Spectrophotometer and electro-optic module especially suitable for use therein
First Claim
1. An electro-optical module comprising a flexible base plate and a self-supporting wall assembled to said plate on one side thereof into a unitary structure consisting essentially of said wall and plate and more rigid than said plate and wall alone, said wall surrounding an area on said one side of said plate sufficient in size to contain plurality of electrical and optical components in assembled relationship with at least one of said plate and said wall, a cover having a top overlying said area and extending outwardly of said area beyond said wall, said cover also having sides and a rim, said base plate having an edge, and said rim extending outwardly of said edge, said cover being assembled with said base plate and said wall from said top via said wall.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A spectrophotometer which is highly manufacturable at minimum cost nevertheless provides precision of measurement of spectra components of light which is projected therein by maintaining precise optical alignment of optical and electrical components thereof. These components are mounted in a module which is contained in a housing having an entrance aperture which defines an object area for light the spectrum of which is measured by a photodetector in the module at an image area. The module has a base plate provided by a printed circuit board on which a closed wall encompasses an area (a corral) on one side of the circuit board. The wall is a one piece structure which extends to the vicinity of the edge of the board. It is assembled with the board as a unitary structure so that the assembly is made torsionally rigid and resists bending in the plane of the board. The module may be of sufficiently small size so as to be located in a housing which is hand held, thereby providing a hand-held spectrophotometer.
45 Citations
28 Claims
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1. An electro-optical module comprising a flexible base plate and a self-supporting wall assembled to said plate on one side thereof into a unitary structure consisting essentially of said wall and plate and more rigid than said plate and wall alone, said wall surrounding an area on said one side of said plate sufficient in size to contain plurality of electrical and optical components in assembled relationship with at least one of said plate and said wall, a cover having a top overlying said area and extending outwardly of said area beyond said wall, said cover also having sides and a rim, said base plate having an edge, and said rim extending outwardly of said edge, said cover being assembled with said base plate and said wall from said top via said wall.
- 2. An electro-optical module comprising a flexible base plate and a self-supporting wall assembled to said plate on one side thereof into a unitary structure consisting essentially of said wall and plate and more rigid than said plate and wall alone, said wall surrounding an area on said one side of said plate sufficient in size to contain plurality of electrical and optical components in assembled relationship with at least one of said plate and said wall, and wherein said base plate is a circuit board having conductive traces, said components including said electrical components mounted on said board and connected to said traces, said board being of plastic material and of a thickness which permits bending thereof until assembled in said unitary structure with said plate provided by said board, said board having an edge and said wall being in the vicinity of said edge to define a corral for said components in said area, said wall being a molding of plastic material.
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5. An electro-optical module comprising a flexible base plate and a self-supporting wall assembled to said plate on one side thereof into a unitary structure consisting essentially of said wall and plate and more rigid than said plate and wall alone, said wall surrounding an area on said one side of said plate sufficient in size to contain plurality of electrical and optical components in assembled relationship with at least one of said plate and said wall, and in combination with a pair of overlapping shells pivotally connectable to each other to define a casing, said shells being disposed in open relationship to receive and provide access to said module and in closed relationship to enclose said module.
- 6. An electro-optical module comprising a flexible base plate and a self-supporting wall assembled to said plate on one side thereof into a unitary structure consisting essentially of said wall and plate and more rigid than said plate and wall alone, said wall surrounding an area on said one side of said plate sufficient in size to contain plurality of electrical and optical components in assembled relationship with at least one of said plate and said wall, and wherein said wall has an entrance aperture for light, and said components provide a spectrophotometer for measuring the spectral components of said light, and wherein said spectrophotometer includes a light dispersing element which can be a grating, said element being pivotally about an axis and being pivotally mounted on said wall in said area to direct different spectral components of said light along an optical axis, said wall having at least another wall section parallel thereto and integral therewith and disposed in said area defining a light corridor in said area along said optical axis.
- 16. An electro-optical module comprising a flexible base plate and a self-supporting wall assembled to said plate on one side thereof into a unitary structure consisting essentially of said wall and plate and more rigid than said plate and wall alone, said wall surrounding an area on said one side of said plate sufficient in size to contain plurality of electrical and optical components in assembled relationship with at least one of said plate and said wall, and wherein said wall has an entrance aperture for light, and said components provide a spectrophotometer for measuring the spectral components of said light, and wherein said spectrophotometer includes a light disbursing element, a motor having a shaft projecting into said area, a journal connected to said wall and defining an axis of rotation parallel to and spaced from said shaft, an arm having a flexure member with tensioned and untensioned states and being rotatable on said journal so that said arm rotates about said axis, a rim on said arm spaced from said flexure member by a distance greater than the distance between said journal and said motor shaft when said flexure member is in said untensioned state, said arm being disposed on said journal and with said rim bearing against said shaft with said flexure member in its tension state, and said arm having a strut on which said dispersing element is pivotally mounted on said wall at said journal.
- 21. An electro-optical module comprising a flexible base plate and a self-supporting wall assembled to said plate on one side thereof into a unitary structure consisting essentially of said wall and plate and more rigid than said plate and wall alone, said wall surrounding an area on said one side of said plate sufficient in size to contain plurality of electrical and optical components in assembled relationship with at least one of said plate and said wall, and wherein said wall has an entrance aperture for light, and said components provide a spectrophotometer for measuring the spectral components of said light, and further comprising an extension integral with said wall and projecting outwardly from said entrance aperture beyond said plate, said extension having a receptacle which receives a cuvette for a sample, and means for projecting light through said cuvette into said entrance aperture for spectral analysis of said sample.
- 23. In a spectrophotometer which includes a grating element pivotally mounted for rotation about an axis to direct different spectral components of light over a wavelength range along an optical axis to a image area for translation into electrical signals by a photodetector, at the improvement comprising a lens for focusing light at said image and having a dispersion to compensate longitudinal chromatic aberration which varies with the angular orientation of said element as it pivots with respect to said optical axis.
Specification