TW202413897A - Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and computer program product - Google Patents

Abstract

An information processing device includes at least one processor, wherein the processor performs the following processing: obtaining a first image displayed in a first color space, wherein the first image is obtained by photographing a color-generating component that generates color with a concentration distribution corresponding to the amount of energy applied; obtaining a device setting file that sets a correspondence between the color of the first color space and the color of a second color space different from the first color space; obtaining characteristic data that pre-sets a relationship between the color of the second color space and the amount of energy applied to the color-generating component; using the device setting file to convert the first image into a second image displayed in the second color space; and using the characteristic data to derive the amount of energy applied to the color-generating component based on the second image.

Description

Information processing device, information processing method and information processing program

The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, an information processing method and an information processing program.

Conventionally, there is a technique for measuring energy using a color-generating component that generates color according to the amount of energy (such as pressure, heat, and ultraviolet light) applied. As such a color-generating component, for example, there is Prescale (registered trademark) (manufactured by FUJIFILM Corporation) that can obtain a color concentration corresponding to the applied pressure.

For example, International Publication No. 2021/235364 discloses the following: a pressure measuring sheet (e.g., Prescale) is placed on a calibration sheet and photographed, the concentration, size, distortion, and shape of the photographic image are corrected based on the calibration sheet contained in the photographic image, and the concentration value of the pressure measuring sheet contained in the corrected image is converted into a pressure value. Furthermore, for example, International Publication No. 2022/059342 discloses the following: a measuring sheet that emits color with a concentration corresponding to the external energy amount obtains an image signal of a photographic image captured by a sensor having a plurality of spectral sensitivities (e.g., R sensitivity, G sensitivity, and B sensitivity), and derives the surface distribution of the external energy amount applied to the measuring sheet based on the ratio of the signals of each spectral sensitivity.

In recent years, photographic devices that serve as color-generating components are expected to be applicable to any device owned by a user, such as a smartphone with a camera function. However, various photographic devices display color images using their own inherent color spaces. Therefore, the correspondence between the color on the image obtained by photographing the color-generating component and the amount of energy applied to the color-generating component is also different for each photographic device. In the techniques described in International Publication No. 2021/235364 and International Publication No. 2022/059342, it is sometimes impossible to properly measure the amount of energy of an image obtained by photographing a color-generating component using any photographic device.

The present invention provides an information processing device, an information processing method and an information processing program that support appropriate measurement.

The first aspect of the present invention is an information processing device having at least one processor, which performs the following processing: obtaining a first image displayed in a first color space, the first image being obtained by photographing a color-generating component that generates color with a concentration distribution corresponding to the amount of energy applied; obtaining a device setting file that sets a correspondence between the color of the first color space and the color of a second color space different from the first color space; obtaining characteristic data that pre-sets a relationship between the color of the second color space and the amount of energy applied to the color-generating component; using the device setting file to convert the first image into a second image displayed in a second color space; and using the characteristic data to derive the amount of energy applied to the color-generating component based on the second image.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the above-mentioned first aspect, the first color space may be a color representation system that depends on a photographic device, and the second color space may be a color representation system that does not depend on the photographic device.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the above second aspect, the first color space may be an RGB colorimetric system, and the second color space may be an L*a*b* colorimetric system.

In the fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the above-mentioned first to third aspects, the processor performs the following processing: a chart image can be obtained by photographing a colorimetric chart containing a plurality of color blocks pre-set with colors of a second color space using a photographic device of the first image; and for each color block contained in the chart image, a device setting file can be generated that establishes a corresponding association between the color of the first color space displayed in the chart image and the color of the second color space.

In the fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects, the first image may include a color block for calibrating the color of the color-generating component, and the processor may use the color block contained in the first image to calibrate the color of the color-generating component contained in the first image.

A sixth aspect of the present invention is that in any one of the above-mentioned first to fifth aspects, the processor can perform shading correction on the first image.

The seventh aspect of the present invention is an information processing method, which includes the following processing: obtaining a first image displayed in a first color space, the first image being obtained by photographing a color-generating component that generates color with a concentration distribution corresponding to the amount of energy applied; obtaining a device setting file that sets a correspondence between the color of the first color space and the color of a second color space different from the first color space; obtaining characteristic data that pre-sets a relationship between the color of the second color space and the amount of energy applied to the color-generating component; using the device setting file to convert the first image into a second image displayed in a second color space; and using the characteristic data to derive the amount of energy applied to the color-generating component based on the second image.

The eighth aspect of the present invention is an information processing program for causing a computer to perform the following processing: obtaining a first image displayed in a first color space, the first image being obtained by photographing a color-generating component that generates color with a concentration distribution corresponding to the amount of energy applied; obtaining a device setting file that sets a corresponding relationship between the color of the first color space and the color of a second color space different from the first color space; obtaining characteristic data that pre-sets a relationship between the color of the second color space and the amount of energy applied to the color-generating component; using the device setting file to convert the first image into a second image displayed in a second color space; and using the characteristic data and deriving the amount of energy applied to the color-generating component based on the second image. [Effect of the invention]

According to the above aspects, the information processing device, information processing method and information processing program of the present invention support appropriate measurement.

[First exemplary embodiment] Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the diagram. First, the structure of an information processing system 1 to which an information processing device 10 of the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIG1. FIG1 is a diagram showing a schematic structure of the information processing system 1. The information processing system 1 includes an information processing device 10, a server 4, and a database 6. The information processing device 10 and the server 4 are connected via a wired or wireless network in a state where they can communicate with each other.

