JP6025101B2 - Efficient use method of illumination light by color change based on control of spectral distribution characteristic of illumination and spectral reflection characteristic of color material, and illumination system using the method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an efficient use method of illumination light by color change based on control of spectral distribution characteristics of illumination and spectral reflection characteristics of a color material, and an illumination system using the method.

First, the inventor of the present application
(1) A color that humans can see is a combination of a color material and illumination. A is a spectral distribution of illumination (obtained from light source data), and B is a spectral reflectance (reflection characteristic. Transmission), the color appearance by humans changes according to A × B (see FIG. 7), and
(2) LED lighting
i) the narrow spectral distribution width;
ii) having various spectral distributions;
By recognizing that there is a feature of the idea, we devise a combination of lighting and color materials based on the idea, for example, to create a combination of color materials that change color due to lighting changes and color materials that do not change The inventors have invented and proposed a “method for producing a pattern change by illumination” that allows a pattern to be lifted and erased by a single illumination control, or to change the pattern (see Patent Document 1).

Following this, the present inventor, for example, in a jewelry display, and applying the above A × B concept, A is similarly the spectral distribution of illumination, but B is the object of the jewelry. Finding that it can be considered as spectral reflectance (reflection characteristics), and if there is room for such an idea, according to the method of changing A moment by moment, the viewpoint of the person who looks at the current situation Jewelery that depends on the gradual change of the spectrum of the rainbow color due to the sudden change in brightness distribution, which is a factor that makes jewelry look attractive even without movement As a result, it has been found that there is a possibility of providing a display method and apparatus capable of obtaining attractive color beauty as a display, and a jewelry display method and apparatus using spectrally variable illumination light. The invention proposes (see Patent Document 2).
The invention according to Patent Document 2 corresponds to an invention using color change based on control of spectral distribution characteristics of illumination.

In the invention according to Patent Document 2, the illumination light source can change the spectral component intensity with time, for example, control the luminance of a large number of LEDs having different peak wavelengths, or wavelength programmable. It is disclosed that a light source may be used.
In one embodiment, a wavelength programmable light source that can control the color and spectral distribution of light by controlling a built-in digital micromirror device (DMD) as such a spectrally variable illumination light source. Illustrated.
In this apparatus, the condensed light from the Xe lamp light source is projected onto the DMD. Then, the light when the individual mirrors of the DMD are inclined to the ON state is magnified by the projection lens and output to the outside. On the other hand, the light when the DMD mirror is inclined to the off state does not enter the projection lens and is discarded.

In such a spectrally variable illumination light source, the brightness of the external output is controlled by the ratio of the time during which the mirror is turned on and the time during which the mirror is turned off. That is, the maximum luminance is obtained when the state is 100% on, and the luminance is half when the state is 50% on and 50% off.
In such a spectrally variable illumination light source, in order to obtain a color external output, a color wheel that rotates at high speed is generally arranged between the light source and the DMD, and R, G, and B light is DMD in a time-sharing manner. The method (single plate method) is applied. For example, when it is desired to project red, the mirror is turned on only at the moment when red light hits the DMD.
There is also a method of using three DMDs and preparing three light sources, R, G, and B.

  Since the mirror constituting the DMD can generally be turned on and off in units of microseconds, in the invention according to the above-mentioned Patent Document 2, it is possible to change the spectral component from moment to moment by making use of this characteristic. A light source is realized. In addition, in the wavelength programmable light source used in the invention according to the above-mentioned Patent Document 2, for example, high accuracy is realized so that the wavelength can be set every 1 nm.

JP 2009-295472 A JP 2011-206319 A JP-A-6-17349 JP 7-34324 A JP 2010-85686 A

As described above, the wavelength selection of the illumination light in the color change based on the control of the spectral distribution characteristic of the illumination used in the invention according to Patent Document 2 results in a configuration in which only a narrow range of wavelengths is used as a result, specifically, Only a wavelength in one minimum region included in the wavelength range of the color is used for one color, and wavelengths in other regions are not used.
However, in such a configuration,
i) As a result, there was an inefficiency that wasted most of the energy of the light source.
In addition, in the ordinary general color material different from the above jewelry, the spectral reflectance change becomes comparatively gentle, but there are places where the spectral reflectance is high and low within the wavelength range of one color. Depending on how the wavelength (wavelength in the minimum region) is selected, the color appearance of the color material may change. For example, the color appearance may change between when a wavelength in a region with a high spectral reflectance is selected and when a wavelength in a region with a low spectral reflectance is selected.
That is, in the wavelength selection of the illumination light in the color change based on the control of the spectral distribution characteristics of the illumination,
ii) Normal colors cannot be displayed as expected.
There was a problem that said.

