Light collector
AssigneeE. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company
InventorsBruce A. Diner, Steven Gutteridge, Gary L. Peterson, William E. Wolf
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A light collector for use with a photodetector that provides uniform photodetector output response over a polar angular range regardless of the polar angle of incidence of light upon the collector is disclosed. The light collector comprises a generally spheroidally-shaped light direction changer having a light diffusing surface, and a generally spheroidally-shaped polar attenuator. The geometric center of the photosensitive surface of the photodetector is adjacent to the vertex of the generally spheroidally-shaped light direction changer.
Claims17
A light collector for use with a photodetector having a photosensitive surface, the photosensitive surface of the photodetector having a geometric center, the photodetector having a predetermined output response that is functionally related to the polar angle of incidence of light thereon,
- the light collector comprising:
- a generally spheroidally-shaped light direction changer having a light diffusing surface;
- and
- a generally spheroidally-shaped polar attenuator,
- the generally spheroidally-shaped light direction changer having an axis of revolution and having a vertex lying on the axis of revolution,
- the geometric center of the photosensitive surface of the photodetector being adjacent to the vertex of the generally spheroidally-shaped light direction changer,
- the light direction changer and the polar attenuator cooperating to collect light over a predetermined polar angular range and to direct collected light toward a photodetector,
- so that, when associated with the light collector, the photodetector generates a uniform output response over the polar angular range regardless of the polar angle of incidence of light upon the collector.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.