Methods and devices for optically determining a characteristic of a substance

• US 8,912,477 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2012
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Inventors: Freese, Robert, Jones, Christopher Michael, Perkins, David, Simcock, Michael, Soltmann, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Ko, Tony
• Application Number:
  US13/456,283
• Publication Number:
  US 20130284896A1
• Time in Patent Office: 964 Days
• Field of Search: 250/208.2, 356/51, 356/300, 356/303, 356/417, 356/318
• US Class Current: 250/208.2
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0218 using optical fibers
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0235 using means for replacing an element by another, for replacing a filter or a grating
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0294 Multi-channel spectroscopy
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/26 using multiple reflection, e.g. Fabry-Perot interferometer, variable interference filters
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/36 Investigating two or more bands of a spectrum by separate detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/17 Systems in which incident light is modified in accordance with the properties of the material investigated where the material investigated is optically excited causing a change in wavelength of the incident light G01N21/63
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/31 Investigating relative effect of material at wavelengths characteristic of specific elements or molecules, e.g. atomic absorption spectrometry G01N21/72 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06E 3/001 Analogue devices in which mathematical operations are carried out with the aid of optical or electro-optical elements optical elements per se G02B; devices consisting of a plurality of solid state components, including light sensitive semiconductor components, formed in or on a common substrate H01L27/14; electro-, magneto- or acousto-optics, non-linear optics G02F1/00; graph reading G06K11/00

Abstract

Optical computing devices are disclosed. One exemplary optical computing device includes an electromagnetic radiation source configured to optically interact with a sample and at least two integrated computational elements. The at least two integrated computational elements may be configured to produce optically interacted light, and at least one of the at least two integrated computational elements may be configured to be disassociated with a characteristic of the sample. The optical computing device further includes a first detector arranged to receive the optically interacted light from the at least two integrated computational elements and thereby generate a first signal corresponding to the characteristic of the sample.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

an electromagnetic radiation source configured to optically interact with a sample and at least two integrated computational elements, the at least two integrated computational elements being configured to produce optically interacted light, wherein at least one of the at least two integrated computational elements is configured to be disassociated with a characteristic of the sample and thereby configured to return a regression vector disassociated with the characteristic of the sample; and

at least one detector arranged to receive the optically interacted light from the at least two integrated computational elements and generate a first signal and a second signal, wherein the first signal and the second signal are computationally combined to determine the characteristic of the sample.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein each of the at least two integrated computational elements is configured to be disassociated with the characteristic of the sample and thereby configured to return a regression vector disassociated with the characteristic of the sample.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the characteristic of the sample is a first characteristic, and wherein the at least one of the first and second integrated computational elements is configured to be associated with a second characteristic of the sample.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the optically interacted light comprises a first beam of optically interacted light derived from a first integrated computational element and a second beam of optically interacted light derived from a second integrated computational element, and

wherein the at least one detector is a split detector comprising a first detector portion being arranged to receive the first beam of optically interacted light and thereby generate the first signal and a second detector portion being arranged to receive the second beam of optically interacted light and thereby generate the second signal.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the split detector computationally combines the first and second signals to determine the characteristic of the sample.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising a signal processor communicably coupled to the at least one detector for receiving the first and second signals, the signal processor being configured to computationally combine the first and second signals to determine the characteristic of the sample.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one detector is a first detector and the device further comprises a second detector arranged to detect electromagnetic radiation from the electromagnetic radiation source and thereby generate a third signal indicative of electromagnetic radiating deviations.

8. The device of claim 7, further comprising a signal processor communicably coupled to the first and second detectors, the signal processor being configured to receive the first, second, and third signals and computationally combine the first and second signals to determine the characteristic of the sample, and computationally combine the third signal with the first and second signals to normalize the first and second signals.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least two integrated computational elements are coupled together to form a monolithic structure.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least two integrated computational elements are arranged in series.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least two integrated computational elements are arranged parallel relative to the other.

12. The device of claim 1, further comprising a movable assembly configured for rotation, wherein the at least two integrated computational elements are radially disposed within the movable assembly for rotation therewith.

