Controlling specularity of luminaire and other reflectors to optimize their optical performance
AssigneeMarcus P. Hogue and Leveta P. Hogue
InventorMarcus Paul Hogue
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of improving aspects critical to the reflector making process by defining a reflector surface definition of specularity by its solid angle measurement and a repeatable execution process. The controlled specularity on a hardened steel tool is replicated on a reflector by forcing the reflector surface to yield in extra compression yield failure and permanently set the desired specularity in the reflector. Next, a physical as well as analytical model of the reflection behavior, based on the solid angle geometry, is provided.
Claims1
A method of controlling the physical distribution of reflected light from a reflector comprising:
- forming a desired surface specularity on a tool made of hardened steel by grinding or polishing and/or buffing,
- permanently replicating said desired surface to a mating surface of said reflector by transferring the solid angle reflections of the tool by applying a short pulse of sufficient pressure increase in forming process by relatively moving an inner surface of the reflector intimately against the tool overcoming any residual forming stresses,
- testing the desired specularity by a laser at each required mating area by displaying the degree of reflectance specularity geometrically in solid angle patterns, such that the incident laser beam reflecting from the reflector projects a three dimensional beam collected by a detector means and displaying the actual solid angle reflection properties of the surface over a range of totally specular to totally diffuse and further by controlling real or proposed distribution of diffuse reflected light via a vector representation provided as a math model for ray tracing and recovery of portions of diffuse reflected light.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.