and C," and "at least one of A, B, or C" may each include any one of the items listed together in that phrase, or all possible combinations thereof. Terms such as "first," "second," or "first" or "second" may be used merely to distinguish the corresponding element from other corresponding elements, and do not limit the corresponding elements in any other respect (e.g., importance or order). When a component (e.g., a first component) is referred to as being “coupled” or “connected” to another component (e.g., a second component), with or without the terms “functionally” or “communicatively,” it means that the component can be connected to the other component directly (e.g., wired), wirelessly, or through a third component.

[0042] Each component (e.g., a module or a program) described in this document may include one or more entities. According to various embodiments, one or more components or operations of the components may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of components (e.g., a module or a program) may be integrated into a single component. In such a case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the plurality of components identically or similarly to those performed by the corresponding component among the plurality of components prior to integration. According to various embodiments, the operations performed by a module, program, or other component may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

[0043] The term "module" or "part" used in this document may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with terms such as logic, logic block, component, or circuit. A module may be an integral component, or a minimum unit or part of such a component that performs one or more functions. For example, according to one embodiment, a module may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0044] Various embodiments of the present document may be implemented as software (e.g., a program or an application) including one or more instructions stored in a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., memory). For example, a processor of the device may call at least one instruction among the one or more instructions stored from the storage medium and execute it. This enables the device to operate to perform at least one function according to the at least one instruction called. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, "non-transitory" only means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not contain a signal (e.g., electromagnetic waves), and this term does not distinguish between cases where data is stored semi-permanently and cases where it is stored temporarily in the storage medium.

[0045] For reference, the colors are described below as metallic for convenience of explanation, but this should not be interpreted as limited to colors (mixing information) containing only metallic particles, and should be interpreted as encompassing colors (mixing information) containing only pearl particles, or colors (mixing information) containing both metallic particles and pearl particles.

[0046] FIG. 1 is a drawing to help understand a metallic color mixing device (100) according to one embodiment disclosed in this document, and schematically illustrates the metallic color mixing device (100).

[0047] Referring to FIG. 1, the metallic color mixing device (100) may include an acquisition unit, a generation unit, a comparison unit, and a determination unit.

[0048] First, the acquisition unit can acquire target color information and target particle information of the target object.

[0049] At this time, the device that generates target color information and target particle information may be a separate device from the metallic color mixing device (100) according to one embodiment disclosed in this document, but is not limited thereto, and may be a module built into the metallic color mixing device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0050] And, the generation unit can generate at least one combination information based on target color information and target particle information.

[0051] For reference, the process of generating mixing information based on color information and particle information is a process that is obvious to those skilled in the art, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0052] And, the comparison unit can compare each of the mixing color information and the mixing particle information corresponding to the mixing information with each of the target color information and the target particle information.

[0053] At this time, the angles at which (i) the color and particles of the paint applied to the target object and (ii) the color and particles of the paint according to the mixing information are observed / measured may be multiple angles.

[0054] For example, the target color information may include first target color information to n-th target color information at a first color measurement angle to an n-th color measurement angle, the target particle information may include first target particle information to m-th target particle information at a first particle measurement angle to an m-th particle measurement angle, the blended color information may include first blended color information to n-th blended color information at a first color measurement angle to an n-th color measurement angle, and the blended particle information may include first blended particle information to m-th blended particle information at a first particle measurement angle to an m-th particle measurement angle.

[0055] For example, the color measurement angle and the particle measurement angle can be set to the same value. For example, both the color measurement angle and the particle measurement angle can be set to 15°, 45°, and 105°.

[0056] In this case, the comparison unit may compare the first target color information and the first blended color information at a first color measurement angle of 15°, the second target color information and the second blended color information at a second color measurement angle of 45°, and the third target color information and the third blended color information at a third color measurement angle of 105°. In addition, the comparison unit may compare the first target particle information and the first blended particle information at a first particle measurement angle of 15°, the second target particle information and the second blended particle information at a second particle measurement angle of 45°, and the third target particle information and the third blended particle information at a third particle measurement angle of 105°.

[0057] As another example, both the color measurement angle and the particle measurement angle can be set to 15°, 45°, and 75°.

