JP2003006197A - Device for determining metallic paint color - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To quickly determine a desired metallic paint color. SOLUTION: A deciding device is provided with a recording means for recording a digital sample book database for metallic paint colors, including color codes of a sample book for metallic paint colors, attached information, multi- angle colorimetric value, texture parameter, paint color computer graphic image and combination information, a communicating means for distributing information of the digital sample book database stored in the recording means to a customer, a means of retrieving corresponding information, from digital sample book database stored in the recording means with the color codes and attached information as keys, and a display for displaying the retrieved results.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for determining a main metallic coating color, and more specifically, for example, a metallic coating color (aluminum flake, metal oxide-coated mica flakes, flake pigments such as plate-shaped iron oxide) is used. A sample book consisting of (including paint colors) is converted into visual computer graphic images and computer-searchable digital data, recorded, and delivered to customers to assist them in creating color planning materials. Creating a digital sample book database of metallic paint colors to reduce the number of steps required to make decisions, and to create actual paints based on the published paint formulations and to support the creation of prototypes, and design industry The present invention relates to a device for determining the paint color of a product.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the fields of color planning and color selection of paints for industrial design products and preparing paint color samples for electronic catalong materials, the following methods are generally adopted at present. There is. 1. The customer's product designer creates a three-dimensional model from the design drawing of his product using the drawing software of the personal computer. 2. The color planner (color expert) or product designer paints imagination based on his own experience. Or personally interpret and color the color of the sample book. 3. Or, attach photos of other industrial products to supplement the transmission of color texture. 4. Pass the output medium to the sales of the paint company. 5. The sales of the paint company are given to the paint color designer of the paint company. 6. The paint color designer selects a color that matches the customer's request from the stock colors of the company and proposes it to the customer. 7. If necessary, go to the customer and decide the color.

[0003] The above is the current procedure for determining the color of a design industrial product. There are currently major problems with this procedure. That is, when the 2-6 customer's color planner or product designer has a meeting with a paint company's color designer, there is no ruler or standard color chart of concrete colors and textures, and they decide by discussing each other's sensibilities. Is. Therefore, it takes a long time to make a decision, and when the colors to be imagined are different from each other, the procedure of 2-6 is repeated many times, and the decision of the paint color is extremely inefficient. For that purpose, the paint company creates a standard color sample book as much as possible,
We are requesting color determination using a color sample book. Also, with the recent improvement in the design of industrial products, metallic coating colors that change color depending on the viewing direction are preferred. For this reason, it is becoming more difficult to transmit the color and texture between the paint company and the customer.

As a sample book widely sold by paint companies, Nippon Paint Industrial Colored Paper published by Nippon Paint Industry Co., Ltd. and auto color for automobile top coating can be purchased by anyone, albeit for a fee. Nichiko's color sample book is a solid color that is chromatically organized (sorted by hue and tone). Another auto color sample book, published by the Japan Paint Manufacturers Association, contains the topcoat colors of all the cars sold in Japan by each paint manufacturer.

At present, various color sample books are already sold by paint companies and printing companies, but most of them are solid color sample books. A solid color is a sample book consisting only of organic and inorganic pigments, and the color does not change depending on the viewing direction. A solid paint color digital sample book is commonly used in the printing field, and is incorporated in software as a color palette of drawing software that is often used by designers.

However, at present, there is no standard color sample book of so-called metallic coating color containing flake-like glittering materials in Japan and abroad. The reason why there is no such thing is that macroscopic and microscopic textures, which are obtained by mixing various luster pigments into the chromatic color classification, are important for those containing flake luster pigments, but it is not possible to scientifically measure and sort out these textures. Sufficiently, metallic color swatch books that convince everyone are not currently on the market. However, there is only a color sample book of metallic paint that is distributed domestically and internationally. It is a color swatch book for metallic paint on automobiles, which is called auto color in Japan.

[0007] The auto color chart sold in Japan is a sample book of the top coating color of domestically produced and imported vehicles issued every March. Since it is a sample book of car top coating color, most of it is metallic color, and there is very little solid color. At present, this auto color sample book is the only widely available metallic color sample book. Therefore, it is the only color chart that can be seen by the color designers of general industrial products other than the top-coat design of automobiles, and it is becoming popular.

This auto color is released in March every year. The recording focuses on the new colors of the cars released by the previous year, and is a strip-shaped portable sample book. One of the booklets has the name of the car manufacturer, the coating number, the color number of the car company, the color name (Kana and English), the model name and the colored paper (metallic color created with paint) on the front side, and the back side. The paint formulation of each paint maker is printed on.

As described above, the auto color is the only sample of the metallic paint color, and it has an advantage that the situation in which the paint color is actually applied to the actual vehicle can be visually confirmed.

