Color selection system based on color emotion and color harmony

• US 8,427,498 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2008
• Issued: 04/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Columbia Insurance Company (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Benjamin Moore & Company (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ou, Li-Chen, Luo, Ming Ronnier, Chong, Patrick Tak-Fu, Minchew, Carl
• Primary Examiner(s): Hajnik, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, ANH TUAN V
• Application Number:
  US12/668,324
• Publication Number:
  US 20100194775A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,748 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/594
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/46 Measurement of colour; Colour measuring devices, e.g. colorimeters measuring colour temperature G01J5/60
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/462 Computing operations in or between colour spaces; Colour management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/526 for choosing a combination of different colours, e.g. to produce a pleasing effect for an observer

Abstract

Color selection and display methods and devices in which colors can be displayed according to color harmony and color emotion and feedback obtained on color emotion and color harmony evoked by selected color and/or color combinations.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for selecting colors comprising:

associating, in dependence on a mathematical equation derived from measuring psychophysical responses of a plurality of test subjects to a first plurality of test colors, a color score with each of a second plurality of colors that are numerically defined in a color library;

displaying on a visual user interface a combination of at least three colors from the color library;

displaying on the visual user interface a combined color score for said color combination;

wherein the combined color score is calculated using a controller as follows;

(a) calculating for each unique pair of the color combination that are adjacent to each other an adjacent pair color score using a first equation in dependence on the color score of each color in the adjacent pair;

(b) calculating for each unique pair of the color combination that are non-adjacent to each other a non-adjacent pair color score using a second equation in dependence of the color score of each color in the non-adjacent pair;

(c) wherein the combined color score =1/n·

(Σ

adjacent pair color score(s)+Σ

non-adjacent pair color score(s)), where n is the total number of unique adjacent and non-adjacent pairs in the color combination.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the color score comprises color emotion scores of the colors in said color combination.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the color emotion scores comprise inviting-uninviting scores.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the inviting-uninviting scores are calculated according to the equation:

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said first equation for the adjacent pair is:

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said second equation for the non-adjacent pair is:

Inviting_N=−

0.16+0.41 I_C.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the color score comprises second color emotion scores for the colors in said color combination.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of displaying the second color emotion scores comprising at least one of exciting-calming, warm-cool, light-dark, clean-dirty, happy-sad, or fun-serious color emotion score.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the second color emotion scores are calculated according to one of the following equations:

10. The method of claim 7, wherein a second combined color score for the second color emotion scores for a single color emotion is a mean of all the second color emotion scores for said single color emotion in said color combination.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the colors are numerically defined in the color library using CIELAB values and the color score for each of the colors comprises a color emotion score pre-stored in the library.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the color emotion score associated with each color represents a value on an exciting-calming emotion pairing, and the mathematical equation for modeling the emotional response uses the CIELAB color coordinates L* a* and b* as inputs.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the color emotion score associated with each color is determined by the equation:

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the color score comprises a color harmony score between two colors in said color combination.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said first equation for the adjacent pair is:

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said second equation for the non-adjacent pair is:

17. A method for organizing a color library comprising a plurality of colors, said method comprises the steps of:

calculating, using a controller, a color emotion score for each color in the color library according to a mathematical equation derived from measuring psychophysical responses of a plurality of test subjects to a plurality of test colors;

wherein the color emotion score comprises at least one of exciting-calming, warm-cool, light-dark, clean-dirty, happy-sad, fun-serious, or inviting-uninviting color emotion, wherein the color emotion score for warm-cool is calculated by the equation;

Warm=0.02+0.12(C*_ab)^0.6 cos(h_ab−

45°

)−

(1.5×

10<sup>−

8</sup>)(L*)^3.9, where C*_ab, h_ab and

L* represent CIELAB chroma, hue angle and lightness, respectively;

grouping the colors in the color library into N groups of colors according to the color emotion scores for the colors, where N is a positive integer; and

displaying the colors from at least one group on a visual user interface in dependence on a user input.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the exciting-calming, light-dark, clean-dirty, happy-sad, fun-serious, or inviting-uninviting color emotion is calculated according to the following equations:

19. The method of claim 17 comprising:

receiving from a user input at least one selected color from said at least one group in the color library at least one color; and

displaying the selected at least one color.

20. The method of claim 19 comprising:

displaying in the visual user interface a color emotion score for the at least one selected color.

21. The method of claim 20 including receiving at least two additional selected colors and displaying in the visual user interface a combined emotion score for the selected colors.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein a combined color emotion score for the at least three selected colors is calculated in dependence on the relative locations of whether the selected colors are adjacent or non-adjacent to each other.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein a combined color emotion score for the at least three selected colors is calculated in by averaging color emotion scores for each of the selected colors.

24. The method of claim 17 wherein the colors in the at least one group are arranged in an array organized by color depth along one axis and by hue along another axis.

25. The method of claim 17 comprising:

receiving user inputs selecting at least two colors from said at least one group in the color library; and

displaying in the visual user interface a color harmony score for the selected colors, wherein the color harmony score is determined in dependence on a mathematical color harmony equation that models a human perception of color harmony.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the mathematical color harmony equation is derived from measuring the psychophysical responses of a plurality of test subjects to a plurality of test colors.

27. The method of claim 17 including receiving user inputs selecting at least three colors from said at least one group in the color library;

and

displaying in the visual user interface a combined color harmony score for the selected colors, wherein the combined color harmony score is determined in dependence on (a) a mathematical color harmony equation that models a human perception of color harmony and (b) a relative position of the colors to each other.

28. A computer implemented color selection method, comprising:

providing a color library comprising a plurality of colors;

receiving user input identifying a desired color emotion threshold based on human psychophysical perception, wherein the color emotion threshold comprises a color emotion score in at least one of exciting-calming, warm-cool, light-dark, clean-dirty, happy-sad, fun-serious, or inviting-uninviting color emotion, wherein the color emotion score for warm-cool is calculated by the equation;

Warm=0.02+0.12(C*_ab)^0.6 cos(h_ab−

45°

)−

(1.5×

10<sup>−

8</sup>)(L*)^3.9, where C*_ab, h_ab and

L* represent CIELAB chroma, hue angle and lightness, respectively;

receiving user input identifying a desired color harmony threshold based on human psychophysical perception;

filtering, using a controller without consideration of a user-chosen reference color, in dependence on a first mathematical model that models the first human psychophysical emotion, and on a color harmony mathematical model based on human psychophysical harmony, the plurality of colors in the color library to one or more colors that would achieve the desired color emotion threshold and the desired color harmony threshold; and

displaying said one or more colors on a visual user interface.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the exciting-calming, light-dark, clean-dirty, happy-sad, fun-serious, or inviting-uninviting color emotions are calculated according to the following equations:

30. The method of claim 28 comprising displaying in the visual interface the received color emotion threshold.

31. The method of claim 28 wherein the received color emotion threshold is selected from a plurality of discrete selectable levels.

32. The method of claim 28 wherein the desired harmony threshold is determined in dependence on a mathematical equation that models a human perception of color harmony