TESLAbicycle Episode 19 - MacAdam's Ellipse in Practice
In today's world, where lighting plays a key role in our daily lives, the accuracy and consistency of light colour is extremely important. Our company TESLA Lighting specialises in lighting sales and implementation, we know how crucial it is to have reliable tools for measuring and evaluating light quality. One such tool is our in-house photometric laboratory, where we use advanced methods including MacAdam ellipse colour tolerance assessment.
What is the MacAdam ellipse?
The MacAdam ellipse is a concept developed by American scientist David MacAdam in 1942. This method makes it possible to quantify how much difference in the colour of light the human eye is able to detect. MacAdam's ellipse represents the region in colour space where the average observer cannot distinguish the difference between colours.
Why does colour tolerance matter so much?
Colour tolerance plays a key role in many industries, especially where accurate colour reproduction is important:
1. Architecture and interior design:
Consistent light colour ensures that the colours of the walls, furniture and decorations look as they were intended.
3. Photos and video:
Accurate colour reproduction is a key element for realistic image capture.
2. Retail:
The right lighting can bring out the colours of products and influence customers' purchasing decisions.
4. Healthcare:
In hospitals and surgeries, it is important to have consistent lighting for proper diagnosis and treatment.
How do we use the MacAdam ellipse in our lab?
In our photometric laboratory we use an integrating sphere that allows us to accurately measure the wave spectrum and light output. Part of this measurement involves positioning the light source on the MacAdam ellipse. This positioning provides us with valuable information about the consistency of the light color and helps us ensure that our products meet the highest quality standards.
Colour tolerance is usually measured in "steps" of MacAdam's ellipse. The lower the number of steps, the smaller the difference in color and the higher the quality of the light source. For most applications, a tolerance of up to 3 steps of the MacAdam ellipse is considered acceptable.
Meaning in practice
By accurately measuring and evaluating color tolerances, we can offer our customers light sources and luminaires with consistent light color. This is particularly important when installing multiple luminaires in one space where even small differences in light colour could be disturbing.
Our photometric laboratory also allows us to provide comprehensive testing of customer light sources. The output of the measurements is a detailed test report that includes all relevant parameters, including the location on the MacAdam ellipse. This data is essential for accurate 3D simulation of lighting in different spaces.
At TESLA Lighting, we are proud to offer such advanced measurement services. Our photometric lab helps us ensure that we only supply the highest quality products, while providing valuable information for optimizing lighting in a variety of applications.
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