  Therefore, the present invention solves the above-described problems, enables efficient use of illumination light, and suppresses the color change of a general color material with a gentle change in spectral reflectance, and the spectral distribution characteristics of illumination and It is an object of the present invention to provide an efficient use method of illumination light by color change based on control of spectral reflection characteristics of a color material, and an illumination system using the method.

As a result of various studies to solve the above problems, the present inventor
i) When the spectral distribution characteristics of illumination (corresponding to A described above) and the spectral reflection characteristics of colorants (corresponding to B described above) are respectively viewed as wavelength on the horizontal axis and spectral intensity or spectral reflectance on the vertical axis. In the graph, the so-called comb-teeth shape similar to each other is assumed, and under that assumption,
ii) Control whether or not to match the positions of the peaks and valleys of the spectral distribution characteristics of the illumination and the spectral reflection characteristics of the colorant, that is, whether or not the phases of the two are matched, or the ratio at which the phases match. Can control the appearance of colors by humans that change according to the above A × B,
iii) Specifically, the stimulation value (T) for each of the R, G, and B sensors of the human eye obtained by multiplying the above A × B by the spectral sensitivity (H) of the sensor responsible for the color vision of the human eye. (Hereinafter referred to as “tristimulus values”), and by changing the mixing ratio of the R, G, and B tristimulus values controlled in this way, the color reflected in the human eye can be changed. The present invention has been completed by finding that it can be changed.

An efficient method of using illumination light by color change based on control of spectral distribution characteristics of illumination and spectral reflection characteristics of color materials according to the present invention capable of solving the above-mentioned problems is as follows: (1) Spectral distribution characteristics and color materials of illumination Efficient use of illumination light by color change based on control of spectral reflection characteristics of
Each of the spectral distribution characteristics of illumination and the spectral reflection characteristics of the colorant is prepared in advance so as to have a so-called comb shape similar to each other when the horizontal axis is the wavelength and the vertical axis is the spectral intensity or spectral reflectance. ,
By controlling the phase difference between the spectral distribution characteristic of the illumination and the spectral reflection characteristic of the color material, the product of the spectral distribution characteristic of the illumination and the spectral reflection characteristic of the color material bears the color vision of the human eye. Control the stimulus values to the R, G, B sensors of the human eye determined by multiplying the spectral sensitivity of the sensor; and
By changing the mixing ratio of the R, G, and B tristimulus values controlled in this way, the color reflected in the human eye is changed.

  At this time, it is preferable that (2) the spectral distribution characteristic of the illumination is formed by a spectral variable illumination light source whose spectral distribution characteristic is controlled by a control device.

  (3) The spectrum variable illumination light source is preferably a wavelength programmable light source whose spectral distribution characteristics can be controlled by controlling a built-in digital micromirror device.

  (4) It is preferable that the spectral reflection characteristic of the colorant is composed of a structural color exhibiting coloring or gloss due to an optical phenomenon based on a physical structure regardless of a special pigment.

  (5) As a method for controlling the phase difference between the spectral distribution characteristic of the illumination and the spectral reflection characteristic of the color material, a method of controlling the phase of the spectral distribution characteristic of the illumination is preferably selected.

Furthermore, an illumination system according to the present invention is (6) an illumination system using the efficient use method of illumination light according to any one of (1) to (5),
The color material to be seen by the observer,
A light source for irradiating the colorant with light, and a spectrally variable illumination light source capable of changing a spectral distribution characteristic of the light source over time;
The spectrally variable illumination light source is connected to the spectrally variable illumination light source and sends a command to change the spectral distribution characteristic of the spectrally variable illumination light source in time based on a control program or an external command stored in advance in an internal memory. A control device for controlling
With
Each of the spectral distribution characteristic of the spectrally variable illumination light source and the spectral reflection characteristic of the colorant has a so-called comb-like shape similar to each other when the horizontal axis is the wavelength and the vertical axis is the spectral intensity or spectral reflectance. And
By temporally controlling the phase difference between the spectral distribution characteristic of the spectral variable illumination light source and the spectral reflection characteristic of the color material, the spectral distribution characteristic of the spectral variable illumination light source and the spectral reflection characteristic of the color material The product is further multiplied by the spectral sensitivity of the sensor responsible for the color vision of the human eye to determine the stimulus values for the R, G, B sensors of the human eye, and thus each controlled R, By changing the mixing ratio of the G and B tristimulus values, the color of the color material reflected in the eyes of the observer can be changed.

  In the illumination system according to (6), (7) the spectrum variable illumination light source is preferably a wavelength programmable light source whose spectral distribution characteristics can be controlled by controlling a built-in digital micromirror device. .

  Similarly, (8) it is preferable that the spectral reflection characteristic of the colorant is composed of a structural color exhibiting color development or gloss due to an optical phenomenon based on a physical structure regardless of a special pigment.