The information processing system 1 is a system for measuring the amount of energy using a color-generating component 90. When energy (such as pressure, heat, and ultraviolet rays) is applied, the color-generating component 90 generates color with a concentration distribution corresponding to the amount of energy applied. Specifically, the information processing device 10 obtains an image of the color-generating component 90 after energy is applied, and derives the amount of energy applied to the color-generating component 90 from the image.

As the coloring component 90, for example, Prescale (registered trademark) (manufactured by FUJIFILM Corporation) can be used, which can obtain a coloring concentration corresponding to the applied pressure. Prescale is a coloring agent including microcapsules containing a colorless dye and a color developer applied to a sheet support. When pressure is applied to Prescale, the microcapsules are destroyed and the colorless dye is adsorbed on the color developer and develops color. In addition, the coloring agent contains a plurality of microcapsules of different sizes and strengths, so the coloring concentration is different depending on the amount of microcapsules destroyed by the applied pressure. Therefore, by observing the coloring concentration, the size of the pressure applied to Prescale and the pressure distribution can be measured.

For example, as the coloring member 90, Thermoscale (product name) (manufactured by FUJIFILM Corporation) that produces color based on the amount of heat, UV scale (product name) (manufactured by FUJIFILM Corporation) that produces color based on the amount of ultraviolet light, etc. can be used.

The server 4 is a general-purpose computer on which a software program providing the function of a database management system (DBMS) is installed. The server 4 obtains the photographic image 50, the energy amount derived from the photographic image 50 and the accompanying information (details to be described later) from the information processing device 10, and stores them in the database 6. Furthermore, the connection form between the server 4 and the database 6 is not particularly limited, for example, it can be a form of connection through a data bus, or it can be a form of connection through a network such as NAS (Network Attached Storage) and SAN (Storage Area Network).

In the information processing system 1, as shown in FIG2, in a state where the color development component 90 is mounted on the calibration component 80, the user uses the information processing device 10 (see FIG4) having the camera 40 to take a picture. In this way, the information processing device 10 obtains a photographic image 50 including the calibration component 80 and the color development component 90. In this way, when the user takes a picture, there is a situation where the photographic image 50 is affected by the lighting conditions (such as illumination and color temperature), the shooting angle, and the shooting distance in the environment where the picture is taken. That is, the photographic image 50 sometimes has deviations in distortion, tilt, size, shadow, color, etc. The calibration component 80 is used to correct these influences in the photographic image 50.

FIG3 shows a photographed surface 80S in a calibration member 80 with a color development member 90 mounted thereon. The calibration member 80 is a support member formed of, for example, paper and resin in a sheet or plate shape. As shown in FIG3 , the photographed surface 80S includes a plurality of color blocks 83, four graphics 86A to 86D, a central area 88, and a frame 89 surrounding the outer edge of the central area 88. The colors of the plurality of color blocks 83 may be different, and the number of color blocks 83 of the same color may be more than two.

The plurality of color blocks 83 are used to calibrate the color of the color generating component 90. The four graphics 86A to 86D are used to indicate the range that should be included in the viewing angle when the user photographs the calibration component 80 and the color generating component 90. The frame 89 is used to correct the distortion, tilt, size and other shapes of the photographic image 50.

However, as a photographic device of the color-generating component 90 (information processing device 10 having camera 40), it is expected to be applicable to any device such as a smartphone owned by a user. However, each photographic device displays a color image by using a unique color space. Therefore, the correspondence between the color on the image obtained by photographing the color-generating component 90 and the amount of energy applied to the color-generating component 90 is different for each photographic device. Therefore, the information processing device 10 of the present exemplary embodiment measures the amount of energy applied to the color-generating component 90 based on the image obtained by photographing the color-generating component 90, taking into account the difference in the color space of each photographic device.

The information processing device 10 is described in detail below. First, referring to FIG. 4 , an example of the hardware structure of the information processing device 10 of the first exemplary embodiment is described. As shown in FIG. 4 , the information processing device 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21, a permanent storage unit 22, and a memory 23 as a temporary storage area. In addition, the information processing device 10 includes a display 24 such as a liquid crystal display, an input unit 25, a network I/F (Interface) 26, and a camera 40. The CPU 21, the storage unit 22, the memory 23, the display 24, the input unit 25, the network I/F 26, and the camera 40 are connected via a bus 28 such as a system bus and a control bus so as to be able to receive various information from each other.

The memory unit 22 is implemented by a storage medium such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a flash memory. The storage unit 22 stores the information processing program 27, the device configuration file 16, and the characteristic data 18 in the information processing device 10. The CPU 21 reads the information processing program 27 from the storage unit 22, expands it to the memory 23, and executes the expanded information processing program 27. The CPU 21 is an example of a processor of the present invention.

The input unit 25 is used to receive user operations, such as a touch panel, button, keyboard, and mouse. The network I/F 26 communicates with the server 4 and other external devices (not shown) by wire or wireless. The camera 40 has a plurality of sensors with different spectral sensitivities. Under the control of the CPU 21, the sensor captures the subject and outputs an image signal of the captured image 50. As the information processing device 10, for example, a smart phone with a camera function, a tablet terminal, a wearable terminal, and a personal computer can be appropriately used.

