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US 2019/0317013 A1Published application
Infra red spectrometer
AssigneeUnited Kingdom Research and Innovation
InventorDamien Weidman
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus are disclosed for detecting one or more species in a sample, wherein laser probe light is frequency swept across at least one infra red absorption spectrum feature of each of the species. A path from the probe light source to a single detector element may be switched between at least one sample absorption cell or volume and one or more reference cells or volumes.
Claims26
A method of detecting one or more species in a sample, comprising:
- generating probe light using one or more laser sources such that the probe light completes one or more frequency sweeps across at least one infra red absorption spectrum feature of each of the one or more species;
- providing a plurality of absorption volumes, comprising a sample volume containing said sample, and one or more reference volumes containing known concentrations of said one or more species;
- directing said probe light along a path to a single detector element to output a detector signal from the single detector element, wherein the complete path to the single detection element passes through only one of the absorption volumes at any one time;
- switching the path to the single detection element to sequentially select each of the absorption volumes a plurality of times during each frequency sweep, so that the detector signal comprises a sample segment when the path comprises the sample volume, and a reference segment when the path comprises a reference volume;
- detecting the one or more species from the sample segments including calibration using the reference segments.
2 more elements
A spectrometer for detecting one or more species in a sample, comprising:
- one or more laser sources for generating probe light such that the probe light completes one or more frequency sweeps across at least one infra red absorption spectrum feature of each of the one or more species;
- a plurality of absorption volumes, comprising a sample volume containing said sample, and one or more reference volumes containing known concentrations of said one or more species;
- an optical detector arranged to output a detection signal;
- path optics arranged to direct said probe light along an optical path to the optical detector which includes only one of the absorption volumes at any one time, and to switch the optical path to sequentially select each of the absorption volumes a plurality of times during each frequency sweep, so that the detector signal comprise a sample segment when the path comprises the sample volume, and a reference segment when the path comprises each reference volume;
- an analyser arranged to calibrate each of a plurality of the sample segments using corresponding one or more reference segments, and to detect said one or more species form the calibrated sample segments.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.