KONICA MINOLTA

Measuring Instruments

Giving Shape to Ideas

Precise Color Communication

When you see a fluorescent color, it looks like it is glowing by itself although it is not actually a light source. When light is applied to a fluorescent material, the rays are absorbed and re-emitted as visible light in other regions of the spectrum, usually at longer wavelengths. As explained in Part II-2 , the visible light region is electromagnetic radiation between 380nm and 780nm. For example, when 360nm radiation is absorbed and emitted at 420nm, the measurement value at 420nm may exceed 100%. Since more than the expected amount of light is visible, it appears to the human eye as if the material glows by itself. For measurement of non-fluorescent samples, the dispersive element can be placed either between the source and the sample or between the sample and the receiver. However for the measurement of fluorescent samples to agree with the color as it appears to people, the dispersive element must be placed between the sample and the detector so that the sample is illuminated by the entire spectrum of the source. When a fluorescent color is measured by the spectrophotometer, the spectral power distribution of the light source, including the ultraviolet regions, must be controlled.
Many coatings, especially in automotive applications, use a combination of metallic flakes and colorant to achieve a colorful effect. In a metallic coating, light is reflected at different angles due to the orientation of the flakes of metal in the coating, although the flakes will generally be aligned in the same direction. Figure 25 illustrates how the specular reflectance and diffuse reflectance interact with a metallic coating. Because the color reflects from the metallic flake at a different angle than the diffuse reflectance, the appearance to the human eye will also differ. At the angle close to the specular reflection, highlight color (face), which is influenced by the metallic flake, is seen. At the angle, which is not influenced by metallic flake, shade color (flop), is seen. In general, when measuring metallic colors, it is more effective to measure and evaluate them with a spectrophotometer that measures color at multiple angles.






Have you ever been in a room where appearances are striking because the white shirts, socks or patterns on the wall seem to be glowing and exceedingly bright while the room itself appears to be dark or illuminated in violet lighting?

A place like this is lighted by a source called a "black light". The black light is an illumination using wavelengths mostly outside the visible regions of the spectrum. It has been sold for illuminating fluorescent jigsaw puzzles or fluorescent minerals. In fact, this black light emits energy in the ultraviolet region. A fluorescent material that absorbs this energy and re-emits it as light in the visible region has been added to the objects. The materials appear to glow when illuminated by a black light.
An object appears white when it reflects all wavelengths in the visible regions at nearly 100 percent. However, if there is less reflectance at the blue wavelengths, the object appears yellowish. In many cases, a fluorescent material (sometimes referred to as an optical brightener) is added. This fluorescent material provides an increase in reflectance at the blue wavelengths to make the object seem white. As a result, a white shirt appears to glow when it is illuminated by a black light, and appears white in daylight. When white clothes are washed repeatedly, they become yellowish. This is not because they are stained by a yellow color, but because the fluorescent material is washed out and the original color of the cloth has re-appeared. It is a common practice to have the yellowish clothes returned to white by washing with a detergent that contains a fluorescent material.
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