FIG5 shows an example of the device profile 16. The device profile 16 is a lookup table (LUT) that sets the correspondence between the colors of the first color space that represents the image captured by the camera 40 and the colors of the second color space that is different from the first color space. The first color space is, for example, an RGB color system that represents colors using three variables, R (red), G (green), and B (blue). The second color space is, for example, an L*a*b* color system that represents colors using three variables, namely, brightness L*, position a* from red to green, and position b* from yellow to blue.

The image captured by the camera 40 reflects the characteristics of the camera 40, such as the spectral sensitivity and the reproducible color area, and therefore the color of the first color space also reflects the characteristics of the camera. The device profile 16 is used to convert the color of the first color space inherent to the type of the camera into the color of the second color space that is independent of the type of the camera. That is, the first color space depends on the type of the camera, and the device profile is set according to the type of the camera.

FIG6 shows an example of a device profile 16P of a camera of a different model from that of FIG5. As shown in FIG5 and FIG6, if the types of camera are different, there may be a situation where colors displayed in the same way in the first color space are displayed differently in the second color space. For example, if the color represented by (R, G, B) = (220, 25, 50) in the image taken by the camera of FIG5 is converted to the L*a*b* color system (second color space), it is represented by (L*, a*, b*) = (47, 70, 40). On the other hand, if the color represented by (R, G, B) = (220, 25, 50) in the image taken by the camera of Figure 6 is converted into the L*a*b* color system (the second color space), it will be represented by a color different from (L*, a*, b*) = (55, 72, 34).

FIG7 shows an example of characteristic data 18. Characteristic data 18 is data in which the relationship between the color of the second color space and the amount of energy applied to the color development member 90 is preset. FIG7 shows pressure as an example of the amount of energy. As described above, the color of the second color space does not depend on the type of the photographic device, so characteristic data 18 also does not depend on the type of the photographic device.

Next, referring to FIG8, an example of the functional structure of the information processing device 10 of the first exemplary embodiment is described. As shown in FIG8, the information processing device 10 includes an acquisition unit 30, a correction unit 32, an export unit 34, and a control unit 36. When the CPU 21 executes the information processing program 27, the CPU 21 functions as each functional unit of the acquisition unit 30, the correction unit 32, the export unit 34, and the control unit 36.

The acquisition unit 30 acquires a photographic image 50 obtained by photographing the color development component 90 with the camera 40. As described above, the photographic image 50 may include a calibration component 80 including a color block 83 for calibrating the color of the color development component 90. Here, the photographic image 50 is displayed using the first color space. In addition, the acquisition unit 30 acquires the device profile 16 and the characteristic data 18 stored in the storage unit 22.

The correction unit 32 corrects at least one of distortion, tilt, size, shadow and color of the photographic image 50 acquired by the acquisition unit 30. In this way, the effects of lighting conditions (such as illumination and color temperature), shooting angle and shooting distance in the shooting environment that can be generated in the photographic image 50 when the user takes a photo are corrected.

For example, the correction unit 32 can extract the frame 89 from the photographic image 50, and correct the distortion, tilt, and size of the photographic image 50 according to the shape of the extracted frame 89. As a method for extracting the frame 89, a known method using edge extraction processing in an image can be appropriately applied. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when the frame 89 is a rectangle, the correction unit 32 performs projection transformation and affine transformation so that the four corners of the frame 89 extracted from the photographic image 50 become 90 degrees, thereby correcting the shape of the photographic image 50 such as distortion, tilt, and size.

Furthermore, for example, the correction unit 32 may perform shading correction on the photographic image 50. Shading is a deviation in brightness generated on the photographic image 50 due to a decrease in the amount of peripheral light caused by the optical system of the camera 40 and a deviation in the illumination distribution in the lighting environment in which the image is taken. As a method for shading correction, a known method can be appropriately applied.

Furthermore, for example, the calibration unit 32 can calibrate the color of the color-generating component 90 contained in the photographic image 50 using the color block 83 contained in the photographic image 50. This is because the color of the color-generating component 90 is affected by the lighting conditions (e.g., illuminance and color temperature) in the environment in which the photographing is performed. As a calibration method, a known method can be appropriately applied. For example, a reference color is stored in advance in the storage unit 22 for each color block 83 contained in the calibration component 80, and the calibration unit 32 can adjust the color of the photographic image 50 so that the color of each color block 83 contained in the photographic image 50 is consistent with the respective reference color.

Furthermore, as described above, the calibration component 80 may include more than two color blocks 83 of the same color. For example, due to the influence of the lighting environment, shooting angle, shooting distance, etc., there may be a situation where two or more color blocks 83 originally formed with the same color appear in different colors on the photographic image 50. Therefore, for example, the correction unit 32 can adjust the color of the photographic image 50 so that the average color of the photographic image 50 of the color blocks 83 formed with the same color is consistent with the reference color. Again, for example, the correction unit 32 can adjust the color of the photographic image 50 so that the color of the photographic image 50 that is closest to the reference color among the color blocks 83 formed with the same color is consistent with the reference color.

