Fluorescent whiteness measurement of textiles by multispectral imaging system

Abstract

Accurate whiteness measurement is critical across various industries including textiles, paper, and detergents. With the advent of fluorescent whitening agents (FWAs), the assessment of whiteness has evolved from simply measuring reflectance to determining the spectral radiance factor (SRF) of materials. While multispectral imaging (MSI) can effectively measure object reflectance and colour, its accuracy is compromised by FWAs that significantly augment spectral reflectance. Thus, reliable whiteness measurement requires the determination of both reflectance and SRF. This article presents the design of a specialised light source equipped with an ultraviolet (UV) filter to provide adjustable illumination within an integrating sphere system. By tuning the position of the UV filter, multispectral images are captured of a fabric under varying UV exposures. These images are subsequently processed and combined to reconstruct full-range visible spectrum information. This approach is shown to achieve high accuracy and spatial uniformity in quantifying the whiteness of textiles using MSI.