Method, apparatus, and article to facilitate evaluation of objects using electromagnetic energy

• US 8,368,878 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2011
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visualant, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Visualant, Inc.
• Inventors: Furness, Thomas A. III, Schowengerdt, Brian T., Melville, Ross D., Walker, Nicholas E., Sparks, Bradley E.
• Primary Examiner(s): STAFIRA, MICHAEL PATRICK
• Application Number:
  US13/302,978
• Publication Number:
  US 20120072154A1
• Time in Patent Office: 441 Days
• Field of Search: 356/71, 356445-448
• US Class Current: 356/71
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0264 Electrical interface; User interface
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/10 Arrangements of light sources specially adapted for spectrometry or colorimetry
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/42 Absorption spectrometry; Double beam spectrometry; Flicker spectrometry; Reflection spectrometry beam switching arrangements G01J3/08
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/46 Measurement of colour; Colour measuring devices, e.g. colorimeters measuring colour temperature G01J5/60
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/463 Colour matching
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/50 using electric radiation detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/501 Colorimeters using spectrally-selective light sources, e.g. LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/255 Details, e.g. use of specially adapted sources, lighting or optical systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/27 using photo-electric detection G01N21/31 takes precedence; circuits for computing concentration logarithmic circuits G06G7/24; photometric circuits in general G01J
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/06113 Coherent sources; lasers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/062 LED's
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/4833 of solid biological material, e.g. tissue samples, cell cultures tissue in vivo A61B5/00; cell suspensions G01N33/48735

Abstract

Spectral information may be employed in process control and/or quality control of goods and articles. Spectral information may be employed in process control and/or quality control of media, for example financial instruments, identity documents, legal documents, medical documents, financial transaction cards, and/or other media, fluids for example lubricants, fuels, coolants, or other materials that flow, and in machinery, for example vehicles, motors, generators, compressors, presses, drills and/or supply systems. Spectral information may be employed in identifying biological tissue and/or facilitating diagnosis based on biological tissue.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating quality control for manufactured objects, the method comprising:

during a first period, sequentially illuminating at least a first portion of an object being evaluated with a plurality of bands of electromagnetic energy in a first sequence;

during the first period, measuring a plurality of responses to the illumination from at least the first portion of the object being evaluated;

comparing the measured responses of the first period to a first set of reference responses to illumination of a reference specimen of a reference object;

during a second period, sequentially illuminating at least the first portion of the object being evaluated with a plurality of bands of electromagnetic energy in a second sequence, the second sequence varied from the first sequence;

during the second period, measuring a plurality of responses to the illumination from at least the first portion of the object being evaluated in the second sequence; and

comparing the measured responses of the second period to a second set of reference responses to illumination of the reference specimen of the reference object; and

determining whether the object being evaluated is acceptable based at least in part on the comparison of the measured responses of the first period to the first set of reference responses and based at least in part on the comparison of the measured responses of the second period to the second set of reference responses.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

during a different period from the first period, sequentially illuminating at least a second portion of the object being evaluated with a plurality of bands of electromagnetic energy;

during the different period, measuring a plurality of responses to the illumination from at least the second portion of the object being evaluated;

comparing the measured responses of the different period to a third set of reference responses to illumination of the reference specimen of the object; and

determining whether object being evaluated is acceptable based at least in part on the comparison of the measured responses of the different period to the third set of reference responses.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

during a different period from the first period, sequentially illuminating at least a second portion of the object being evaluated with a plurality of bands of electromagnetic energy in the first sequence;

during the different period, measuring a plurality of responses to the illumination from at least the second portion of the object being evaluated;

comparing the measured responses of the different period to a third set of reference responses to illumination of a reference specimen of an object; and

