Method and apparatus for radiation encoding and analysis
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A radiation spectrum analyzer comprising:
- at least one source providing radiation having at least two selected spectral components;
first optics collecting, dispersing and focusing said radiation to form an image dispersed by wavelength along a dispersion axis onto a plane;
a spatial radiation modulator positioned in said plane so that said dispersion axis is substantially along an encoding axis, said modulator modulating the intensity of said spectral components to provide an encoded beam comprising at least two encoded component;
a detector having a cross-sectional area; and
second optics collecting and directing said encoded beam onto said detector, causing the detector to provide an output, said second optics comprising at least one bi-conic optical element.
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Abstract
Method and apparatus for analyzing radiation using analyzers and encoders employing the spatial modulation of radiation dispersed by wavelength or imaged along a line.
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Citations
48 Claims
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1. A radiation spectrum analyzer comprising:
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at least one source providing radiation having at least two selected spectral components; first optics collecting, dispersing and focusing said radiation to form an image dispersed by wavelength along a dispersion axis onto a plane; a spatial radiation modulator positioned in said plane so that said dispersion axis is substantially along an encoding axis, said modulator modulating the intensity of said spectral components to provide an encoded beam comprising at least two encoded component; a detector having a cross-sectional area; and second optics collecting and directing said encoded beam onto said detector, causing the detector to provide an output, said second optics comprising at least one bi-conic optical element. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for making a radiation spectrum analyzer comprising:
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providing an instrument that includes; (a) at least one source that provides radiation having at least two selected spectral components; (b) first optics collecting, dispersing and focusing said radiation to form an image dispersed by wavelength along a dispersion axis onto a plane; (c) a spatial radiation modulator positioned in said plane so that said dispersion axis is substantially along an encoding axis, said modulator modulating the intensity of said spectral components to provide an encoded beam comprising at least two encoded component; and (d) a detector having a cross-sectional area; and designing second optics to collect and direct said encoded beam onto said detector, causing the detector to provide an output, said second optics comprising at least one bi-conic optical element;
wherein said designing comprises selecting radii of curvature of the element so that a spot size of the encoded beam is substantially within the cross-sectional area of the detector or so that an optical path of the encoded beam from the modulator to the detector is minimized. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A radiation spectrum analyzer comprising:
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at least one source providing broad-band radiation in at least one spectral range, said spectral range encompassing at least one known spectral feature; first optics collecting, dispersing and focusing said radiation in said spectral range into a beam to form an image onto an encoding plane, said image dispersed by wavelength along an encoding axis, wherein imperfect alignment along said encoding axis causes a displacement of position of said known spectral feature in said dispersed image from an aligned position along said encoding axis; a two dimensional spatial radiation modulator rotated about a rotation axis and positioned in said plane so that said encoding axis is substantially along a radial axis, said modulator having at least one pair of complementary radiation filters, each of said filters substantially occupying at least a portion of a different annular region of said modulator, each of said filters modulating the intensity of a corresponding radiation component in the beam, said filters having substantially complementary modulation functions so that each pair of complementary radiation filters produces a single encoded calibration component where at least one characteristic of said encoded calibration component is determined by the relative intensities of radiation from said beam incident on the two filters, wherein the radial position and radial width of said annular regions are such that a predetermined value for the single encoded calibration component is produced as said modulator is rotated about said rotation axis; a detector; second optics collecting and directing said encoded calibration component(s) onto said detector, causing the detector to provide an output; and computer analyzing signals generated by said detector in response to said encoded calibration component(s) and gauging the displacement of position of said known spectral feature in said dispersed image from an aligned position along said encoding axis. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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- 23. The analyzer of claim 23, wherein said known spectral feature is an absorption feature of background CO2.
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25. A method for compensating a radiation detection system for modulation frequency dependence, comprising:
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providing radiation having at least one selected component; collecting and focusing said radiation to form an image along an encoding axis onto an encoding plane; positioning a two dimensional spatial radiation modulator in said plane and rotating said modulator about a rotation axis so that said encoding axis is substantially along a radial axis, said modulator having at least two radiation filters substantially occupying a common annular region at a radius from said rotation axis, said filters modulating the intensity of substantially equal portions of said corresponding radiation component at different modulating frequencies to provide an encoded beam comprising at least two encoded calibration components as said modulator is routed about said rotation axis, said encoded calibration components having substantially different frequencies; collecting and directing said encoded calibration components onto a radiation detection system; causing said detection system to provide an output including additional encoded components of said radiation; decoding signals generated by said detection system to determine amplitudes of said encoded calibration components; analyzing said amplitudes to determine frequency dependence of said detection system. - View Dependent Claims (26)
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27. A radiation spectrum analyzer for analyzing a sample, comprising:
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at least one radiation source providing radiation in a beam having different spectral components to form an array of sub-images along an encoding axis onto an encoding plane, each of said sub-images corresponding to one of said spectral components; a two dimensional spatial radiation modulator rotated about a rotation axis and positioned in said plane so that said dispersion axis is substantially along a radial axis, said modulator having at least two radiation filters at different radii from said rotation axis, said at least two radiation filters modulating the intensities of said spectral components to provide an encoded beam comprising at least two encoded components as said modulator is rotated about said rotation axis; a detector; optics providing in response to said encoded beam a substantially collimated encoded beam, said detector providing an output in response to said collimated encoded beam or radiation generated in response to said collimated encoded beam, wherein the radiation from the at least one radiation source and reaching the detector along an optical path interacts with the sample prior to reaching the detector; and computer analyzing signals generated by said detector in response to said encoded beam. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A radiation spectrum analyzer for analyzing a sample comprising:
