Optical Systems Overview
Choosing the Right Light:
The science of photometry has many aspects, among them the design of optical systems, the measurement of their performance, and the control of light itself, which of course, involves how light is directed to targeted areas.
In selecting the correct optical system for a specific need, numerous items need to be considered:
- Luminaire style
- Environmental concerns
- Energy efficiency
- Required Lighting Performance
The King Luminaire Line of Optical Systems:
Refractors, Reflectors, Refractor/Reflector Combination
Refractors:
Lenses composed of glass, polycarbonate or acrylic refractors utilize prisms to control and redirect the lamp's luminous flux by the process or refraction.
Internal Refractor
Located inside protective glass or plastic enclosure, the internal refractor redirects the light into the desired light pattern.
External Refractor
The light is redirected into the desired light pattern when passing through the external prisms. The use of the external enclosure as refractor, ensures that the light goes where directed, resulting in maximum spacing and lower energy usage.
Reflectors:
Utilizing highly reflective aluminum surfaces, reflectors redirect the light by the process of reflection. These proprietary reflectors enable King to address the ever growing demand for better light control..
VL1 Louvered Reflector
Providing cutoff and semi-cutoff performance, the spun aluminum specular louver system reflects and redirects the light, enabling acorn and globe luminaires to meet most luminance requirements, and providing excellent effiency with low glare.
VL2 Segmented Reflector
The VL2 optical system is a sophisticated segmented aluminum reflector specifically designed to minimize glare and uplight in both post top and pendant luminaires, providing cutoff characteristics.
VL3 Hydroformed Reflector
The VL3 reflector directly addresses the issues of glare, light pollution and light trespass without significant loss of efficiency. This highlight efficient optical system is capable of producing cutoff and full cutoff light classification, utilizing a horizontal lamp.
Refractor/Reflector Combination:
Refractor/Reflector Combination
Presently incorporated into our K200 Series and some of our K800 series of pendant luminaires, this dual optical system combines the best of both worlds. Excellent lighting efficiency, together with state-of-the-art photometric performance, make it one of the best all around optical systems available, offering both cutoff and semi-cutoff characteristics.