IP Library Granted Patent US 12669374
Granted Patent B2
US 12669374 · App. 18/598,725 · Granted Jun 30, 2026

Color measurement apparatus and control method

Inventors: Masahide Moriyama (Matsumoto, JP); Masayoshi Miyakawa (Suwa, JP); Toru Hayashi (Suwa, JP)
Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
G01J3/0289G01J3/0267G01J3/06G01J2003/061
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12669374
App. No.
18/598,725
Granted
Jun 30, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A color measurement apparatus to which a colorimeter that measures a color of a patch of a color measurement target is configured to be attached includes a support base that supports the color measurement target, a carriage that supports the colorimeter, a scanning mechanism portion that causes the carriage to perform scanning on the support base, and a control portion that controls the scanning mechanism portion, in which the carriage includes a support portion that has an opening portion that exposes a color measurement portion from the carriage in a state in which the colorimeter is supported, and a first measurement portion and a second measurement portion that are provided to interpose the opening portion, and the control portion specifies a position of the patch by measurement results of a measured portion by the first measurement portion and the second measurement portion.

Claims (30)

1 . A color measurement apparatus to which a colorimeter that measures a color of a patch of a color measurement target provided with the patch and a measured portion for grasping a position of the patch is configured to be attached, the color measurement apparatus comprising:

a support base that supports the color measurement target;

a carriage that supports the colorimeter;

a scanning mechanism portion that causes the carriage to perform scanning on the support base; and

a control portion that controls the scanning mechanism portion, wherein

the carriage includes

a support portion that supports the colorimeter and has an opening portion that exposes a color measurement portion of the colorimeter from the carriage in a state in which the colorimeter is supported by the support portion, and

a first measurement portion and a second measurement portion that measure the measured portion and are provided to interpose the opening portion, and

the control portion specifies a position of the patch by measurement results of the first measurement portion and the second measurement portion.

2 . The color measurement apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the scanning mechanism portion is configured to move the carriage in a first direction and in a second direction intersecting the first direction, and

the first measurement portion and the second measurement portion are provided at different positions in any direction of the first direction and the second direction.

3 . The color measurement apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the color measurement target is a quadrangle and provided with a linear measured portion as the measured portion along four sides of the color measurement target, and

the control portion specifies the position of the patch based on results obtained by the first measurement portion and the second measurement portion measuring the linear measured portion.

4 . The color measurement apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein

the control portion

calculates positions of four straight lines along the linear measured portion and positions of intersections of the straight lines based on results obtained by the first measurement portion and the second measurement portion measuring the linear measured portion corresponding to every side of the color measurement target at at least two points, and

specifies the position of the patch based on the calculated position of the intersection.

5 . The color measurement apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the color measurement target is a quadrangle and is provided with a corner measured portion as the measured portion at at least three corners of four corners of the color measurement target, and

the control portion specifies an orientation of the color measurement target supported by the support base based on results obtained by the first measurement portion and the second measurement portion measuring the corner measured portion.

6 . A control method that controls a color measurement apparatus to which a colorimeter that measures a color of a patch of a color measurement target provided with the patch and a measured portion for grasping a position of the patch is configured to be attached, the color measurement apparatus including

a support base that supports the color measurement target,

a carriage that supports the colorimeter, and

a scanning mechanism portion that causes the carriage to perform scanning on the support base, in which

the carriage includes

a support portion that supports the colorimeter and has an opening portion that exposes a color measurement portion of the colorimeter from the carriage in a state in which the colorimeter is supported by the support portion, and

a first measurement portion and a second measurement portion that measure the measured portion and are provided to interpose the opening portion, the control method comprising:

specifying a position of the patch by measurement results of the first measurement portion and the second measurement portion.