Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
Compact Portable Colour Sensor
[0001] The present application claims priority from US provisional application
62/517328
filed June 9, 2017, under the title: Compact Portable Colour Sensor by Matthew
Sheridan,
Michael Bot, Thomas Langille, James Strack and Dixon Paez and this application
is also a
continuation in part of US application 14/974,040 filed Dec. 18, 2015 under
the title;
Portable Colour Sensor by Matthew Sheridan
Field of the Invention
[0002] The present concept relates to a device for measuring and analysing
colours and
more particularly it relates to small handheld inexpensive colour measuring
device which
can interface via Bluetooth with smartphones and convert the colour readings
into any
number of current colour models, or spaces.
Background of the Invention
[0003] There is a need to quickly and accurately be able to measure colours on
a variety of
different surfaces and convert the colour measurement into a number of
standard colour
spaces.
[0004] There are a number of prior art devices which have attempted to measure
colour
each with shortcomings normally related to accuracy reproducibility,
portability, cost of
manufacture and inability to convert readings into a number of standard colour
spaces used
by different industries.
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Brief Description of the Drawings
[0005] The present will now be describe by way of example only with reference
to the
following drawings in which:
[0006] Figure 1 is an exploded assembly perspective of compact portable
colour
sensor.
[0007] Figure 2 is a side elevation cross-section view of compact
portable colour
sensor.
[0008] Figure 3 is an exploded assembly elevational view of an alternate
embodiment of the COMPACT PORTABLE COLOUR SENSOR
[0009] Figure 4 is an exploded assembly elevational view of an alternate
embodiment of the COMPACT PORTABLE COLOUR SENSOR as shown in Figure 3
[00010] Figure 5 is a schematic exploded assembly perspective view
of the
COMPACT PORTABLE COLOUR SENSOR shown in Figure 3
[00011] Figure 6 is a schematic bottom perspective view of the lower
housing
showing the light cavity
[00012] Figure 7 is a plain view of the bottom side of the printed circuit
board
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[00013]
Figure 8 is a schematic perspective view of the printed circuit board together
with the battery mounted thereon
[00014]
Figure 9 is a partial cross sectional view of the COMPACT PORTABLE
COLOUR SENSOR shown in Figure 3
[00015]
Figure 10 is a top schematic perspective view looking into the lower housing
with the upper housing removed
[00016]
Figure 11 is a schematic cross sectional view of the COMPACT PORTABLE
COLOUR SENSOR shown in Figure 3
[00017]
Figure 12 is a schematic perspective view of a COMPACT PORTABLE
COLOUR SENSOR deployed and communicating with a hand-held device
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments
[00018]
Referring to Figures 1 which shows an exploded assembly perspective
view of the compact portable colour sensor 100 and Figure 2 which shows a side
elevation
cross-section view of the compact portable colour sensor. Compact portable
colour sensor
100 includes a single printed circuit board (PCB) 106, battery 104, micro USB
connector
108, first light pipe 114 and second light pipe 110, lens 112, upper housing
102 and lower
housing 118.
[00019]
First light pipe 114 and second light pipe 110 are mounted into lower
housing 118 in first light pipe receiver 116 and second light pipe receiver
126, respectively.
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Lens 112 is mounted into lens receiver box 122A11 of the internal components
are
sequentially fitted and locked into place wherein the PCB 106 is urged
downwardly into
lower housing 118 thereby pushing downwardly upon the first and second light
pipes 114
and 110 and lens 112, in effect positively holding the components in lower
housing 118
wherein the light pipes 114 and 110, and lens 112 are held in place. Lens
receiver box 122
houses receiving port 150 which receives lens 112.
[00020]
Lower housing 118 also includes a lens dust cover 152, a receiving port
150, light emitting ports 154 and a light cavity 156. Light enters through
light emitting
ports 154 from first light pipe 114 and second light pipe 110.
[00021] The
reader will see that the first flange 162 of first light pipe 114 slideably
engages with first slot 166. Second flange 164 of second light pipe 110
slideably engages
with second slot 168.
[00022] In
this manner first light pipe 114 and second light pipe 110 are slideably
urged into position into the lower housing 118. Dust cover lens 152 is placed
into the
bottom of lens receiver box 122 and optical tube 170 is slideably received
within lens
receiver box 122.