  The expression “phase” or “phase difference” is used when the spectral distribution characteristic of illumination and the spectral reflection characteristic of the color material are respectively viewed as the wavelength on the horizontal axis and the spectral intensity or spectral reflectance on the vertical axis. It was used for the purpose of expressing the amount of deviation between the peaks and valleys on the premise of so-called comb-teeth shapes similar to each other.

  In this specification, the term “spectrum variable illumination light source” refers to a general light source that can produce a plurality of arbitrary spectral distribution characteristics and can be instantaneously created from moment to moment.

Further, in this specification, “rainbow color” refers to the color of light in which the spectrum of light from red to purple is lined up, similar to the atmospheric optical phenomenon in the meteorological phenomenon.
When light from a light source passes through an object that is a jewelery, the object itself acts as a prism when it is refracted and reflected by a cut in the object. Like decomposition, the light is decomposed (spectroscopic) and the observer has multiple colors (generally seven colors of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and purple in Japan. However, the exact classification is not limited to this). Looks side by side.
In short, the plurality of colors that can be seen side by side are referred to as rainbow colors in this specification.

  In this specification, “structural color” refers to a phenomenon in which an object appears to be colored, that is, colored due to interference, diffraction, or scattering of light in a fine structure having a wavelength of light or less. This structural color depends on the optical phenomenon based on the physical structure regardless of the special dye, such as interference color and play-color phenomenon due to the regular fine structure of the wavelength of light or diffraction grating structure, and coloration due to thin film interference or multilayer interference. Color development and gloss. Examples of the structural color include a compact disc and a soap bubble. Compact discs and soap bubbles do not have their own color, but they appear colored because light interferes with their fine structure. The detailed coloring principle and the like of the structural color will be described in detail later.

  According to the present invention, since so-called comb-shaped illumination light having a wide wavelength range is used, the illumination light can be used efficiently and the color change of a general color material with a gentle change in spectral reflectance can be suppressed. Is possible.

It is a figure which shows the fundamental view of the efficient usage method of the illumination light which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which concerns on supplementary explanation of the way of thinking of FIG. It is a figure which shows the principle of the method of calculating | requiring the tristimulus value in a color measurement. It is another figure which shows the principle of the method of calculating | requiring the tristimulus value in a color measurement. It is a figure which illustrates a part of coloring principle of a structural color. It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of the illumination system which concerns on this invention. It is a figure shown about the basic principle of how a human sees a color.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on the accompanying drawings and the following examples.

FIG. 1 shows a basic concept of an efficient use method of illumination light according to the present invention.
As shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b), the efficient use of illumination light by color change based on the control of the spectral distribution characteristics of illumination and the spectral reflection characteristics of the colorant according to the present invention is as follows.
i) When each of the spectral distribution characteristic A of illumination and the spectral reflection characteristic B of the colorant is viewed as a wavelength on the horizontal axis and a spectral intensity or spectral reflectance on the vertical axis, the so-called comb-like shapes are obtained. Prepare in advance,
ii) By controlling the phase difference between the spectral distribution characteristic A of the illumination and the spectral reflection characteristic B of the color material, the product A × B of the spectral distribution characteristic A of the illumination and the spectral reflection characteristic B of the color material is further increased to human Controlling the stimulus values to the R, G, B sensors of the human eye obtained by multiplying the spectral sensitivity of the sensor responsible for the color vision of the eye (cone), and
iii) By changing the mixing ratio of the R, G, and B tristimulus values controlled in this way, the color reflected in the human eye is changed.
The spectral distribution characteristic A of illumination and the spectral reflection characteristic B of the color material will be described in detail later.

  As described above, in the wavelength selection of the illumination light in the color change based on the control of the spectral distribution characteristic of the illumination used in the invention according to Patent Document 2, as a result, only a narrow range of wavelengths is used, specifically, As a result, only the wavelength in one minimal region (for example, the region corresponding to one mountain in FIG. 1 (1)) included in the wavelength range of the color is used for one color. There was an inefficiency that wasted most of the energy in the light source.

  However, according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1 (1), illumination light can be efficiently used by making the spectral distribution characteristic of illumination into a comb-like shape over the entire wavelength range of at least one color. In addition, as described later, it is possible to suppress a color change of a general color material with a gentle change in spectral reflectance.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram related to supplementary explanation of the concept of FIG. FIG. 1 shows a basic concept of an efficient method of using illumination light according to the present invention. The spectral distribution characteristic A of illumination and the spectral reflection characteristic B of a color material are shown with the horizontal axis representing wavelength and the vertical axis. When the axis is viewed as its spectral intensity or spectral reflectance, it indicates a so-called comb-like shape similar to each other in the wavelength range of at least one color. That is, if the basic concept is followed, the spectral distribution characteristic A of illumination and the spectral reflection characteristic B of the color material do not necessarily have to have sharp edges as shown in FIG. It may be as shown in FIG.