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at least one source providing radiation in at least two distinct spectral ranges; first optics collecting, dispersing and focusing said radiation in said first spectral range to form a first dispersed image along a first encoding axis in an encoding plane, said first dispersed image comprising at least one spectral component; second optics collecting, dispersing and focusing said radiation in said second spectral range to form a second dispersed image along a second encoding axis in said encoding plane, said second dispersed image comprising at least one spectral component; a two dimensional spatial radiation modulator rotated about a rotation axis and positioned in said plane so that said first encoding axis and said second encoding axis are substantially along one or more radial axes of said modulator, said modulator having at least two radiation filters at different radii from said rotation axis for modulating the intensities of components of said first and second dispersed images to provide an encoded beam comprising a plurality of encoded spectral components in the two spectral ranges as said modulator is rotated about said rotation axis; a first detector providing a signal in response to radiation in said first spectral range; a second detector providing a signal in response to radiation in said second spectral range; third optics directing said encoded spectral components in said first spectral range onto said first detector; fourth optics directing said encoded components in said second spectral range onto said second detector, wherein the radiation from the at least one radiation source and reaching the detector interacts with the sample prior to reaching the detector; a computer analyzing signals generated by said detectors in response to said encoded beam, wherein said analyzing includes determining the amplitude of at least one encoded component in each of said spectral ranges. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41)
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42. A radiation analyzer for analyzing a sample comprising:
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at least one source providing a radiation beam having at least one selected radiation component; first optics collecting and focusing said radiation beam to form an image of said radiation component along an encoding axis onto an encoding plane; a two dimensional spatial radiation modulator rotated about a rotation axis for one or more rotation periods and positioned in said encoding plane so that said encoding axis is substantially along a radial axis, said modulator having at least one annular region comprising at least two annular segments, each said segment comprising a fractional rotation period of said modulator, wherein at least one of said segments comprises at least one radiation filter at a radius from said rotation axis, said at least one radiation filter comprising a substrate and a plurality of non-contiguous sub-regions having optical characteristics substantially different from said substrate, said filter modulating the beam for a portion of the rotation period of the modulator during an active sub-period of the rotation period, wherein said sub-regions within said segment of the at least one radiation filter being patterned to modulate the intensity of a corresponding radiation component in the beam with a periodic function to provide an encoded beam comprising at least one encoded component as said modulator is rotated about said rotation axis, said periodic function comprising substantially a harmonic of said active sub-period; at least another one of said segments being substantially optically passive when interacting with the beam during a passive sub-period of the rotation period; a detector; second optics collecting and directing said encoded beam onto said detector, causing the detector to provide an output, wherein the radiation from the at least one radiation source and reaching the detector interacts with the sample prior to reaching the detector; and a computer analyzing signals generated by said detector in response to said encoded beam, wherein said analyzing includes separating said signals corresponding to said active sub-period from said signals corresponding to said passive sub-period. - View Dependent Claims (43)
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44. A radiation analyzer for analyzing a sample in the presence of at least one periodic noise source, comprising:
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at least one source providing radiation having a plurality of selected radiation components; first optics collecting and focusing said radiation to form a plurality of images along an encoding axis, onto an encoding plane, said images corresponding to said selected radiation components; a two dimensional spatial radiation modulator rotated about a rotation axis at a rotation frequency and positioned in said plane so that said encoding axis is substantially along a radial axis, said modulator having a plurality of radiation filters at different radii from said rotation axis for modulating the intensities of said selected radiation components to provide an encoded beam as said modulator is rotated about said rotation axis, each said filter encoding a corresponding radiation component with a periodic modulation function that is substantially a harmonic of the rotation frequency of said modulator, said harmonics comprising a set of encoded harmonics; a detector; second optics collecting and directing said encoded beam onto said detector system, causing the detector to provide an output; and a computer controlling said rotation frequency of said modulator, and analyzing signals generated by said detector, wherein said analyzing includes providing a at least one noise tracking harmonic, said noise tracking harmonic comprising a harmonic of said rotation frequency of said modulator not in said set of encoded harmonics; said computer decoding at least one noise tracking harmonics, said computer varying the rotation frequency of said modulator to maximize an amplitude of a noise tracking harmonic, said amplitude of said noise tracking harmonic corresponding to said periodic noise source, and thereby minimize the effect of said periodic noise source on the decoded amplitudes of said encoded harmonics. - View Dependent Claims (45)
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46. A radiation analyzer for analyzing a sample comprising:
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at least one source providing radiation forming a plurality of images along an encoding axis, onto an encoding plane; a two dimensional spatial radiation modulator rotated about a rotation axis and positioned in said encoding plane so that said encoding axis is substantially along a radial axis, said modulator having at least one complementary radiation filter pair to provide an encoded beam as said modulator is rotated about said rotation axis, said filter pair comprising an annular segment or region, said complementary pair having substantially complementary modulation functions so that said encoded beam comprises a component with a characteristic determined by the relative intensities of radiation from said beam incident on the two filters; a detector collecting said encoded beam and providing an output; and a computer analyzing signals generated by said detector, wherein said analyzing includes determining the characteristic as a function of the rotation angle of said modulator about said rotation axis to gauge the concentricity of said annular segment or region with respect to said rotation axis. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48)
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Specification