Furthermore, the calibration unit 32 may use a part of the plurality of color blocks 83 included in the photographic image 50 for calibration. Furthermore, for example, the calibration unit 32 may use different color blocks 83 for calibration depending on the type of the color development component 90. For example, Prescale, which is an example of the color development component 90, is manufactured into a plurality of varieties with different ranges of measurable pressures such as for low pressure, medium pressure, and high pressure. Furthermore, for example, as described above, as the color development component 90, Thermoscale and UV scale may also be used in addition to Prescale.

Therefore, the calibration unit 32 can use a portion of the color blocks 83 that are preset according to the type of the color development component 90 included in the photographic image 50 to perform calibration. The correspondence between the type of the color development component 90 and the color block 83 used in the calibration can be pre-stored in the storage unit 22, for example. The type of the color development component 90 included in the photographic image 50 can be input by the user through the input unit 25 (see FIG. 9 ), or an identification code indicating the type of the color development component 90 can be annotated on the color development component 90, and the calibration unit 32 can be identified by reading the identification code.

The export unit 34 converts the photographic image 50 displayed in the first color space into an image displayed in the second color space using the device profile 16 acquired by the acquisition unit 30. Specifically, the export unit 34 converts the photographic image 50 displayed in the first color space into an image displayed in the second color space after at least one of distortion, tilt, size, shadow, and color is corrected by the correction unit 32. Hereinafter, for the sake of distinction, the photographic image 50 displayed in the first color space is referred to as the "first image", and the photographic image 50 displayed in the second color space is referred to as the "second image".

Furthermore, the deriving unit 34 uses the characteristic data 18 acquired by the acquiring unit 30 and derives the amount of energy applied to the color developing member 90 according to the second image. Furthermore, the characteristic data 18 may be prepared in advance according to the type of the color developing member 90 (e.g., for low voltage, for medium voltage, and for high voltage), and stored in the storage unit 22. In this case, the deriving unit 34 may use the characteristic data 18 corresponding to the type of the color developing member 90 included in the photographic image 50 and derive the amount of energy applied to the color developing member 90 according to the second image.

Furthermore, the lead-out section 34 can lead out various indices related to the amount of energy applied to the color-generating component 90. The various indices include, for example, energy distribution obtained by leading out the amount of energy according to the pixels of the area where the color-generating component 90 generates color (hereinafter referred to as the "color-generating area"), and representative values such as the maximum value, minimum value, average value, and median value of the amount of energy in the color-generating area. Furthermore, for example, the area of the color-generating area, the proportion of the area within the range of the energy amount pre-set in the color-generating area, the uniformity of the amount of energy in the color-generating area, and the load of the color-generating area (the product of the area of the color-generating area and the average value of the amount of energy). Furthermore, for example, when a standard is pre-set for the color-generating degree (i.e., the amount of energy and the energy distribution) of the color-generating component 90, the degree of consistency or deviation from the standard.

The control unit 36 controls the display 24 to display the photographic image 50 (first image), the energy amount derived by the deriving unit 34, and various indices related to the energy amount. FIG9 shows an example of a screen D displayed on the display 24 by the control unit 36. The screen D displays an image of the portion of the color development member 90 in the photographic image 50 and various indices related to the energy amount derived from the color development member 90.

As shown in the screen D, the control unit 36 can perform control to extract the portion of the color-generating component 90 from the photographic image 50 and display it on the display 24. In addition, the control unit 36 can use at least one of the distortion, tilt, size, shadow and color corrected by the correction unit 32 as the photographic image 50 displayed on the display 24. The "pressurized area" in the screen D refers to the area of the above-mentioned color-generating area. The "average pressure" refers to the average value of the energy amount of the above-mentioned color-generating area. The "load" refers to the product of the pressurized area and the average pressure. The "uniformity of pressure value" refers to the uniformity of the pressure value of the color-generating area.

In addition, the control unit 36 can receive input of incidental information related to the photographic image 50. In the screen D, as an example of incidental information related to the photographic image 50, the type of the coloring member 90, the type of pressure, the room temperature, the humidity, and the light source are displayed, and a pull-down menu 92 for receiving such input is displayed. The type of pressure is, for example, an instantaneous pressure indicating the magnitude of the pressure applied to the Prescale instantaneously and a continuous pressure indicating the time integral of the magnitude of the pressure applied to the Prescale continuously. The light source is, for example, the standard light source D65 specified in JIS Z 8720:2012 and the auxiliary light sources D50, D55, and D75. Furthermore, for example, as the additional information, identification information of the user who applies energy to the calibration member 80 and the color development member 90 and the user who photographs the color development member 90, the user's evaluation result on the energy amount, and various inspection conditions can be used.

Furthermore, the control unit 36 transmits at least one of the photographic image 50 before correction by the correction unit 32, the photographic image 50 after correction, and the image of the portion of the color development member 90 extracted from the photographic image 50 to the server 4 via the network I/F 26. Furthermore, the control unit 36 transmits the energy derived by the deriving unit 34 and various indices related to the energy amount and accompanying information to the server 4. The server 4 associates the information received from the information processing device 10 (control unit 36) and stores it in the database 6.

Next, the operation of the information processing device 10 of the first exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 10. In the information processing device 10, the CPU 21 executes the information processing program 27 to execute the first information processing shown in Fig. 10. The first information processing is executed when the user issues an instruction to start the execution via the input unit 25, for example.

