Adjustable aperture device with integral aperture holes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9786400-B2
Application number	US-201213683645-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2012
Priority date	Dec 23, 2011
Publication date	Oct 10, 2017
Grant date	Oct 10, 2017

Abstract

An adjustable aperture device for an electromagnetic radiation detecting apparatus includes a position adjustment body configured for adjusting a position of a selected aperture hole of multiple selectable aperture holes, where electromagnetic radiation propagates through the selected aperture hole. The adjustable aperture device further includes a guide unit configured for guiding the position adjustment body along a predefined guide direction, and an aperture body defining the aperture holes and including multiple engagement sections, where the adjustment body is engagable in a selectable one of the engagement sections to thereby select the selected aperture hole. The adjustable aperture device further includes a pre-loading element configured for pre-loading the position adjustment body towards the aperture body, and a drive unit configured for driving the aperture body to move so that the position adjustment body is engaged in a respective one of the plurality of engagement sections.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An adjustable aperture device for an electromagnetic radiation detecting apparatus, the aperture device comprising:
a position adjustment body configured for adjusting a position of a selected aperture hole of a plurality of selectable aperture holes, wherein electromagnetic radiation is to propagate through the selected aperture hole;
a guide unit configured for guiding the position adjustment body along a predefined guide direction, wherein the guide unit is configured for guiding the position adjustment body via exactly two contact points defining degrees of freedom according to which the position adjustment body is allowed to move;
an aperture body defining the plurality of aperture holes and comprising a plurality of engagement sections configured for selectively receiving the position adjustment body from the guide unit, wherein the position adjustment body is engagable in a selectable one of the plurality of engagement sections to thereby select the selected aperture hole from the plurality of selectable aperture holes;
a pre-loading element configured for pre-loading the position adjustment body towards the aperture body; and
a drive unit configured for driving the aperture body to move so that the position adjustment body is engaged in a respective one of the plurality of engagement sections.

2. The aperture device according to claim 1 , wherein the position adjustment body is a sphere.

3. The aperture device according to claim 1 , wherein the position adjustment body comprises a cylinder with a cone or ball-tip or any orbiform.

4. The aperture device according to claim 1 , wherein the guide unit comprises two cylindrical guide pins mounted in parallel to one another.

5. The aperture device according to claim 1 , wherein the guide unit comprises one of a prismatic structure having planar or concave or convex shaped walls or a guide pin in combination with a guide plate.

6. The aperture device according to claim 1 , wherein the pre-loading element comprises a spring.

7. The aperture device according to claim 1 , wherein the pre-loading element comprises one of a magnetic force generating system, an electrostatic force generating system, an elastic rod, and a system using gravitational force.

8. The aperture device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of aperture holes in the aperture body have different sizes or different shapes.

9. The aperture device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of engagement sections comprise a plurality of indentations formed between adjacent teeth distributed along at least a part of a circumference of the aperture body, and
wherein the aperture body is configured to be rotatable by the drive unit to engage the position adjustment body in one of the plurality of indentations.

10. The aperture device according to claim 1 , wherein the aperture body is configured to be linearly translatable by the drive unit to thereby engage the position adjustment body in one of indentations, as the plurality of engagement sections, formed between adjacent teeth aligned along at least a part of an edge of the aperture body.

11. The aperture device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a gear mechanism configured for transferring drive energy from the drive unit to the aperture body.

12. The aperture device according to claim 11 , wherein the gear mechanism comprises a first toothed gear wheel mounted on the drive unit and a second toothed gear wheel cooperating engagingly with the first toothed gear wheel, wherein the second toothed gear wheel has a camshaft configured for engaging with one or more energy transfer engagement sections arranged along at least a part of a circumference of the aperture body.

13. The aperture device according to claim 12 , wherein the camshaft is configured for being decoupled from the aperture body upon completion of an adjustment procedure of the aperture device.

14. The aperture device according to claim 1 , wherein a position adjustment performed by the position adjustment body, the guide unit and the pre-loading element is functionally decoupled from a driving of the aperture body performed by the drive unit.

15. The aperture device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of engagement sections are configured as prismatic grooves formed between correspondingly shaped protrusions along an edge of the aperture body.

16. The aperture device according to claim 1 , wherein the pre-loading element is configured for applying a pre-loading force to the position adjustment body along a pre-loading force direction, which is inclined relative to a guide direction along which the guide unit enables motion of the position adjustment body.

17. The aperture device according to claim 1 , wherein the pre-loading element and the guide unit are configured for applying a guided pre-loading force to the position adjustment body for forcing the position adjustment body to apply an abutting force oriented towards a rotation axis of the aperture body.

18. An electromagnetic radiation detecting apparatus for detecting electromagnetic radiation carrying information indicative of components of a fluidic sample separated by a sample separation system, the electromagnetic radiation detecting apparatus comprising:
an electromagnetic radiation source configured for generating primary electromagnetic radiation and for directing the primary electromagnetic radiation onto the separated fluidic sample;
an electromagnetic radiation detector configured for detecting secondary electromagnetic radiation resulting from interaction of the components of the fluidic sample with the primary electromagnetic radiation; and
an adjustable aperture device arranged in an electromagnetic radiation path between the electromagnetic radiation source and the electromagnetic radiation detector, the adjustable aperture device comprising:
a position adjustment body configured for adjusting a position of a selected aperture hole of a plurality of selectable aperture holes, the electromagnetic radiation propagating through the selected aperture hole;
a guide unit configured for guiding the position adjustment body along a predefined guide direction, wherein the guide unit is configured for guiding the position adjustment body via exactly two contact points defining degrees of freedom according to which the position adjustment body is allowed to move;
an aperture body defining the plurality of aperture holes and comprising a plurality of engagement sections configured for selectively receiving the position adjustment body from the guide unit, wherein the position adjustment body is engagable in a selectable one of the plurality of engagement sections to thereby select the selected aperture hole from the plurality of selectable aperture holes;
a pre-loading element configured for pre-loading the position adjustment body towards the aperture body; and
a drive unit configured for driving the aperture body to move so that the position adjustment body is engaged with a respective one of the plurality of engagement sections.

19. The electromagnetic radiation detecting apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the electromagnetic radiation source comprises one of a deuterium lamp, a xenon lamp, and a tungsten lamp; and
the electromagnetic radiation detector comprises one of an optical light detector, and an ultraviolet radiation detector.

20. A sample separation system for separating components of a fluidic sample, the sample separation system comprising:
a mobile p

Assignees

• Agilent Technologies Inc

Inventors

• Steinke Armin

Classifications

• G01J3/0229

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

• G01J1/044

  using shutters · CPC title

• G01J1/0437

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

• G01J1/0403 Primary

  Mechanical elements; Supports for optical elements; Scanning arrangements · CPC title

• G01J3/0202

  Mechanical elements; Supports for optical elements · CPC title