There are procedures typically used in auto body shops to assist in matching a proposed paint mix with that on undamaged portions of the vehicle. A test panel is taped to a stick and arranged next to the panel to be matched at a couple of angles. The present procedures are unrepeatable and often utilize two individuals. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a wand has a test panel portion with embedded magnets. The test panel is attracted to the test panel portion via the magnets and the wand holds onto the vehicle panel also via the magnets. The lower side of the test panel portion that sits against the vehicle has at least two flat surfaces at different angles so that the wand can be placed on the surface of the vehicle, or other surface, to assess the paint match from the different angles.

Improved colorimetric analysis of liquid samples is provided. A sample holder is used that delivers predetermined volumes of sample individually to each of several colorimetric test patches at the same time with a sliding action. An opaque housing is employed to prevent ambient light from reaching the test patches when color images of the test patches are acquired. Preferably, a mobile electronic device including a camera is attached to the opaque housing to acquire the images. Optical microscopy can be performed in addition to the colorimetric analysis.

Memory efficient methods determine corrected color values from image data acquired by a nucleic acid sequencer during a base calling cycle. Such methods may: (a) obtain an image of a substrate (e.g., a portion of a flow cell) including a plurality of sites where nucleic acid bases are read; (b) measure color values of the plurality of sites from the image of the substrate; (c) store the color values in a processor buffer of the sequencer's one or more processors; (d) retrieve partially phase-corrected color values of the plurality of sites, where the partially phase-corrected color values were stored in the sequencer's memory during an immediately preceding base calling cycle; (e) determine a prephasing correction; and (f) determine the corrected color values. In various implementations, these operations are all performed during a single base calling cycle. In certain embodiments, the methods additionally include using the corrected color values to make base calls for the plurality of sites. Sequencers may be designed or configured to implement such methods.

Described herein are methods and apparatus for spectroscopic analysis of samples. In many embodiments, an apparatus for providing spectroscopic analysis of a sample comprises a sample holder. For example, the sample holder may comprise a consumable single use sample holder that can be readily coupled to and removed from a measurement apparatus such as a spectrometer. The sample holder may comprise a measurement surface configured to receive the sample during measurement, wherein the measurement surface may comprise a porous mesh. The porous mesh can receive the sample to optimally configure the sample for spectroscopic measurement, as described in further detail herein.

Disclosed are a colorimeter and a reflectivity measuring method based on a multichannel spectrum. The colorimeter includes a main unit and a calibration box, wherein the main unit includes an integrating sphere, a light source and a main sensor, a detection hole is formed in one side of a top of the integrating sphere, a light-through hole is formed in a side of the integrating sphere, and a measuring port is formed in a bottom of the integrating sphere, the light source is arranged outside the light-through hole, and the main sensor is arranged outside the detection hole; the calibration box includes a housing and a white board arranged at a top of the housing, the white board is correspondingly matched with the measuring port, and the calibration box is connected with the main unit; the sensor is a multichannel spectral sensor.

Embodiments of the invention generally relate to color and appearance metric measurements and, in particular, developing instrumentation to enable self-consistent image appearance measurements within instruments of unitary construction.

The invention relates to the field of optical instrumentation and is intended for use in analyses in industrial laboratories and for scientific research purposes in analytical studies of the spectral characteristics of various materials. The technical result is an increase in the quality and accuracy of angular dependence measurements and measurements of complex prisms. A spectrophotometer comprises a housing, a measuring compartment and a source of monochromatic radiation, where the following are installed: a radiation source, a monochromator, an assembly of polarizers, a mirror element, a measuring channel with an assembly of photodetectors with a lens, a reference channel with an assembly of photodetectors with a lens; a rotary object table, capable of providing a triple exposure of the specimens when carrying out measurements, with a hollow rotation shaft and with specimens; and devices for moving the assembly of the measuring channel of the photodetectors with a vertical rotation shaft.

Systems and methods here may be used for automated capturing and analyzing spectrometer data of multiple sample gemstones on a stage, including mapping digital camera image data of samples, applying a Raman Probe to a first sample gemstone under evaluation on the stage, receiving spectrometer data of the sample gemstone from the probe, automatically moving the stage to a second sample, using the image data, and analyzing the other samples.

Embodiments of the invention generally relate to color and appearance metric measurements and, in particular, developing instrumentation to enable self-consistent image appearance measurements within instruments of unitary construction.

Systems and methods here may be used for automated capturing and analyzing spectrometer data of multiple sample gemstones on a stage, including mapping digital camera image data of samples, applying a Raman Probe to a first sample gemstone under evaluation on the stage, receiving spectrometer data of the sample gemstone from the probe, automatically moving the stage to a second sample, using the image data, and analyzing the other samples.