Article Abstracts | September 2005
The complete article appears in the September 2005 issue of Photonics Spectra. If you do not have a copy of this issue,
e-mail us a request. Be sure to include your street address or fax number.
Imaging Sphere Enables Rapid Source Intensity Mapping
A novel optical device offers multiple detection benefits for light source and luminaire characterization as well as for surface scatter measurements.
by Ron Rykowski and Kevin Chittim, Radiant Imaging Inc., and
Sipke Wadman, Royal Philips Electronics Nederland BV
Many photonic applications require the ability to calculate luminous intensity; that is, light intensity as a function of angle. For example, measuring output as a function of angle helps characterize light sources, luminaires and displays, and the angular distribution of scattered light from a surface is used to assess surface roughness for products as diverse as paper, painted metal, protective films and high-performance optics.
Performing these measurements traditionally has meant slowly sweeping a single detector through every angle of interest, or scanning only at a finite number of the most important angles. Now a new type of optical device, called the imaging sphere, enables the acquisition of an entire hemisphere (2π steradians) of angular intensity information in a single scan...
Start a discussion on this article or any photonics topic in the Photonics.com Community Forum