ROTATING OPTICS FOR MULTIPLE CUVETTE ARRAY

• US 20140139832A1
• Filed: 11/16/2012
• Published: 05/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Kelley, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 9,360,412 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/246
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/01 Arrangements or apparatus for facilitating the optical investigation

Abstract

A system includes a testing instrument to hold a test card having multiple cuvettes radially spaced about a point on the card. A rotatable mount is supported in relation the point on the card when the card is held in the testing system. Optics are supported on the rotatable mount to provide radiation to the multiple cuvettes.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a testing instrument to hold a removable test card having multiple cuvettes radially spaced about a point on the card;

a rotatable mount supported in relation to the point on the card when the card is held in the testing instrument; and

optics supported on the rotatable mount o provide radiation to the multiple cuvettes.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the optics comprises multiple optics to provide radiation having different frequencies.

3. The system of claim 2 and further comprising an encoded motor coupled to the rotatable mount to selectively rotate the optics to provide different frequencies of radiation to the multiple cuvettes.

4. The system of claim 1 and further comprising a detector supported by the test fixture on a side of the card opposite the optics to receive radiation from the optics through selected cuvettes.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the detector comprises a rotatable detector.

6. The system of claim 4 wherein the detector comprises multiple rotatable detectors.

8. The system of claim 4 and further comprising optics to direct light received through each cuvette to the detector.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the optics include multiple LED having different frequencies of light emission.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the optics are arranged in concentric circles about the point.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the optics comprise lenses optically coupled to a light source.

7. The system of claim t wherein the multiple rotatable detectors comprise detectors having different frequency sensitivities.

12. A system comprising:

a testing instrument to hold a removable test card having multiple cuvettes radially spaced about a point on the card;

multiple light emitting diodes supported in the testing instrument to rotate with respect to the point on the card when held, the multiple light emitting diodes to provide multiple different frequencies of light to the multiple cuvettes.

13. The system of claim 12 and further comprising a detector supported on a side of the card opposite the light emitting diodes to receive radiation from the light emitting diodes through selected cuvettes.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the detector comprises multiple rotatable detectors to detect different frequencies of light.

15. A method comprising:

receiving a card into a test instrument to hold the card in a fixed position within the test instrument, the card having multiple cuvettes to hold samples, the card being transparent to light;

rotating optics to provide light to selected cuvettes; and

detecting light from the optics through the selected cuvettes.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the optics comprise a light emitting diode.

17. The method of claim 15 and further comprising rotating the optics to provide different frequencies of light to selected cuvettes.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the different frequencies of light are provided by multiple light emitting diodes having different frequencies of light emission.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein detecting light comprises rotating a light detector to different positions to receive light through the selected cuvettes.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein detecting light comprises rotating multiple light detectors to different positions to receive light through the selected cuvettes.