Apparatus and method for optically characterizing a textile sample

An apparatus (100) for optically characterizing a textile sample (106), the apparatus (100) comprising:

• a presentation subsystem (102) comprising a viewing window (108),
• a radiation subsystem (114) comprising a radiation source (120) for directing a desired first radiation (122) in the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum and a desired second radiation (123) in the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum through the viewing window (108) toward the sample (106), and causing the sample (106) to produce a fluorescent radiation (124) and a reflected radiation (125),
• a sensing subsystem (126) comprising an imager (130) for capturing the fluorescent radiation (124) and the reflected radiation (125) in an array of pixels (408), where each pixel (408) records an intensity of both the fluorescent radiation (124) and the reflected radiation (125) at the pixel location, and
• a control subsystem (132) comprising a processor (136) for controlling the presentation subsystem (102), the radiation subsystem (114), and the sensing subsystem (126), and for creating a fluorescent and reflected radiation image (400) containing both spectral information and spatial information in regard to the fluorescent radiation (124) and the reflected radiation (125) of the sample (106),
• wherein the control system (132) is configured to perform a pattern analysis with the fluorescent and reflected radiation image (400), which pattern analysis includes at least one of,
• (a) a number of patterns found in the fluorescent and reflected radiation image (400),
• (b) a total area of all patterns in the fluorescent and reflected radiation image (400),
• (c) an average size of all patterns in the fluorescent and reflected radiation image (400),
• (d) a percentage of patterns with a horizontal orientation in the fluorescent and reflected radiation image (400),
• (e) a percentage of patterns with a vertical orientation in the fluorescent and reflected radiation image (400), and
• (f) a percentage of patterns with a nonordinal, or random, orientation in the fluorescent and reflected radiation image (400).