However, there is no color search function. Because auto color is currently sold only in paper media, and mainly new colors are recorded every year, so if you search for multiple years, we have a sample book of auto color for each year, You have to manually find the manufacturer and model name or paint color name. Since this work is extremely difficult, there has been a demand for improvement from general color designers of industrial design products.

Further, even if there is a tentatively decided paint color and it is desired to collect variations having the same color and different textures, or the same texture and different colors, the color chart is made with colors. It was not possible because it was not created from the viewpoint of physical analysis and texture analysis.

[0012] As described above, although there are various incidental information of automobile paint colors (mostly metallic paint colors), color charts, and blends, there is no search function, so the designer's sensory desires can be quickly met. I couldn't answer.

Next, let us describe the creation of image drawings. Designers in recent years create product designs from computer CAD data from 3D simulation images, or scan handwritten sketches into a computer by using a scanner. Color designers use the computer drawing software while having a product image for this picture. Color it.

At that time, the designer finishes the product image by adjusting the color tone of the digital palette so that the product image is close to the color of the color chart. However, in the case of the metallic paint color, the color differs depending on the viewing direction. It took a considerable amount of experience to paint, and I drew it with a sense. As a result, an accident often resulted in a painted prototype (prototype) that was significantly different from the actual paint color, resulting in wasteful work for both the paint company and the customer.

Due to the development of computers in recent years, software for creating 3D simulation images of products from CAD data and for rendering coloring and reflection of surrounding scenery using simulation from the gonio-spectral reflectance of paint color has been developed. Available (Japanese Patent Application No. 9-24618)
5). It has been announced that this method can be used for scientific coloring and the product color can be reasonably determined.

However, the apparatus is expensive, and the three-dimensional CAD data of the product, the gonio-spectral reflectance of the metallic paint color, and the conditions of ambient light are the same, and the device operates only in a specific computer simulation environment. There is
It is not a system that makes it easy for everyone to simulate the painting of product images.

Therefore, the present invention makes it easy for general design industrial designers (called color planners or product designers) to determine the color of a product, and operates on any computer software currently used by the design industrial designer. We devised a mechanism that can be painted by using a three-dimensional simulation image of paint color as a digital palette on various drawing software.

[0018]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned situation, the present invention utilizes auto color measurement technology, color science, and communication technology of a personal computer or the Internet, which is the only sample book of metallic paint colors. A digital version is created, distributed (distributed), and a designer who decides the paint color of an industrial design product is quickly searched for the paint color by various methods, and the color is visually determined by using a computer graphic image of the paint color. It is possible to determine, and to reflect this computer image in the design image created by the designer, and at the same time, it is possible to create the actual paint from the obtained formulation information. It is to provide support tools.

[0019]

According to the present invention, it has been shown that the above problems can be solved by the following three means.

The first means is a means for creating digital data that can be searched by an auto color computer, which is a sample book of the top coating color of an automobile. This is the job of a company that creates digital sample books.

(1) Means for Measuring Metallic Paint Color First, the multi-angle spectral reflectance is measured using a multi-angle spectrophotometer capable of measuring the metallic paint color stored therein. . The angle of colorimetry and the number thereof are not particularly specified, but preferably 5 or more angles between 10 degrees and 110 degrees (expressed as a deviation angle when the angle of specular reflection light is 0 degree). JIS from the multi-angle spectral reflectance data
After converting to XYZ by the method of Z8701, JIS Z
It has a means to convert to Lab * by the method of 8729.

(2) Means for calculating and storing the first texture parameter of the metallic paint color From the measured values XYZ, the first of IV, SV and FF representing the shadow feeling of highlight and shade is calculated using the following formula. Produce a texture parameter. Here, IV represents the brightness of the highlight, and in general, the brightness Y of XYZ of the colorimetric values of the highlight is Y.
Express with a value. SV is called the brightness of the face angle,
Generally, a Y value of 0 degree corresponds to a -45 degree incident condition.
The FF value is the contrast between IV and SV, and FF =
It can be calculated as 2.0 * (IV-SV) / (IV + SV).

(3) The macro texture parameter, which is the second texture parameter obtained from the colorimetric value, has a feeling of depth as an important parameter. The sense of depth is a parameter that represents the image of jewels such as ruby and sapphire. Although the sense of depth has not yet been defined as an academic society, in the field of automotive overcoat color, a sense of depth = saturation c *
/ I found that it can be calculated by the formula of brightness L *. It has a means to calculate the sense of depth from the representative colors of metallic paint colors.

