Variable spot size + color mixing optical system
In applications like concert show lighting, architectural lighting, and cinema projection, achieving good color mixing and variable spot size is essential. The optics design in front of a RGBW LED source must include optimization for color uniformity as well as beam shape. A common solution is to place diffuse materials in the optical path. This […]
Conoscopic Lens Design
A conoscopic lens is an instrument that can be used to measure the angular distribution of a light source. Its use is quite different from a lens, as in photography. An image created by a conoscopic lens resembles that of a fisheye lens. That is a highly distorted image. Conoscopic lenses are used to evaluate […]
Non-sequential ray tracing
When doing optical simulations using a program like ZEMAX, we can choose to do our simulations using two modes: sequential and non-sequential optics. Sequential optics, as the name indicates, follows the optical path of light as it goes from one surface to the next. For example in Cooke Triplet shown in Figure 1, light travels […]
Fisheye Lens Design
Anyone who has peaked through a hotel room peephole has used a fish eye lens. Usually, the fish eye lens has a very short focal length (less than 15mm for a 35mm-size image sensor), but a large field of view (FOV). The latter can be as large as 180-degrees, giving the user a complete view […]
Laser and Adaptive Headlight Tech Explained
In the past we have talked about LiDAR and its use in auto industry, there are many more examples of optical engineering in the auto industry. One good example are the new adaptive headlights that protect the driver from glare. The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has lifted some of the bans that […]
Light Source Safety Calculator
One important aspect of any design is user safety. This is especially important when using light sources like lasers and LEDs that may be observed by the naked eye. Disregarding safety can lead to product recalls, lawsuits, and harm to users. To protect users, a number of standards related to light and eye safety have […]