JPH0498132A - Color distribution colorimeter - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To measure colors simultaneously at several positions on a sample by causing the sample to discolor by a photochronism in an illuminating chamber, and then by rapidly moving the same into a dark room by a shifter so as to measure colors by a colorimeter having plural number of light emitting and receiving parts and incorporated in the dark room. CONSTITUTION:A sample 13 attached to a sample bed 11 is moved into an illuminating chamber 7 by rotating a shaft 12' by means of a rotary device 13. Light sources are illuminated for a predetermined time in the illuminating chamber 7 so as to uniformly irradiate the light onto to the sample which therefore discolors by a photochronism. Then, the shaft 12' is reversed so as to move the sample 3 from the illuminating chamber to a predetermined position in a dark room 9 in which a xenon flash lamp 18 is turned on so as to produce diffused light in an integrating sphere 17. The diffused light is led through introduction ports 22 of light emitting parts 4, and is then irradiated to color measuring positions on the sample 3 from irradiating ports 23. The light transmitted through the sample 3 is led, through light receiving parts 5 and light receiver 27, to a microcomputer 30 so as to obtain color-measured values.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention is directed to photochromism (a phenomenon in which the color of a substance changes when strong light hits it, and returns to its original color when the light is blocked).
The present invention relates to a color measuring device for checking whether or not the chemical treatment has been uniformly performed on a material that has been chemically treated to cause .

[Prior art] In order to check whether the chemical treatment of a sample that has been chemically treated to cause photochromism has been done uniformly,
Conventionally, the following procedure has been generally adopted.

(1) First, a sample cut out from a test material for measurement is irradiated with light in a specific wavelength range (generally in the near ultraviolet range of 300 to 400 nm) to cause the sample to change color.

(2) Next, each point on the sample is quickly measured to determine the color distribution, that is, color unevenness, and it is determined whether the chemical treatment has been uniform.

Now, in the above (2), as a device for irradiating the sample with light in a specific wavelength range, a light resistance tester 37 specified in, for example, JIS B 7754 is used. FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of an example of this testing machine 37.

In the figure, this apparatus has a xenon arc lamp 39 as an artificial light source in the center of a test chamber 38, and a rotating frame 40 rotating around the xenon arc lamp 39 has an area of about 70 x 150. The structure is such that a sample holder 41 to which a sample 3' processed to a size of approximately mm is attached is hung.

In addition, in the above (2), a colorimeter 8- having optical conditions specified in, for example, JIS Z 8722 is used as a device for color measuring each point of the sample. Figure 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of an example of this colorimeter 8', and is based on JIS Z 872.
It has an optical system that complies with the optical conditions of condition d (od method) of No. 2. In the figure, this device includes a light projecting section 4'
The light receiving section 5' and the light receiving section 5' are arranged in a dark box 42 which is not affected by external light, and in the case of color measurement by the transmission method, the entrance aperture 43 of the integrating sphere 17' is placed between the light projecting section 4' and the light receiving section 5'. about 100 just before
Sample 3' processed to a size of approximately 100+ nm or less
The parallel light beam from the light projector 4' is transmitted through the sample 3', and this transmitted light is diffused within the integrating sphere 17-.
The light is received by each of the light receivers 20' for the three extreme values x, y, and z provided at '. Furthermore, it is guided to an arithmetic processing unit via an amplifier and an A/D converter (not shown), and a colorimetric value is obtained.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Color change due to photochromism has the property of returning to its original state in a short time when the light that causes this discoloration is removed. We need to do it quickly before it's too late.

By the way, in the colorimetry of a sample using the conventional technique as described above, each point on the sample is sequentially measured one by one.
It takes a long time to measure the color, and the color change returns to its original state during the measurement.
It was not always possible to accurately measure the color distribution at each point on the sample.

In addition, as mentioned above, the sample size that is compatible with commonly used light fastness testers and colorimeter is approximately 70 x 150+n.
Because it is small, measuring approximately 100 x 100 mm, it is possible to quickly change the color distribution of large samples, such as automobile window glass and architectural window films, by photochromism in the form of normally used parts. It was impossible to measure the color.

Therefore, in order to control the state and process of chemical treatment to cause photochromism during the production process of these materials and parts, it is necessary to cause the color change due to photochromism in as large a sample as possible and measure the color distribution. Therefore, there is a need for the development of a device that can measure color depth and color unevenness in a short time and determine whether the chemical treatment is good or bad.

[Means for solving the problem] A colorimeter that has an illumination room equipped with an illumination device that causes photochromism (photoreversible color change) in a sample, and a plurality of light emitters and light receivers that simultaneously measure color at multiple positions on the sample. The device is connected to a dark room equipped with a device, and is equipped with a moving device that moves the sample from the illumination room to the dark room at high speed, and the device is capable of measuring the color distribution of the sample that has undergone photochromism.

[Function] Therefore, in the present invention using the above-described means, the sample undergoes discoloration due to photochromism in the illumination room, and is immediately moved to the dark room by the moving device.

