Apparatus and method for angular colorimetry

US7548317B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• AGC FLAT GLASS NORTH AMERICA, INC. · US

Inventors

• Peter A. Sieck · Santa Rosa, US
• Joe Earle Guthrie · Sonoma, US
• Peter Maschwitz · Sebastopol, US
• Clive Burton · Novato, US
• Vanhlacky Lucky Singhavara · Abdulrahman Khaleefah Street, US
• Bryan Richard Marshall · Abdulrahman Khaleefah Street, US

Key dates

• Filing date: May 5, 2006
• Grant date: Jun 16, 2009
• Expiry date: Nov 28, 2026

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01N2021/8427
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An apparatus for measuring the reflectance properties of an object having a front reflecting surface and at least one back reflecting surface. The apparatus includes a sample stage for placement of the object, a light source, a detector configured to detect reflected light from the object, and a positioning device configured to provide a plurality of angular positions for the light source and the detector relative to the object on the sample stage such that incident light on the object is specularly reflected towards the detector and the reflected light received at the detector includes a front surface reflection from the object and at least one back surface reflection from the object. The method includes illuminating the object at varying angles of incidence, collecting reflected light from the front and back reflecting surfaces of the object at respective specularly reflected angles, wavelength resolving the reflected light into a color spectrum, and analyzing an intensity of the color spectrum as a function of wavelength.