Patent ID: 6509919
Filing Date: 2003-01-21
Classification: G01J

Abstract:
A color sensing apparatus for distinguishing a colorant in or on an article from a set of predefined colorants, the apparatus comprising:(a) N light sources, wherein N is a plural number, each of said N light sources capable of emitting light having a predefined optical wavelength for impingement on said article; (b) for each one of said N light sources, a corresponding optical sensor, each said optical sensor responsive to said predefined optical wavelength and providing a variable output signal that is indicative of the sensed level of light energy at said predefined optical wavelength; (c) a control logic processor adapted to accept each said variable output signal from each said corresponding optical sensor, said control logic processor further adapted to convert each said variable output signal to a numerical value, to assign a measured N-dimensional coordinate value comprising each of said numerical values, to compare said measured N-dimensional coordinate value to stored reference N-dimensional coordinate values, and using a Maximum Likelihood Detection algorithm to identify said colorant thereby.