[0058] In this case, the comparison unit may compare the first target color information and the first blended color information at a first color measurement angle of 15°, the second target color information and the second blended color information at a second color measurement angle of 45°, and the third target color information and the third blended color information at a third color measurement angle of 75°. In addition, the comparison unit may compare the first target particle information and the first blended particle information at a first particle measurement angle of 15°, the second target particle information and the second blended particle information at a second particle measurement angle of 45°, and the third target particle information and the third blended particle information at a third particle measurement angle of 75°.

[0059] As another example, the color measurement angle and the particle measurement angle may be set at least partially differently. For example, the color measurement angle may be set to 15°, 45°, and 105°, and the particle measurement angle may be set to 15°, 45°, and 75°.

[0060] In this case, the comparison unit may compare the first target color information and the first blended color information at a first color measurement angle of 15°, the second target color information and the second blended color information at a second color measurement angle of 45°, and the third target color information and the third blended color information at a third color measurement angle of 105°. In addition, the comparison unit may compare the first target particle information and the first blended particle information at a first particle measurement angle of 15°, the second target particle information and the second blended particle information at a second particle measurement angle of 45°, and the third target particle information and the third blended particle information at a third particle measurement angle of 75°.

[0061] As another example, the color measurement angles can be set to 15°, 45°, 105°, and the particle measurement angles can be set to 15°, 45°, 80°.

[0062] In this case, the comparison unit may compare the first target color information and the first blended color information at a first color measurement angle of 15°, the second target color information and the second blended color information at a second color measurement angle of 45°, and the third target color information and the third blended color information at a third color measurement angle of 105°. In addition, the comparison unit may compare the first target particle information and the first blended particle information at a first particle measurement angle of 15°, the second target particle information and the second blended particle information at a second particle measurement angle of 45°, and the third target particle information and the third blended particle information at a third particle measurement angle of 80°.

[0063] As another example, the color measurement angles can be set to 15°, 45°, 105°, and the particle measurement angles can be set to 15°, 45°, 75°, 80°.

[0064] In this case, the comparison unit may compare the first target color information and the first blended color information at a first color measurement angle of 15°, the second target color information and the second blended color information at a second color measurement angle of 45°, and the third target color information and the third blended color information at a third color measurement angle of 105°. In addition, the comparison unit may compare the first target particle information and the first blended particle information at a first particle measurement angle of 15°, the second target particle information and the second blended particle information at a second particle measurement angle of 45°, the third target particle information and the third blended particle information at a third particle measurement angle of 75°, and the third target particle information and the third blended particle information at a fourth particle measurement angle of 80°.

[0065] As another example, the color measurement angles can be set to 20°, 50°, 100°, and the particle measurement angles can be set to 15°, 45°, 80°.

[0066] In this case, the comparison unit may compare the first target color information and the first blended color information at a first color measurement angle of 20°, the second target color information and the second blended color information at a second color measurement angle of 50°, and the third target color information and the third blended color information at a third color measurement angle of 100°. In addition, the comparison unit may compare the first target particle information and the first blended particle information at a first particle measurement angle of 15°, the second target particle information and the second blended particle information at a second particle measurement angle of 45°, and the third target particle information and the third blended particle information at a third particle measurement angle of 80°.

[0067] As another example, the color measurement angles can be set to 15°, 45°, 105°, and the particle measurement angles can be set to 20°, 60°.

[0068] In this case, the comparison unit may compare the first target color information and the first blended color information at a first color measurement angle of 15°, the second target color information and the second blended color information at a second color measurement angle of 45°, and the third target color information and the third blended color information at a third color measurement angle of 105°. In addition, the comparison unit may compare the first target particle information and the first blended particle information at a first particle measurement angle of 20°, and the second target particle information and the second blended particle information at a second particle measurement angle of 60°.

[0069] And, the decision unit can determine optimal mixing information based on the results of comparing each of mixing color information and mixing particle information with each of target color information and target particle information.

[0070] For example, the decision unit may determine specific mixing information as optimal mixing information when a color difference value between specific mixing color information corresponding to specific mixing information and target color information is within a critical color difference range, and a particle difference value between specific mixing particle information corresponding to specific mixing information and target particle information is within a critical particle difference range.

[0071] At this time, the critical color difference range may be from 0 to 1, but is not limited thereto. For example, the critical color difference range may be from 0 to 1.5.

[0072] Additionally, the critical particle difference range may be, but is not limited to, 0 to 1. For example, the critical particle difference range may be 0 to 1.5.

