Masao Karino

A New Method for Computer Aided Design of Luminaire Reflectors

This method consists of two stages. In the first stage, an approximate shape for the reflector is designed which provides a candlepower distribution by the reflector as close to a required distribution as possible within a range of dimensional limits. The required candlepower distribution and the range are given by input data. In the second stage, a precise prediction of the candlepower distribution of the designed reflector is made, considering the luminance distribution on a lamp surface to be non-uniform. The authors obtain the optimum reflector shape by repeated iterations of these stages, modifying the reflector shape based on the results of the candlepower distribution calculations, then recalculating the candlepower distribution for the new shape, until the candlepower distribution becomes satisfactory.