(1) in FIG. 2 shows a part of the spectral distribution characteristic A of the illumination shown in FIG.
FIG. 2 (2) is a diagram in which a part of the spectral reflection characteristic B of the color material shown in FIG. 1 is extracted, and the peaks drawn by thin lines are the spectral of illumination as shown in FIG. 1 (a). The peaks and valleys of the distribution characteristic A and the spectral reflection characteristic B of the color material, that is, the case where the phases of both are shifted, are shown, while the peaks drawn with bold lines indicate the spectral distribution of illumination as shown in FIG. The case where the phase of the characteristic A and the spectral reflection characteristic B of the color material substantially coincide is shown.
2 (3) shows the result of the product of a part of the spectral distribution characteristic A of the illumination shown in (1) and (2) of FIG. 2 and a part of the spectral reflection characteristic B of the color material. As shown in FIG. 1 (a), the mountain drawn by a thin line shows a case where the phases of the spectral distribution characteristic A of illumination and the spectral reflection characteristic B of the color material are shifted, while the mountain drawn by a thick line As shown in FIG. 1B, the mountain indicates a case where the phases of the spectral distribution characteristic A of illumination and the spectral reflection characteristic B of the color material substantially coincide.

As is clear from (3) of FIG. 2, when the phases of the spectral distribution characteristic A of illumination and the spectral reflection characteristic B of the color material are shifted (see the mountain in FIG. 2 (3) drawn by a thin line). The value of A × B, which is the spectral distribution of the light reflected from the color material, becomes low depending on the degree of phase shift, while the spectral distribution characteristic A of the illumination and the spectral reflection characteristic B of the color material When the phases are substantially matched (see the peaks in (3) of FIG. 2 drawn with bold lines), the value of A × B, which is the spectral distribution of the light reflected from the color material, is out of phase. It becomes large compared.
As described above, if the basic concept of the present invention is followed, the spectral distribution characteristic A of illumination and the spectral reflection characteristic B of color material are not necessarily sharp edges as shown in FIG. It doesn't matter.
Further, the peak width (valley width) in the spectral distribution characteristic A of illumination and the spectral reflection characteristic B of the color material does not necessarily have to be the same over the entire wavelength range. For example, the spectral distribution characteristic A of illumination and the color material The width of the peak in the spectral reflection characteristic B may be increased toward the longer wavelength side.

As described above, according to the efficient method of using illumination light according to the present invention, the appearance of color by humans that changes according to the value of A × B, which is the spectral distribution of the light reflected from the color material, is controlled. I understand that it is possible.
More specifically, according to the present invention, as will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, this is obtained by multiplying the above A × B by the spectral sensitivity H of the sensor responsible for the color vision of the human eye. It is possible to control the stimulation value T for each of the R, G, and B sensors of the human eye, and in this way, by changing the mixing ratio of the R, G, and B tristimulus values that are respectively controlled. It becomes possible to change the color reflected in the human eye.

[Principle of obtaining tristimulus values in color measurement]
Next, the principle of how to obtain tristimulus values in color measurement will be described using FIGS. 3 and 4 including confirmation.
3 and 4 are diagrams showing the principle of how to obtain tristimulus values in color measurement.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the principle of how to obtain tristimulus values in color measurement.
In general, for example, the product A × B of the spectral distribution A of the illumination 10 including the standard light D65, A and the fluorescent lamp F6 and the spectral reflection characteristic B of the coloring material 20 (tomato 21 and cucumber 22), A spectral distribution of light reflected from the color material 20 is obtained.

  Here, the spectral sensitivity of the sensor responsible for the color vision of the human eye, that is, the spectral sensitivity H of the R, G, B sensors of the human eye is basically that of each R, G, B sensor, although there are individual differences. It can be handled that the spectral sensitivity characteristic does not change with time.

  Therefore, it can be seen that the color appearance by humans changes according to the value of A × B, which is the spectral distribution of the light reflected from the color material 20. In other words, it can be understood from the above relationship that the appearance of color by humans can be controlled by changing the value of A × B.

  Then, by multiplying the above A × B by the spectral sensitivity H of the sensor responsible for the color vision of the human eye, the stimulation value T for each of the R, G, B sensors of the human eye can be obtained.

It should be noted that the color values of various color systems, that is, the colors finally seen by the human eye, are determined by the mixing ratio of the R, G, and B tristimulus values T.
Usually, many of the colors that are visible around us have red pigments and green pigments like the tomatoes 21 and cucumbers 22 described above, and absorb and reflect light. The human eye reflects the reflected light with a crystalline lens and projects an image on the retina, and recognizes the color based on the image reflected on the retina.

