Other

Unity Scientific

The Innovative Technologies Group & Co., Ltd

Faustini, Lou

Wilt, Robert R.

Marschalko, Cornell S.

Robert R Wilt

George E Toth

Lou Faustini

Cornell S Marschalko

Luigi Faustini

An improved sample conveyer for articulating a sample across the flat platen of a spectrum analyzer relative to a scan window in the platen. The conveyor includes a sample truck configured for movement across the surface of the platen, the sample truck having a scan aperture. A spur gear is rotatably mounted about the aperture, and a drive gear is engaged to the spur gear. The drive gear has a plurality of magnets embedded therein, and a second plurality of magnets is affixed to the sample truck. A translation mechanism resides beneath the platen which includes a sled mounted on parallel rails for linear translation there along, and a motor mounted on the sled. Magnets on both the sled and drive gear index and engage corresponding magnets on the sample truck to implement complex orbital, hypotrochoid or epitrochoid scan patterns for more accurate particulate analysis.

Scanning platen with sample conveyor

A feeding system () for feeding disc-shaped objects such as sample cups () to an analyzer. The system () includes as infeed trade () angled downward from horizontal and the outfeed track () angled downward, plus a reject chute. The disc feeding system () uses two RFID readers/writers, one () a standalone desktop and a second () proximate the sample bay of the analyzer for more comprehensive track-and-trace capability. The information read from the cup () tag as it is scanned is also stored with the resultant spectra so that predictive processing is applied properly and without error. For post scan (after the sample scan is completed) the scan information itself may be written directly to the sample cup RFID tag including, reflection/transmission, characteristics, constituent results etc.

Automated monochromator sample feeding mechanism

An improved disc feeder/conveyor () with optical sensor () and return chute () for multiple industrial, commercial or agricultural applications. The conveyor () comprises a pair of co-rotating (or counter-rotating) roller shafts (A,B) driven by a belt () drive. The rollers (A,B) are non-parallel, slightly angled, and the rotation of the shafts frictionally engages, the sample caps or other elements being advanced away from the production line causing the items seated thereon advance. Sensors () detect the presence/absence of items on the rollers for gating. Another pair of co- or counter-rotating roller shafts (A,B) may act as a return chute ().

Disc conveyor for sample cups and the like

A novel scanning monochromator uses a PM stepper-motor to directly drive a diffraction grating. By employing interpolated encoder feedback in combination with the PM stepper-motor feedback, a resolution of over 250,000 pulsed steps is available for each revolution of the PM stepper-motor. This translates into more than 20,000 incremental angular-displacement steps over a usable 30&#xb0; range of dispersion-element rotation. High field accuracy is achieved by a direct PM stepper-driven diffraction grating, and a unique calibration approach based on Wood's anomalies. A plurality of diffracted light beams emerge from the oscillating grating, and these are scanned past a detector for detection, whereby the relative rotation information of the grating can be detected with great accuracy. A number of tolerance-correcting measures are also included to yield an extremely accurate, self-lubricating scanning monochromator that can be economically produced.

Scanning monochromator with direct drive grating

A motor-driven roller disc for multi-directional operation under the control of a user, with a multi-wheeled drive configuration with motorized direct-drive power-train to give a user the ability to move in any direction at any time, and to maintain control over steering and speed when in motion. The roller disc includes a platform having an array of radially-oriented wheels mounted around the underside perimeter, and a central pivot wheel mounted at the center of the underside. The central pivot wheel maintains a slightly higher clearance than the perimeter wheels, enabling the user to engage a desired perimeter wheel by shifting his/her weight towards it, thereby making contact with the ground. All of the perimeter wheels are connected to a common flexible/jointed axle that encircles the disc, the axle being driven by a battery-powered DC motor. The user controls the speed of the motor by a remote hand-controller such as an RF remote control, and maintains control over direction by shifting his weight about the pivot wheel to achieve traction with a desired perimeter wheel thereby allowing motion in that direction.

Multi-directional roller disc

A method for high speed spectroscopic constituent verification. The method includes the steps of illuminating a sample with broadband light and measuring two preselected wavelengths of reflected light: a first narrow-range of wavelengths &lgr;1 that is not significantly absorbed by the constituent of interest, and a second narrow-range of wavelengths &lgr;2 that is substantially absorbed by the constituent of interest. Given the two measurements of reflection, upper and lower thresholds are determined (the latter based on a percentage of the measured baseline reflected light of wavelengths &lgr;1). Finally, the presence of the constituent of interest is indicated if the measure of the reflected discriminant wavelength &lgr;1 is within the upper and lower threshold measures of reflected baseline light &lgr;1.

Analytical quantification and process control

A method and device for high speed spectroscopic constituent verification. The method includes the steps of illuminating a sample with broadband light and measuring two preselected wavelengths of reflected light: a first narrow-range of wavelengths .lambda.1 that is not significantly absorbed by the constituent of interest, and a second narrow-range of wavelengths .lambda.2 that is substantially absorbed by the constituent of interest. Given the two measurements of reflection, upper and lower thresholds are determined (the latter based on a percentage of the measured baseline reflected light of wavelengths .lambda.1). Finally, the presence of the constituent of interest is indicated if the measure of the reflected discriminant wavelength .lambda.1 is within te upper and lower threshold measures of reflected baseline light .lambda.1. The compact device that implements the above-described method includes a base unit housing a near-IR discriminator circuit with a pair of selective light sensors, and a light source. A sensor unit connects to the base unit. The sensor unit includes a flexible neck with a connecting block attached at one end for mating with the base unit, and a hood assembly attached at the other end for enclosing a light collecting and transmitting lens. The optics are connected by an optical fiber bundle inside the flexible neck.

Growing community of inventors

Chestertown, MD, United States of America

Robert R Wilt