(4) The macroscopic texture parameter which is the third texture parameter, that is, the glitter feeling mainly related to the size and amount of the large and small flaky glitters contained in the metallic coating color is measured at low magnification. From a color image
0-65750, a method for calculating the IPV value (roughness and graininess) and the BV value (glitteriness), which are quantification parameters, using the method of Reference 1.

(5) Further, JP-A-11-212569
Using the described method of determining the representative color of the metallic paint color, one representative color that is most comfortable for human beings is determined from the metallic paint colors that change depending on the angle, and the CIE
It has means for obtaining Lab * values, Lch * values and Hue-Tone values that are often used in the design field, and converting them into the color classification code described in the patent.

(6) For the computer graphic image of the paint color, by using the method described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-10045, the arbitrary spectral reflectance in a wide angle from the highlight to the shade of the metallic paint color is predicted.
The tristimulus value XYZ is obtained using the conversion formula of 01. XYZ
Conversion from RGB to R, G, B and WHI of monitor
The emission brightness of each TE can be calculated from the XYZ values measured by the spectral radiance meter using a determinant. Further, in order to carry out the measurement more accurately, it is necessary to obtain and correct the function of the emission luminance with respect to the R, G, and B input voltages of the monitor (this is called the γ function). Although the conversion from XYZ to RGB may directly measure the characteristics of the monitor to be used,
For simplicity, the conversion formula published by CIE (International Commission on Illumination) may be used as an approximation to the NTSC color coordinates that a monitor often uses on television.

The digital data obtained in (1) to (6) above and the name of the automobile manufacturer, date of application, color number of the automobile company, and color name (kana and English) already described in the auto color sample book After registering the car model name and paint composition using the database software, the internal storage device (hard disk) and external storage device (CD-ROM,
It has a procedure for storing and saving it on a MO disk. Further, it is also possible at present to deliver data in real time using a wide area WAN such as the Internet.

Secondly, when the designing industrial designer tentatively decides a desired color, the peripheral color is searched for at a high speed for an approximate color of the metallic paint color and displayed.
In the field of processing human sensory information such as design, it is more desirable to look at the computer graphic image (CG) of the paint color and to imagine the condition of color and texture than the parameter of the colorimetric number. Often suits If similar colors can be searched in this way, it is possible to narrow down to a better target color. This method is based on the Lab * value of the coating color and JIS Z
The color difference is calculated using the color difference formula described in 8730, and the smallest one is the closest color. However, since the metallic coating color has different colorimetric values depending on the angle, it is preferable to calculate the color difference using Lab * of multiple angles. In the present invention, Japanese Patent Application No. 2001
Good results can be obtained by using the weighted color difference formula in which the weight of the color difference is adjusted according to the angle described in -54409. Also,
If the number of paint colors to be searched exceeds 10,000, it takes time to calculate the approximate color. In that case, Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-54409.
It has means for narrowing down the calculation target for each of the described color groups in advance, rearranging the weighted color difference from small to large, and displaying the result on the computer screen.

Thirdly, since this computer graphic image is a general-purpose image, this image can be placed on the product image diagram being created by the designing industrial designer with computer software. Specifically, the image can be arranged at an arbitrary position on the computer screen by using Cut & Paste equipped with any computer system. Also, if you use the fact that the color information at any position of the placed image can be extracted using the color extraction function that is normally included in drawing software, and that it can be reflected in the color of the product on the drawing, this will be a metallic coating. Available as a digital palette of colors.
As a result, the computer image of the paint color can be reflected on the product image being drawn, and the accuracy of the paint color simulation can be improved.

[0030]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A system configuration diagram of a computer and a measuring instrument for creating digital data of a sample book about a concrete embodiment of a system for supporting selection of a coating color in color planning of a designable metallic industrial product 1 will be described in detail.

First, a sample book for each year of auto color is purchased from a paint maker. The sample book 101 can be obtained for a fee from a paint manufacturer that sells domestic and overseas automobile repair paints.

Then, the auto color chip is measured by the multi-angle spectrophotometer 102. For example, MA68 (-45 incidence / 15,25,45,75,1 of X-RITE, USA)
By using 10 degrees of 5 angle light reception, the spectral reflectance of 5 angles can be quickly obtained.

From the measured spectral reflectance, the Lab * value, Lch * value, IV, S at 5 angles were calculated by using the method described above.
V, FF, depth, Lab *, Hu of metallic representative color
The e-Tone, color group symbol, and CS image are calculated and created and stored in the internal storage device of the computer.

Under the uniform light illumination device 104, the colored paper is photographed by the CCD camera 103 so that the photographing magnification is such that 1 mm on the coated plate has a size of 90 to 100 pixels, and this image is commercially available image processing software. (For example, Mac Scop
Calculate and store IPSL, BV values using e).

