Computer color matching method of paint and preparing method of paint using the same method

• US 6,744,513 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2002
• Issued: 06/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nisshinbo Industries, Inc. (Kawasaki Heavy Industries Limited), Nippon Paint Company Limited (Rainbow Light Limited)
• Original Assignee: Nisshinbo Industries, Inc. (Kawasaki Heavy Industries Limited), Nippon Paint Company Limited (Rainbow Light Limited)
• Inventors: Kubo, Nobuaki, Fukuda, Masayuki, Osumi, Masayuki, Ito, Mitsuaki, Ishikawa, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Evans, F. L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): GEISEL, KARA E
• Application Number:
  US10/059,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20020149770A1
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• Field of Search: 356/402, 356/405, 356/408
• US Class Current: 356/402
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0251 Colorimeters making use of an integrating sphere
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/46 Measurement of colour; Colour measuring devices, e.g. colorimeters measuring colour temperature G01J5/60
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/463 Colour matching
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/504 Goniometric colour measurements, for example measurements of metallic or flake based paints

Abstract

A computer color matching method of paint for measuring a proper formulation of colorants for obtaining a target color or color and luster, or a proper formulation of colorants and luster color materials, directly in a liquid state of paint, without preparing painted panels from adjusted paint, and calculating the adjusted blending ratio easily and accurately, and a paint manufacturing method by using this method.

Claims

1. A computer color matching method of paint, being a toning method of determining a blending ratio of colorants and luster color materials conforming to a target color by computation, when color matching a metallic and pearlescent paint composed of plural colorants and luster color materials, said method comprising the steps of:

preliminary measuring the color of a paint, as liquid varied in a volume formulation ratio of usable colorants, and luster color materials as a spectral reflectance by a paint color measuring means;

storing the preliminary measured data in a memory of a computer;

adjusting a color of each one of two or more paints in the blending ratio for realizing a target color which is measured by the paint color measuring means when color matching a metallic and pearlescent paint without preparing painted panels;

predicting and computing a colorimetric value of reproduced color by using the measured data and the preliminary measured data by considering a change in the colorimetric value due to differences in the blending ratio of colorants and luster color materials; and

determining an appropriate blending ratio of colorants and luster color materials by computation.

2. The computer color matching method of paint of claim 1, wherein data of colorimetric values and blending ratio of paint composed of plural colorants and luster color materials in metallic and pearlescent paint is stored in the computer memory when predicting and computing the reproduced color by using a spectral reflectance measured in the method claim 1, and a difference from the colorimetric value predicted by the computing method in claim 1 is adjusted, and fuzzy inference is employed in a means for enhancing the color matching precision.

3. The computer color matching method of paint of claim 1, wherein a colorimetric means of paint supplies the paint continuously to a measuring position, and an illumination light is entitled and reflected to the paint supplied in the position, and the reflected light is examined by spectral analysis.

4. The computer color matching method of paint of claim 1, wherein a colorimetric means of paint supplies the paint continuously to a measuring position, and an illumination light is emitted and reflected to the paint supplied in the position, and the reflected light is examined by spectral analysis.

5. A preparing method of paint for preparing a paint of a target color by applying the color matching method of claim 1 in a manufacturing process of paint, wherein the computer judges if the colorimetric value is within a preset allowable range or not, and the manufacturing process of the target color paint is managed on the basis of this judgment.

6. The preparing method of paint for preparing a paint of a target color by applying the color matching method of claim 2 in a manufacturing process of paint, wherein the computer judges if the colorimetric value is within a preset allowable range or not, and the manufacturing process of the target color paint is managed on the basis of this judgment.

7. The preparing method of paint for preparing a paint of a target color by applying the color matching method of claim 3 in a manufacturing process of paint, wherein the computer judges if the colorimetric value is within a preset allowable range or not, and the manufacturing process of the target color paint is managed on the basis of this judgment.

8. The preparing method of paint for preparing a paint of a target color by applying the color matching method of claim 4 in a manufacturing process of paint, wherein the computer judges if the colorimetric value is within a preset allowable range or not, and the manufacturing process of the target color paint is managed on the basis of this judgment.

9. A computer color matching method of paint, being a color matching method of determining a blending ratio of colorants conforming to a target color by computation, when color matching a solid color paint composed of plural colorants, said method comprising the steps of:

preliminary measuring the color of a paint, as liquid varied in the blending ratio of usable colorants, as a spectral reflectance by a paint color measuring means;

storing the preliminary measured data in a memory of a computer;

adjusting a color of each one of two or more paints in the blending ratio for realizing a target color, which is measured by the paint color measuring means when color matching a solid color paint without preparing painted panels;

predicting and computing a colorimetric value of reproduced color by using the measured data and the preliminary measured data and by considering a change in a colorimetric value due to difference in blending ratio of colorants; and

determining an appropriate blending ratio of colorants by computation.

10. The computer color matching method of paint of claim 9, wherein data of colorimetric values and blending ratio of paint composed of plural colorants in solid color paint is stored in the computer memory when predicting and computing the reproduced color by using the a spectral reflectance measured in the method of claim 9, and a difference from the colorimetric value predicted by the computing method in claim 9 is adjusted, and fuzzy inference is employed in a means for enhancing the color matching precision.

11. The computer color matching method of paint of claim 9, wherein a colorimetric means of paint supplies the paint continuously to a measuring position, and an illumination light is emitted and reflected to the paint supplied in the position, and the reflected light is examined by spectral analysis.

12. The computer color matching method of paint of claim 10, wherein a colorimetric means of paint supplies the paint continuously to a measuring position, and an illumination light is emitted and reflected to the paint supplied in the positions, and the reflected light is examined by spectral analysis.

13. The preparing method of paint for preparing a paint of a target color by applying the color matching method of claim 9 in a manufacturing process of paint, wherein the computer judges if the colorimetric value is within a preset allowable range or not, and the manufacturing process of the target color paint is managed on the basis of this judgment.

14. The preparing method of paint for preparing a paint of a target color by applying the color matching method of claim 10 in a manufacturing process of paint, wherein the computer judges if the colorimetric value is within a preset allowable range or not, and the manufacturing process of the target color paint is managed on the basis of this judgment.

15. The preparing method of paint for preparing a paint of a target color by applying the color matching method of claim 11 in a manufacturing process of paint, wherein the computer judges if the colorimetric value is within a preset allowable range or not, and the manufacturing process of the target color paint is managed on the basis of this judgment.

16. The preparing method of paint for preparing a paint of a target color by applying the color matching method of claim 12 in a manufacturing process of paint, wherein the computer judges if the colorimetric value is within a preset allowable range or not, and the manufacturing process of the target color paint is managed on the basis of this judgment.