Under the prior art including Patent Literature 1 or Patent Literature 2, the R, G, and the like can be obtained by physically changing the illumination light 10 whose spectral distribution characteristics are not comb-shaped or by changing the selected wavelength or the range itself. The mixing ratio of the B tristimulus value T was controlled to change the color reflected in the human eye.
On the other hand, in the method for efficiently using illumination light according to the present invention, when the horizontal axis is the wavelength and the vertical axis is the spectral intensity or the spectral reflectance, they are prepared in advance so as to have similar so-called comb-teeth shapes. By controlling the phase difference between the spectral distribution characteristic A of the illumination and the spectral reflection characteristic B of the color material, the mixing ratio of the R, G, and B tristimulus values T is controlled, so that the color reflected in the human eye is changed. It is understood that the configuration and principle are fundamentally different from the prior art.

FIG. 4 is a diagram supplementing the principle of how to obtain tristimulus values in the color measurement shown in FIG.
As shown in the upper and middle diagrams of FIG. 4, the stimulus value T for each of the R, G, and B sensors of the eye of the observer O is the product of the spectral distribution A of the illumination 10 and the spectral reflection characteristic B of the color material 20. It is obtained by multiplying the spectral distribution of the light reflected from the color material 20 obtained from A × B by the spectral sensitivity H of the sensor responsible for the color vision of the observer's O eye.

  Then, as shown in the lower diagram of FIG. 4, the colors finally reflected in the eyes of the observer O are the constituent elements T-1, T of R, G, B of the R, G, B tristimulus values T, respectively. -2, T-3, that is, the ratio of the areas of the R component, G component, and B component indicated by hatching or shading in the diagrams of T-1, T-2, and T-3, respectively. .

[About spectral distribution characteristics of illumination]
As shown in FIG. 1, in the present invention, the spectral reflection characteristic A of illumination is a so-called comb tooth similar to the spectral reflection characteristic B of a color material described below, where the horizontal axis represents wavelength and the vertical axis represents the spectral intensity. In the present embodiment, the spectral reflection characteristic A of illumination is formed by a spectrally variable illumination light source whose spectral distribution characteristic is controlled by a control device.

More specifically, in this embodiment, a wavelength programmable light source that can control the color and spectral distribution of light by controlling a built-in digital micromirror device is used as a variable-spectrum illumination light source. Spectral reflection characteristics A were formed.
As is well known, the wavelength programmable light source uses optical / digital processing technology, and can perform variable control of the spectral distribution with high accuracy, such as setting the wavelength every 1 nm by a program, as well as high brightness and high resolution. It is a device with high flexibility and speed that can output a spectrum.

  Although the wavelength programmable light source used in the present embodiment is not much different from the hardware used in Patent Document 2, as described above, the spectral reflection characteristic A of the illumination output from this is as follows. The form is completely different from Patent Document 2, and when viewed as the structural requirements of an efficient method of using illumination light and a lighting system using the method according to the present invention, even if the obtained effects are taken into consideration Obviously, it is fundamentally different.

[Spectral reflection characteristics of color materials]
As shown in FIG. 1, in the present invention, the spectral reflection characteristic B of the coloring material is a so-called comb tooth similar to the spectral distribution characteristic A of illumination described above, where the horizontal axis is the wavelength and the vertical axis is the spectral reflectance. In the present embodiment, the spectral reflection characteristic B of the coloring material is not limited to a special dye, but is composed of a structural color exhibiting color development or gloss due to an optical phenomenon based on a physical structure. did.

The structural color itself is a known color, which is different from the color that humans normally see, and there is no color in the object that has the structural color, and it appears colored due to light interference and wavelength. is there. As specific coloring principles, as shown in part of the typical examples in FIG. 5, interference by a thin film (see FIG. 5A), interference by a multilayer film (see FIG. 5B), and interference by diffraction (Refer to FIG. 5C.) In addition to interference caused by fine grooves and protrusions (see FIG. 5D), scattering by fine particles and the like can be mentioned.
First, FIG. 5A shows a state in which a structural color is exhibited through the simplest interference by a thin film. In a thin film (thin film) having the wavelength of light, light reflected from the upper surface of the film and light reflected from the lower surface interfere with each other, so that light having a wavelength corresponding to the thickness of the film (wavelength light) appears colored. Specifically, for example, when there is a thin film as shown in FIG. 5A in the air, the light reflected on the surface of the thin film and the light incident on the thin film, reflected at the boundary between the film and air, and returned to the surface There is. When these two lights strengthen each other, the color of the light is emphasized and enters the human eye. It is due to such thin film interference that the soap bubbles and the oil film appear to be colored. Depending on the thickness of the soap bubble or oil film, it will appear colored.
FIG. 5B shows a state in which a structural color is exhibited through interference by the multilayer film. As shown in FIG. 5B, this is light interference caused by a structure in which thin films are stacked. The light reflected by each film interferes with each other and as a result appears colored. Therefore, the way of interference changes depending on the combination of film thickness and the number of layers, and various colors appear. An example of interference caused by a multilayer film is that a thin layer of calcium carbonate called nacre forms a layer structure on the inside of a shell such as abalone, and the light reflected from each layer interferes. Various shades can be seen.

