Abstract:
A portable spectrophotometer includes a small-diameter optical sphere (101) as well as optical detectors (130, 136) and signal processing and display circuitry (140, 142) which allows the instrument to be taken to an object to be measured and which provides a readout of color values at the portable instrument. The instrument is capable of providing specular-included and specular-excluded color readings simultaneously. The interior of the integrating sphere is coated with a highly reflective, color-absorbing material, and light from an incandescent lamp (103) is diffused within the sphere prior to reaching the object to be measured. The sphere is provided with a first aperture (120) which receives spectrally-included light and which is positioned to absorb a spectral component of the diffused source light. A second aperture (125) positioned at a corresponding angular position with respect to the object measures specular-excluded light, excluding the specular component absorbed by the first aperture. By appropriately combining the specular-included and specular-excluded light at one wavelength, a value for the specular component is derived.
Abstract:
To provide sufficient sensitivity, spectral resolution and speed of measurement for field environmental measurements in a portable spectroradiometer, a silicon photodiode receives light: (1) having a bandwidth in the range of between 2 and 15 nm (nanometers) from a pivotable concave holographic diffraction grating within the wavelength range of between 250 and 1150 nm at a scanning rate in the range of 20 to 100 nm per second; (2) having stray light of high intensity and undesired frequencies and the shorter wavelength harmonics of the selected frequency range blocked by filters; and (3) having flux of a least 10 microwatts per square meter of diffuser plate for each nanometer of bandwidth. Automatic electrical zeroing is obtained by blocking all light once at the beginning of each scan, obtaining an electrical drift-related signal and using the drift signal to ad- just the measured signal during the scan. Several different sensing interfaces can be used, including a quartz, light fiber probe having at least a 50% packing density and a cone angle of at least 24 degrees. The data and the programming storage is at least 30K bytes but the instrument uses no more than two watts of power when the instrument is not scanning.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to an apparatus for detecting photons according to an atmospheric condition, using a function of adjusting light quantity that can significantly improve reliability of an atmospheric condition analysis result by minimizing noise in a spectrum by maintaining the quantity of incident light uniform within a predetermined range regardless of atmospheric conditions and changes, and to a method of adjusting light quantity. The apparatus for detecting photons in accordance with atmospheric conditions using a function of adjusting light quantity includes: an apparatus case having a light inlet; a light quantity adjuster disposed under the light inlet and adjusting quantity of incident light such that a predetermined quantity of light travels inside; and a controller controlling operation of the light quantity adjuster in accordance with intensity of light detected by the light quantity adjuster.
Abstract:
An optical or infrared spectrometer is suitable for on-line measurements for industrial, agricultural, field, commercial and other applications. Optical spectrometers are very useful for various analytical measurements. On-line operation is needed for obtaining real-time information, which is useful e.g. for process automation and quality control needs. The invention is based on optical design optimized for measuring moving samples at a distance and includes a light guide for signal homogenization, a linear variable filter for defining multiple measurement wavelengths as well as a linear detector array for detecting optical signals relating to the different wavelengths. There is an element for cooling and stabilizing the operating temperature of both the linear detector array and the linear variable filter, while the spectrometer is operating in variable environmental conditions. Thanks to the optical signal chain designed to maximize the radiance at the detector, the proposed spectrometer can provide high signal-to-noise ratio and high speed.
Abstract:
A transient grating (TG) is used as an optical gating element with sub-picosecond time resolution for luminescence measurements from a photo-detector array. The transient grating is formed in a gate medium by one or more pulsed gate beams. For photoluminescence measurements such as photoluminescence spectroscopy or imaging, a source is excited by a pulsed excitation beam, and the pulsed gate beams are synchronized to the pulsed excitation beam with an adjustable delay between the excitation of the source and the formation of the TG. Moreover, a source or its spectra can be imaged at two different regions of the photo-detector array at two different times spaced in time by a selected duration of time with sub-picosecond resolution over a range of a nanosecond or more. A beam from the source is deflected to the different regions by changing the frequency or geometry of the pulsed gate beams.