In step S10, the acquisition unit 30 acquires the photographic image 50 captured by the camera 40 and the device profile 16 and characteristic data 18 stored in the storage unit 22. Here, the photographic image 50 is displayed by the first color space and includes the calibration component 80 and the color development component 90. In step S12, the correction unit 32 corrects at least one of the distortion, tilt, size, shadow and color of the photographic image 50 acquired in step S10.

In step S14, the deriving unit 34 converts the photographic image 50 displayed in the first color space corrected in step S12 into an image displayed in the second color space using the device profile 16 obtained in step S10. In step S16, the deriving unit 34 uses the characteristic data 18 obtained in step S10 and derives the energy amount applied to the color-generating member 90 according to the image converted into the second color space in step S14. In step S18, the control unit 36 controls the display 24 to display the photographic image 50 corrected in step S12 and the energy amount derived in step S16, and ends the first information processing.

As described above, an information processing device 10 of one aspect of the present invention has at least one processor, and the processor performs the following processing: obtaining a photographic image 50 (first image) obtained by photographing a color-generating component 90 that generates color with a concentration distribution corresponding to the amount of energy applied; obtaining a device setting file 16 that sets the corresponding relationship between the color of the first color space that displays the first image and the color of the second color space that is different from the first color space; obtaining characteristic data 18 that pre-sets the relationship between the color of the second color space and the amount of energy applied to the color-generating component 90; using the device setting file 16 to convert the first image into a second image displayed in the second color space; and using the characteristic data 18 to derive the amount of energy applied to the color-generating component 90 based on the second image.

That is, the information processing device 10 of the first exemplary embodiment derives the energy amount by converting the photographic image 50 displayed in the first color space depending on the type of the photographic device into the second color space independent of the type of the photographic device. Therefore, even when using any type of photographic device, it is possible to support appropriate measurement of energy amount.

Furthermore, in the first exemplary embodiment described above, the device profile 16 is pre-stored in the storage unit 22, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The device profile for converting the RGB color system as described above into the L*a*b* color system is sometimes pre-stored in the storage unit 22 by the manufacturer of the photographic device, but this may not be the case. In this case, the CPU 21 may generate a new device profile 16. As a method for generating the device profile 16, a known method can be appropriately applied.

For example, the acquisition unit 30 may acquire a chart image obtained by photographing a colorimetric chart containing a plurality of color blocks with colors of the second color space preset (i.e., known) by a photographic device that photographs the image 50 (the first image). The export unit 34 may generate a device profile 16 that establishes a corresponding association between the colors of the first color space in which the chart image is displayed and the colors of the second color space (i.e., known colors) for each color block contained in the chart image acquired by the acquisition unit 30. Furthermore, as the colorimetric chart, a general one may be used, or the calibration component 80 may be used.

In the first exemplary embodiment, the device profile 16 is shown as an example of a LUT that establishes a correspondence between the colors in the first color space and the colors in the second color space (see FIG. 5 ), but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, instead of the device profile 16 in the form of a LUT, a conversion formula for converting the colors in the first color space into the colors in the second color space may be pre-stored in the storage unit 22. In this case, the export unit 34 may convert the colors in the first color space into the colors in the second color space using the conversion formula.

[Second exemplary embodiment] As shown in FIG. 2 , when a user uses a camera 40 to photograph a color-generating component 90 , there may be a deviation in the lighting conditions (e.g., illuminance and color temperature) in the environment in which the photography is performed. When the lighting conditions are different, the correspondence between the color on the photographic image 50 obtained by photographing the color-generating component 90 and the amount of energy applied to the color-generating component 90 is also different. Therefore, the information processing device 10 of this exemplary embodiment derives the amount of energy applied to the color-generating component 90 based on the image obtained by photographing the color-generating component 90 in consideration of the difference in lighting conditions. The following describes the information processing device 10 of the second exemplary embodiment, but omits part of the description that is repeated with the first exemplary embodiment.

First, referring to FIG. 11, an example of the hardware structure of the information processing device 10 of the second exemplary embodiment is described. As shown in FIG. 11, the information processing device 10 includes a CPU 21, a storage unit 22, a memory 23, a display 24, an input unit 25, a network I/F 26, a camera 40, and a sensor 42. The information processing device 10 of the second exemplary embodiment is different from the information processing device 10 of the first exemplary embodiment in that the sensor 42 is included and that a plurality of characteristic data 19 corresponding to various lighting conditions can be stored in the storage unit 22 and the device profile 16 is not stored.

The sensor 42 is a sensor for measuring the spectrum in the environment where the color-generating member 90 is photographed by the camera 40. As such a sensor 42, for example, a known spectrophotometer or color illuminometer that can measure the intensity of light of each wavelength can be appropriately used.

FIG. 12 shows an example of a plurality of characteristic data 19 corresponding to various lighting conditions. The plurality of characteristic data 19 is data in which the relationship between the color on the image photographed under each lighting condition and the amount of energy applied to the color developing component 90 is preset for each lighting condition when photographing the color developing component 90. FIG. 12 shows pressure as an example of the amount of energy. The lighting conditions include, for example, the type of lighting, illuminance, color temperature, and illuminance distribution in the environment in which the color developing component 90 is photographed. In the example of FIG. 12, as lighting conditions, the standard light source D65 and the auxiliary light source D50 specified in JIS Z 8720:2012 and the illuminance (in lux) are used.