FIG. 5C shows a state in which a structural color is exhibited through interference due to diffraction.
This is in line with the interference caused by the fine grooves and protrusions shown in FIG. 5 (d), and by diffracting the light with the directionality depending on the wavelength by regularly arranged objects. It appears to be colored. Examples of exhibiting structural colors through interference due to diffraction include compact discs, DVDs, morpho butterflies, peacocks, kingfishers, etc., as described in the next section of interference due to fine grooves and protrusions in FIG. Examples include birds.

FIG. 5D shows a state in which a structural color is exhibited through interference by fine grooves and protrusions.
In a compact disc or DVD, digital information is recorded by unevenness carved on the surface of an aluminum thin film. Since the unevenness interferes with light like a diffraction grating, the recording surface side looks rainbow.
In birds such as peacocks and kingfishers, vivid colors appear due to the fine structure of the feathers.

  Similarly, Morpho butterfly wings are known to have a bright blue color, which is a structural color due to a lattice-like structure carved on the scale surface. This structure is arranged at intervals of 200 nm, which is exactly half the wavelength of blue light, and only blue light is reflected by interference.

In addition, an example of reproducing the blue color of a morpho butterfly by creating this structure on a silicon substrate using a focused ion beam apparatus exists as an industrial application of the structural color in recent years.
In addition, in the field of optical communication, research on photonic crystals in which substances having different dielectric constants are alternately laminated and nanostructures is actively conducted. As an invention using structural colors, Patent Document 3 discloses the structure of morpho butterfly scales. In reference to the above, a proposal has been made using the interference effect of a shelf structure in which a plurality of high refractive index layers and low refractive index layers (air layers) are alternately stacked and columns are formed between rows of the high refractive index layers. In addition, the relationship between the width of the high refractive index layer and the column width and the thickness conditions of the high refractive index layer and the low refractive index layer for providing stable light interference are described.
Further, in the invention described in Patent Document 3, it is disclosed that the shelf structure is formed in a tree shape by changing the width of the high refractive index layer, and the effect as a diffraction grating can be obtained.

  Furthermore, in Patent Document 4, a beautifully colored fiber is realized by a double layer structure in which two layers of polyester and nylon having different refractive indexes are alternately stacked by 61 layers and a polyester protective layer covering it. ing.

  Alternatively, in Patent Document 5, a variable structure color forming member capable of variably controlling a structural color over a wide area, a manufacturing method thereof, and the variable structure color forming member are incorporated as an exterior material, and the color of the exterior material is changed. An invention relating to a variable electric device is disclosed.

  As described above, it is possible to industrially realize the structural color intentionally. By applying or appropriately applying the structural color thus realized, the structural color is obtained as the spectral reflection characteristic B of the coloring material in the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, when the horizontal axis is the wavelength and the vertical axis is the spectral reflectance, the spectral reflection of the color material having a so-called comb-like shape similar to the spectral distribution characteristic A of the illumination described above. It is possible to realize the characteristic B.

Next, an illumination system using the above-described efficient method for using illumination light according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an illumination system according to the present invention.
The illumination system 100 according to the present embodiment includes a spectrum variable illumination light source 1 and a control device 2 that controls the spectrum variable illumination light source 1. The control device 2 is connected to the spectrum variable illumination light source 1.

The control device 2 changes the spectral component from moment to moment based on a control program or an external command C stored in the internal memory 3 in advance, so that the horizontal axis indicates the wavelength and the vertical axis indicates the spectral intensity. A command for changing the phase of the spectral distribution A is sent to control the variable spectrum illumination light source 1. The external command C can be sent from the computer 4 connected to the control device 2.
As shown in FIG. 6, in the present embodiment, the control device 2 performs, for example, a control program stored in the internal memory 3 in advance through signal control and calculation in an internal arithmetic device (DSP; Digital Signal Processor). A command to change the spectral component for each wavelength in time is sent, and for example, the phase of the spectral distribution A of the illumination light output from the variable spectrum illumination light source 1 is changed at regular intervals, thereby the illumination Spectral reflection of the color material 200 prepared so as to have a so-called comb shape when the horizontal axis is the wavelength and the vertical axis is the spectral reflectance, which is similar to the spectral distribution A of the light and the spectral distribution A of the illumination light. The phase difference from the characteristic B is controlled.

