Spectrometer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9541451-B2
Application number	US-201414188276-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 24, 2014
Priority date	Nov 25, 2010
Publication date	Jan 10, 2017
Grant date	Jan 10, 2017

Abstract

A spectrometer includes: a tungsten lamp which emits light with no peak wavelength within a wavelength range of visible light and having a light amount increasing as the wavelength becomes longer; a violet LED which emits light having a peak wavelength within the wavelength range of visible light; a light mixer which mixes light emitted from the tungsten lamp and the violet LED; an etalon which receives light mixed by the light mixer and transmits light contained in the received mixed light and having a particular wavelength; a light receiving unit which receives light transmitted by the etalon; and a measurement control unit which changes the wavelength of light that can pass through the etalon and measures spectral characteristics of the light having passed through the etalon based on the light received by the light receiving unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A spectrometer comprising:
a first light source which emits first light with no peak wavelength within a predetermined wavelength range of visible light and having a light amount increasing as a wavelength of the first light becomes longer within the predetermined wavelength range of visible light;
a second light source which emits second light having a peak wavelength within the predetermined wavelength range;
a light mixer that mixes the first light and the second light into mixed light, wherein the mixed light is directed toward an object;
a wavelength variable interference filter which receives the mixed light incident on the object and transmits light having a wavelength varied by a driving voltage;
a light detector which receives the light transmitted by the wavelength variable interference filter; and
a computer configured to operate as a correction unit which corrects the driving voltage based on a relationship between the peak wavelength of the second light and the driving voltage when the wavelength variable interference filter transmits the light having the peak wavelength of the second light.

2. The spectrometer according to claim 1 , wherein the peak wavelength of the second light is within a range of 385 nm to 450 nm.

3. The spectrometer according to claim 1 , wherein the first light source emits white light.

4. The spectrometer according to claim 1 , wherein the first light source further comprises a tungsten lamp.

5. The spectrometer according to claim 1 , wherein the second light source further comprises a violet LED.

6. The spectrometer according to claim 1 , wherein
the first light source further comprises a tungsten lamp; and
the second light source further comprises a violet LED.

7. The spectrometer according to claim 6 , wherein the third light source comprises a blue LED and the fourth light source comprises a green LED.

8. The spectrometer according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a third light source which emits third light having a wavelength range of about 380 nm to about 780 nm; and
a fourth light source which emits fourth light having a wavelength range of about 480 nm to about 610 nm.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Funamoto Tatsuaki

Classifications

• G01J3/10

  Arrangements of light sources specially adapted for spectrometry or colorimetry · CPC title

• G01J3/0229 Primary

  using masks, aperture plates, spatial light modulators or spatial filters, e.g. reflective filters · CPC title

• G01J3/027

  Control of working procedures of a spectrometer; Failure detection; Bandwidth calculation · CPC title

• G01J3/021

  using plane or convex mirrors, parallel phase plates, or particular reflectors · CPC title

• G01J3/0205 Primary

  Optical elements not provided otherwise, e.g. optical manifolds, diffusers, windows · CPC title