Color Measurement Instrument Dynamic Calibration via User Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Color measurement instruments, such as colorimeters and spectrophotometers, are typically calibrated in-factory and lack the ability to adapt to in-field variations, leading to potential inaccuracies in color readings over time.
Innovation Solution
A method is introduced where user-made color selections are collected and stored in a network database, allowing manufacturers to calculate calibration adjustments based on these selections, which are then sent back to the instruments as firmware updates to improve measurement accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If color measurement instruments are calibrated in-factory with fixed transforms, then manufacturing precision is improved, but adaptability to in-field variations deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic calibration by allowing the transform to be updated from a fixed factory setting to an adaptive structure that incorporates user feedback. The system dynamically adjusts the transform parameters based on color selections made by users in different field conditions, enabling the instrument to adapt to variations in lighting, environment, and usage patterns while maintaining the initial manufacturing precision as a baseline.
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes a feedback loop where user color selections are collected, processed to generate transform adjustments, and sent back to update the instrument's calibration. This feedback mechanism allows the instrument to learn from actual usage and continuously improve its measurement accuracy in real-world conditions, resolving the contradiction between fixed factory calibration and field adaptability.
2Device complexity
If factory calibration is used without updates, then device complexity is minimized, but measurement precision deteriorates over time
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service calibration where the instrument automatically collects user feedback, processes it through the server, and applies updates without requiring manual intervention or complex calibration procedures. This maintains simplicity for the end user while improving measurement precision through automated adaptability to field conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The manufacturer performs preliminary calibration in the factory and prepares the framework for future updates. The system is pre-configured to collect user feedback and process transform adjustments, so that when field variations occur, the instrument can automatically adapt without requiring complex on-site calibration procedures.
3Measurement precision
If user feedback is collected and processed, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the calibration system into distinct functional modules: the color measurement instrument that collects data, the server that processes feedback and generates adjustments, and the firmware update mechanism that applies changes. This segmentation allows each component to remain relatively simple while the overall system achieves high measurement precision through coordinated operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The server acts as an intermediary between the user feedback and the instrument calibration. It receives color selections, processes them to generate transform adjustments, and sends updates back to the instrument. This intermediary approach centralizes the complexity of feedback processing while keeping the instrument itself relatively simple.
Data Source
AI summary
In one example, an initial transform is stored for converting wavelength channel responses of a color measurement instrument to color readings. The initial transform is set in-factory by a manufacturer of the color measurement device. A color selection of a sample is subsequently retrieved from a database, where the color selection was made by an end user in response to a color reading by the color measurement instrument using the initial transform. An adjustment to the initial transform is calculated using the color selection. The adjustment is then sent to the color measurement instrument for use in making future color measurements.