[0073] For reference, color difference values ​​were previously derived based on systems with a uniform color space that did not consider human visual acceptability (Visual Acceptability Tolerance). Visual acceptability is characterized by an elliptical shape rather than a circle, a stricter tolerance for hue than saturation, and a greater tolerance for highly saturated colors than for achromatic colors.

[0074] In addition, color difference values ​​were derived based on the assumption of solid color in the past.

[0075] For example, conventionally, color difference values ​​(DE) are based on color difference formulas such as Equation 1. * ) was derived.

[0076]

[0077] [Formula 1]

[0078]

[0079]

[0080] For reference, DL * (ΔL * ), Da * (Δa * ) and Db* (Δb * ) can be expressed as in Equation 2.

[0081]

[0082] [Formula 2]

[0083]

[0084]

[0085] For reference, L (brightness information), a (red-green information), and b (yellow-blue information) are information according to the Lab color space (L*a*b), and the brightness information (L) can be information indicating brightness with a value between 0 (black) and 100 (white). In addition, the red-green information (a) is information indicating whether the color is closer to red or green, and can indicate that the color is closer to green if negative, and closer to red if positive. In addition, the yellow-blue information (b) is information indicating whether the color is closer to yellow or blue, and can indicate that the color is closer to blue if negative, and closer to yellow if positive. In addition, the subscript R corresponds to the target color information, and the subscript S corresponds to the mixed color information.

[0086] However, as mentioned above, since the color difference value was derived based on the assumption of solid color without considering the visual suitability characteristics of humans in the past, there was a problem that even if the color difference value derived according to the prior art was close to 0, there was a large difference from the color recognized / perceived with the naked eye (Visual impression).

[0087] In order to overcome the above problems, the metallic color mixing device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document calculates a color difference value based on the brightness information (lightness; L), saturation information (chroma; C) and hue information (hue; h) of each of the specific mixing color information and the target color information, and the particle intensity information (sparkle intensity; S) of each of the specific mixing particle information and the target particle information.i ) and particle frequency information (sparkle area; S a ) can be used to calculate the particle difference value. In addition, the color difference value can be calculated by additionally referencing the brightness information (Value; V).

[0088] For example, a metallic color mixing device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document calculates a color difference value (DE) according to Equation 3 * ; ΔE * ) can be produced.

[0089]

[0090] [Formula 3]

[0091]

[0092]

[0093] At this time, the parameters included in the square root of Equation 3 can be expressed as in Equation 4.

[0094]

[0095] [Formula 4]

[0096]

[0097]

[0098] For reference, k L , k C , k H can be assigned a value according to an appropriate design and corresponds to a weighting constant according to material properties.

[0099] At this time, the parameters included in Equation 4 can be calculated according to Equations 5 to 9 below.

[0100]

[0101] [Formula 5]

[0102]

[0103]

[0104] Here, L * ab,R and L * ab,SThe luminance values ​​of each of the two metallic colors, C * ab,R and C * ab,S is the saturation value of each of the two metallic colors, h ab,R and h ab,S are the color values ​​of each of the two metallic colors. Also, V L is the median brightness of two metallic colors, V C is the median saturation of two metallic colors, V h is the color intermediate between two metallic colors.

[0105]

[0106] [Formula 6]

[0107]

[0108]

[0109] Here, ΔL ab The luminosity difference between two metallic colors, ΔC ab is the saturation difference between two metallic colors, Δh ab is the color difference between two metallic colors, ΔH ab is the converted color difference of two metallic colors.

[0110]

[0111] [Formula 7]

[0112]

[0113]

[0114] Here, ΔL' ab ΔC' is the value converted to the brightness difference of two metallic colors according to the conditions of the above formula. ab ΔH' is the value converted to the saturation difference of two metallic colors according to the conditions of the above formula. ab is the converted color difference of two metallic colors converted according to the conditions of the above formula.

[0115]

[0116] [Formula 8]

[0117]

[0118]

[0119] Here, T is a function that can correct the color difference.

[0120]

[0121] [Formula 9]

[0122]

[0123]

[0124] Here, S L S is the luminance correction value of two metallic colors C is the saturation correction value of two metallic colors, S H are the color correction values ​​for two metallic colors.

[0125] Additionally, the metallic color mixing device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document can calculate a particle difference value (delta texture; DT; ΔT) according to Equation 10.

