Spectroscopic apparatus

• US 9,829,380 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2014
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Itoh, Tatsuo, Kusukame, Koichi, Yoneda, Aki
• Primary Examiner(s): Gray, Sunghee Y
• Application Number:
  US14/427,481
• Publication Number:
  US 20150211928A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,257 Days
• Field of Search: 356369, 356402
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2001/4242 Modulated light, e.g. for synchronizing source and detector circuit
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2003/064 Use of other elements for scan, e.g. mirror, fixed grating
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2003/102 Plural sources
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2003/104 Monochromatic plural sources
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2003/106 the two sources being alternating or selectable, e.g. in two ranges or line:continuum
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0208 using focussing or collimating elements, e.g. lenses or mirrors; performing aberration correction
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/021 using plane or convex mirrors, parallel phase plates, or particular reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0224 using polarising or depolarising elements
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0237 Adjustable, e.g. focussing
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0243 having a through-hole enabling the optical element to fulfil an additional optical function, e.g. a mirror or grating having a throughhole for a light collecting or light injecting optical fiber
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0278 Control or determination of height or angle information for sensors or receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0289 Field-of-view determination; Aiming or pointing of a spectrometer; Adjusting alignment; Encoding angular position; Size of measurement area; Position tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/10 Arrangements of light sources specially adapted for spectrometry or colorimetry
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/2803 using photoelectric array detector
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/32 Investigating bands of a spectrum in sequence by a single detector
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/42 Absorption spectrometry; Double beam spectrometry; Flicker spectrometry; Reflection spectrometry beam switching arrangements G01J3/08
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/427 Dual wavelengths spectrometry
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/433 Modulation spectrometry; Derivative spectrometry
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/359 using near infrared light

Abstract

A light radiating portion radiates light with wavelength λ1 having predetermined absorptivity for an object and light with wavelength λ2 having smaller absorptivity for the object than the wavelength λ1, to a target, so as to scan in 2-dimensional directions. A light receiving portion receives scattered lights reflected by the target based on light with wavelength λ1 and light with wavelength λ2. A measuring portion generates information used for detection of the object at the target, based on difference between the two scattered lights with wavelength λ1 and wavelength λ2 received by the light receiving portion. An output portion outputs whether or not the object is present at the target, by 2-dimensional area information, based on scanning by the light radiating portion and information generated by the measuring portion.

Claims

1. A spectroscopic apparatus using light having a first wavelength which has a predetermined absorptivity for a specific object, and light having a second wavelength which has a smaller absorptivity for the specific object than the first wavelength, the spectroscopic apparatus comprising:

a light radiating portion configured to radiate, to a target, collimated light with the first wavelength which is obtained by the light having the first wavelength being substantially collimated, and collimated light with the second wavelength which is obtained by the light having the second wavelength being substantially collimated;

a light receiving portion configured to receive first scattered light obtained by the collimated light with the first wavelength transmitting through the target or being reflected by the target, and second scattered light obtained by the collimated light with the second wavelength transmitting through the target or being reflected by the target; and

a measuring portion configured to generate information to be used for detection of the specific object at the target, based on a difference between the first scattered light and the second scattered light received by the light receiving portion,

wherein the light radiating portion includes a scan processing portion configured to radiate the collimated light with the first wavelength directly to the target so as to scan in 2 dimensional directions by using reflection and diffraction, and then radiate the collimated light with the second wavelength directly to the target after radiating with the first wavelength so as to scan in the 2-dimensional directions by using reflection and diffraction.

2. The spectroscopic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light radiating portion includes:

a first solid-state light source configured to emit the light having the first wavelength;

a second solid-state light source configured to emit the light having the second wavelength; and

a light source control portion configured to drive the first and second solid-state light sources so that the collimated light with the first wavelength and the collimated light with the second wavelength are received in a discriminated manner by the light receiving portion.

3. The spectroscopic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the light source control portion drives the first solid-state light source and the second solid-state light source with emission timings thereof shifted from each other.

4. The spectroscopic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the light source control portion drives the first solid-state light source and the second solid-state light source so as to be modulated with different frequencies.

5. The spectroscopic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the light radiating portion further includes

a first lens configured to output the light having the first wavelength so as to be the collimated light with the first wavelength,

a second lens configured to output the light having the second wavelength so as to be the collimated light with the second wavelength, and

a wavelength-selective light branching element configured to cause a path of the collimated light with the first wavelength and a path of the collimated light with the second wavelength to substantially coincide with each other.

