SPECTROMETRY SYSTEM, SPECTROSCOPIC MODULE, AND POSITIONAL DEVIATION DETECTION METHOD

• US 20150185081A1
• Filed: 12/23/2014
• Published: 07/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: SANO, Akira, NAGATE, Takashi, SAKURAI, Kazunori, HIROKUBO, Nozomu
• Granted Patent: US 9,797,774 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0202 Mechanical elements; Supports for optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0235 using means for replacing an element by another, for replacing a filter or a grating
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/027 Control of working procedures of a spectrometer; Failure detection; Bandwidth calculation
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0272 Handheld
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0289 Field-of-view determination; Aiming or pointing of a spectrometer; Adjusting alignment; Encoding angular position; Size of measurement area; Position tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0291 Housings; Spectrometer accessories; Spatial arrangement of elements, e.g. folded path arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/26 using multiple reflection, e.g. Fabry-Perot interferometer, variable interference filters
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/28 Investigating the spectrum using colour filters G01J3/51
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/2823 Imaging spectrometer
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/32 Investigating bands of a spectrum in sequence by a single detector

Abstract

A spectrometry system includes an imaging apparatus that includes an imaging element which captures an image, and a spectroscopic module that includes a wavelength variable interference filter and an attachment unit which holds the wavelength variable interference filter, is provided to be attachable to and detachable from the imaging apparatus, and can dispose the wavelength variable interference filter on an optical path of incident light to the imaging element during attachment to the imaging apparatus.

Claims

1. A spectrometry system comprising:

an imaging apparatus that includes an imaging element which captures an image; and

a spectroscopic module that includes a spectroscopic unit and an attachment unit, the spectroscopic unit selectively emitting emitted light with a predetermined wavelength among first incident light and being able to change a wavelength of the emitted light, the attachment unit holding the spectroscopic unit, the attachment unit being attachable to and detachable from the imaging apparatus, second incident light to the imaging apparatus passing the spectroscopic unit when the spectroscopic module is attached to the imaging apparatus.

2. The spectrometry system according to claim 1,

wherein the attachment unit includes

a positioning portion that holds the spectroscopic unit, and that positions the spectroscopic unit with respect to an optical axis of the second incident light when the spectroscopic module is attached to the imaging apparatus.

3. The spectrometry system according to claim 2,

wherein the positioning portion includes

a spectroscopic holding section that holds the spectroscopic unit;

an abutting section that is provided at the spectroscopic holding section, the abutting section protruding toward the imaging apparatus from the spectroscopic holding section, the abutting section having a front end surface in a protrusion direction to abut on the imaging apparatus; and

a biasing section that biases the spectroscopic holding section toward the imaging apparatus side.

4. The spectrometry system according to claim 1,

wherein the attachment unit includes

a base at which the spectroscopic unit is provided, and that is disposed along a surface of the imaging apparatus on a light incidence side;

and

a sidewall that is connected to the base, and covers a side surface of the imaging apparatus along an optical axis of the incident light during the attachment, and

wherein a plurality of protrusions which protrude in a direction intersecting the optical axis, and abut on the side surface during the attachment are provided on an inner surface of the sidewall.

5. The spectrometry system according to claim 4,

wherein the attachment unit includes

a positioning portion that changes a position of the spectroscopic unit between an arrangement position where the spectroscopic unit is disposed on an optical path of the imaging element and a retraction position where the spectroscopic unit is retracted from the optical path.

6. The spectrometry system according to claim 1,

wherein the attachment unit includes

a base at which the spectroscopic unit is provided, and that is disposed along a surface of the imaging apparatus on a light incidence side;

and

a pinch portion that is provided at the base, and pinches the imaging apparatus from a direction intersecting an optical axis of the incident light during the attachment.

7. The spectrometry system according to claim 6,

wherein the pinch portion includes

a first contact section that comes into contact with one of side surfaces which oppose each other among side surfaces of the imaging apparatus along the optical axis;

a second contact section that comes into contact with the other of the side surfaces; and

a connection section that connects the contact sections to each other so as to change a distance between the first contact section and the second contact section in the direction intersecting the optical axis, and allows the base to be moved between the contact sections,

wherein the respective contact sections are brought into contact with the imaging apparatus from the direction intersecting the optical axis so as to pinch the imaging apparatus during the attachment.

8. The spectrometry system according to claim 1,

wherein the spectroscopic module further includes:

a reference plate; and

a movement mechanism that moves the reference plate between an arrangement position where the reference plate is disposed on an optical path of incident light to the imaging apparatus and a retraction position where the reference plate is retracted from the arrangement position.

9. The spectrometry system according to claim 1,

wherein the spectroscopic module further includes

a plurality of spectroscopic units that select the plurality of predetermined different wavelengths;

a changing unit that changes the spectroscopic unit which is disposed on an optical path of incident light to the imaging apparatus; and

a positioning portion that holds the spectroscopic unit, and positions the spectroscopic unit with respect to an optical axis of the incident light during the attachment,

wherein the positioning portion is provided in each of the plurality of spectroscopic units.

10. The spectrometry system according to claim 1,

wherein the spectroscopic unit is a Fabry-Perot etalon.

11. The spectrometry system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a positional deviation detection unit that detects a positional deviation of the spectroscopic unit relative to the imaging apparatus.

12. The spectrometry system according to claim 11,

wherein the positional deviation detection unit detects the positional deviation by detecting part of the spectroscopic module in a captured image on the basis of the captured image which is captured by the imaging apparatus.

13. The spectrometry system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a region specifying unit that specifies an image region corresponding to light incident to the spectroscopic unit in a predetermined angle range in a captured image which is captured by the imaging apparatus; and

an analysis processing unit that performs an analysis process on the image region.

14. The spectrometry system according to claim 13, further comprising:

a display unit that displays an image; and

a display control unit that displays a real-time image acquired by the imaging apparatus on the display unit,

wherein the display control unit causes a range of an analysis region which is a target of the analysis process and is included in at least the image region, to overlap the real-time image and to be displayed.

15. A spectroscopic module comprising:

a spectroscopic unit that selectively emits light with a predetermined wavelength among first incident light, the spectroscopic unit being able to change a wavelength of the emitted light; and

an attachment unit that holds the spectroscopic unit, the attachment unit being attachable to and detachable from the imaging apparatus including an imaging element which captures an image, the attachment unit being able to dispose the spectroscopic unit on an optical path of second incident light to the imaging element when the attachment unit is attached to the imaging apparatus.

16. A positional deviation detection method performed in a spectrometry system including an imaging apparatus and a spectroscopic module, the method comprising:

causing the imaging apparatus to capture an image and to acquire a captured image; and

detecting a positional deviation by detecting part of the spectroscopic module in the captured image,

wherein the imaging apparatus includes an imaging element which captures an image,

wherein the spectroscopic module includes a spectroscopic unit and an attachment unit, the spectroscopic unit selectively emits emitted light with a predetermined wavelength among first incident light and is able to change a wavelength of the emitted light, the attachment unit holds the spectroscopic unit, the attachment unit is attachable to and detachable from the imaging apparatus, second incident light to the imaging apparatus passes the spectroscopic unit when the spectroscopic module is attached to the imaging apparatus, and

wherein a control unit which controls the imaging apparatus and the spectroscopic module is provided in at least one of the imaging apparatus and the spectroscopic module.