[00023]
Thereafter PCB 108 including micro USB connector 108 is fitted with
locking members 176 fitting into apertures 174 of PCB 106 on top of the light
pipes and
optical tube 170. Upper housing 102 is then fitted with lower housing 118,
sealing the
device and allowing no unintended light to enter the device. Light isolation
walls 120 and
124 prevent light from LEDs 132 from straying out of the light emitting ports
154.
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[00024] The LEDS used have a broad parallel spectrum of visible light such
that all
wavelengths of visible light are emitted by the LEDS 132. In order to ensure
consistency
and reproducibility components having extremely low drift and low temperature
coefficient
variances are utilized throughout the device.
[00025] Readings obtained from the colour sensor are fed through on board
integrated
circuitry processing units which provide a predictable, stable and
reproducible output.
[00026] The unit includes an integral Bluetooth transmission device for
wirelessly
transmitting data 295 to a smartphone 291 or hand held device 291 which
together with a
smartphone application for presenting the data in usable format. Figure 12
shows a hand
293 holding a cellphone 291 and wirelessly communicating with the compact
portable
colour sensor 200.
[00027] It is also possible to communicate through a hardwired mini USB
port 108 to
a laptop or other computer. The device is calibrated through the hardwired
mini USB port
108 prior to the shipping.
[00028] The outputs are converted into usable colour spaces including the
well known
RGB colour space, HSI, colour space, HSV colour space, LAB colour space, XYZ
colour
space and is also converted into HTML, CMYK or Pantone units. The processor
software
application is able to convert to any print system using a delta e calculation
to determine
what available paint is closest (mathematically) to the scanned sample.
[00029] The contact surface 148 is placed against a substrate or surface
to be analysed
for colour such as a painted wall, skin, and a host of other surfaces and
materials.
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[00030] Light emitted from LED's 132 is conducted down first light pipe
114 and
second light pipe 110, exiting into light cavity 156 onto a substrate to be
measured. Some
of the light is reflected back up optical tube receiving port 150 where it is
received by colour
sensor 182 on PCB 106 and a measurement is taken and recorded.
[00031] Compact portable colour sensor 100 has few parts and requires no
glue or
caulking to put together as the pieces are drop-in, sequentially locking the
parts into place
as they are added.
Alternate Embodiment
[00032] Referring now to figures 3 through 12 which depict an alternate
embodiment
of the present concept, namely compact portable colour sensor generally shown
as 200
which includes the following major components, namely, upper housing 202,
lower
housing 208, a first light pipe 210, second light pipe 212, lens 214, detector
portion 209.
[00033] Detector portion 209 includes a printed circuit board 206 having a
top side
234 and a bottom side 236. Battery 204 and USB connector 221 are connected and
housed
on the top side 234 of PC Board 206. First LED 216, second LED 218, as well as
colour
sensor 230 arc mounted on the bottom side 236 of printed circuit board 206
which also
includes a periphery 246. First pipe light 210 includes a first LED cavity 220
a light pipe top
surface 232 a first flange 224 and a transmission face 250. Second light pipe
212 includes
a second LED cavity 222 a second light pipe top surface 234 a second flange
226 and a
transmission face 250.
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[00034] First light pipe 210 and second light pipe 212 as well as lens 214
are made
from translucent materials and preferably are made from plastic translucent
materials
having known optical qualities. Referring now to figures 4&5 which again are
schematic
assembly views of the compact portable colour sensor shown generally as 200 in
figure 3,
the reader will see in figure 5 for example, that the lower housing 208
includes three
locating posts 242 which cooperatively engage into locating holes 254 shown in
figure 8
when printed circuit board 206 is placed into lower housing 208.
[00035] Upper housing 202 includes a top ridge 238 which cooperatively
abuts
against sealing surface 240 which is better viewed in figure 9 in cross
section.
[00036] Lower housing 208 includes a reflected light passageway 270 which
receives
lens 214 therein. Lower housing 208 also includes light pipe ribs 262 having
light pipe
slots 264 which cooperatively receive flanges 224 and 226 therein as first
light pipe 210 and
second light pipe 212 are slid into lower housing 208 together with lens 214.
