Patent ID: 11953431
Assignee: AXALTA COATING SYSTEMS IP CO., LLC
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 0:
1. A color measurement device comprising:
a housing, wherein the housing is configured for placement on a target coating comprising flakes;
a source that produces electromagnetic radiation connected to the housing, wherein the source is positioned to direct a beam of the electromagnetic radiation towards the target coating at an entrance angle, where a spherical coordinate system is used, where a surface of the target coating is a reference plane of the spherical coordinate system, an origin of the spherical coordinate system is a point about where the beam impacts the surface of the target coating, a zenith of the spherical coordinate system is a line normal to the surface of the target coating, wherein the entrance angle is a polar angle measured from the zenith, and wherein the beam is defined with an azimuth angle of 0;
a first detector connected to the housing and positioned to measure the electromagnetic radiation reflected by a target population of flakes within the target coating, wherein all the flakes in the target population of flakes have the same angled flake normal polar angle, wherein the first detector is positioned at a first polar angle;
a second detector connected to the housing and positioned to measure the electromagnetic radiation reflected by the target population of flakes, wherein the entrance angle for the source is the same for the position of the first detector and for the position of the second detector, wherein the second detector is positioned at a second polar angle, and wherein the second polar angle is different than the first polar angle; and
wherein a specular line extends from the surface of the target coating at a specular angle, wherein the specular angle is the polar angle equal to the entrance angle, wherein the specular line has the azimuth angle of 180°, wherein a positive aspecular exit angle is defined between the specular line and a first exit line, wherein the first exit line extends from the first detector to the origin, and wherein a negative aspecular exit angle is defined between the specular line and a second exit line extending from the origin to the second detector, and wherein;
the negative aspecular exit angle is greater than the positive aspecular exit angle.