Integrating Optical System and Methods

• US 20110108741A1
• Filed: 12/16/2009
• Published: 05/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Machine Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Vela Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Ingram, Michael W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,854,734 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/492.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/4754 Diffuse illumination
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/4738 Diffuse reflection precedence is given to G01N21/55 - G01N21/57 if specular component is taken into consideration, e.g. also for testing fluids, fibrous materials
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/474 Details of optical heads therefor, e.g. using optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/0634 Diffuse illumination
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/065 Integrating spheres
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0028 refractive and reflective surfaces, e.g. non-imaging catadioptric systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0071 adapted to illuminate a complete hemisphere or a plane extending 360 degrees around the source
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0085 for use with both a detector and a source , e.g. in a transceiver, G02B19/009, G02B19/0095 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/009 for use with infrared radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0278 used in transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0284 used in reflection
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

An integrating optical system having a chamber, the chamber having an aperture and at least one portion having a diffuse reflective material; a light source; and a diffuse transmissive baffle. The baffle is located in relation to the chamber such that it is also located in an optical path between the light source and a treatable target. A light-ray originating from the light source is diffusely transmitted from the diffuse transmissive baffle and impinges on an interior surface of the chamber before impinging on the treatable target.

Claims

1. An integrating optical system, comprising:

at least one chamber, each at least one chamber having at least one aperture and at least one portion comprising a diffuse reflective material;

at least one light source; and

at least one diffuse transmissive baffle disposed in relation to the at least one chamber in a manner wherein the at least one diffuse transmissive baffle is also disposed in an optical path between the at least one light source and at least one treatable target, wherein at least one light-ray originating from the at least one light source is diffusely transmitted from the at least one diffuse transmissive baffle and impinges on an interior surface of the at least one chamber before impinging on the at least one treatable target.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one diffuse transmissive baffle facilitates passage of light from the at least one light source therethrough in a diffuse manner.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each at least one treatable target comprises a disposition selected from a group consisting essentially of inside the at least one chamber and outside the at least one chamber.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one chamber comprises at least one configuration selected from a group consisting essentially of a sphere, a rectanguloid, a cube, a polyhedron, an ellipsoid, an ogivoid, a paraboloid, a cylinder, a hyperboloid of one sheet, a hyperboloid of two sheets, a hyperbolic paraboloid, and an elliptical cone.

5. The system of claim 1,

wherein the at least one diffuse transmissive baffle comprises a plurality of diffuse transmissive baffles in a stacking relationship, and

wherein the plurality of diffuse transmissive baffles comprises at least one configuration selected from a group consisting essentially of a spacing being disposed between each baffle of the plurality of diffuse transmissive baffles and each baffle being adjacently disposed and contacting another baffle of the plurality of diffuse transmissive baffles.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one diffuse transmissive baffle comprises at least one material selected from a group consisting essentially of a high-temperature-resistant material, an aluminum oxide, a polycrystalline aluminum oxide, a polycrystalline sapphire, an optical filter, a quartz, an opaled quartz, a fritted quartz, a sandblasted quartz, a bead-blasted quartz, a sapphire, a sandblasted sapphire, a bead-blasted sapphire, an acid-etched quartz, an acid-etched sapphire, a ground quartz, and a ground sapphire.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one diffuse transmissive baffle comprises at least one material selected from a group consisting essentially of a volume diffusing material, a pot opal, a quartz having a distribution of voids, a quartz having a distribution of scattering sites, a quartz having a distribution of impurities, a quartz having a distribution of dopants, a quartz felt, a quartz wool, and a randomly oriented transmissive fiber sandwiched between optically transparent support members.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one diffuse transmissive baffle comprises at least one diffusing surface formed by at least one technique consisting essentially of etching, chemical etching, acid etching, sandblasting, bead-blasting, grinding, and opaling.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one diffuse transmissive baffle comprises a polished surface and a diffusing surface.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the polished surface comprises a dichroic material for reflecting at least one type of light selected from a group consisting essentially of infrared light, visible light, and ultraviolet light.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one chamber comprises a main chamber and an auxiliary chamber, the auxiliary chamber disposed between the at least one light source and the main chamber.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one light source is disposed within the at least one chamber.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one chamber comprises a main chamber and an auxiliary chamber, wherein the at least one light source is disposed within one of the main chamber and the auxiliary chamber.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the diffuse reflective material comprises at least one material selected from a group consisting essentially of a diffuse reflective polymer, a conformal diffuse reflective polymer, a fluoropolymer, a perfluoroalkoxy, a fluoroethylene-propylene, a tetrafluoroethylene, an ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene, a polytetrafluoroethylene, a flexible polytetrafluoroethylene, an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene, a sintered polytetrafluoroethylene, a pressed polytetrafluoroethylene, and a barium sulfate.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one shutter disposed between the at least one light source and the at least one chamber.

16. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one lamp assembly, each at least one lamp assembly comprising at least one light reflector for accommodating the at least one light source,

wherein the at least one light reflector facilitates reflection of light toward the at least one chamber,

wherein the at least one light reflector comprises a feature selected from a group consisting essentially of a diffuse reflective surface and a specular reflective surface, and

wherein the at least one lamp assembly comprises a focus characteristic selected from a group consisting essentially of in-focus and out-of-focus.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one light source comprises at least one element selected from a group consisting essentially of a discharge lamp, a microwave-excited arc lamp, an electrodeless arc lamp, a low pressure arc lamp, a medium pressure arc lamp, a high pressure arc lamp, an incandescent lamp, a light emitting diode, and a laser.

18. The system of claim 1,

wherein the at least one treatable target comprises a surface having a plurality of points, and

wherein any point of the plurality of points being irradiated by light incident through the at least one diffuse transmissive baffle also is irradiated by light incident from at least one other point in the system other than through the at least one diffuse transmissive baffle.

19. The system of claim 1,

wherein the at least one treatable target comprises a material being responsive to light, and

wherein the material comprises at least one material selected from a group consisting essentially of an ultraviolet-curable polymeric material, a radiation-curable material, a free-radical-polymerizable material, a disinfectable material, a weatherable material, and an artificially weatherable material.

20. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one hot mirror disposed between the at least one light source and the at least one treatable target.

21. The system of claim 16, further comprising at least one coupling device, the at least one coupling device being optically coupled with both the at least one lamp assembly and the at least one chamber.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the at least one coupling device comprises at least one element selected from a group consisting essentially of a light guide and a lens for facilitating transmission of light from the at least one lamp assembly to the at least one chamber.

23. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one lamp assembly, each at least one lamp assembly comprising at least one light reflector for accommodating the at least one light source, the at least one light reflector facilitating reflection of light toward the at least one chamber,

wherein the at least one diffuse transmissive baffle facilitates passage of light from the at least one light source therethrough in a diffuse manner,

wherein each at least one treatable target comprises a disposition selected from a group consisting essentially of inside the at least one chamber and outside the at least one chamber,

wherein the at least one chamber comprises at least one configuration selected from a group consisting essentially of a sphere, a rectanguloid, a cube, a polyhedron, an ellipsoid, an ogivoid, a paraboloid, a cylinder, a hyperboloid of one sheet, a hyperboloid of two sheets, a hyperbolic paraboloid, and an elliptical cone,

wherein the at least one diffuse transmissive baffle comprises at least one material selected from a group consisting essentially of a high-temperature-resistant material, an aluminum oxide, a polycrystalline aluminum oxide, a polycrystalline sapphire, an optical filter, a quartz, an opaled quartz, a fritted quartz, a sandblasted quartz, a bead-blasted quartz, a sapphire, a sandblasted sapphire, a bead-blasted sapphire, an acid-etched quartz, an acid-etched sapphire, a ground quartz, and a ground sapphire,