The car maker name, the paint number, the car manufacturer's color number, the color name (Kana and English), the car model name and the paint composition described in the auto color sample book are digitally read by an OCR reading device or manually input. And store.

The above data is stored in a commercially available database software (for example, file maker pro) by using a computer search key as an automobile company name symbol + paint color name.

The created database is recorded in the CD-ROM 106 using the CD-RW of the personal computer 105. At this time, the document of the file maker pro is created as a runtime document by using the separately sold file maker pro developer version. By doing this, you can run the database even if you do not own the software of the file maker pro when distributing it to the designer who is the customer.

Another form is file maker pr.
It is also possible to operate the file maker pro on the server using the WEB distribution function of o and search for the paint color via the Internet 107.

Next, a flow chart in which the color planner of the customer determines the paint color using this digital sample book will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

The customer inputs the digital sample book into the computer system used by the customer, whether it is the CD-ROM or the Internet, and has an environment in which the customer can freely use it (2
01).

Next, the color can be freely searched using the incidental information such as the paint color name and the car model name, the color texture and the combination as a key (20
2).

Further, the tentatively determined color can be used as a standard color to perform a search using the approximate color search function, and the candidate colors can be displayed on the screen along with several color CG images in the order of closer color texture (203). What is important here is that the color texture can be visually judged using CG.

The designer of the customer judges (204) whether or not the color is the one he or she desires by looking at the CG image of the retrieved paint color and the colored paper of the paint color of the actual color sample book. If it is not the desired paint color, the reference color is determined from the CG image of the paint color already output on the computer screen, and the approximate color search is performed again.

Browse by CG image on computer,
In addition, the color of the actual sample book is visually checked, and the finally determined CG image is output (205).

Finally, the customer's color planner cuts and pastes the displayed CG image onto the product image being prepared by the customer and arranges it (206).

Further, if it is desired to change the color in the product image, after masking that portion, two arbitrary colors (for example, highlight color and shade color) of the CG image are extracted, and then commercialized. Gradation processing using image processing software makes it possible to draw simple and realistic product image images.

[0047]

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION By using the present invention, it is possible to quickly select a coating color in the color planning of a designable metallic industrial product, and to incorporate the CG image of the attached coating color into the product image. By doing so, an electronic color sample book can be easily created, and if a CG image is used as a palette, a simple and realistic product image after painting can be created quickly.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of an apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart for determining paint color.

[Explanation of symbols]

102 spectrophotometer 103 CCD camera 106 CD-ROM 107 Internet

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) H04N 1/46 H04N 1/40 D 1/60 1/46 Z F term (reference) 5B057 CA01 CA08 CA12 CA16 CB01 CB08 CB12 CB16 CC01 CE17 CH07 CH08 5B075 ND04 ND06 UU38 5C077 LL19 MP08 PP32 PP36 PP37 PQ12 PQ23 SS02 SS05 5C079 HB01 HB08 LB01 MA04 MA11 NA03 NA17 PA05

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A metallic paint color digital sample book database including a color code of a metallic paint color sample, incidental information, multi-angle colorimetric values, texture parameters, a computer graphic image of the paint color, and formulation information is recorded. Recording means, communication means for distributing the information in the digital sample book database stored in the recording means to the customer, and corresponding information from the digital sample book database stored in the recording means using the color code and the supplementary information as keys. An apparatus for determining a metallic paint color, characterized by comprising: a means for searching for and a display for displaying the result of the search. 2. The metallic paint color determining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sample book is made of paint. 3. The supplementary information comprises one or more information items of a car maker name, a paint color name, a registration year, and a painted car model name in the case of a car top paint color. 1. The metallic paint color determination device of 1. 4. The apparatus for determining a metallic paint color according to claim 1, wherein the texture parameter is color micro-texture data including a visual amount of glitter and roughness of the metallic paint color. 5. The metallic paint color determination device according to claim 1, wherein the computer graphic image is an image based on a colorimetric value calculated from spectral reflectance obtained from a multi-angle colorimeter. 6. The recording medium is a CD-ROM, MO
An apparatus for determining a metallic paint color according to claim 1, which is a communication line using an optical recording medium such as the above and the Internet. 7. The metallic paint color determination device according to claim 1, wherein the color data is a Hue tone value and a Munsell value calculated from calorimetric values of representative metallic colors. 8. The metallic paint color determination device according to claim 1, further comprising means for performing an approximate color search including calculation using a weighted color difference formula based on multi-angle colorimetric angles. 9. A means for retrieving corresponding information from a digital sample book database stored in said recording means, using a multi-angle colorimetric value, a texture parameter, a computer graphic image of a paint color, and compounding information as keys. 1. The metallic paint color determination device of 1.