Multi-slit spectrometer
US6122051A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 4, 1998 |
| Grant date | Sep 19, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 4, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01J3/2823
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A multi-slit spectrometer is combined with a two-dimensional detector array to enable simultaneous spectral analysis of several objects, improving the signal-to-noise ratio of multispectral imagery. The multi-slit spectrometer includes a multi-slit structure defining a plurality of parallel thin slits, and a first lens for directing object light onto the multi-slit structure. A second lens collimates and directs light which has passed through the slits of the multi-slit structure onto a light dispersing element such as a dispersing prism or a diffraction grating. A third lens focuses light which has passed through the light dispersing element onto the two-dimensional detector array at an image plane. A two dimensional detector array of detector elements is placed at the image plane. The slits are separated by a separation distance equal to an integral multiple of the detector width dimension, where the multiple is equal to (N times the number of slits) plus or minus one, where N is an integer. In an airborne sensor, a mirror which rotates at an angular velocity related to the velocity of the airborne platform directs object light onto the first lens, freezing the image from one or …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.