If the lighting conditions are different, even if the color-emitting component 90 that emits the same color is photographed by the same photographic device, the color on the photographic image 50 may appear differently. For example, even if the same red object is observed in the light source D65 and the light source D50, the light source D65 appears to emit a bluish color. Therefore, for example, even if the color-emitting component 90 that emits color by applying an energy amount of 30 MPa of pressure is photographed in the same manner, it may be represented as (R, G, B) = (220, 25, 50) when photographed under the light source D50, and may be represented as a different color from (R, G, B) = (220, 39, 84) when photographed under the light source D65.

Next, referring to FIG. 13 , an example of the functional structure of the information processing device 10 of the second exemplary embodiment is described. As shown in FIG. 13 , the information processing device 10 includes an acquisition unit 30, a correction unit 32, an export unit 34, a control unit 36, and a specific unit 38. The CPU 21 executes the information processing program 27, and the CPU 21 functions as each functional unit of the acquisition unit 30, the correction unit 32, the export unit 34, the control unit 36, and the specific unit 38. The CPU 21 is an example of a processor of the present invention.

The specifying unit 38 determines the lighting conditions when the user photographs the color-generating member 90 by means of the camera 40. For example, the specifying unit 38 may use the sensor 42 to determine the lighting conditions.

The acquisition unit 30 acquires the characteristic data 19 corresponding to the lighting condition determined by the specifying unit 38 from the storage unit 22. Specifically, the acquisition unit 30 acquires the characteristic data 19 corresponding to the determined lighting condition from among the plurality of characteristic data 19 preset for each lighting condition stored in the storage unit 22.

Furthermore, the acquisition unit 30 acquires a photographic image 50 obtained by photographing the color development component 90 with the camera 40 under the lighting condition determined by the specifying unit 38. That is, the photographic image 50 is affected by the lighting condition determined by the specifying unit 38. Furthermore, the photographic image 50 may include a calibration component 80 including a color block 83 for calibrating the color of the color development component 90.

The correction unit 32 corrects at least one of distortion, tilt, size, shading, and color of the photographic image 50 acquired by the acquisition unit 30. For example, the correction unit 32 may calibrate the color of the color development component 90 included in the photographic image 50 using the color block 83 included in the photographic image 50. This is because the color of the color development component 90 is affected by the characteristics of the photographic device, etc.

The deriving section 34 uses the characteristic data 19 acquired by the acquiring section 30 and derives the amount of energy applied to the color developing member 90 according to the photographic image 50. Furthermore, the characteristic data 19 may be prepared in advance according to the type of the color developing member 90 (e.g., for low voltage, for medium voltage, and for high voltage), and stored in the storage section 22. In this case, the deriving section 34 may use the characteristic data 19 corresponding to the type of the color developing member 90 included in the photographic image 50 and derive the amount of energy applied to the color developing member 90 according to the photographic image 50. Furthermore, the deriving section 34 may derive various indices related to the amount of energy applied to the color developing member 90.

The control unit 36 controls the display 24 to display the photographic image 50 and the energy amount derived by the derivation unit 34 and various indices related to the energy amount (see FIG. 9 ). In addition, the control unit 36 can receive input of accompanying information related to the photographic image 50. In addition, the control unit 36 sends at least one of the photographic image 50 before correction based on the correction unit 32, the photographic image 50 after correction, and the image of the part of the color-generating component 90 extracted from the photographic image 50 to the server 4 via the network I/F 26. In addition, the control unit 36 sends the energy derived by the derivation unit 34 and various indices related to the energy amount and the accompanying information to the server 4. The server 4 associates the information received from the information processing device 10 (control unit 36) and stores it in the database 6.

Next, the operation of the information processing device 10 of the second exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 14. In the information processing device 10, the CPU 21 executes the information processing program 27 to execute the second information processing shown in Fig. 14. The second information processing is executed when the user issues an instruction to start the execution via the input unit 25, for example.

In step S30, the specifying unit 38 determines the lighting conditions when the user photographs the color-generating member 90 by the camera 40. In step S32, the acquiring unit 30 acquires the photographic image 50 photographed by the camera 40 under the lighting conditions determined in step S30 and the characteristic data 19 corresponding to the lighting conditions determined in step S30. In step S34, the correcting unit 32 corrects at least one of distortion, tilt, size, shadow and color of the photographic image 50 acquired in step S32.

In step S36, the deriving unit 34 uses the characteristic data 19 obtained in step S32 and derives the energy amount applied to the color-generating member 90 according to the photographic image 50 obtained in step S32. In step S38, the control unit 36 controls the display 24 to display the photographic image 50 obtained in step S32 and the energy amount derived in step S36, and ends the second information processing.

As described above, an information processing device 10 of one aspect of the present invention has at least one processor, and the processor performs the following processing: determining the lighting conditions when photographing a color-generating component 90 that emits color with a concentration distribution corresponding to the amount of energy applied; obtaining characteristic data 19 that pre-sets the relationship between the color on the image photographed under the lighting conditions and the amount of energy applied to the color-generating component 90; obtaining a photographic image 50 obtained by photographing the color-generating component 90 under the lighting conditions; and using the characteristic data 19 and deriving the amount of energy applied to the color-generating component 90 based on the photographic image 50.

That is, the information processing device 10 of the second exemplary embodiment uses characteristic data of each lighting condition in the environment in which the photography is performed to derive the energy quantity. Therefore, even when the photography is performed under any lighting condition, appropriate measurement of the energy quantity can be supported.

