Illumination variable colorimetric method and colorimeter

Abstract

A method and apparatus allows mutual comparison of a mode of appearance of a color by the visual sense with a mode of appearance of the color from a calorimetric value from a calorimeters, and establishes a corresponding relationship between both evaluations. In the illumination variable calorimetric method and colorimeter, an illumination adjustment mechanism and an illumination measurement light receiver are disposed in a measurement optical path of an optical portion. After an illumination is adjusted to a predetermined illumination while a standard plate is placed on the surface of a sample table, standard adjustment is effected. Thereafter, measurement is started by placing a sample on the sample table, and the illumination of the sample table is varied by the light quantity adjustment mechanism so that changes in hue, saturation and lightness of a surface color of the sample and each color difference value with respect to the change of illumination of the same sample can be measured and displayed.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.