[0126]

[0127] [Formula 10]

[0128]

[0129]

[0130] For reference, A, B, a, b, α, β, Y The value of can be set regardless of the particle measurement angle, but is not limited thereto. For example, if the particle measurement angle is 15°, A is 0.18, B is 0.20, a is 1.00, b is 1.00, α is 1.00, β is 1.00, Y can be set to 2.30, and when the particle measurement angle is 45°, A is 0.22, B is 0.20, a is 1.00, b is 1.00, α is 1.00, β is 1.00, Y can be set to 2.30.

[0131] Additionally, the parameters included in Equation 10 can be expressed as in Equation 11.

[0132]

[0133] [Formula 11]

[0134]

[0135]

[0136] For reference, S a is the particle frequency (Sparkle Area), S i represents sparkle intensity, G represents graininess in the shade, subscript 1 corresponds to target particle information, and subscript 2 corresponds to blended particle information.

[0137] Sparkle Area represents the frequency of particle occurrence per unit area. Sparkle Intensity represents the intensity (size, etc.) of a single particle. Graininess in the shade represents particle characteristics, such as particle frequency and intensity, observed in the shade (e.g., reflected light, indirect light, etc.).

[0138] For example, the decision unit may determine the specific mixing information as optimal mixing information when (i) a color difference value between the first specific mixing color information to the n-th specific mixing color information at the first color measurement angle to the n-th color measurement angle of the specific mixing information and the first target color information to the n-th target color information is within a critical color difference range, and (ii) a particle difference value between the first specific mixing particle information to the m-th specific mixing particle information at the first particle measurement angle to the m-th particle measurement angle of the specific mixing information and the first target particle information to the m-th target particle information is within a critical particle difference range.

[0139] For example, the color difference value between the first specific blending color information to the n-th specific blending color information and the first target color information to the n-th target color information may be a difference value between (i) an average value of the first specific blending color information to the n-th specific blending color information and (ii) an average value of the first target color information to the n-th target color information.

[0140] Meanwhile, there may be cases where the color and / or particle sensation according to the mixing information generated through the above process is different from the color and / or particle sensation of the target object, and in such cases, a process for generating modified mixing information may be additionally performed.

[0141] For example, the generation unit may generate at least one piece of modified mixing information based on the target color information and the target particle information when the color difference value between the mixing color information and the target color information is outside the critical color difference range or the particle difference value between the mixing particle information and the target particle information is outside the critical particle difference range.

[0142] And, the comparison unit can compare each of the modified mixing color information and the modified mixing particle information corresponding to the modified mixing information with each of the target color information and the target particle information.

[0143] And, the decision unit can determine the modified mixing information as optimal mixing information based on the results of comparing the modified mixing color information and the modified mixing particle information with the target color information and the target particle information, respectively.

[0144] For example, the decision unit may determine the modified blending information as optimal blending information when (i) a color difference value between the first modified blending color information to the n-th modified blending color information at the first color measurement angle to the n-th color measurement angle of the modified blending information and the first target color information to the n-th target color information is within a critical color difference range, and (ii) a particle difference value between the first modified blending particle information to the m-th modified blending particle information at the first particle measurement angle to the m-th particle measurement angle of the modified blending information and the first target particle information to the m-th target particle information is within a critical particle difference range.

[0145] In addition, the metallic color mixing device (100) can provide the optimal mixing information determined as above to the user terminal.

[0146] FIG. 2 is a flowchart schematically illustrating a metallic color mixing method according to one embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0147] Referring to FIG. 2, in step 101, the acquisition unit can acquire target color information and target particle information of the target object.

[0148] And, in step 103, the generation unit can generate at least one combination information based on the target color information and the target particle information.

[0149] And, in step 105, the comparison unit can compare each of the blending color information and blending particle information corresponding to the blending information with each of the target color information and target particle information.

[0150] And, in step 107, the decision unit can determine optimal blending information based on the result of comparing each of blending color information and blending particle information with each of target color information and target particle information.

[0151] Below, the accuracy of optimal mixing information determined according to a metallic color mixing method according to an embodiment disclosed in this document and mixing information according to a prior art are compared and explained.

[0152] First, we will compare and explain the accuracy of the color mixing information with reference to Table 1.

