Light Source for Scanning Method of Size-of-Source Effect Measurement

A high-power light-emitting diode (HPLED) is proposed as a new light source for the measurement of the size-of-source effect (SSE) in radiation thermometers. The HPLED is a more compact, simple, and inexpensive light source and is suitable for SSE measurement by the scanning method. An experiment has been done using a 3 W HPLED with a hemispherical front lens and a peak emission wavelength of 660 nm. A linear pyrometer (Model LP4 manufactured by KE) was used for the measurements. The scanning process was carried out by using a computerized linear translation stage spanning 500 mm. To confirm the measurement result, the SSE of the LP4 was also measured by the conventional indirect method using an integrating sphere with a 65 mm diameter exit port. The same trends of the SSE value of the scanning and indirect method were found in all ranges of the indirect method measurement. The results show that the light source has enough brightness and a sufficiently wide angular distribution to provide a dynamic measurement range of up to 10 and allow the measurement of the SSE up to a radius of 500 mm. These results support the application of HPLED as an alternative light source for SSE measurements by the scanning method.