Optimization of sensor response functions for colorimetry of reflective and emissive objects

This paper describes the design of color filters for a surface color measurement device. The function of the device is to return the XYZ tristimulus vector characterizing the color of the surface. The device is designed to measure emissive as well as reflective surfaces. It uses an internal set of LEDs to illuminate reflective surfaces while characterizing their color under assumed standard illuminants. In the design of the filters, we formulate a nonlinear optimization problem with the goal of minimizing error in the uniform color space CIE L*a*b*. Our optimization criteria employs a technique to retain a linear structure while approximating the true L*a*b* error. In addition, our solution is regularized to account for system noise, filter roughness and filter implementation errors. Experimental results indicate average and worst case device accuracy of 0.27 L*a*b* ΔE units and 1.56 L*a*b* ΔE units for a “system tolerance” of 0.0005