Patent · US Expired

Transmitted light refractometer

US6172746A · kind A · utility

13Cited by
6References
8Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 27, 1999
Grant dateJan 9, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 27, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01N21/4133
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A transmitted light refractometer comprises an optical system having a movable mirror for redirecting light transmitted through a light-refracting sample to a beam splitter for dividing the light between first and second detection paths. The first detection path leads to an eyepiece whereby an operator may view an illumination boundary shadowline brought into the field of view of the eyepiece by adjusting the position of the movable mirror. The second detection path leads to a light-sensitive detector, preferably a linear scanned array, for generating signal information indicative of the location of the shadowline on the detector. An optical position sensor associated with the movable mirror includes a position detector providing signal information indicative of the position of the movable mirror. During a reading, the shadowline is brought into the field of view of the eyepiece, and the shadowline signal information and the mirror position signal information are processed to calculate index of refraction of the sample.

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