Automated Gloss Scoring via Image Processing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing technologies lack an efficient method to score the glossiness of object finishes, such as vehicle paint, which changes over time due to factors like abrasion and sunlight.

Innovation Solution

A gloss scoring system that uses a camera to capture images of an object's surface, processes the images through modules for scaling, blurring, edge detection, and histogram analysis to determine a gloss score based on stored representations and associated scores.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If traditional manual methods are used to assess glossiness, then measurement precision may be adequate, but productivity is low and loss of time is high

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegloss assessment efficiencyVSAvoidglossiness measurement accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces manual visual inspection and mechanical gloss meters with an automated computer vision system using cameras and image processing algorithms. The system captures images of the object surface, extracts features related to light reflection patterns, and automatically determines gloss scores, eliminating the need for manual assessment while maintaining or improving measurement precision through consistent algorithmic evaluation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates digital copies (images) of the object surface and analyzes these copies to determine glossiness. By working with image representations rather than directly measuring the physical surface, the system enables rapid, automated assessment without contact with the object, significantly improving productivity while preserving measurement accuracy through sophisticated image analysis techniques.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Measurement precision

If detailed image processing is performed to improve gloss measurement accuracy, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity and computational requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegloss score accuracyVSAvoidimage processing system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts only the specific image features that are relevant to gloss measurement, such as reflection patterns and intensity distributions, rather than analyzing all image data. This selective extraction of critical features maintains measurement precision while reducing computational complexity by focusing processing resources on the most informative aspects of the image data.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The image processing is divided into distinct stages: image capture, preprocessing, feature extraction, and gloss score calculation. Each stage handles specific tasks independently, which simplifies the overall system design and reduces computational complexity by breaking down the complex analysis into manageable, modular components that can be processed sequentially.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS20250037266A1Object finish gloss scoring systems and methods

Publication Date: 2025.01.30 LAKE COUNTRY MANUFACTURING INC

AI summary

A gloss scoring system includes: a camera configured to capture an image of a surface of an object; a gloss score module configured to determine a gloss score value corresponding to a glossiness of the surface of the object based on: a representation of the image; stored representations of images stored in memory; and stored gloss value scores associated with the stored representations, respectively; and a display control module configured to display on a display the image and the gloss score value corresponding to the glossiness of the surface of the object.