Abstract:
In a Raman spectrometer having a charge-coupled device (CCD) detector (24), an incoming beam (36) containing a spectrum of Raman scattered light is dispersed by a diffraction grating (44). Different parts of the spectrum are split into separate optical paths (48A-C) by edge filters (38A, 38B) and a mirror (46). These components are tilted at different vertical angles, so that after the beams (48A-C) have been dispersed by the diffraction grating (44), they form partial spectra (50A-C), one above the other on the CCD (24). This enables several consecutive parts of a widely dispersed spectrum to be viewed simultaneously on the CCD (24) at high resolution.
Abstract:
An optical relay for use in a spectrometer comprises an arrangement of mirrors 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 which is designed to allow a tolerance in the distance between a sample 8 and the spectrometer beam path 10. This ensures that irregular shaped samples 8 can be analysed by the spectrometer, and/or that samples can be analysed without making physical contact with the relay. The samples may for example be on a moving conveyor belt that passes by the spectrometer and the relay.
Abstract:
Solar spectral irradiance (SSI) measurements are important for solar collector/photovoltaic panel efficiency and solar energy resource assessment as well as being important for scientific meteorological/climate observations and material testing research. To date such measurements have exploited modified diffraction grating based scientific instruments which are bulky, expensive, and with low mechanical integrity for generalized deployment. A compact and cost-effective tool for accurately determining the global solar spectra as well as the global horizontal or tilted irradiances as part of on-site solar resource assessments and module performance characterization studies would be beneficial. An instrument with no moving parts for mechanical and environment stability in open field, non-controlled deployments could exploit software to resolve the global, direct and diffuse solar spectra from its measurements within the 280-4000 nm spectral range, in addition to major atmospheric processes, such as air mass, Rayleigh scattering, aerosol extinction, ozone and water vapour absorptions.
Abstract:
In the spectroscopy module 1, a light absorbing layer 6 having a light-passing hole 6a through which light L1 advancing into a spectroscopic portion 3 passes and a light-passing hole 6b through which light L2 advancing into a light detecting portion 4a of a light detecting element 4 passes is integrally formed by patterning. Therefore, it is possible to prevent deviation of the relative positional relationship between the light-passing hole 6a and the light-passing hole 6b. Further, since the occurrence of stray light is suppressed by the light absorbing layer 6 and the stray light is absorbed, the light detecting portion 4a of the light detecting element 4 can be suppressed from being made incident. Therefore, according to the spectroscopy module 1, it is possible to improve the reliability.
Abstract:
A gas detection apparatus mountable to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprises a transceiver module, a reflector module and an electronics module. The transceiver module comprises a laser emitter and a laser receiver; the laser emitter is tunable to emit a laser spectroscopy beam that can detect at least one target gas, and the laser receiver is configured to convert the laser spectroscopy beam into absorption spectroscopy measurement data. The reflector module comprises a reflective surface capable of reflecting the laser spectroscopy beam emitted by the laser emitter to the laser receiver. The transceiver and reflector modules are mountable on parts of the UAV such that the transceiver and reflector modules are spaced apart and the laser emitter and laser receiver have an unimpeded line of sight with the reflecting surface. The electronics module is communicative with the transceiver module and with a flight computer of the UAV, and comprises a gas detection program that determines a concentration of the target gas from the measurement data received from the transceiver module; when the determined concentration of the target gas meets or exceeds an alarm threshold, the program records the received measurement data and instructs the flight computer to execute a defined flight plan for the UAV.
Abstract:
A method of controlling a spectroscopic module that includes a measurement light source, a variable-wavelength optical filter, a photodiode, and a conversion circuit for converting a drive signal voltage into a gap displacement amount. The spectroscopic module has a reference light source for emitting a reference light beam of a known wavelength. The controlling method involves varying a gap for the incident reference light beam, extracting two maximum points among data output from the photodiode, and updating a first conversion formula provided in the conversion circuit through use of drive signal voltages and gap amounts corresponding to the two points.