COLOR MEASUREMENT DEVICE

• US 20110075146A1
• Filed: 09/29/2009
• Published: 03/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Picciotto, Carl E., Gottwals, Melanie M., Trovinger, Steven W., Moroney, Nathan, DiCarlo, Jeffrey M., Montgomery, Glen E., Bhachech, Miheer
• Application Number:
  US12/569,226
• Publication Number:
  US 20110075146A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/402
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0208 using focussing or collimating elements, e.g. lenses or mirrors; performing aberration correction
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0264 Electrical interface; User interface
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0272 Handheld
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0283 using a charging unit
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/50 using electric radiation detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/501 Colorimeters using spectrally-selective light sources, e.g. LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/524 Calibration of colorimeters

Abstract

A device includes a housing; a color sensor within a first end of the housing, the color sensor configured to sense a color of a sample when the color sensor is placed proximate the sample; and a display within the housing, the display configured to display the color of the sample sensed by the color sensor.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a housing;

a color sensor within a first end of the housing, the color sensor configured to sense a color of a sample when the color sensor is placed proximate the sample; and

a display within the housing, the display configured to display the color of the sample sensed by the color sensor.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a power source within the housing, the power source configured to provide power to the color sensor and to the display.

3. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a processor within the housing, the processor configured to control the color sensor and the display.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

an interface within the housing, the interface configured for communicating with another device.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the interface comprises a wireless interface configured for wirelessly communicating with another device.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the wireless interface comprises a Bluetooth transceiver.

7. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a trigger configured to activate the color sensor when the trigger is activated.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the trigger comprises one of a push button, an externally provided pulse, a force feedback tip, a voice command, and a slide switch.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the color sensor comprises a plurality of LEDs at different wavelengths and a diffuse sensor for sensing the color of the sample.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the display is within a second end of the housing opposite the first end.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the display comprises an LED display.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the color sensor comprises a self calibrating color sensor.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the color sensor comprises a height/distance detecting ability.

14. A color measurement device comprising:

an elongated cylindrically-shaped housing;

a color sensor within a first end of the housing, the color sensor configured to sense a color of a sample;

a color LED display within a second end of the housing opposite the first end, the color LED display configured to indicate the color of the sample sensed by the color sensor;

a Bluetooth transceiver within the housing, the Bluetooth transceiver configured to communicate the color sensed by the color sensor to another device;

a processor within the housing, the processor configured to control the color sensor, the color LED display, and the Bluetooth transceiver; and

a power source within the housing, the power source configured to provide power to the color sensor, the color LED display, the Bluetooth transceiver, and the processor.

15. The device of claim 14, further comprising:

a force feedback tip at the first end of the housing, the force feedback tip configured to activate the color sensor when the force feedback tip is applied to the sample.

16. A method for measuring color, the method comprising:

positioning a color sensor within a first end of an elongated cylindrically-shaped housing proximate a sample;

sensing a color of the sample with the color sensor; and

indicating the color of the sample on an LED display within the housing.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

wirelessly transmitting the color of the sample to another device with a wireless interface within the housing.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein wirelessly transmitting the color of the sample comprises wirelessly transmitting the color of the sample via a Bluetooth transceiver.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

activating the color sensor when a force feedback tip at the first end of the housing contacts the sample.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein sensing the color of the sample comprises sensing the color of the sample using a plurality of LEDs at different wavelengths and a diffuse sensor.