The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 02, 2004
Filed:
Oct. 05, 2001
Michael R. Hammer, Sassafras, AU;
Philip V. Wilson, Mount Waverley, AU;
Mark R. Williams, Box Hill, AU;
Dower C. Bricker, Selby, AU;
Martin K. Masters, Rowville, AU;
Stewart R. Campbell, Forest Hill, AU;
Peter G. Layton, Hampton Park, AU;
Varian Australia PTY LTD, Mulgrave, AU;
Abstract
A method and apparatus for the spectrochemical analysis of a sample in which a solid state array detector ( ) is used to detect radiation ( ) of spectrochemical interest. The invention involves the use of a shutter ( ) adjacent the entrance aperture ( ) of a polychromator ( ) to expose the detector ( ) to the radiation ( ) for varying lengths of time whereby for short duration exposure times charge accumulation in elements (i.e. pixels) of the detector ( ) due to high intensity components of the radiation is limited and for longer exposure times charge accumulation in elements (pixels) of the detector ( ) due to feeble intesity components of radiation ( ) is increased. This ensures that each reading of the detector ( ) includes at least one exposure in which the amount of charge accumulated at each wavelength of interest is neither too little or too great. The problems of feeble radiation components not being accurately measurable and of high intensity radiation components exceeding the charge carrying capacity of elements (pixels) of the detector ( ) are thereby able to be avoided. An attenuator ( ) may be placed between the radiation source ( ) and the detector ( ) to permit longer exposure times to be used for very high intensity radiation.