[0153]

[0154] Angle judgment result Conventional 1 Conventional 2 Conventional 3 Conventional 4 Conventional 5 This invention 15° Matched 5 15 15 46 37 38 1 Disagreement 4 9 49 46 37 27 19 45° Matched 7 8 8 18 28 48 58 5 Disagreement 2 2 19 18 16 15 15 110° Matched 7 5 7 27 9 70 7 9 8 9 Disagreement 2 5 28 21 30 21 11

[0155]

[0156] Referring to Table 1, for each of 100 target color information and each of 100 corresponding blended color information, an expert (colorist) visually judges the similarity of blended color information to target color information, and it is possible to know whether the expert's visual judgment result matches the judgment result according to the present invention using formulae 3 to 11 and the conventional techniques using formulae 1 to 2 or existing color difference formulas based on them.

[0157] For example, at a color measurement angle of 15°, the color difference value judgment of the prior art 1 was very inaccurate in that only 51 judgment results were consistent with the expert judgment results and 49 were inconsistent, whereas the color difference value judgment of the present invention was very accurate in that 81 judgment results were consistent with the expert judgment results and only 19 were inconsistent.

[0158] As another example, at a color measurement angle of 110°, the color difference value judgment of the prior art 2 was very inaccurate in that only 72 judgment results were consistent with the expert judgment results and 28 were inconsistent, whereas the color difference value judgment of the present invention was very accurate in that 89 judgment results were consistent with the expert judgment results and only 11 were inconsistent.

[0159] Next, the accuracy of the mixed particle information will be compared and explained with reference to Fig. 3, Table 2, and Table 3.

[0160] Figure 3 shows the average particle difference value according to the metallic color mixing method disclosed in this document for each judgment section in a state where six experts (colorists) visually judged the similarity of the target particle information of the mixing particle information for each of the 60 target particle information and each of the 60 corresponding mixing particle information.

[0161] For example, at a particle measurement angle of 15°, it can be confirmed that the average of the particle difference value (DT) derived according to the metallic color mixing method disclosed in this document for the mixed particle information in the failure (passed by 0 to 1 colorist) judgment range is 2.15. That is, it can be confirmed that the particle difference value judgment of the present invention has a similar correlation to the judgment tendency of experts in that the average value derived according to the present invention falls outside the critical particle difference range (e.g., 0 to 1.5) described above.

[0162] As another example, at a particle measurement angle of 15°, for the mixed particle information in the intermediate (when judged as passing by 2 to 4 colorists) judgment section, it can be confirmed that the average of the particle difference value (DT) derived according to the metallic color mixing method disclosed in this document is 1.13. That is, although the average value derived according to the present invention falls within the critical particle difference range described above (e.g., 0 to 1.5), it can be confirmed that the particle difference value judgment of the present invention has a similar correlation to the judgment tendency of experts in that it is a relatively large value exceeding 1.

[0163] As another example, at a particle measurement angle of 45°, for the mixed particle information in the pass (pass judged by 5 to 5 colorists) judgment section, it can be confirmed that the average of the particle difference value (DT) derived according to the metallic color mixing method disclosed in this document is 0.64. That is, since the average value derived according to the present invention falls within the critical particle difference range (e.g., 0 to 1.5) described above, it can be confirmed that the particle difference value judgment of the present invention has a similar correlation to the judgment tendency of experts.

[0164]

[0165] 15° Visual Judgment Pass / Fail Total (0~1) Intermediate (2~4) Pass (5~6) Number 18,152,760 Matched 16,142,555 Mismatched 2,125 Matched Rate 89% 93% 93% Average DT 2.15 1.13 0.56

[0166]

[0167] 45° Visual Judgment Pass / Fail Total (0~1) Intermediate (2~4) Pass (5~6) Number 24132360 Matched 2392355 Mismatched 1405 Matched Rate 96% 69% 100% Average DT 1.95 1.16 0.64

[0168]

[0169] Referring to Table 2, it can be confirmed that at a particle measurement angle of 15°, the judgment result according to the present invention matches the judgment result of the expert in 55 cases and only 5 cases are inconsistent, and referring to Table 3, at a particle measurement angle of 45°, the judgment result according to the present invention matches the judgment result of the expert in 55 cases and only 5 cases are inconsistent, confirming that the particle difference value judgment of the present invention is very accurate.

[0170] FIGS. 4A to 4D are drawings schematically illustrating a UI according to a metallic color mixing method according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0171] Referring to Fig. 4a, unlike a conventional colorimeter, in the first display area (41), particle intensity information (sparkle intensity; S) for each particle measurement angle is displayed. i ) and particle frequency information (sparkle area; S a ) can be confirmed. In addition, in the second display area (42), a trash can-shaped button for deleting stored data can be confirmed. In addition, in the third display area (43), a button for retrieving specific data from the stored data list can be confirmed.

