Boyd’s state-of-the-art Light Lab allows Boyd’s engineers to test displays and designs to ensure they meet every specification.
When it comes to display development, testing potential materials and technologies under different lighting conditions is a key step. External lighting plays a crucial role in how a part looks and functions, so the component must meet project requirements in all intended settings.
Whether testing for display readability, color matching, backlighting diffusion, or anything else, Boyd has a state-of-the-art Light Lab to precisely control lighting to allow accurate testing for several variables. But how exactly does Boyd’s Light Lab accomplish this?
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What’s Inside of Boyd’s Light Lab?
Boyd’s Light Lab is a large, dark room outfitted with various lighting and testing equipment. Keeping the room as dark as possible is essential to measuring accurate lighting values, so the lab’s walls are painted jet black. Even the brightness of equipment monitors, is meticulously controlled, as any additional light can skew readings.
There are two main specialized lighting sources used for illumination and testing within Boyd’s Light Lab –
- Specular Contrast Source – The specular contrast source contains a bright quartz lamp in a specially-coated housing. The housing reflects and diffuses the light from the lamp, allowing it to disseminate to mimic different indirect and ambient lighting conditions.
- Direct Light Source – Direct light sources focus a powerful beam of light directly onto the testing surface.
These two light sources are frequently used in conjunction with each other to replicate outdoor environments, where there would be both direct and diffused lighting.
Across from the light sources is a five-axis motion system that contains an orthogonal goniometer, which holds the device under test. The goniometer can achieve a complete ±90° vertical and horizontal viewing angle, accommodating almost any angle for testing. Custom fixtures designed for each part or device are attached to the goniometer to ensure that they’re held in place while the platform rotates. Optical testing instruments, such as cameras and a spectroradiometer, sit next to the light sources on a separate moveable fixture.
While we’ve spoken previously about our vast display testing capabilities, Boyd’s Light Lab is also used for overcoming tough backlighting and color matching challenges. For highly regulated industries such as the medical or aerospace field, overlays, labels, and placards may need to meet precise color specifications in specific lighting scenarios. Likewise, keypads or displays with backlighting may need to meet color or luminance specifications while in use. Our Light Lab is equipped with multiple cameras and a spectroradiometer to verify color values, luminance values, and color matching.
Boyd can help design custom testing programs to your specifications, saving valuable time in the development process while maintaining product quality and consistency. To learn more about our in-house testing capabilities or discuss your project needs, schedule a consultation with our experts.