Furthermore, in the second exemplary embodiment described above, the characteristic data 19 corresponding to the lighting condition determined by the specific unit 38 is pre-stored in the storage unit 22, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Assuming that the lighting conditions in the environment in which the user takes photos involve various types, it is sometimes difficult to pre-set all of the characteristic data 19. Therefore, for example, when the specific unit 38 does not have the characteristic data 19 corresponding to the lighting condition determined by the sensor 42, the acquisition unit 30 can acquire the characteristic data 19 corresponding to other lighting conditions similar to the determined lighting condition, that is, the replacement characteristic data.

For example, it is assumed that characteristic data 19 corresponding to light source D50 (color temperature 5003K) and light source D65 (color temperature 6504K) are stored in advance in the storage section 22. When the color temperature in the environment where the photography is performed is determined to be 5100K by the sensor 42, the acquisition section 30 can acquire characteristic data 19 corresponding to light source D50 (color temperature 5003K) which is closer to the color temperature as substitute characteristic data. The deriving section 34 can use the substitute characteristic data acquired by the acquisition section 30 and derive the amount of energy applied to the color-generating member 90 according to the photographic image 50.

Furthermore, for example, the acquisition unit 30 may generate new characteristic data corresponding to the lighting condition determined by the specifying unit 38 based on the substitute characteristic data. Specifically, the acquisition unit 30 acquires two or more characteristic data 19 pre-stored in the storage unit 22 as substitute characteristic data, and generates characteristic data corresponding to the lighting condition determined by the specifying unit 38 by weighted average of the two or more substitute characteristic data.

For example, it is assumed that characteristic data 19 corresponding to light source D50 (color temperature 5003K), light source D65 (color temperature 6504K), and light source D75 (color temperature 7504K) are stored in advance in the storage unit 22. When the color temperature in the environment where the photography is performed is determined to be 5100K by the sensor 42, the acquisition unit 30 can acquire characteristic data 19 corresponding to light source D50 (color temperature 5003K) and light source D65 (color temperature 6504K) with a color temperature close to the color temperature as substitute characteristic data. In addition, the acquisition unit 30 can generate characteristic data corresponding to the color temperature of 5100K by weighted averaging the two substitute characteristic data corresponding to light source D50 (color temperature 5003K) and light source D65 (color temperature 6504K). The deriving section 34 may derive the amount of energy applied to the color-generating member 90 based on the photographic image 50 using the characteristic data generated by the acquiring section 30 .

Furthermore, in the second exemplary embodiment described above, the specific unit 38 uses the sensor 42 provided in the information processing device 10 to determine the lighting condition, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the specific unit 38 may use an external sensor having the same function as the sensor 42 to determine the lighting condition, in which case the information processing device 10 may not have the sensor 42. Also, for example, as shown in screen D of FIG. 9 , the specific unit 38 may receive an input of the lighting condition based on the user.

Furthermore, the first exemplary embodiment and the second exemplary embodiment described above may be appropriately combined. For example, the characteristic data 18 of the first exemplary embodiment (data pre-set with the relationship between the color of the second color space and the amount of energy applied to the color-generating component 90) may be set for each lighting condition. In this case, after the deriving unit 34 converts the photographic image 50 displayed in the first color space into an image displayed in the second color space using the device profile 16, the energy amount applied to the color-generating component 90 may be derived based on the second image using the characteristic data 18 corresponding to the lighting condition determined by the specifying unit 38.

Furthermore, in each of the above-mentioned exemplary embodiments, the correction unit 32 performs shading correction on the photographic image 50 and the derivation unit 34 derives the energy amount based on the photographic image 50 after shading correction, but it is not limited to this. For example, the above-mentioned International Publication No. 2022/059342 discloses that by using the ratio of the signal of each spectral sensitivity of the image, the uneven surface distribution of the concentration value in the image is eliminated without performing shading correction. The derivation unit 34 can derive the ratio of the signal of each spectral sensitivity of the photographic image 50 using the technology described in the above-mentioned International Publication No. 2022/059342, and derive the energy amount based on the ratio. In this case, the correction unit 32 does not need to perform shading correction on the photographic image 50.

Furthermore, in the above-mentioned exemplary embodiments, the camera 40 provided in the information processing device 10 is used as the photographing device for photographing the image 50, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an external digital camera or scanner of the information processing device 10 may be used as the photographing device. In this case, the information processing device 10 may not be provided with the camera 40.

In the above-mentioned exemplary embodiments, the calibration member 80 is photographed together with the color development member 90 in order to correct at least one of the distortion, tilt, size, shading and color of the photographed image 50, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when a scanner is used as a photographing device, it is possible to suppress the deviation of the distortion, tilt, size, shading and color of the photographed image 50. In this case, the calibration member 80 may not be photographed, and only the color development member 90 may be photographed. In this case, the function of the correction unit 32 may be omitted.

In the above-mentioned exemplary embodiments, various processors as shown below can be used as the hardware structure of the processing unit that performs various processes, such as the acquisition unit 30, the correction unit 32, the derivation unit 34, the control unit 36 and the specific unit 38. The various processors mentioned above include CPUs, which are general-purpose processors that execute software (programs) and function as various processing units, as well as processors whose circuit structures can be changed after manufacturing, such as FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), programmable logic devices (PLDs), and ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), which are processors with circuit structures specifically designed to perform specific processing, i.e., dedicated circuits.