13. The device of claim 12, further comprising at least one neutral element radially disposed within the movable assembly and arranged to optically interact with the electromagnetic radiation source and produce a compensating signal indicative of radiating deviations of the electromagnetic radiation source.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the at least one detector is arranged to receive and computationally combine the compensating signal with the first and second signals in order to compensate for electromagnetic radiating deviations.

15. The device of claim 12, wherein the at least two integrated computational elements form a first radial array, the device further comprising at least two or more other integrated computational elements disposed radially about the movable assembly and forming a second radial array, the first radial array being radially-offset from the second radial array.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least two integrated computational elements are laterally arranged upon a movable assembly such that less than all of the at least two integrated computational elements optically interacts with electromagnetic radiation simultaneously.

17. The device of claim 1, wherein the movable assembly is configured for lateral oscillation.

18. A device, comprising:

an electromagnetic radiation source configured to optically interact with a sample and at least two integrated computational elements, the at least two integrated computational elements being configured to produce optically interacted light, wherein at least one of the at least two integrated computational elements is configured to be disassociated with a characteristic of the sample and thereby configured to return a regression vector disassociated with the characteristic of the sample; and

a first detector arranged to receive the optically interacted light from the at least two integrated computational elements and thereby generate a first signal corresponding to the characteristic of the sample.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein each of the first and second integrated computational elements is configured to be disassociated with the characteristic of the sample and thereby configured to return a regression vector disassociated with the characteristic of the sample.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein the characteristic of the sample is a first characteristic, and wherein the at least one of the first and second integrated computational elements is configured to be associated with a second characteristic of the sample.

21. The device of claim 18, wherein the at least two integrated computational elements are coupled together to form a monolithic structure.

22. The device of claim 18, wherein the at least two integrated computational elements are arranged in series.

23. The device of claim 18, further comprising a second detector arranged to detect electromagnetic radiation from the electromagnetic radiation source and thereby generate a second signal indicative of electromagnetic radiating deviations.

24. The device of claim 23, further comprising a signal processor communicably coupled to the first and second detectors, the signal processor being configured to receive the first and second signals and computationally combine the first and second signals to normalize the first signal.

25. The device of claim 18, further comprising a movable assembly configured for rotation, wherein the at least two integrated computational elements are radially disposed within the movable assembly for rotation therewith.

26. The device of claim 25, further comprising at least one neutral element radially disposed within the movable assembly and arranged to optically interact with the electromagnetic radiation source and produce a compensating signal indicative of radiating deviations of the electromagnetic radiation source.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein the first detector is arranged to receive and computationally combine the compensating signal with the first signal in order to compensate for electromagnetic radiating deviations.

28. The device of claim 25, wherein the at least two integrated computational elements form a first radial array, the device further comprising at least two or more other integrated computational elements disposed radially about the movable assembly and forming a second radial array, the first radial array being radially-offset from the second radial array.

29. The device of claim 18, wherein the at least two integrated computational elements are laterally arranged upon a movable assembly such that less than all of the at least two integrated computational elements optically interacts with electromagnetic radiation simultaneously.

30. The device of claim 29, wherein the movable assembly is configured for lateral oscillation.

31. A device, comprising:

at least two integrated computational elements configured to receive electromagnetic radiation emitted from a sample and produce optically interacted light, at least one of the at least two integrated computational elements being configured to be disassociated with a characteristic of the sample and thereby configured to return a regression vector disassociated with the characteristic of the sample; and

at least one detector arranged to receive the optically interacted light from the at least two integrated computational elements and thereby generate a first signal and a second signal, wherein the first and second signals are computationally combined to determine the characteristic of the sample.

32. The device of claim 31, wherein each of the first and second integrated computational elements is configured to be disassociated with the characteristic of the sample and thereby configured to return a regression vector disassociated with the characteristic of the sample.

33. The device of claim 31, wherein the at least two integrated computational elements are coupled together to form a monolithic structure or arranged in series.

34. The device of claim 31, wherein the sample is one of a blackbody radiation substance, a radioactive substance, and a chemo-luminescent substance.

35. The device of claim 31, wherein the sample is acted upon mechanically, magnetically, or electrically in order to emit the electromagnetic radiation.