As part of the SAE Lighting Systems Group technical standards development meetings in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, a field trip was arranged to nearby Westboro Photonics. They’re a worldwide provider of lighting measurement equipment and solutions used in laboratories and on production lines by leading companies in the avionics, automotive, consumer electronics and lighting industries.
Westboro thoughtfully accommodated the SAE group—big enough to completely fill a full-sized tour bus—by arranging six demonstration stations, each with at least one employee to show and explain the functions and features of a different Westboro solution. These included the WP690, 690E, and 690ES 9-megapixel multifunction family of imaging colourimeters with electronic lens control and integrated spot spectroradiometer for automotive control and display graphics testing; the BP100 infrared beam pattern measurement system; the P230U 2.3-megapixel imaging photometer for HUD characterisation; the Conometer 80 Viewing Angle Imaging Photometer for measuring luminance distributions out to viewing angles of 80°, and the Multi-Camera Imaging Colorimeter for extremely rapid (1-second) automotive beam pattern measurement. Each visitor was given a chit indicating which station to start at, and every ten minutes, the groups advanced to the next station. This gave ample opportunity for up-close examination and fulfilling Q&A at each station. Visitors got a real eyes-on feel for the versatilities and capabilities of Westboro’s state-of-the-art rapid light metrology solutions, and delicious refreshments were served.
Westboro’s equipment supports laboratories and production lines worldwide to characterise, calibrate, and test displays; backlit graphics; keyboards; beam patterns of lamps; and materials’ reflective properties. The product range includes advanced imaging colourimeters and imaging photometers, with automotive-related competencies including display mura and defect detection, uniformity and reflectance analysis; luminous intensity, luminance, and colour analysis of head and tail lamps, signal and emergency lights; photometry per MVSS and UN Regulations, HUD uniformity and distortion evaluation, and accent lighting evaluation. The company actively participate in technical bodies including SAE and CIE.
