Colorimetry can refer to:

the quantitative study of color perception.[1] It is similar to spectrophotometry, but may be distinguished by its interest in reducing spectra to tristimulus values, from which the perception of color derives. the determination of the spectral absorbance of a solution.

Contents [hide]

1 Instruments o 1.1 Absorption colorimeter o 1.2 Tristimulus colorimeter o 1.3 Spectroradiometer, Spectrophotometer, Spectrocolorimeter o 1.4 Color temperature meter 2 See also 3 References 4 Further reading 5 External links

[edit] Instruments Colorimetric equipment is similar to that used in spectrophotometry. Some related equipment is also mentioned for completeness.

A tristimulus colorimeter measures the tristimulus values of a color.[2] A spectroradiometer measures the absolute spectral radiance (intensity) or irradiance of a light source.[3] A spectrophotometer measures the spectral reflectance, transmittance, or relative irradiance of a color sample.[3][4] A spectrocolorimeter is a spectrophotometer that can calculate tristimulus values. A densitometer measures the degree of light passing through or reflected by a subject.[2] A color temperature meter measures the color temperature of an incident illuminant.

Two spectral reflectance curves. The object in question reflects light with shorter wavelengths while absorbing those in others, lending it a blue appearance. [edit] Absorption colorimeter

In physical chemistry, a colorimeter is a device used to test the concentration of a solution by measuring its absorbance of a specific wavelength of light. To use this device, different solutions must be made, and a control (usually a mixture of distilled water and another solution) is first filled into a cuvette and placed inside a colorimeter to calibrate the machine. Only after the device has been calibrated can you use it to find the densities and/or concentrations of the other solutions. You do this by repeating the calibration, except with cuvettes filled with the other solutions. The filter on a colorimeter must be set to red if the liquid is blue. The size of the filter initially chosen for the colorimeter is extremely important, as the wavelength of light that is transmitted by the colorimeter has to be same as that absorbed by the substance. [edit] Tristimulus colorimeter In digital imaging, colorimeters are tristimulus devices used for color calibration. Accurate color profiles ensure consistency throughout the imaging workflow, from acquisition to output. [edit] Spectroradiometer, Spectrophotometer, Spectrocolorimeter The absolute spectral power distribution of a light source can be measured with a spectroradiometer, which works by optically collecting the light, then passing it through a monochromator before reading it in narrow bands of wavelength. Reflected color can be measured using a spectrophotometer (also called spectroreflectometer or reflectometer), which takes measurements in the visible region (and a little beyond) of a given color sample. If the custom of taking readings at 10 nanometer increments is followed, the visible light range of 400-700nm will yield 31 readings. These readings are typically used to draw the sample's spectral reflectance curve (how much it reflects, as a function of wavelength); the most accurate data that can be provided regarding its characteristics. CRT phosphors The readings by themselves are typically not as useful as their tristimulus values, which can be converted into chromaticity co-ordinates and manipulated through color space transformations. For this purpose, a spectrocolorimeter may be used. A spectrocolorimeter is simply a spectrophotometer that can estimate tristimulus values by numerical integration (of the color matching functions' inner product with the illuminant's spectral power distribution).[4] One benefit of spectrocolorimeters over tristimulus colorimeters is that they do not have optical filters, which are subject to manufacturing variance, and have a fixed spectral transmittance curveuntil they age.[5] On the other hand, tristimulus colorimeters are purpose-built, cheaper, and easier to use.[6]

The CIE recommends using measurement intervals under 5nm, even for smooth spectra. [3] Sparser measurements fail to accurately characterize spiky emission spectra, such as that of the red phosphor of a CRT display, depicted aside. Color temperature meter Photographers and cinematographers use information provided by these meters to decide what color correction should be done to make different light sources appear to have the same color temperature. If the user enters the reference color temperature, the meter can calculate the mired difference between the measurement and the reference, enabling the user to choose a corrective color gel or photographic filter with the closest mired factor.[7] The normals are lines of equal correlated color temperature.Internally the meter is typically a silicon photodiode tristimulus colorimeter.[7] The correlated color temperature can be calculated from the tristimulus values by first calculating the chromaticity coordinates in the CIE 1960 color space, then finding the closest point on the Planckian locus.

