Broadband spectrometer with fiber optic reformattor
First Claim
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1. A broadband spectrometer apparatus for field use comprising:
- (a) a spectrometer means for dispersing radiation into its component wavelengths including;
a collecting optics having a first numerical aperture for collecting electromagnetic energy and for focusing the collected electromagnetic energy according to the first numerical aperture, a fiber optics reformattor having a plurality of fibers arranged to form a front face forming a field stop for receiving the focused electromagnetic energy and a back face forming an entrance slit for the spectrometer means, and each single fiber optic of the plurality of fiber optics at the back face has a second numerical aperture having a mathematical relation to the first numerical aperture such that a value for the second numerical aperture is larger than the value of the first numerical aperture, the fiber optics reformattor being for reformatting the received and focused electromagnetic energy and a means for dispersing the focused and reformatted electromagnetic energy into component wavelengths; and
(b) detector means operatively connected to the spectrometer means for detecting the reformatted, received, dispersed and focused electromagnetic energy to obtain the dispersed radiation component wavelength thereby.
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Abstract
The invention provides a system having a broadband spectrometer with a fiber optic reformattor for field use in detecting and identifying gas clouds within a field of view. The system includes a grating type spectrometer, a fiber optic reformattor, a focal plane detector array and electronics for background signal subtraction techniques for generating spectral signature data which is analyzed for gas detection and outputting a decision making signal for recognition.
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17 Claims
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1. A broadband spectrometer apparatus for field use comprising:
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(a) a spectrometer means for dispersing radiation into its component wavelengths including;
a collecting optics having a first numerical aperture for collecting electromagnetic energy and for focusing the collected electromagnetic energy according to the first numerical aperture, a fiber optics reformattor having a plurality of fibers arranged to form a front face forming a field stop for receiving the focused electromagnetic energy and a back face forming an entrance slit for the spectrometer means, and each single fiber optic of the plurality of fiber optics at the back face has a second numerical aperture having a mathematical relation to the first numerical aperture such that a value for the second numerical aperture is larger than the value of the first numerical aperture, the fiber optics reformattor being for reformatting the received and focused electromagnetic energy and a means for dispersing the focused and reformatted electromagnetic energy into component wavelengths; and(b) detector means operatively connected to the spectrometer means for detecting the reformatted, received, dispersed and focused electromagnetic energy to obtain the dispersed radiation component wavelength thereby. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A broadband spectrometer apparatus comprising:
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(a) a collecting optics means for viewing a scene radiating electromagnetic energy and forming the electromagnetic energy into a beam; (b) a fiber optics reformattor means operatively positioned for receiving the beam of electromagnetic energy and decoupling the direct relationship between the numerical aperture and field of view, the reformattor means having first and second ends formatted to form, respectively, a field stop and a spectrometer entrance slit; (c) a collimating optics means operatively positioned for receiving and collimating the reformatted beam; (d) a diffraction grating means operatively positioned for receiving the collimated beam and converting the beam to a dispersed spectrum; (e) an objective optics operatively positioned for receiving the dispersed spectrum and focusing the dispersed spectrum onto a detection plane; and (f) a detector means positioned at the detection plane for detecting the dispersed spectrum. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification