Pacific Scientific Company

Byk-gardner Gmbh

Other

Thomas J Keane

In an optical instrument, a fiber optic probe is provided to irradiate a sample with visible NIR and ultraviolet light. Glass fibers carry the visible and NIR light to the probe from a visible and NIR light source and quartz fibers carry ultraviolet light to the probe from an ultraviolet source. Glass fibers carry visible and NIR light emanating from the sample to a spectrometer having a fixed grating and an array of photodetectors to receive the spectrum dispersed by the grating within the spectrometer housing. Amplifiers are also contained in the spectrometer housing severally connected to the photodetectors to amplify the output signals of the photodetectors. The probe is provided with a standard white sample pivotal into position to receive the light from the visible light source. A computer is programmed to provide automatic calibrating whenever the temperature within the housing changes more than a predetermined small amount. The automatic calibration is carried out by pivoting the white standard into position and computing calibration values from the resulting photodector outputs. Automatic calibration is also provided when the ratio of output signals from selected ones of the photodetectors changes by more than a predetermined small percentage.

Spectrometer with combined visible and ultraviolet sample illumination

In a color measuring spectrometer employing a reflecting grating and a linear array of photodetectors for measuring different components of a spectrum, the width of the photodetectors varies throughout the length of the array. The width of each photodetector is selected so that each photodetector detects the same bandwidth interval measured in wavelengths.

Spectrometer with photodetector array detecting uniform bandwidth

In a color measuring instrument, an integrating sphere is used to illuminate the sample and fiber optics are used to carry light diffusely reflected from the sample and from an interior wall of the sphere to a spectrometer. The transmitting ends of the fiber optic bundles are fixed in the housing of the spectrometer as entrance slits for the spectrometer, which includes a fixed grating and one or two arrays of photodetectors to detect the spectra dispersed by the grating from light received from the two transmitting ends.

Color measuring instrument with integrating sphere

An appliance for converting an optical reflectance measuring instrument into a transmittance measuring instrument is shaped to fit in the aperture of a probe of the reflectance measuring instrument. When used as a reflectance measuring instrument, reflectance samples are positioned over the aperture. The appliance has a fiber optic cable which receives light from the probe and carries it out through the aperture and redirects the light back toward the aperture through a position designed to receive a sample, the transmittance of which is to be measured. In the optical instrument, the light received by the probe is carried by fiber optics to a spectrometer.

Appliance for converting reflectance measuring instrument into a

In an optical instrument for spectroscopically measuring color and gloss of a sample surface, a fiber optic probe is provided wherein light is transmitted from a light source to the probe through a fiber optic bundle. The fiber optic bundle is arranged to illuminate a surface positioned over an aperture in the probe. Light diffusely reflected from the sample surface is transmitted by a second fiber optic bundle to a spectrophotometer. A small fiber bundle is arranged in the probe to irradiate the surface of the sample at an angle of 60 degrees and a second small fiber bundle is arranged to receive light from the first mentioned small fiber bundle after being specularly reflected from the surface. The second fiber optic bundle transmits the received light to a photodetector in the spectrophotometer to provide an indication of the gloss of the sample surface.

Growing community of inventors

Gaithersburg, MD, United States of America

Thomas J Keane