Device designed to assess the brightness of a surface more particularly of the skin
First Claim
1. Apparatus, for assessing the brightness of a surface such as skin, comprisinga light source for projecting an incident beam of light on the surface to be examined, means comprising a polarizer and analyzer means for assessing the light reflected from the surface with one of a parallel and a right angle orientation of polarization relative to said polarizer and analyzer means, said polarizer being disposed between said light source and the surface, said incident beam producing reflected beams, said apparatus including a photodetector means sensitive to the light reflected from the surface, said light source being capable of producing a directed beam positioned to impinge on the surface at a selected angle of incidence between 0°
- and 90°
;
said incident beam being polarized by said polarizer and being reflected from the surface in at least two directions with one of said directions being symmetrical with the incident beam'"'"'s direction of propagation relative to a normal axis to the surface;
said analyzer means being positioned to intercept beams reflected from the surface in each of said two directions and to provide a differentiation between the reflection with parallel polarization and the reflection with perpendicular polarization with the differences obtained representing an assessment of specular brightness and diffuse brightness.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A device for measuring the brightness of a surface includes a light source to send an incident beam onto the surface and a polarizer and two analyzers one for analyzing the reflected light and the other for analyzing the diffuse reflection from the surface at a selected point of incidence; light-sensitive photodetector means are provided to receive light from the analyzers; the incident light impinges on the surface under examination at an angle of between 0° and 90° with the incident beam polarization being perpendicular to the plane of incidence; the analyzers are located to differentiate between parallel and perpendicular polarization to provide differences in the assessment of specular and diffuse brightness.
83 Citations
9 Claims
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1. Apparatus, for assessing the brightness of a surface such as skin, comprising
a light source for projecting an incident beam of light on the surface to be examined, means comprising a polarizer and analyzer means for assessing the light reflected from the surface with one of a parallel and a right angle orientation of polarization relative to said polarizer and analyzer means, said polarizer being disposed between said light source and the surface, said incident beam producing reflected beams, said apparatus including a photodetector means sensitive to the light reflected from the surface, said light source being capable of producing a directed beam positioned to impinge on the surface at a selected angle of incidence between 0° - and 90°
;
said incident beam being polarized by said polarizer and being reflected from the surface in at least two directions with one of said directions being symmetrical with the incident beam'"'"'s direction of propagation relative to a normal axis to the surface;
said analyzer means being positioned to intercept beams reflected from the surface in each of said two directions and to provide a differentiation between the reflection with parallel polarization and the reflection with perpendicular polarization with the differences obtained representing an assessment of specular brightness and diffuse brightness. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
- and 90°
-
8. A process for studying the sebaceous secretion kinetics of skin using an apparatus for assessing the brightness of skin surface comprising
a light source for projecting an incident beam of light on the surface to be examined, means comprising a polarizer and analyzer means for assessing the light reflected from the surface with one of a parallel and a right angle orientation of polarization relative to said polarizer and analyzer means, said polarizer being disposed between said light source and the surface, said incident beam producing reflected beams, said apparatus including a photodetector means sensitive to the light reflected from the surface, said light source being capable of producing a directed beam positioned to impinge on the surface at a selected angle of incidence between 0° - and 90°
;
said incident beam being polarized by said polarizer and being reflected from the surface in at least two directions with one of said directions being symmetrical with the incident beam'"'"'s direction of propagation relative to a normal axis to the surface;
said analyzer means being positioned to intercept beams reflected from the surface in each of said two directions and to provide a differentiation between the reflection with parallel polarization and the reflection with perpendicular polarization with the differences obtained representing an assessment of specular brightness and diffuse brightness.
- and 90°
-
9. The method of achieving a mat appearance to reduce the brightness of skin due to the sebum comprising the step of using an apparatus for assessing the brightness of skin comprising
a light source for projecting an incident beam of light on the surface to be examined, means comprising a polarizer and analyzer means for assessing the light reflected from the surface with one of a parallel and a right angle orientation of polarization relative to said polarizer and analyzer means, said polarizer being disposed between said light source and the surface, said incident beam producing reflected beams, said apparatus including a photodetector means sensitive to the light reflected from the surface, said light source being capable of producing a directed beam positioned to impinge on the surface at a selected angle of incidence between 0° - and 90°
;
said incident beam being polarized by said polarizer and being reflected from the surface in at least two directions with one of said directions being symmetrical with the incident beam'"'"'s direction of propagation relative to a normal axis to the surface;
said analyzer means being positioned to intercept beams reflected from the surface in each of said two directions and to provide a differentiation between the reflection with parallel polarization and the reflection with perpendicular polarization with the differences obtained representing an assessment of specular brightness and diffuse brightness.
- and 90°
Specification