Color capture system and device

• US 10,575,623 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2018
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sephora USA Incorporated (Christian Dior SE)
• Original Assignee: Sephora USA Incorporated (Christian Dior SE)
• Inventors: Nichol, Jamie G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hu, Rui M
• Application Number:
  US16/023,854
• Publication Number:
  US 20200000206A1
• Time in Patent Office: 613 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411- 413
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 2044/007 Devices for determining the condition of hair or skin or for selecting the appropriate cosmetic or hair treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 44/005 for selecting or displaying personal cosmetic colours or hairstyle
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/08 Arrangements of light sources specially adapted for photometry standard sources, also using luminescent or radioactive material
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/46 using a capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2001/4406 Plural ranges in circuit, e.g. switchable ranges; Adjusting sensitivity selecting gain values
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2001/446 Photodiode
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2001/4473 Phototransistor
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0272 Handheld
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0291 Housings; Spectrometer accessories; Spatial arrangement of elements, e.g. folded path arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/501 Colorimeters using spectrally-selective light sources, e.g. LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/02 Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/20 Controlling the colour of the light
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/16 by timing means
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments provide a simple, inexpensive, and easy-to-operate color capture device that can capture color information and transmit the captured color information to an interface device such as smartphone, where the captured color information is optionally processed and is then transmitted to a remote server for subsequent production of the customized cosmetic.

Claims

1. A color capture device for use in characterizing color of a surface, the color capture device comprising:

at least one LED capable of selectively producing red light, green light, and blue light;

a light sensor circuit;

a loop antenna; and

a microcontroller having a timer circuit, the microcontroller comprising stored computer program instructions that, when executed on the microcontroller, causes the microcontroller to implement computer processes for a color capture sequence, the computer processes comprising;

controlling at least one output pin on the microcontroller to produce the blue light from the at least one LED to illuminate the surface with the blue light;

using the light sensor circuit and the timer circuit to take a blue light intensity measurement of the blue light reflected off of the surface with the blue light on including by measuring an amount of time for cumulative blue light intensity to reach a predetermined blue light level;

controlling at least one output pin on the microcontroller to produce the green light from the at least one LED to illuminate the surface with the green light;

using the light sensor circuit and the timer circuit to take a green light intensity measurement of the green light reflected off of the surface with the green light on including by measuring an amount of time for cumulative green light intensity to reach a predetermined green light level;

controlling at least one output pin on the microcontroller to produce the red light from the at least one LED to illuminate the surface with the red light;

using the light sensor circuit and the timer circuit to take a red light intensity measurement of the red light reflected off of the surface with the red light on including by measuring an amount of time for cumulative red light intensity to reach a predetermined red light level;

formatting a message including color measurement information derived from the light intensity measurements; and

controlling at least one output pin on the microcontroller to transmit the message electromagnetically using the loop antenna.

2. The color capture device of claim 1, wherein the at least one LED includes separate red, green, and blue LEDs.

3. The color capture device of claim 2, further comprising:

a first resistor coupled to the blue LED;

a second resistor coupled to the green LED; and

a third resistor coupled to the red LED, wherein the resistors are selected so that the LEDs have substantially equal intensities.

4. The color capture device of claim 1, wherein the at least one LED includes a three-color red-green-blue LED.

5. The color capture device of claim 1, wherein using the light sensor circuit and the timer circuit to take a light intensity measurement comprises:

measuring the light intensity after a predetermined amount of time.

6. The color capture device of claim 1, wherein controlling at least one output pin on the microcontroller to transmit the message electromagnetically using the loop antenna comprises:

controlling the at least one output pin to produce binary transmission signals.

7. The color capture device of claim 1, wherein controlling the at least one output pin to produce binary transmission signals comprises:

controlling the at least one output pin to produce a positive current in the loop antenna to transmit a first transmission state; and

controlling the at least one output pin to produce a negative current in the loop antenna to transmit a second transmission state.

8. The color capture device of claim 1, wherein controlling at least one output pin on the microcontroller to transmit the message electromagnetically using the loop antenna comprises:

controlling the at least one output pin to produce trinary transmission signals.

9. The color capture device of claim 1, wherein the light sensor circuit includes a phototransistor.

10. The color capture device of claim 1, wherein the light sensor circuit includes a photodiode.

11. The color capture device of claim 1, wherein the light sensor circuit includes a light sensor and a capacitor, the light sensor has an output coupled to charge the capacitor, and the capacitor is coupled to an input pin of the microcontroller.

12. The color capture device of claim 11, wherein using the light sensor circuit and the timer circuit to take a light intensity measurement comprises:

measuring the capacitor charge after a predetermined amount of time.

13. The color capture device of claim 12, further comprising an analog-to-digital converter, wherein measuring the capacitor charge after a predetermined amount of time comprises:

using the analog-to-digital converter to convert the capacitor charge to a digital value.

14. The color capture device of claim 1, wherein the computer processes further comprise:

waiting a predetermined amount of time after taking the light intensity measurements before controlling at least one output pin on the microcontroller to transmit the message electromagnetically using the loop antenna.

15. The color capture device of claim 1, wherein the computer processes further comprise:

using the light sensor circuit to detect a light level below a predetermined threshold before controlling at least one output pin on the microcontroller to transmit the message electromagnetically using the loop antenna.

16. The color capture device of claim 1, wherein the computer processes further comprise:

receiving a user input before controlling at least one output pin on the microcontroller to transmit the message electromagnetically using the loop antenna.

17. The color capture device of claim 1, further comprising a switch having an output coupled to the microcontroller, wherein the computer processes further comprise:

monitoring for user operation of the switch; and

upon detecting user operation of the switch, initiating the color capture sequence.

18. The color capture device of claim 1, further comprising a switch having an output coupled to the microcontroller, wherein the computer processes further comprise:

monitoring for user operation of the switch; and

upon detecting user operation of the switch, controlling at least one output pin on the microcontroller to transmit the message electromagnetically using the loop antenna.

19. A color capture device for use in characterizing color of a surface, the color capture device comprising:

at least one LED capable of selectively producing red light, green light, and blue light;

a light sensor circuit including a light sensor and a capacitor, wherein the light sensor has an output coupled to charge the capacitor and the capacitor is coupled to an input pin of a microcontroller;

a loop antenna; and

the microcontroller having a timer circuit, the microcontroller comprising stored computer program instructions that, when executed on the microcontroller, causes the microcontroller to implement computer processes for a color capture sequence, the computer processes comprising;

controlling at least one output pin on the microcontroller to produce the blue light from the at least one LED to illuminate the surface with the blue light;

using the light sensor circuit and the timer circuit to take a blue light intensity measurement of the blue light reflected off of the surface with the blue light on including by measuring an amount of time for the capacitor charge to reach a predetermined level;

controlling at least one output pin on the microcontroller to produce the green light from the at least one LED to illuminate the surface with the green light;

using the light sensor circuit and the timer circuit to take a green light intensity measurement of the green light reflected off of the surface with the green light on including by measuring an amount of time for the capacitor charge to reach a predetermined level;

controlling at least one output pin on the microcontroller to produce the red light from the at least one LED to illuminate the surface with the red light;

using the light sensor circuit and the timer circuit to take a red light intensity measurement of the red light reflected off of the surface with the red light on including by measuring an amount of time for the capacitor charge to reach a predetermined level;

formatting a message including color measurement information derived from the light intensity measurements; and

controlling at least one output pin on the microcontroller to transmit the message electromagnetically using the loop antenna.