Invention Grant
- Patent Title: Multiple-angle retroreflectometer
- Patent Title (中): 多角度后向反射计
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Application No.: US11817014Application Date: 2006-02-27
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Publication No.: US07961328B2Publication Date: 2011-06-14
- Inventor: Richard L. Austin , Charles L. Lustenberger , Erik Stauber
- Applicant: Richard L. Austin , Charles L. Lustenberger , Erik Stauber
- Applicant Address: US CA San Diego
- Assignee: Belfort Instrument Company
- Current Assignee: Belfort Instrument Company
- Current Assignee Address: US CA San Diego
- Agency: Christie, Parker & Hale, LLP
- International Application: PCT/US2006/007034 WO 20060227
- International Announcement: WO2006/091968 WO 20060831
- Main IPC: G01N21/55
- IPC: G01N21/55

Abstract:
A system and method for measuring the photometric retroreflectivity of materials. The system comprises a light source and a first optical pathway along which an illumination light beam travels originating from the light source, and ending at a retroreflective surface to be measured. A second optical pathway is provided along which a retroreflected beam travels back from the retroreflective surface to an aperture array that selects multiple annular areas to be further directed to multiple detectors, one detector for each annular area selected by the aperture. Each detector has a filter for the determination of photometric retroreflectivity. The retroreflected light reaching the detectors produces currents proportion to the intensity of the light. A high-gain current-to-voltage amplifier is used to provide voltage signal to an analog-to-digital converter that converts a voltage to a digital number. A processor is electrically coupled to the analog-to-digital converter with an accompanying memory on which is stored operating logic adapted to determine the photometric intensity of a predetermined pattern of the retroreflected beam incident to the array of apertures and detectors which defines the retroreflected light which propagates from the retroreflective surface at a predetermined observation angle.
Public/Granted literature
- US20090116018A1 Multiple-Angle Retroreflectometer Public/Granted day:2009-05-07
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