Non-Imaging Systems

Non-Imaging Optical System Design

Getting light to go where you want it can be more challenging than you might think. Non-Imaging Optics is mainly concerned with the optimal transfer of light from a source to a target, but it also encompasses the study of stray and scattered light. LED flashlights, laser illuminators, solar concentrators, laser welding, display backlights, and automotive headlights are some of the more typical non-imaging optical systems. However, the study of veiling glare, dust scatter, telescope baffles, stray light traps, biological fluorescence, gas absorption, small-particle scatter (smoke detectors), and light-tissue interaction are also important sub-fields of Non-Imaging Optics. Presented here is a very limited sampling of some of the Non-Imaging Optics projects we have worked on.

Illumination Systems

In this example, we provide two types of illuminator designs. First, an Compound Parabolic Concentrator (CPC) illuminator system based on an OSRAM high-power LED. Second, a freeform mirror illuminator using conjugate surfaces in ZEMAX and an OSRAM SFH 4230 high-power IR-LED (IRED). read more...

3D Visualization in ZEMAX

The 'Detector Volume' object in ZEMAX is a very useful tool for detecting light inside a volume. It uses volume pixels, or voxels, to detect light. However, the ZEMAX interface allows these voxels to be viewed only in 2-D planes. This example will show how ZEMAX can be used, specifically through the use of a ZEMAX Programming Language (ZPL) macro, to create intricate CAD models of the voxels in a Detector Volume. read more...

Scatter & Stray Light Analysis

Veiling glare typically results when unwanted light from an out-of-field source enters an optical system. For example, consider the case of a telescope looking up from the earth. No matter where in the sky the telescope is aimed, some light from the sun (or moon, or other bright "out-of-field" object) may strike the front of the telescope and then scatter around inside, eventually ending up at the telescope’s focal plane. read more...

Wavefront Correction

Optical systems often have strict requirements on wavefront errors (WFE). Curved mirrors are used in a variety of different types of optical systems, from pupil relays in Adaptive Optical (AO) systems to complex telescopes to laser resonators. A very simple embodiment of a multiple-image pupil relay mirror system is shown in this example. read more...

Contrast Optical Design & Engineering, Inc., Cedar Crest, New Mexico 505.286.8338