identifying the second portion of the object being evaluated based at least in part on the comparison of the measured responses of the different period to the third set of reference responses.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein sequentially illuminating at least a first portion of an object being evaluated with a plurality of bands of electromagnetic energy in a first sequence includes sequentially illuminating at least the first portion of the object being evaluated with electromagnetic energy from bands within a visible portion, an infrared portion or an ultraviolet portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein sequentially illuminating at least a first portion of an object being evaluated with a plurality of bands of electromagnetic energy in a first sequence includes selectively turning respective ones of a plurality of sources ON and OFF in an order defined by the first sequence.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein selectively turning respective ones of the sources ON and OFF in an order defined by the first sequence includes selectively applying current to respective ones of the sources in the order defined by the first sequence.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein selectively turning respective ones of the sources ON and OFF in an order defined by the first sequence includes selectively applying current at a plurality of different levels to respective ones of the sources, where the order and the level is defined by the first sequence.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein selectively applying current at a plurality of different levels to respective ones of the sources, where the order and the level is defined by the first sequence includes selectively applying current at the plurality of different levels to respective ones of a plurality of light emitting diodes, at least some of the light emitting diodes having an emission spectra at a first current level that differs from an emission spectra of other of the light emitting diodes at the first current level.

9. A system useful in evaluating objects, the system comprising:

at least one illumination source operable to sequentially illuminate during a first at least a first portion of an object being evaluated with a plurality of bands of electromagnetic energy in a first sequence and operable to sequentially illuminate during a second period at least the first portion of the object being evaluated with a plurality of bands of electromagnetic energy in a second sequence, the second sequence varied from the first sequence;

at least one sensor operable to measure a plurality of responses to the first and the second sequences of illumination from at least the first portion of the object being evaluated; and

at least one circuit configured to determine whether the object being evaluated is acceptable based at least in part on a first comparison of the measured responses to the first sequence of illumination to a set of reference responses to illumination of a reference specimen of a reference object and based at least in part on a second comparison of the measured responses to the second sequence of illumination to a second set of reference responses to illumination of the reference specimen of the reference object.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the at least one illumination source includes at least a first source operable to emit electromagnetic energy in a first band at a first time and in a second band at a second time, the second band being at least partially different from the first band.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the at least one illumination source includes a plurality of sources each operable to emit electromagnetic energy in a respective band, at least one of the bands being at least partially different from another one of the bands.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein the at least one sensor includes at least one sensor selected from the group consisting of a photodiode, a photomultiplier, a charge-coupled device, and a multi-channel plate.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein the at least one circuit is remote from the at least one illumination source.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein the object is a fluid supplied to a machine.

15. The system of claim 9 wherein the object is a fluid supplied to a machine, the fluid selected from the group consisting of a lubricant, a fuel and a coolant.

16. The system of claim 9 wherein the at least one sensor is a test device positioned proximate a portion of a supply system that supplies a fluid to a machine, and the object being evaluated is an object being supplied to the machine by the supply system.

17. The system of claim 9 wherein the at least one sensor is a test device positioned proximate a portion of a supply system that supplies the object being evaluated to the machine, and further comprising at least one circuit configured to determine a characteristic of the machine based at least in part on the first comparison and the second comparison.

18. The system of claim 9 wherein the at least one sensor is a test device positioned proximate a portion of a supply system that supplies the object being evaluated to the machine, and further comprising at least one circuit configured to determine a characteristic of a portion of the supply system based at least in part on the first comparison and the second comparison.

19. The system of claim 9 wherein the at least one sensor is a test device positioned proximate a portion of a supply system having a filter that supplies the object being evaluated to the machine, and further comprising at least one circuit configured to determine a characteristic of a portion of the filter based at least in part on the first comparison and the second comparison.

20. The system of claim 9 wherein the at least one sensor is a test device positioned in or on a machine, and the object being evaluated is an object supplied to the machine.

21. The system of claim 9 wherein the at least one sensor is a test device positioned in or on a machine, and the object being evaluated is an object supplied to the machine and further comprising at least one circuit configured to determine a characteristic of a portion of the machine based at least in part on the first comparison and the second comparison.

22. The system of claim 9 wherein the at least one sensor is a test device positioned in or on a machine, and the object being evaluated is at least one of a lubricant, a fuel, or a coolant employed by the machine.

23. The system of claim 9 wherein the at least one sensor is a test device positioned in or on a machine, and the object being evaluated is at least one of a lubricant, a fuel, or a coolant employed by the machine, and further comprising at least one circuit configured to determine a characteristic of at least a portion of the machine or a supply system based at least in part on the first comparison and the second comparison.