Multichannel optical sensing device

Claim 1

A compact multichannel optical sensing system for measuring the outdoor sky luminance or illuminance or the luminance or illuminance in a room by sampling in multiple directions, comprising a plurality of light receptors for receiving light separately and independently from various directions for transmission therethrough, each of said receptors being mounted so as to be directed to receive light along different diverging angles with respect to each other, an optical shutter matrix including a plurality of optical shutter elements operable by electrical control signals between light transmitting and light stopping conditions, a plurality of fiber optic elements connected between said light receptors and said optical shutter elements, shutter control means for selectively supplying one or more electrical control signals to said optical shutter elements, said shutter control means comprising a programmable control unit for controlling the sequence or combination with which the electrical control signals are supplied to said optical shutter elements, a photodetector device for receiving all of the light transmitted from said receptors and fiber optic elements by said optical shutter matrix, said photodetector device including an optical integrating sphere having a generally spherical integrating chamber with an input port for admitting the light selected under control of said control means to pass from said matrix into said spherical chamber, said spherical chamber having detector means therein for producing electrical output signals corresponding to the light received by said spherical chamber, and output means for utilizing said output signals for analysis of the luminance or illuminance.