IP Library Granted Patent US 12687433
Granted Patent B2
US 12687433 · App. 18/826,245 · Granted Jul 21, 2026

Circular polarizer detection device and circular polarizer detection method

Inventors: Ju-Yi Lee (Taipei City, TW); You-Jun Lin (Changhua City, TW); Wei-Chen Wong (New Taipei City, TW); Hsing-Hsien Tsai (Taoyuan City, TW)
Assignees: National Central University; USUN TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD
G01J4/04G01B11/272G02B5/3025G02B5/3083
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12687433
App. No.
18/826,245
Granted
Jul 21, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A circular polarizer detection device for detecting a circular polarizer-to-be-detected including a first linear polarizer and a first wave plate is provided. The first linear polarizer has a first transmission axis, the first wave plate has a first fast axis, and there are a preset angle and an error angle between the first transmission axis and the first fast axis. The circular polarizer detection device includes a light source system, a second wave plate and an optical phase demodulation system. A first beam provided by the light source system is converted into a beam-to-be-detected through the circular polarizer-to-be-detected. The beam-to-be-detected enters the rotating second wave plate and then is converted into a second beam. The optical phase demodulation system receives the second beam, generates a phase difference curve, and analyzes a relationship between the rotation angle and the error angle. A circular polarizer detection method is also provided.

Claims (43)

1 . A circular polarizer detection device, applicable to detecting a circular polarizer-to-be-detected, the circular polarizer-to-be-detected comprising a first linear polarizer and a first wave plate, the first wave plate being disposed on a side of the first linear polarizer, the first linear polarizer having a first transmission axis, the first wave plate having a first fast axis, there being a preset angle and an error angle between the first transmission axis and the first fast axis, and the circular polarizer detection device comprising:

a light source system, disposed on a side of the circular polarizer-to-be-detected, wherein the first linear polarizer is between the light source system and the first wave plate, the light source system provides a first beam to the circular polarizer-to-be-detected, and the first beam is converted into a beam-to-be-detected through the circular polarizer-to-be-detected;

a second wave plate, disposed on a side of the circular polarizer-to-be-detected away from the light source system, wherein the second wave plate is suitable for rotating, the beam-to-be-detected enters the rotating second wave plate and is converted into a second beam through the second wave plate, the second wave plate has a second fast axis, there is a variable rotation angle γ between the second fast axis and the first transmission axis of the first linear polarizer, and the second beam has a different phase difference as the rotation angle γ varies; and

an optical phase demodulation system, disposed on a side of the second wave plate away from the circular polarizer-to-be-detected, wherein the optical phase demodulation system receives the second beam, generates a phase difference curve, and analyzes a relationship between the rotation angle γ and the error angle through the phase difference curve.

2 . The circular polarizer detection device according to claim 1 , wherein the second wave plate is a quarter-wave plate.

3 . The circular polarizer detection device according to claim 2 , further comprising a motor, electrically connected to the second wave plate and driving the second wave plate to rotate.

4 . The circular polarizer detection device according to claim 1 , wherein the preset angle is 45 degrees.

5 . The circular polarizer detection device according to claim 1 , wherein the optical phase demodulation system comprises a third wave plate and a photographing element, and the third wave plate is disposed between the second wave plate and the photographing element.

6 . The circular polarizer detection device according to claim 5 , wherein the photographing element is a polarization camera.

7 . The circular polarizer detection device according to claim 5 , wherein the third wave plate is a quarter-wave plate.

8 . The circular polarizer detection device according to claim 5 , wherein the third wave plate has a third fast axis, and an included angle between the third fast axis and the first transmission axis of the first linear polarizer is 45 degrees.

9 . The circular polarizer detection device according to claim 1 , wherein the light source system comprises a laser light source, a second linear polarizer, and a circular polarizer, the second linear polarizer is disposed between the laser light source and the circular polarizer, and the laser light source provides a laser beam to sequentially pass through the second linear polarizer and the circular polarizer to form the first beam.

10 . The circular polarizer detection device according to claim 9 , wherein the first beam is a circularly polarized light.

11 . The circular polarizer detection device according to claim 1 , wherein the optical phase demodulation system parses the rotation angle γ 0 corresponding to a maximum slope of the phase difference curve and calculates the error angle α through an operational formula, and the operational formula is

γ

0

=

α

+

3

4

π

.

12 . A circular polarizer detection method, applicable to detecting a circular polarizer-to-be-detected, the circular polarizer-to-be-detected comprising a first linear polarizer and a first wave plate, the first wave plate being disposed on a side of the first linear polarizer, the first linear polarizer having a first transmission axis, the first wave plate having a first fast axis, there being a preset angle and an error angle between the first transmission axis and the first fast axis, and the circular polarizer detection method comprising:

providing a light source system, disposed on a side of the circular polarizer-to-be-detected, wherein the first linear polarizer is between the light source system and the first wave plate, the light source system provides a first beam to the circular polarizer-to-be-detected, and the first beam is converted into a beam-to-be-detected through the circular polarizer-to-be-detected;

disposing a second wave plate on a side of the circular polarizer-to-be-detected away from the light source system, wherein the second wave plate is suitable for rotating, the beam-to-be-detected enters the rotating second wave plate and is converted into a second beam through the second wave plate, the second wave plate has a second fast axis, there is a variable rotation angle γ between the second fast axis and the first transmission axis of the first linear polarizer, and the second beam has a different phase difference as the rotation angle γ varies; and

disposing an optical phase demodulation system on a side of the second wave plate away from the circular polarizer-to-be-detected to receive the second beam and generate a phase difference curve, the optical phase demodulation system parsing the rotation angle γ 0 corresponding to a maximum slope of the phase difference curve and calculating the error angle through the rotation angle γ 0 corresponding to the maximum slope of the phase difference curve and according to an operational formula.

13 . The circular polarizer detection method according to claim 12 , wherein the operational formula for calculating the rotation angle γ 0 corresponding to the maximum slope of the phase difference curve and the error angle α is

γ

0

=

α

+

3

4

π

.

14 . The circular polarizer detection method according to claim 12 , wherein the optical phase demodulation system analyzes a light intensity signal of the second beam to convert same into the phase difference curve.

15 . The circular polarizer detection method according to claim 14 , wherein the optical phase demodulation system divides the light intensity signal of the second beam into light intensity signals at a plurality of linear polarization angles, the light intensity signals at the linear polarization angles are sequentially subjected to spatial filtering processing and low-pass filtering processing and then converted into the phase difference curve.

16 . The circular polarizer detection method according to claim 15 , wherein the optical phase demodulation system comprises a third wave plate and a photographing element, and the third wave plate is disposed between the second wave plate and the photographing element.

17 . The circular polarizer detection method according to claim 16 , wherein the photographing element is a polarization camera.