Patent ID: 8270762
Filing Date: 2012-09-18
Classification: G02B,G09G

Abstract:
1. A method of calibrating the intensity with which light is emitted through the light-emission face of an optical fiber bundle using (i) a data processing system with an associated computer memory, (ii) an image-input device communicatively linked to the data processing system, and (iii) a signal-responsive scoring device that is communicatively linked to the data processing system and mechanically responsive to scoring signals communicated by the data processing system, the method comprising: causing light to emit from the light-emission face; acquiring an image of the emitting light-emission face and storing image data representative of the image in the computer memory; segmenting the image data into plural image-data segments corresponding to physical sub-regions of the imaged face; analyzing the image-data segments in order to identify the sub-region of the light-emission face through which light is emitted with the lowest emission intensity, and identifying emission-intensity data associated with that sub-region as reference emission data; pre-establishing a maximum intensity-deviation value indicative of an amount by which the emission intensity with which light is emitted in the sub-region through which light is emitted with the highest emission intensity can exceed the emission intensity with which light is emitted in the sub-region associated with the reference emission data; identifying as non-compliant each sub-region through which light is emitted with an intensity exceeding the maximum intensity-deviation value; and causing the scoring device, in response to scoring signals communicated by the data processing system, to score each non-compliant sub-region until that sub-region emits light with an intensity not exceeding the maximum intensity-deviation value.