6. The spectroscopic apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the first solid-state light source, the first lens, and the wavelength-selective light branching element are arranged on a first light path which is a path of the light having the first wavelength emitted from the first solid-state light source, in order of the first solid-state light source, the first lens, and then the wavelength-selective light branching element,

the second solid-state light source, the second lens, and the wavelength-selective light branching element are arranged on a second light path which is a path of the light having the second wavelength emitted from the second solid-state light source, in order of the second solid-state light source, the second lens, and then the wavelength-selective light branching element,

the first light path and the second light path intersect substantially perpendicularly with each other, and

the wavelength-selective light branching element causes the collimated light with the first wavelength to transmit therethrough and reflects the collimated light with the second wavelength, thereby causing the path of the collimated light with the first wavelength and the path of the collimated light with the second wavelength to substantially coincide with each other.

7. The spectroscopic apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the light radiating portion further includes a polarization beam splitter configured to output, to the target, P-polarization-component light among the collimated light with the first wavelength and the collimated light with the second wavelength whose paths have been caused to substantially coincide with each other by the wavelength-selective light branching element.

8. The spectroscopic apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the polarization beam splitter reflects only S-polarization-component light so as to be received by the light receiving portion and does not reflect P-polarization-component light, among lights reflected from the target.

9. The spectroscopic apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the light radiating portion further includes a polarization beam splitter configured to output, to the target, P-polarization-component light among the collimated light with the first wavelength and the collimated light with the second wavelength whose paths have been caused to substantially coincide with each other by the wavelength-selective light branching element.

10. The spectroscopic apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the polarization beam splitter reflects only S-polarization-component light so as to be received by the light receiving portion and does not reflect P-polarization-component light, among lights reflected from the target.

11. The spectroscopic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light radiating portion radiates the collimated light with the first wavelength and the collimated light with the second wavelength to the same position on the target.

12. The spectroscopic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the measuring portion determines whether or not the specific object is present at the target, based on a ratio between an intensity of the first scattered light received by the light receiving portion and an intensity of the second scattered light received by the light receiving portion.

13. The spectroscopic apparatus according to claim 12, wherein if the intensity of the second scattered light is greater than the intensity of the first scattered light, the measuring portion determines that the specific object is present at the target.

14. The spectroscopic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first wavelength is set to be equal to or longer than 1.4 μ

m and the second wavelength is set to be equal to or shorter than 1.3 μ

m so that a temperature-related change amount of absorptivity of the light having the first wavelength for the specific object is ten times or more greater than a temperature-related change amount of absorptivity of the light having the second wavelength for the specific object.

15. The spectroscopic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the scan processing portion first scans an entirety of the target in a spatially coarse manner, and if it is determined that the specific object is present, next scans an area where the specific object is present, in a spatially dense manner.

16. The spectroscopic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the scan processing portion first scans an entirety of the target in a temporally coarse manner, and if it is determined that the specific object is present, next scans an area where the specific object is present, in a temporally dense manner.

17. The spectroscopic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an output portion configured to output whether or not the specific object is present at the target, as 2-dimensional area information, based on the scanning by the scan processing portion and the information generated by the measuring portion.

18. The spectroscopic apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising a camera configured to take the target, wherein

the output portion outputs 2-dimensional area information about whether or not the specific object is present at the target, with the 2-dimensional area information superimposed on a 2-dimensional image of the target taken by the camera.

19. The spectroscopic apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the second wavelength is set to an invisible wavelength in a range of wavelengths for which the camera has sensitivity.

20. The spectroscopic apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising a distance measuring portion configured to measure a distance to the target, wherein

the output portion adds information about the distance measured by the distance measuring portion to 2-dimensional area information about whether or not the specific object is present at the target, and outputs a resultant information as 3-dimensional area information.

21. The spectroscopic apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising a temperature measuring portion configured to measure a temperature of the target, wherein

the output portion outputs 2-dimensional area information about whether or not the specific object is present at the target, with the 2-dimensional area information corrected in accordance with information about the temperature measured by the temperature measuring portion.

22. The spectroscopic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the specific object is water, and

the first wavelength is set to be equal to or longer than 1.4 μ

m and the second wavelength is set to be equal to or shorter than 1.3 μ

m.