In the present embodiment, the illumination light output from the spectrum variable illumination light source 1 appears to be a constant color such as white, at least from the observer O.
However, this illumination light actually looks like a constant color, and in reality, the phase difference between the spectral distribution characteristic A of the illumination and the spectral reflection characteristic B of the colorant is changed by momentarily changing the phase of the spectral distribution A. In order to control the spectrum intensity, the spectral intensity for each wavelength is controlled by the controller 2 every moment. In other words, in this embodiment, “illumination” is changed in a strict sense according to a change with time by the interaction between the spectrum variable illumination light source 1 and the control device 2.
However, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the phase of the spectral distribution characteristic A of illumination coincides with the spectral reflection characteristic B of the colorant 200, where the positions of the peaks and valleys completely deviate (a). (B) is actually controlled within the range of (b). Actually, the illumination light output from the spectrum variable illumination light source 1 has a constant color and the light is output to the eyes of the observer O. The point that it does not give a feeling of shaking at all is useful when viewed as a lighting system.

  In other words, in the present embodiment, by appropriately operating the control device 2, the wavelength programmable light source can be changed to a spectrum for each wavelength by the control device 2 while the output light looks the same color at first glance. Applied as a spectrally variable illumination light source 1 capable of changing the phase of the spectral distribution A by controlling the intensity and thereby controlling the phase difference between the spectral distribution characteristic A of illumination and the spectral reflection characteristic B of the colorant 200. doing.

  In the present embodiment, when the light output from the spectrally variable illumination light source 1 is dispersed, and the spectral distribution A of the illumination light having the horizontal axis as the wavelength and the vertical axis as the spectral intensity is cut out, it is different on the time axis. However, the spectral distributions A are not the same and their phases are different. The present embodiment is configured by using the characteristics of the spectrum variable illumination light source 1.

  The illumination system 100 according to the present embodiment has a spectral distribution A of illumination light and the illumination light when viewed on the horizontal axis as the wavelength and the vertical axis as the spectral reflectance as appearing in the color material 200 exhibiting the structural color S, for example. The phase difference between the spectral distribution (A) and the spectral reflectance (reflection characteristic) B having a comb-like shape similar to each other is controlled to control the phase of the spectral distribution A of the illumination light, that is, as described above. It is possible to change the spectral distribution A × B of the light reflected from the colorant 200 by changing the spectral distribution A of the illumination light every moment to the extent that O cannot be observed directly, and thereby It is the philosophy and essence that flows to the basis of the knowledge that it is possible to control the color appearance of the observer O that changes according to the above A × B.

  According to the illumination system 100 according to the present embodiment, since the so-called comb-shaped illumination light in a wide wavelength range is used, the illumination light can be efficiently used.

Furthermore, according to the illumination system 100 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress a color change of a general color material with a gentle change in spectral reflectance.
By using this characteristic, for example, the coloring material is a coloring material 200 having a spectral reflection characteristic B having a so-called comb tooth shape similar to the spectral distribution characteristic A of illumination described in the present embodiment. As described with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the illumination system 100 according to the present embodiment is usually composed of a combination with a general coloring material 20 having a pigment that is visible around us. It is possible to create a region where the color appearance of the observer O changes (region of the color material 200) and a region where the color change of the color material does not occur (region of the color material 20). The present invention can be applied to, for example, a stage apparatus or a showroom depending on such a device.

[Industrial applicability]
As described above, the method for efficiently using illumination light according to the present invention includes the spectral distribution characteristic A of illumination and the spectral reflection characteristic B of the color material, with the horizontal axis representing wavelength and the vertical axis representing its spectral intensity or spectral reflectance. By preparing in advance so as to be so-called comb-teeth shapes similar to each other, and then controlling the phase difference between the spectral distribution characteristics A of these illuminations and the spectral reflection characteristics B of the color material, To the R, G, and B sensors of the human eye obtained by multiplying the product of the spectral distribution characteristic A of illumination and the spectral reflection characteristic B of the colorant by the spectral sensitivity H of the sensor responsible for the color vision of the human eye This is based on the idea of controlling the stimulation value T.
Here, as for the spectral reflection characteristic B of the color material, as an example, it is mentioned that it is composed of a structural color exhibiting color development or gloss due to an optical phenomenon based on a physical structure regardless of a special pigment. As will be appreciated, the present invention contemplates the free handling of light by artificially creating a regular structure below the wavelength of light, and is concerned with photonics centered on light.
The present invention has sufficiently high industrial applicability, as is apparent from the above effects.

[Modification]
As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated in detail based on one Embodiment, this invention is not limited to the said structure at all, A various deformation | transformation is possible.
In the above embodiment, the spectrally variable illumination light source is composed of a wavelength programmable light source that can control the spectral distribution and phase of the illumination light by controlling the built-in digital micromirror device, but is not limited thereto. Instead, for example, it may be composed of a combination of a plurality of LEDs having different peak wavelengths, which are configured such that the spectral distribution of illumination light and its phase can be controlled by controlling the brightness of each by a control device.

In the present embodiment, the illumination light output from the spectrally variable illumination light source 1 is composed of white light whose spectral component and / or phase is temporally changed. Is not limited to white.
Further, even when the illumination light is white light, it is not necessary that the spectral distribution characteristics of the illumination light have a comb-teeth shape in all wavelength ranges of R, G, and B, and at least the spectral reflection characteristics of the coloring material are combs. What is necessary is just to make it a comb-tooth shape in the wavelength range of the color which has a tooth shape.