wherein the at least one diffuse transmissive baffle comprises at least one material selected from a group consisting essentially of a volume diffusing material, a pot opal, a quartz having a distribution of voids, a quartz having a distribution of scattering sites, a quartz having a distribution of impurities, a quartz having a distribution of dopants, a quartz felt, a quartz wool, and a randomly oriented transmissive fiber sandwiched between optically transparent support members,

wherein the at least one diffuse transmissive baffle comprises at least one diffusing surface,

wherein the at least one diffusing surface is formed by at least one technique consisting essentially of etching, chemical etching, acid etching, sandblasting, bead-blasting, grinding, and opaling,

wherein the at least one chamber comprises a main chamber and an auxiliary chamber,

wherein the diffuse reflective material comprises at least one material selected from a group consisting essentially of a diffuse reflective polymer, a conformal diffuse reflective polymer, a fluoropolymer, a perfluoroalkoxy, a fluoroethylene-propylene, a tetrafluoroethylene, an ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene, a polytetrafluoroethylene, a flexible polytetrafluoroethylene, an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene, a sintered polytetrafluoroethylene, a pressed polytetrafluoroethylene, and a barium sulfate, wherein the at least one light reflector facilitates reflection of light toward the at least one chamber,

wherein the at least one light reflector comprises a feature selected from a group consisting essentially of a diffuse reflective surface and a specular reflective surface,

wherein the at least one lamp assembly comprises a focus characteristic selected from a group consisting essentially of in-focus and out-of-focus,

wherein the at least one light source comprises at least one element selected from a group consisting essentially of a discharge lamp, a microwave-excited arc lamp, an electrodeless arc lamp, a low pressure arc lamp, a medium pressure arc lamp, a high pressure arc lamp, an incandescent lamp, a light emitting diode, and a laser,

wherein the at least one treatable target comprises a surface having a plurality of points,

wherein any point of the plurality of points being irradiated by light incident through the at least one diffuse transmissive baffle also is irradiated by light incident from at least one other point in the system other than through the at least one diffuse transmissive baffle,

wherein the at least one treatable target comprises a material being responsive to light, and

wherein the material comprises at least one material selected from a group consisting essentially of an ultraviolet-curable polymeric material, a radiation-curable material, a free-radical-polymerizable material, a disinfectable material, a weatherable material, and an artificially weatherable material.

24. The system of claim 23, further comprising at least one shutter disposed between the at least one light source and the at least one chamber.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the at least one diffuse transmissive baffle further comprises a polished surface.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the polished surface comprises a dichroic material for reflecting at least one type of light selected from a group consisting essentially of infrared light and visible light.

27. A method of fabricating an integrating optical system, comprising:

providing at least one chamber having at least one aperture and at least one portion comprising a diffuse reflective material;

providing at least one light source; and

providing at least one diffuse transmissive baffle disposed in relation to the at least one chamber in a manner wherein the at least one diffuse transmissive baffle is also disposed in an optical path between the at least one light source and at least one treatable target, wherein the at least one diffuse transmissive baffle is disposed in a manner wherein at least one light-ray originating from the at least one light source is diffusely transmittable from the at least one diffuse transmissive baffle and impingeable on an interior surface of the at least one chamber before being impingeable on the at least one treatable target.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising providing at least one shutter disposed between the at least one light source and the at least one chamber.

29. The method of claim 27, further comprising providing at least one lamp assembly, the at least one lamp assembly providing step comprising providing each at least one lamp assembly with at least one light reflector for accommodating the at least one light source, the at least one light reflector facilitating reflection of light toward the at least one chamber.

30. A method of treating at least one treatable target with light, comprising:

providing light, having at least one light-ray, within a volume from at least one light source;

diffusely transmitting the at least one light-ray being in a direct path to the at least one treatable target by way of at least one diffuse transmissive baffle such that the at least one light-ray impinges on an interior surface of at least one chamber before impinging on the at least one treatable target;

diffusely reflecting the at least one light-ray within the volume for collecting the at least one light, thereby integrating the at least one light-ray, and thereby providing at least one integrated light-ray; and

irradiating the at least one treatable target with the at least one integrated light-ray, thereby providing at least one treated target.