Patent · US Expired

Compact spectrophotometer

US6002488A · kind A · utility

100Cited by
16References
32Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 17, 1996
Grant dateDec 14, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 17, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01J2003/2866
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A portable spectrophotometer includes a rotating wheel provided with a plurality of filters having filter characteristics in the 400 to 700 nanometer wavelength range. The filters are moved between an optical conduit and a photoelectric sensor as the wheel is rotated. In one embodiment, a lamp housing contains three object illuminating lamps circumferentially spaced apart by 120.degree. and projecting light onto the object sample at a 45.degree. angle to the object sample. Light reflected from the object sample is conducted through the optical conduit and focused on the optical sensor by means of a focusing lens. A blocking filter is interposed between the lens and the wheel and serves to block light outside of the 400 to 700 nanometer wavelength range. A side sensor receives light from one of the three lamps through the filters as the wheel is rotated and provides output signals which are used as reference signals for the individual filters. In another embodiment, the spectrophotometer includes an integrating sphere with an aperture for conducting specular-included light reflected from the object and an aperture for conducting specular-excluded light from the object. The integrati…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.