Similarly, in the present embodiment, when the horizontal axis is the wavelength and the vertical axis is the spectral reflectance, the spectral reflection characteristics of the coloring material assumed to have a so-called comb shape similar to the spectral distribution characteristics of illumination, Exemplified that it consists of a structural color exhibiting color development and gloss due to an optical phenomenon based on a physical structure regardless of a special pigment.
However, the spectral reflection characteristics of the coloring material are not necessarily made of structural colors. When the horizontal axis is the wavelength and the vertical axis is the spectral reflectance, the color material has a so-called comb tooth shape similar to the spectral distribution characteristic of illumination. If possible, it is possible to use the efficient use method of illumination light of the present invention and to realize an illumination system using the method by using a color material having such spectral reflection characteristics. .

  As described above, the present invention can efficiently use illumination light, and can suppress the color change of a general color material with a gentle change in spectral reflectance, and the spectral distribution characteristic of illumination and the color spectrum of the color material. It is apparent that the present invention is novel and useful to provide an efficient use method of illumination light by color change based on the control of reflection characteristics, and an illumination system using the method.

C External command O Observer S Structure color 1 Spectrum variable illumination light source 2 Controller 3 Internal memory 4 Computer 10 Illumination 20 Color material 21 Tomato 22 Cucumber 100 Illumination system 200 Color material

Claims (8)

An efficient use method of illumination light by color change based on control of spectral distribution characteristics of illumination and spectral reflection characteristics of color materials,
Each of the spectral distribution characteristics of illumination and the spectral reflection characteristics of the colorant is prepared in advance so as to have a so-called comb shape similar to each other when the horizontal axis is the wavelength and the vertical axis is the spectral intensity or spectral reflectance. ,
By controlling the phase difference between the spectral distribution characteristic of the illumination and the spectral reflection characteristic of the color material, the product of the spectral distribution characteristic of the illumination and the spectral reflection characteristic of the color material bears the color vision of the human eye. Control the stimulus values to the R, G, B sensors of the human eye determined by multiplying the spectral sensitivity of the sensor; and
By changing the mixing ratio of the R, G, and B tristimulus values controlled in this way, the color reflected in the human eye is changed. Efficient use of illumination light by color change based on control of spectral reflection characteristics.   The method of efficiently using illumination light according to claim 1, wherein the spectral distribution characteristic of the illumination is formed by a spectrum variable illumination light source whose spectral distribution characteristic is controlled by a control device.   3. The efficient use of illumination light according to claim 2, wherein the spectrally variable illumination light source comprises a wavelength programmable light source whose spectral distribution characteristics can be controlled by controlling a built-in digital micromirror device. Method.   The spectral reflection characteristic of the coloring material is composed of a structural color exhibiting color development or gloss due to an optical phenomenon based on a physical structure regardless of a special pigment. Efficient use of illumination light.   The method of controlling the phase of the spectral distribution characteristic of the illumination is selected as the method of controlling the phase difference between the spectral distribution characteristic of the illumination and the spectral reflection characteristic of the colorant. An efficient use of illumination light according to any one of the above. An illumination system using the efficient use method of illumination light according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The color material to be seen by the observer,
A light source for irradiating the colorant with light, and a spectrally variable illumination light source capable of changing a spectral distribution characteristic of the light source over time;
The spectrally variable illumination light source is connected to the spectrally variable illumination light source and sends a command to change the spectral distribution characteristic of the spectrally variable illumination light source in time based on a control program or an external command stored in advance in an internal memory. A control device for controlling
With
Each of the spectral distribution characteristic of the spectrally variable illumination light source and the spectral reflection characteristic of the colorant has a so-called comb-like shape similar to each other when the horizontal axis is the wavelength and the vertical axis is the spectral intensity or spectral reflectance. And
By temporally controlling the phase difference between the spectral distribution characteristic of the spectral variable illumination light source and the spectral reflection characteristic of the color material, the spectral distribution characteristic of the spectral variable illumination light source and the spectral reflection characteristic of the color material The product is further multiplied by the spectral sensitivity of the sensor responsible for the color vision of the human eye to determine the stimulus values for the R, G, B sensors of the human eye, and thus each controlled R, An illumination system, wherein the color of the color material reflected in the eyes of the observer can be changed by changing a mixing ratio of G and B tristimulus values.   The illumination system according to claim 6, wherein the spectrally variable illumination light source is a wavelength programmable light source whose spectral distribution characteristics can be controlled by controlling a built-in digital micromirror device.   8. The illumination system according to claim 6, wherein the spectral reflection characteristic of the colorant is a structural color exhibiting color development or gloss due to an optical phenomenon based on a physical structure regardless of a special pigment. .

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