Spectrometric systems and mechanical methods for improved focus localization of time and space-varying measurements

An apparatus for collection of optical data, the apparatus comprising:

• an optical detector;
• a source of light including at least one transmitter configured to emit a beam of first light at at least one corresponding wavelength along a first axis;
• a optical system containing an array of spatially-reorientable reflecting elements and configured to deliver the first light, emanating from the source of light, to the optical detector while scanning an object with the beam by reorienting first and second groups of said reflecting elements between first and second reference orientations, respectively;
• and
• a data-processing system in operable communication with the optical detector and configured to acquire an output produced by the optical detector in response being irradiated with said first light that has been scattered by the object, the data-processing system including a computer-readable processor and tangible, non-transitory storage medium containing program code thereon,
• wherein said program code, when loaded onto the processor, causes the processor
• to receive reference data representing an empirically-defined spectrally-dependent characteristic of the object;
• to determine an impulse response of the object, the impulse response being associated with emission of the beam of light by the source;
• and
• to determine, as a function of time,
• at least one of (i) a wavelength-dependent material parameter characterizing the object and (ii) a position-dependent parameter characterizing the object
• based on a determined impulse response and the reference data;
• wherein the object is positioned at an intermediate point along a direction of propagation of the beam between the first and second groups of the reflecting elements, the first group of reflecting elements receiving the beam from the source of light, the second group of reflecting elements redirecting the first light, that has been scattered by the object, towards the optical detector.

A method for collecting optical data, the method comprising:

• redirecting a beam of light, that has been received from an optical source, with a first spatially-reorientable reflecting element from an array of reflecting elements of an optical device, towards a first point of an object,
• wherein said beam of light has at least one wavelength;
• receiving first light from said beam, that has been scattered by the object, from a second point of the object with a second spatially-reorientable reflecting element from said array to redirect said first light towards an optical detector;
• and
• with a data-processing system including a computer-readable processor:
• acquiring an output generated by the optical detector in response to being irradiated with said first light, the output representing an optical property of the object determined along a path from said first reflecting element to said second reflecting element through the object, said path defined by a gradient of concentration of a material component in the object;
• receiving, with the data-processing unit of the system, reference data representing an empirically-defined spectrally-dependent characteristic of the object;
• determining an impulse response of the object, the impulse response being associated with emission of light from the optical source;
• and
• determining, as a function of time, at least one of (i) a wavelength-dependent material parameter characterizing the object and (ii) a position-dependent material parameter characterizing the object based on a determined impulse response and the reference data.