Mobile Device Color Lookup via Camera and LED Flashlight
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing color matching systems require a colorimeter for accurate color identification, which may not be convenient for users to carry or use in all situations, and existing mobile device-based systems lack the capability to perform independent color lookup with high accuracy.
Innovation Solution
A method using a mobile device's integrated camera and LED flashlight to capture images of a target color, processing the images to estimate color values in a human-perceptible color space, and searching a color library for a match, allowing for accurate color matching without the need for a separate colorimeter.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a colorimeter is used for accurate color identification, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate due to requiring additional equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the color measurement functionality with the mobile device's existing camera and LED flashlight, merging multiple functions into a single integrated system. The camera captures images while the LED provides illumination, eliminating the need for separate colorimeter equipment and improving user convenience while maintaining measurement capability
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile device's camera is made multi-functional by using it for both general photography and color measurement tasks. The same camera hardware serves dual purposes, and through image processing algorithms, it achieves color identification functionality without requiring specialized equipment
2Measurement precision
If a colorimeter is used for accurate color identification, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity worsens due to additional equipment requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges color measurement functionality with the mobile device's existing camera and LED components, combining multiple functions into one integrated system. This eliminates the need for separate colorimeter equipment and reduces overall system complexity while maintaining measurement capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the mobile device's camera to capture optical information that copies the color properties of the target object. Through image processing, the system creates a digital representation of the color without needing physical colorimeter sensors, simplifying the hardware requirements
3Ease of operation
If mobile device camera is used for color lookup, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to lack of specialized color sensing capability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary processing system that bridges the gap between the camera's basic color capture and accurate color identification. Image processing algorithms and color space transformations act as intermediaries to convert raw camera data into precise color measurements, enabling the mobile device to achieve color identification accuracy comparable to specialized equipment
Solution Approach 2:
The system transforms color information from the camera's native color space to standardized color spaces through mathematical parameter changes. This allows the mobile device to convert its color data into a form that can be accurately compared against color libraries, improving measurement precision while maintaining ease of operation
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables accurate and independent color lookup on a mobile device, allowing for precise color matching in various situations without the need for additional equipment, ensuring consistent color reproduction across different applications.
Implementation Method 1
acquiring an image of an object of a target color, wherein the image was captured by an integrated digital camera of the mobile device
Data Source
AI summary
A processing system of a mobile device acquires an image of an object of a target color, wherein the image was captured by an integrated digital camera of the mobile device, calculates a first plurality of values that describes the target color, and wherein the calculating is based on an analysis of a pixel of the image, and identifies a first candidate color from among a plurality of candidate colors, wherein each candidate color in the plurality of candidate colors is associated with a second set of values that describes the each candidate color, and wherein the second set of values describing the first candidate color matches the first set of values more closely than any second set of values associated with another candidate color of the plurality of candidate colors.