Image-based appearance metrology

The appearance impression of a product comes from its various attributes, such as the colour and gloss. For quality control purposes a comprehensive evaluation of these attributes is mandatory in several application fields and industries. To this end, standardized methods and metrics have been introduced. However, with the technical innovations e.g. made in the printing and paint industry, today new effect pigments and gonio-apparent coatings have emerged for which the conventional optical characterization methods are inadequate. In this research project, innovative measurement methods by aid of hyperspectral imaging devices will be investigated and procedures developed to determine the above-mentioned appearance characteristics. In the future, these methods should allow materials to be more accurately designed and controlled.

Keywords:Appearance, Image-based optical metrology, sparkle, graininess, translucency

Disciplines:Nonlinear optics and spectroscopy, Photonics, light and lighting