One processing unit may be composed of one of the various processors, or a combination of two or more processors of the same type or different types (for example, a combination of a plurality of FPGAs or a combination of a CPU and an FPGA). Furthermore, a plurality of processing units may be composed of one processor.

As an example of a plurality of processing units constituted by one processor, the first one is a form in which one processor is constituted by a combination of one or more CPUs and software, such as a client and a server, and the processor functions as a plurality of processing units. The second one is a form in which a processor is used to realize the functions of the entire system including a plurality of processing units, such as a system on chip (SoC), etc. In this way, various processing units are constituted using one or more of the above-mentioned various processors as a hardware structure.

Furthermore, as the hardware structure of these various processors, more specifically, a circuit formed by combining circuit elements such as semiconductor elements can be used.

Furthermore, in the above exemplary embodiment, the information processing program 27 is pre-stored (installed) in the memory unit 22, but it is not limited to this. The information processing program 27 can also be provided in the form of recording on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disc Read Only Memory), and a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory. Furthermore, the information processing program 27 can also be downloaded from an external device via a network. In addition, the technology of the present invention also relates to a storage medium that does not temporarily store the information processing program in addition to the information processing program.

The technology of the present invention can also be appropriately combined with the above-mentioned exemplary implementation forms and embodiments. The above-mentioned descriptions and illustrated contents are detailed descriptions of part of the technology of the present invention and are only an example of the technology of the present invention. For example, the descriptions related to the above-mentioned structure, function, action and effect are descriptions related to an example of the structure, function, action and effect of part of the technology of the present invention. Therefore, within the scope of the main purpose of the technology of the present invention, it is of course possible to delete unnecessary parts of the above-mentioned descriptions and illustrated contents or add or replace new elements.

The entire contents of the invention of Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-091059 filed on June 3, 2022 are incorporated herein by reference. All documents, patent applications, and technical standards described in this specification are incorporated herein by reference to the same extent as if each document, patent application, and technical standard were specifically and individually described as being incorporated by reference.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic structure of an information processing system. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a shooting situation of a photographic image. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a color development component and a calibration component. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware structure of an information processing device of the first exemplary embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a device profile. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a device profile. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of characteristic data. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional structure of an information processing device of the first exemplary embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on a display. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the first information processing. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware structure of an information processing device of the second exemplary embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of characteristic data. FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional structure of an information processing device of the second exemplary embodiment. FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing an example of the second information processing.

10: Information processing device

30: Acquisition Department

32: Correction Department

34: Lead-out section

36: Control Department

Claims (8)

An information processing device having at least one processor, wherein the processor performs the following processing: Obtaining a first image displayed in a first color space, wherein the first image is obtained by photographing a color-generating component that generates color with a concentration distribution corresponding to the amount of energy applied; Obtaining a device profile that sets a corresponding relationship between the color of the first color space and the color of a second color space different from the first color space; Obtaining characteristic data that pre-sets a relationship between the color of the second color space and the amount of energy applied to the color-generating component; Using the device profile, converting the first image into a second image displayed in the second color space; and Using the characteristic data and deriving the amount of energy applied to the color-generating component based on the second image. An information processing device as described in claim 1, wherein the first color space is a color system that depends on a device for photographing the aforementioned color-generating component, and the second color space is a color system that does not depend on a device for photographing the aforementioned color-generating component. An information processing device as described in claim 2, wherein the first color space is an RGB color system, and the second color space is an L*a*b* color system. An information processing device as described in claim 1, wherein the processor performs the following processing: obtaining a chart image obtained by photographing a colorimetric chart containing a plurality of color blocks pre-set with colors in the second color space using a photographic device for the first image; and generating, for each of the color blocks contained in the chart image, the device setting file that establishes a corresponding association between the color in the first color space and the color in the second color space before the chart image is displayed. An information processing device as described in claim 1, wherein the aforementioned first image includes a color block for calibrating the color of the aforementioned color-generating component, and the aforementioned processor uses the aforementioned color block contained in the aforementioned first image to calibrate the color of the aforementioned color-generating component contained in the aforementioned first image. An information processing device as described in claim 1, wherein the processor performs shading correction on the first image. An information processing method includes the following processing: Obtaining a first image displayed in a first color space, the first image being obtained by photographing a color-generating component that generates color with a concentration distribution corresponding to the amount of energy applied; Obtaining a device setting file that sets a corresponding relationship between the color of the first color space and the color of a second color space different from the first color space; Obtaining characteristic data that pre-sets a relationship between the color of the second color space and the amount of energy applied to the color-generating component; Using the device setting file, converting the first image into a second image displayed in the second color space; and Using the characteristic data and deriving the amount of energy applied to the color-generating component based on the second image. An information processing program for causing a computer to perform the following processing: Obtaining a first image displayed in a first color space, the first image being obtained by photographing a color-generating component that generates color with a concentration distribution corresponding to the amount of energy applied; Obtaining a device setting file that sets a corresponding relationship between the color of the first color space and the color of a second color space different from the first color space; Obtaining characteristic data that pre-sets a relationship between the color of the second color space and the amount of energy applied to the color-generating component; Using the device setting file, converting the first image into a second image displayed in the second color space; and Using the characteristic data and deriving the amount of energy applied to the color-generating component based on the second image.

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