Colorimeter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search Not to be confused with calorimeter.

Colorimeter

Other names Uses

Colourimeter Concentration measurement Display calibration

Inventor Related items

Jan Szczepanik Spectrophotometer

A colorimeter, an instrument used in colorimetry, can refer to one of several related devices.

In scientific fields the word generally refers to the device that measures the absorbance of particular wavelengths of light by a specific solution. This device, invented by Jan Szczepanik, is most commonly used to determine the concentration of a known solute in a given solution by the application of the BeerLambert law, which states that the concentration of a solute is proportional to the absorbance. In digital imaging, tristimulus colorimeters, also shortened to colorimeters, are used to profile and calibrate output devices.

Contents
[hide]

1 Construction o 1.1 Filters o 1.2 Cuvettes o 1.3 Controls o 1.4 Output 2 Tristimulus colorimeter 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Construction
The essential parts of a colorimeter are:

a light source (often an ordinary low-voltage filament lamp) an adjustable aperture a set of colored filters a cuvette to hold the working solution a detector (usually a photoresistor) to measure the transmitted light a meter to display the output from the detector

In addition, there may be:

a voltage regulator, to protect the instrument from fluctuations in mains voltage. a second light path, cuvette and detector. This enables comparison between the working solution and a "blank", consisting of pure solvent, to improve accuracy.

[edit] Filters
Changeable optics filters are used in the colorimeter to select the wavelength of light which the solute absorbs the most, in order to maximize accuracy. The usual wavelength range is from 400 to 700 nanometres (nm). If it is necessary to operate in the ultraviolet

range (below 400 nm) then some modifications to the colorimeter are needed. In modern colorimeters the filament lamp and filters may be replaced by several light-emitting diodes of different colors.

[edit] Cuvettes
Main article: Cuvette In a manual colorimeter the cuvettes are inserted and removed by hand. An automated colorimeter (as used in an AutoAnalyzer) is fitted with a flowcell through which solution flows continuously.

[edit] Controls

(1) Wavelength selection, (2) Printer button, (3) Concentration factor adjustment, (4) UV mode selector (Deuterium lamp), (5) Readout, (6) Sample compartment, (7) Zero control (100% T), (8) Sensitivity switch.

[edit] Output
The output from a colorimeter may be displayed by an analogue or digital meter and may be shown as transmittance (a linear scale from 0-100%) or as absorbance (a logarithmic scale from zero to infinity). The useful range of the absorbance scale is from 0-2 but it is desirable to keep within the range 0-1 because, above 1, the results become unreliable due to scattering of light. In addition, the output may be sent to a chart recorder, data logger, or computer.

[edit] Tristimulus colorimeter

The CIE 1931 XYZ color matching functions A tristimulus colorimetercolloquially shortened to colorimetertakes a limited number of wideband spectral energy readings (~3-7[1]) along the visible spectrum by using filtered photodetectors; e.g. silicon photodiodes.[2] Originally, three glass filters whose transmittance spectra mimicked the CIE color matching functions (shown on the right) were employed.[3] A filter bank may be used to decompose the individual color matching functions if more accuracy is desired.[4]

A camera or colorimeter is said to be colorimetric if it satisfies the Luther condition (also called the "Maxwell-Ives criterion"),[5] reducing observer metamerism color errors, if the product of the spectral responsivity of the photoreceptor and the spectral transmittance of the filters is a linear combination of the CMFs.[6] A colorimeter or a digital camera with a color filter array can, under certain conditions, be used as an alternative to a spectrophotometer.[7][8] The illuminant and observer conditions should be specified when citing a measurement (e.g. D65/10).[9] The quality of a colorimeter may be assessed using the means in CIE publication 179:2007.[10]

[edit]