[0172] In addition, referring to FIG. 4b, unlike a conventional colorimeter, in the fourth display area (44), not only color information (e.g., color difference value) for each color measurement angle but also particle information (e.g., particle difference value) for each particle measurement angle are displayed simultaneously, and a graph (tolerance circle) that can be used to check whether visual suitability is satisfied is displayed.

[0173] In addition, referring to FIGS. 4c and 4d, the results of the judgment by angle according to the metallic color mixing method according to one embodiment disclosed in the present document can be confirmed for 40 mixing information samples.

[0174] For example, referring to Fig. 4c, which shows the judgment results at a particle measurement angle of 15°, it can be confirmed that DSa (△Sa) and DSi (△Si) for each sample are displayed, and it can be confirmed that the colors of samples that were judged to be failed (Fail) and samples that were judged to be passed (Pass) are displayed differently. Since the description of Fig. 4d, which shows the judgment results at a particle measurement angle of 45°, is the same / similar to Fig. 4c, redundant description will be omitted.

[0175] According to a metallic color mixing method according to an embodiment disclosed in this document, target color information and target particle information can be acquired online without securing an actual sample for the target object. In addition, based on a color difference formula and particle difference formula that are highly correlated with the naked eye, it is determined whether the mixing color information and the mixing particle information are similar to the target color information and the target particle information, thereby enabling judgment at the same / similar level as an expert. Accordingly, the determined optimal mixing information can be quickly transmitted online to a user terminal, thereby enabling refinishing (refinishing, etc.) to be quickly performed on the user's target object (e.g., a vehicle) without being restricted by the physical distance between the user and the color mixer.

[0176] Although all components constituting the embodiments disclosed in this document have been described as being combined or operating in combination as one, the embodiments disclosed in this document are not necessarily limited to such embodiments. That is, within the scope of the purpose of the embodiments disclosed in this document, all of the components may be selectively combined and operated one or more times.

[0177] In addition, terms such as "include," "comprise," or "have" described above, unless specifically stated otherwise, mean that the corresponding component can be included, and therefore should be interpreted to include other components rather than excluding other components. All terms, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments disclosed in this document belong, unless otherwise defined. Commonly used terms, such as terms defined in a dictionary, should be interpreted to be consistent with the contextual meaning of the relevant technology, and shall not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense, unless explicitly defined in this document.

[0178] The above description is merely an example of the technical idea disclosed in this document, and those skilled in the art to which the embodiments disclosed in this document pertain may make various modifications and variations without departing from the essential characteristics of the embodiments disclosed in this document. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in this document are not intended to limit the technical idea of ​​the embodiments disclosed in this document, but to explain it, and the scope of the technical idea disclosed in this document is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the technical idea disclosed in this document should be interpreted by the claims below, and all technical ideas within a scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as being included in the scope of rights of this document.

Claims

1. A step of obtaining target color information and target particle information of a target object; A step of generating at least one mixing information based on the target color information and the target particle information; A step of comparing each of the mixing color information and the mixing particle information corresponding to the above mixing information with each of the target color information and the target particle information; and A step of determining optimal mixing information based on a result of comparing each of the mixing color information and the mixing particle information with each of the target color information and the target particle information; A method of mixing metallic colors, comprising:

2. In paragraph 1, In the step of determining the above optimal mixing information, A metallic color mixing method, characterized in that when a color difference value between specific mixing color information corresponding to specific mixing information among the above mixing information and the target color information is within a critical color difference range, and a particle difference value between specific mixing particle information corresponding to the specific mixing information and the target particle information is within a critical particle difference range, the specific mixing information is determined as the optimal mixing information.

3. In paragraph 2, A metallic color mixing method, characterized in that the target color information includes first target color information to n-th target color information at a first color measurement angle to an n-th color measurement angle, the target particle information includes first target particle information to m-th target particle information at a first particle measurement angle to an m-th particle measurement angle, the blending color information includes first blending color information to n-th blending color information at the first color measurement angle to the n-th color measurement angle, and the blending particle information includes first blending particle information to m-th blending particle information at the first particle measurement angle to the m-th particle measurement angle.

