Patent · US Expired

Fiber-coupled liquid sample analyzer with liquid flow cell

US6542231B1 · kind B1 · utility

136Cited by
21References
29Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateAug 22, 2000
Grant dateApr 1, 2003
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 23, 2021

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01N2021/0346
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A liquid sample analyzer with a flow-through liquid waveguide cell is described. The light source is fiber coupled to a liquid waveguide or light pipe. The light pipe can be remotely located and fiber coupled to the spectrometer so that the light source is thermally isolated making the spectrometer easily thermally stabilized, and the dispersion minimized. The liquid waveguide cell includes a light pipe that has a lower index of refraction than the liquid flowing through the light pipe. Light is input into the liquid waveguide by an optical fiber that is coupled to the liquid waveguide. The optical fiber diameter and the light pipe core diameter and spacing are selected to provide coupling of all light modes transmitted through the optical fiber into the light pipe. The output light is received by an optical fiber which is arranged to receive all of the light transmitted through the light pipe. The light output from the light pipe is fiber-coupled to the spectrometer with a fiber bundle that is arranged in the form of a slit at the distal end or entrance aperture of the spectrometer.

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