Spectrometer apparatus for determining an optical characteristic of an object or material having one or more sensors for determining a physical position or non-color property

• US 6,870,616 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2002
• Issued: 03/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: JJL Technologies, L.L.C.
• Inventors: Jung, Wayne D., Jung, Russell W., Loudermilk, Alan R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tu T.
• Application Number:
  US10/215,726
• Publication Number:
  US 20030011768A1
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: 356/71, 356/73, 356414-419, 356/630, 356317-319, 356/326, 356/328, 356/371, 356/445, 356/446, 356/402, 250/226
• US Class Current: 356/326
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0233 Optical standards
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/247 Hygienic covers, i.e. for covering the sensor or apparatus during use
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0088 for oral or dental tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 19/10 Supports for artificial teeth for transport or for comparison of the colour
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/04 Optical or mechanical part supplementary adjustable parts
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0411 using focussing or collimating elements, i.e. lenses or mirrors; Aberration correction
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0437 using masks, aperture plates, spatial light modulators, spatial filters, e.g. reflective filters
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0474 Diffusers cavities G01J2001/0481
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/06 Restricting the angle of incident light
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0205 Optical elements not provided otherwise, e.g. optical manifolds, diffusers, windows
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0208 using focussing or collimating elements, e.g. lenses or mirrors; performing aberration correction
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0216 using light concentrators or collectors or condensers
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0218 using optical fibers
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0227 using notch filters
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0229 using masks, aperture plates, spatial light modulators or spatial filters, e.g. reflective filters
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0251 Colorimeters making use of an integrating sphere
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0259 Monolithic
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0264 Electrical interface; User interface
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0278 Control or determination of height or angle information for sensors or receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0283 : using a charging unit
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0291 : Housings; Spectrometer accessories; Spatial arrangement of elements, e.g. folded path arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/10 : Arrangements of light sources specially adapted for spectrometry or colorimetry
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/508 : measuring the colour of teeth
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/51 : using colour filters
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/513 : having fixed filter-detector pairs
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/474 : Details of optical heads therefor, e.g. using optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/57 : Measuring gloss
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/1205 : Testing spectral properties
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/17 : Apparatus characterised by positioning means or by means responsive to positioning

Abstract

A spectrometer apparatus for determining an optical characteristic of an object or material is disclosed. A probe is positionable to be in proximity to the object or material. First and second receivers are provided on the probe. Light from one or more first receivers is coupled to one or more first optical sensors via a spectral separation implement. Light from one or more second receivers is coupled to one or more second sensors without spectral separation of the light. A light source provides light to the object or material via the probe. A processor coupled to receive one or more signals from the first and second sensors determines the optical characteristic of the object or material and determines a physical position property of the probe with respect to the object or material or a non-color optical property of the object or material. The physical position property may be a distance or angular position of the probe with respect to a surface of the object or material. The non-color optical property may be translucence, gloss, gray level and/or surface texture.

Claims

1. A spectrometer apparatus for determining an optical characteristic of an object or material by positioning of a probe in proximity to the object or material, comprising:

first and second receivers on the probe, wherein the receivers receive light from the object or material, wherein light from one or more first receivers is coupled to one or more first sensors via a spectral separation implement, wherein light from one or more second receivers is coupled to one or more second sensors without spectral separation of the light from the one or more second receivers;

a light source, wherein the light source provides light to the object or material via the probe; and

a processor coupled to receive one or more signals from the first and second sensors, wherein the processor determines the optical characteristic of the object or material and determines a physical position property of the probe with respect to the object or material or a non-color optical property of the object or material.

2. The spectrometer apparatus of claim 1, wherein the physical position property comprises a distance of the probe to a surface of the object or material.

3. The spectrometer apparatus of claim 1, wherein the physical position property comprises an angular position of the probe to a surface of the object or material.

4. The spectrometer apparatus of claim 1, wherein the non-color optical property comprises translucence.

5. The spectrometer apparatus of claim 1, wherein the spectral separation implement comprises a plurality of filter elements.

6. The spectrometer apparatus of claim 1, wherein the spectral separation implement comprises a diffraction grating.

7. The spectrometer apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second sensors comprises elements of a charge coupled device.

8. The spectrometer apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second sensors comprise sensors of a sensor array.

9. The spectrometer apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of fiber optics, wherein the fiber optics transport light from the light source to the object or material, wherein the fiber optics transport light received from the object or material and couple the light for receipt by the first and second sensors.

10. The spectrometer apparatus of claim 9, wherein angular dependencies of light received by the fiber optics from the object or material are reduced prior to coupling of the received light to the one or more first sensors.

11. The spectrometer apparatus of claim 10, wherein the spectrometer apparatus is implemented in a handheld device, wherein the object or material is measured by bringing the probe in proximity to the object, wherein the processor determines data indicative of the position of the probe with respect to the object or material.

12. The spectrometer apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor adjusts a color measurement based on the data indicative of the position of the probe with respect to the object or material.

13. The spectrometer apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor rejects a color measurement based on the data indicative of the position of the probe with respect to the object or material.

14. The spectrometer apparatus of claim 11, where the processor determines a color characteristics of the object or material and a non-color characteristic of the object or material.

15. The spectrometer apparatus of claim 11, wherein the non-color characteristic comprises gloss, translucency, texture, shape or thickness information.

16. The spectrometer apparatus of claim 1, wherein the non-color optical property comprises gloss.

17. The spectrometer apparatus of claim 1, wherein the non-color optical property comprises gray level.

18. The spectrometer apparatus of claim 1, wherein the non-color optical property comprises surface texture.

19. A spectrometer apparatus for determining an optical characteristic of an object or material, comprising:

first and second receivers, wherein the receivers receive light from the object or material, wherein light from one or more first receivers is coupled to one or more first sensors via a spectral separation implement, wherein light from one or more second receivers is coupled to one or more second sensors without spectral separation of the light from the one or more second receivers;

a light source, wherein the light source provides light to the object or material; and

a processor coupled to receive one or more signals from the first and second sensors, wherein the processor determines the optical characteristic of the object or material and determines a non-color optical property of the object or material.

20. The spectrometer apparatus of claim 19, further comprising a plurality of fiber optics, wherein the fiber optics transport light from the light source to the object or material, wherein the fiber optics transport light received from the object or material and couple the light for receipt by the first and second sensors, wherein angular dependencies of light received by the fiber optics from the object or material are reduced prior to coupling of the received light to the one or more first sensors.