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IR Illuminator Angle Calculator

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I'm not too sharp with math... Anyone have some sort of online calculator to get me an idea of approximate coverage with IRs... I know I shouldn't trust spec sheets, but I'd like to at least get an idea...

 

 

I need to know how wide the throw will be at various distances from an illuminator, dependent on the angle rating of course...

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Would really depend on the design of the specific illuminator - the LEDs used, reflector/lens design, how the LEDs themselves are mounted and positioned... manufacturer data sheets are your best bet.

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They will differ by brand and model just as cameras do (get what you pay for) but this is an example for what use to be 2 popular IR illuminators, Again, wont apply to other models.

 

beampattern_uf100.gif

 

beampattern_uf500.GIF

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Thanks for the replies.

 

I guess I'm just looking for a simple geometry calculator... Something where I can punch in the angle degree and know the width of the throw at various lengths... surely something like this exists?

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That's just it though - the width of the beam at a given distance will depend on the unit's design. There is no "universal calculator".

 

What you're looking for is really just basic geometry - the beam pattern can be thought of as a triangle, so if you know the width at a given distance, you can calculate the width at another distance. You can use standard Pythagorean math (a^2 + b^2 = c^2), or basic sin/cos calculations. Or just think of it as a simple ratio: if the beam is 10' wide at 20' from the source, it will be 20' wide at 40' from the source. Inverse-square law then states the light level will be 1/4 of what it was at 20'.

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