4. In paragraph 3, In the step of determining the above optimal mixing information, (i) a color difference value between the first specific blending color information to the n-th specific blending color information at the first color measurement angle to the n-th color measurement angle of the specific blending information, and the first target color information to the n-th target color information is within the critical color difference range, and (ii) a particle difference value between the first specific blending particle information to the m-th specific blending particle information at the first particle measurement angle to the m-th particle measurement angle of the specific blending information, and the first target particle information to the m-th target particle information is within the critical particle difference range, a metallic color mixing method, characterized in that the specific blending information is determined as the optimal blending information.

5. In paragraph 2, A metallic color mixing method, characterized in that the color difference value is calculated based on brightness information (lightness), saturation information (chroma) and color information (hue) of each of the specific mixing color information and the target color information, and the particle difference value is calculated based on particle intensity information (sparkle intensity) and particle frequency information (sparkle area) of each of the specific mixing particle information and the target particle information.

6. In paragraph 1, The step of determining the above optimal mixing information is: A step of generating at least one piece of modified mixing information based on the target color information and the target particle information, when the color difference value between the mixing color information and the target color information is outside a critical color difference range, or when the particle difference value between the mixing particle information and the target particle information is outside a critical particle difference range; A step of comparing each of the modified mixing color information and the modified mixing particle information corresponding to the above modified mixing information with each of the target color information and the target particle information; and A metallic color mixing method, characterized by including a step of determining optimal mixing information based on a result of comparing each of the modified mixing color information and the modified mixing particle information with each of the target color information and the target particle information.

7. In paragraph 1, After the step of determining the above optimal mixing information, A metallic color mixing method, characterized in that it further comprises a step of providing the above optimal mixing information to a user terminal.

8. An acquisition unit that acquires target color information and target particle information of a target object; A generation unit that generates at least one combination information based on the target color information and the target particle information; A comparison unit that compares each of the mixing color information and the mixing particle information corresponding to the above mixing information with each of the target color information and the target particle information; and A decision unit that determines optimal mixing information based on the results of comparing each of the mixing color information and the mixing particle information with each of the target color information and the target particle information; A metallic color mixing device comprising:

9. In paragraph 8, A metallic color mixing device, characterized in that the above-mentioned determining unit determines the specific mixing information as the optimal mixing information when the color difference value between the specific mixing color information corresponding to the specific mixing information among the mixing information and the target color information is within a critical color difference range, and the particle difference value between the specific mixing particle information corresponding to the specific mixing information and the target particle information is within a critical particle difference range.

10. In paragraph 9, A metallic color mixing device, characterized in that the target color information includes first target color information to n-th target color information at a first color measurement angle to an n-th color measurement angle, the target particle information includes first target particle information to m-th target particle information at a first particle measurement angle to an m-th particle measurement angle, the blending color information includes first blending color information to n-th blending color information at the first color measurement angle to the n-th color measurement angle, and the blending particle information includes first blending particle information to m-th blending particle information at the first particle measurement angle to the m-th particle measurement angle.

11. In paragraph 10, A metallic color mixing device, characterized in that the determining unit determines the specific mixing information as the optimal mixing information when (i) the color difference value between the first specific mixing color information to the n-th specific mixing color information at the first color measurement angle to the n-th color measurement angle of the specific mixing information, and the first target color information to the n-th target color information is within the critical color difference range, and (ii) the particle difference value between the first specific mixing particle information to the m-th specific mixing particle information at the first particle measurement angle to the m-th particle measurement angle of the specific mixing information, and the first target particle information to the m-th target particle information is within the critical particle difference range.

12. In paragraph 9, A metallic color mixing device, characterized in that the color difference value is calculated based on brightness information (lightness), saturation information (chroma) and color information (hue) of each of the specific mixing color information and the target color information, and the particle difference value is calculated based on particle intensity information (sparkle intensity) and particle frequency information (sparkle area) of each of the specific mixing particle information and the target particle information.

13. In paragraph 8, The above generation unit generates at least one modified mixing information based on the target color information and the target particle information when the color difference value between the mixing color information and the target color information is outside the critical color difference range or the particle difference value between the mixing particle information and the target particle information is outside the critical particle difference range. The above comparison unit compares each of the modified mixing color information and the modified mixing particle information corresponding to the modified mixing information with each of the target color information and the target particle information, A metallic color mixing device, characterized in that the above-mentioned determining unit determines optimal mixing information based on the results of comparing the modified mixing color information and the modified mixing particle information with the target color information and the target particle information, respectively.

14. In paragraph 8, A metallic color mixing device further comprising a communication unit that provides the above optimal mixing information to a user terminal.

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