[00037] Reflected light passageway 270 includes passageway side walls 272
and
lower housing 208 further includes light pipe ribs 262 and light pipe slots
264.
[00038] With printed circuit board 206 in position, namely with locating
posts 242
positioned through locating holes 254 a heat welding process is undertaking
which heat
welds surface 243 of each of the locating posts 242 thereby forcibly clamping
down printed
circuit board 206 onto printed circuit board seat surface 244 of lower housing
208.
[00039] During this seating operation which is essentially a heat welding
operation
wherein a portion of the top weld surface 243 of the locating post 242 is
melted over and
onto printed circuit board 206 in riveting fashion by melting weld surface
243, one rigidly
holds printed circuit board 206 against printed circuit board seat surface 244
but
additionally the bottom side 236 of printed circuit board 206 abuts against
lens top surface
217 light pipe top surface 232 and second light pipe surface 234 thereby
preventing these
components from rattling and or loosening within lower housing 208 and keeping
them
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rigidly and firmly in the position that they are supposed to be in. In other
words, light pipes
210 and 212 and lens 214 are interfringly sandwiched between bottom side 236
of printed
circuit board 246 and the interior 251 portions of lowerhousing 208.
[00040] The reader will also note that first light pipe 210 and second
light pipe 212
include a first LED cavity 220 and a second LED cavity 222 which receives
first LED 216
and second LED 218 therein respectively. It was found unexpectedly that these
LED
cavities 220 and 222 ensure that light emanating from first LED 216 and second
LED 218
are more uniformly and repeatedly transmitted down to transmission face 250 of
each of the
light pipes 210 and 212. Additionally, due to the fact that light pipe top
surface 232 in
regard to first light pipe 210 and second light pipe top surface 234 in regard
to second light
pipe 212 are abutting against the bottom side 236 of printed circuit board 206
means that the
distance between and or the space between first LED 216 and the first LED
cavity 220 and
the second LED 218 and the second LED cavity 222 are kept extremely uniform
and
therefore the light being transmitted through the light pipes remains
consistent and highly
repeatable.
[00041] In order to complete the assembly of the compact portable colour
sensor
upper housing 200 and more specifically the top ridge 238 of upper housing 202
abuts
against the sealing surface 240 of lower housing 208. The upper housing 202
and the lower
housing 208 are ultrasonically welded together such that a continuous seal is
created
between the upper housing 202 and the lower housing 208 such that the upper
and lower
housings 202 and 208 cannot be taken apart. This also aids in the calibration
and the
repeatability of the units ability to take measurements.
[00042] The interference fits between the printed circuit board 206 and
the light
translucent components, namely first light pipe 210 second light pipe 212 and
lens 214
means that a gasket between the printed circuit board and the lower housing is
no longer
required in order to ensure that the components are held in place and rattle
free and the
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assembly time and the number components required for the unit is greatly
reduced due to
the interference fit between the light pipes and lens and the bottom side 236
of printed
circuit board 206.
[00043]
Referring now to figure 6, the reader will note that contact surface 252 is a
surface upon which the compact portable colour sensor 200 is placed in order
to take a
colour reading. Light is transmitted from first LED 216 and second LED 218
down through
light pipes 210 and 212 respectively and into light cavity 246 where it is
reflected off the
surface of whatever sample is being measured (preferably a flat surface) by
making contact
with the sample with contact surface 252. It is possible to take measurements
of samples
that are not flat by using certain shields which prevent transient or ambient
light from
entering into light cavity 246 which would throw off the colour measurement
taken by
colour sensor 230.
[00044]
Light is reflected off the sample not shown in the drawings and back up
through lens dust cover 248 and on through lens 214 and ultimately impinge
upon colour
sensor 230 which is taking a reading.
[00045] The
compact portable colour sensor 200 is put through a series of calibration
tests using are predetermined colours which are known to fine tune and adjust
the
calibration of the unit once. Ongoing calibration are not required.
[00046] The
electronics within printed circuit board 206 are such that a temperature
measurement can be taken to adjust for drift in temperature however all of the
other
componentry is extremely stable resulting in highly reproducible results over
the life of the
unit.
[00047] It
should be apparent to persons skilled in the arts that various
modifications and adaptation of this structure described above are possible
without
departure from the spirit of the invention the scope of which defined in the
appended claims.
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