Here, since the darkroom is equipped with a colorimeter having a plurality of light projecting sections and light receiving sections, it is possible to simultaneously measure the color of each point on the sample.

[Example] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing the entire color distribution colorimetry device 1 of this embodiment, FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of a moving device 2 that constitutes the color distribution colorimetry device 1, and FIG. 3 is a color distribution colorimetry device FIG. 1 is a positional relationship diagram between the sample 3, the light projecting section 4, and the light receiving section 5.

Now, the color distribution colorimeter 1 of this embodiment has an illumination chamber 7 equipped with a light source 6 for causing photochromism in the sample 3 at the top, and a colorimeter for measuring the color distribution of the sample 3 at the bottom. The light chamber 7 is divided into two into a dark room 9 with a light beam 8, and penetrates through a rectangular opening 10 provided at the bottom of the illumination room 7 (i.e., the ceiling of the dark room).
It is constructed by providing a moving device 2 for moving the sample 3 alternately between these two chambers.

The moving device 2 is composed of a sample stage 11 on which the sample 3 is mounted, a shaft 12.1'2' that supports and moves it up and down, and a shaft rotation device 13. Shaft 12.
12' are two round rods that pass through the opening 10 and are vertically arranged between the ceiling of the lighting room 7 and the bottom of the dark room 9, and one shaft 12' is provided with a spiral groove. A rotating device 13 consisting of a bevel gear 14, a motor 15, etc. is connected below this shaft 12-, and allows this shaft 12' to rotate. The sample stage 11 is shaped like a frame with an opening in the center of a flat plate, and a shaft 12.1 is provided in a square on one side.
A guide 16.16- with a small hole through which the 2- passes is fixed. Two guides 16' for passing the shaft 12- with a spiral groove in the guides 16 and 16' are provided with a spiral groove so that the shaft 12' can be screwed into the sample stage 11. is supported by the shaft 12.12- via this guide 16.16-, and is moved up and down by rotation of the shaft 12'. Further, the sample 3 is held on the sample stand 11 by, for example, a sample holder (not shown) having the same shape as the sample stand 11.
mounted on.

As the light source 6 arranged in the lighting room 7, mainly 300 to 40
A plurality of black lights emitting light in the near ultraviolet region of 0 nm are arranged horizontally and parallel to each other at regular intervals, and parallel to the sample stage 11 when it is at a predetermined position in the illumination chamber 7. In this embodiment, the number of black lights, their spacing, and their positional relationship with the sample stage 11 are adjusted so that an area of about 1 m x 1 m on the sample stage 11 can be uniformly irradiated.

A colorimeter 8 provided in a dark room 9 measures the transmitted color of the sample 3, and its optical system includes an integrating sphere 17, a plurality of light projectors 4, and a plurality of light receivers 5.

A xenon flash lamp 18 for producing diffused light is disposed on the inner wall of the integrating sphere 17, and an exit opening 19 for emitting the diffused light is provided on the inner wall directly facing the lamp 18. Further, a light receiver 20 is arranged around the integrating sphere 17 to measure the 3i1'l extreme values X, Y, and Z in order to correct variations in the amount of light from the xenon flash lamp 18. Further, a shielding plate 21 is provided on the front surface of the xenon flash lamp 18 so that the light is not directly irradiated onto the emission aperture 19. Similarly, although not shown, a shielding plate is also provided in front of each light receiver 20.

The light projecting sections 4 are made of glass fiber and are provided as many as the number of locations where the color distribution of the sample 3 is to be measured. One end of this light projection section 4 is an introduction port 22 for introducing the diffused light within the integrating sphere 17, and the other end is an irradiation port 23 for irradiating the sample 3 with the introduced light. The introduction ports 22 are inserted and fixed into fixed plates 24 that are in close contact with the exit opening 19 of the integrating sphere 17. The irradiation port 23 is fixed at a fixed distance close to the sample 3 via a positioning jig 25 so as to irradiate each position where the color distribution is measured when the sample 3 is in a predetermined position.

The light receiving part 5 is made of glass fiber like the light projecting part 4,
It is installed on the same floor as the light projecting section 4. One end of this light receiving section 5 is an inlet 22- that introduces the transmitted light of the sample 3, and the irradiation port 23 of the light projecting section 4 and the sample 3 are sandwiched between them so that their central axes coincide with each other and are close to the sample 3. The layout is as follows. In addition, this introduction port 22' is connected to a jig 25 for positioning the irradiation port 23 and a sample 3.
It is fixed to a positioning jig 25' that faces directly between the two. In addition, the other end of the inlet 22' is divided into three parts, and each of the divided ends is separately divided into JIS Z
Spectrum 3 tide extreme value X (λ) specified in 8722,
It is connected to a light receiver 27 equipped with a filter 26 having characteristics of y(λ) and 2(λ).

Furthermore, each light receiver 27 has an amplifier 28 and an A/D conversion circuit 29.
It is connected to a microcomputer 30 which has the function of performing various arithmetic processing and sending operation signals to each circuit of the device.

