Dr. Al Ducharme
| Dr. Al Ducharme |
| Assistant
Professor
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| Biography: | |
| Dr.
Al Ducharme graduated from UCF/CREOL in 1994 with a Ph.D. in Electrical
Engineering under the direction of Dr. Glenn Boreman. Upon graduating
Dr. Ducharme chose to pursue an Optical Engineering career in Massachusetts.
His first position was with Senior CREOL Affiliate Physical Sciences,
Inc. Here Dr. Ducharme worked on a variety of SBIR contracts and
was awarded his first patent for a solar simulator invention entitled
“Integrating Projections Optic” (US 5,997,155). This non-imaging
optic combines the output of high-flux light sources such as Xenon
arc lamps and projects a highly uniform circular distribution of
light onto a flat surface. The optic was developed for the Department
of Energy for the controlled indoor testing of photovoltaic cells.
In June 1996, Dr. Ducharme’s, took a new position at Visidyne Inc. located in Burlington, Massachusetts. As Manager of New Product Development he developed several new products based on his research and two new patents (US 6,049,297 and US 6,100,540). The core of this research was in the development of a Digital Phase Processor (DPP) to measure the phase difference between two electronic signals with a high-degree of accuracy and precision. The DPP is now used in a system called the MicroRanger that can detect micron level distance changes several meters away without the need for retro-reflectors. The speed of the system also allows for the detection of vibration in the kilo-hertz range. Dr. Ducharme also developed a helmet tracking system, called the MicroTracker, to measure the motion of a helicopter pilots helmet with 6-degrees-of-freedom. In late 1999, Dr. Ducharme decided to join a start-up called Color Kinetics in Boston Massachusetts. Color Kinetics is the pioneer in the emerging field of solid-state lighting or light sources based on high-brightness Light Emitting Diodes (HB-LEDs). Color Kinetic’s core technology enabled the networking of HB-LED based lights to provide simple inexpensive lighting control. Their initial products were based on the combination of red, green, and blue HB-LEDs into a common fixture to form a full-spectrum light source. These sources are used in what is now called “Retail-tainment” or the use of lighting and animation shows in a retail environment. An example of this is in the Rain Forest Café where lighting, sound, and animated animals are used to create a simulated environment for their patrons. Dr. Ducharme’s research was in the design of efficient optical systems for use in HB-LED based fixtures. While at Color Kinetics he also invented several new technologies for use in white-light solid-state lighting systems. Solid-state lighting technology is expected to replace standard incandescent lamps in the next decade. In February 2002, Dr. Ducharme returned
to UCF as a Faculty member of the Engineering Technology Department
to develop and coordinate a new program in Photonics (see “Two-Plus-Two
Program in Photonics” in this issue). |
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2004-2005 |
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