Photometer including auxiliary indicator means

• US 4,255,053 A
• Filed: 05/08/1978
• Issued: 03/10/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Max-Planck-Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Wissenschaften e.V. (Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Frderung der Wissenschaften e)
• Original Assignee: Max-Planck-Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Wissenschaften e.V. (Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Frderung der Wissenschaften e)
• Inventors: Lubbers, Dietrich W., Opitz, Norbert
• Primary Examiner(s): Evans, F. L.
• Application Number:
  US05/903,411
• Time in Patent Office: 1,037 Days
• Field of Search: 356/39, 356/317, 356/318, 356/417, 356/243, 23/232 R, 422/83
• US Class Current: 356/318
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/643 non-biological material

Abstract

An apparatus for an optical measurement of the concentration of substancesncluding at least one monochromator means, one photometer means and one optometric means. A further reference indicator means is added to the indicator means. This further indicator means changes the measuring light and will not be changed by the concentration of the substance to be measured.

Claims

1. An apparatus for investigating the concentration of a material, comprising an optometric device which includes wall means defining an indicator chamber, said wall means including a transparent wall portion and a wall portion through which the material under investigation can diffuse and the indicator chamber containing a first indicator substance which reacts to the presence of said material under investigation by modifying the spectral characteristics of light incident thereon in a manner which depends on the concentration of said material in the indicator chamber, and the apparatus also comprising a light source for generating beams of monochromatic light and directing them onto the indicator substance contained in the indicator chamber by way of said transparent wall portion, and photometric means for determining spectral characteristics of light emitted from the indicator chamber by way of said transparent wall portion, wherein the improvement comprises a second indicator substance contained in the indicator chamber in addition to the first indicator substance and modifying the spectral characteristics of light incident thereon in a manner which is independent of the concentration of said material.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein there is no overlap between the spectral modification effected by the first indicator substance and that effected by the second indicator substance.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the spectral modification effected by the second indicator substance is shifable by external means.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the concentration of the second indicator substance is adjusted to various calibration ranges.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein spatially separate areas on a common foil are provided with different respective concentrations of said second indicator substance.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein said foil is packed in light-tight and gas-tight manner.

2. An apparatus for investigating the concentration of a material, comprising a first optometric device which includes wall means defining an indicator chamber, said wall means including a transparent wall portion and a wall portion through which the material under investigation can diffuse and the indicator chamber containing a first indicator substance which reacts to the presence of said material under investigation by modifying the spectral characteristics of light incident thereon in a manner which depends on the concentration of said material in the indicator chamber, and the apparatus also comprising a light source for generating beams of monochromatic light and directing them onto the indicator substance contained in the indicator chamber by way of said transparent wall portion, and photometric means for determining spectral characteristics of light emitted from the indicator chamber by way of said transparent wall portion, wherein the improvement comprises a second optometric device which incudes wall means defining a second indicator chamber, said wall means including a transparent wall portion and the second indicator chamber containing a second indicator substance which modifies the spectral characteristics of light incident thereon in a manner which is independent of the concentration of said material, and the improvement further comprising means positioning the second optometric device so that light of the beams generated by the light source is directed onto the second indicator substance contained in the second indicator chamber by way of said transparent wall portion of the second optometric device and the photometric means receive light emitted from the second indicator chamber by way of said transparent wall portion of the second optometric device.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said first and second optometric devices are micro-optometric devices.