In addition, 31 is an input/output board for exchanging signals between the microcomputer 30 and each circuit, 32 is a keyboard for instructing various operations, and 33 is a microcomputer 3
A personal computer 34 converts the signals from the microcomputer 30 into graphs of various color systems, data processing, etc. from the signals from the microcomputer 30.
35 is a lighting circuit for the xenon flash lamp 19, and 37 is a display position for colorimetric values and the like.

Also, a filter 26, a light receiver 27, an amplifier 28, an A/
D conversion circuit 29, microcomputer 30, input/output board 31, keyboard 32, output interface 34
is shown outside the apparatus in Figure 1, but is actually located in the darkroom 9.
located inside.

In the color distribution colorimeter 1 of this embodiment configured as described above, the sample 3 is mounted on the sample stage 11, the shaft 12' is rotated by the motor 15 and the bevel gear 14, and the shaft 12' is rotated.
．． 12'' to the illumination chamber 7. Here, all the light sources (black lights) are turned on for a certain period of time to uniformly irradiate the sample with light and cause discoloration due to photochromism.

During this time, in the dark room 9, the xenon flash lamp 18 is turned on without the sample 3 being set, and the standard alignment of the colorimeter 8 is completed.

Next, the shaft 12' is rotated in the opposite direction to move the discolored sample 3 from the illumination room 7 to a predetermined position in the dark room 9. Here, the xenon flash lamp 18 emits light, which enters the introduction port 22 of each light projecting section 4 as uniform diffused light within the integrating sphere 17, and irradiates each color measurement position of the sample 3 from the irradiation port 23. The light transmitted through the sample 3 enters the inlet 22' of the light receiving section 5.
The light enters the beam, is guided to the other end divided into three parts, and is guided to a photoreceiver 27 equipped with a filter 26 having characteristics of three peak values X (λ), y (λ), and 2 (λ) in the spectrum. The signal is amplified by an amplifier 28, digitized by an A/D conversion circuit 29, and sent to a microcomputer 30 to obtain a colorimetric value.

Now, the microcomputer 30 calculates the tidal peak values X, Y, and Z using the following calculation formula.

Here, Xs, Ys, Zs are data at the time of standard alignment, XM
, YM, and ZM are the data during sample colorimetry, and the constants are χ,
Ky and Kz are three stroke values when the transmittance is 100%.

From these x, y, and z values, for example, Ls a*b*Lab
etc. and displayed on the display 36. Further, the colorimetric values sent to the microcomputer 33 are used to determine, for example, whether or not the measured color values are within a certain control numerical value range, and to create a graph.

[Effect] According to the present invention, a material that has been chemically treated to cause photochromism is uniformly irradiated with light to cause discoloration due to photochromism, and each part of the sample can be simultaneously measured before the discoloration returns to its original state. By coloring, the quality of this chemical treatment can be determined numerically accurately and quickly.

Therefore, quality can be easily made uniform and the defective rate of products can be reduced. In addition, since it is possible to judge large samples, it is possible to introduce it into the production line, and it is also possible to save labor in product inspection.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing the entire color distribution color measurement device of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a partial perspective view of the moving device in the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a diagram of the positional relationship between the sample, the light emitting part, and the light receiving part in the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 shows the conventional sample. Fig. 5 is a block diagram of a colorimeter used to measure color change due to photochromism. 1... Color distribution color measurement device, 2... Moving device, 3.3'
...Sample, 4.4'...Light emitter, 5.5'...Light receiver, 6...Light source, 7...Illumination chamber, 8.8'...
Colorimeter, 9...Darkroom, 10...Aperture, 11...Sample stage, 12.12=...Shaft, 13...Rotating device, 14...Bevel gear, 15...Motor , 16
．． 16-... Guide, 17.17=... Integrating sphere, 18... Xenon flash lamp, 19... Output aperture, 20.20'... Light receiver, 21... Shielding plate,
22.2: IIM...Inlet, 23...Irradiation port, 2
4... Fixed plate, 25. 25-... Positioning jig, 26... Filter, 27... Light receiver, 28... Amplifier, 29... A/D conversion circuit, 30...・Microcomputer, 31...I/O board, 32...Keyboard, 33
...Personal computer, 34...Output interface, 35...Lighting circuit, 6...Display device, 37...Light resistance tester, 38...
Test tank, 9...Xenon arc lamp, 40...Rotating frame, 1...Sample holder 42...Dark box, 3...Incidence aperture. Figure 4

Claims (1)

[Claims] An illumination room equipped with an illumination device that causes photochromism (photoreversible color change) in a sample is connected to a dark room equipped with a colorimeter having multiple light emitting sections and light receiving sections that simultaneously measure color at multiple positions on the sample. 1. A color distribution colorimeter, comprising a moving device for moving a sample from a lighting room to a dark room at high speed, and capable of measuring the color distribution of a sample in which photochromism has occurred.