Apparatus and method for absorbance measurement and data generation

A method of obtaining data relating to the absorbance of a beam of radiant energy of a predetermined wavelength in a plurality of at least partially transparent reaction vessels, each vessel containing a reaction sample of an individual character relative to the other reaction samples in the other reaction vessels, the beam of radiant energy having an optical axis, the beam being passed relative to all of the vessels to scan the same seriatim, the amount of energy remaining in the beam after transmission through each reaction vessel being measured, the method comprising:

• A. repeatedly passing said reaction vessels through said optical axis in a plurality of cycles;
• B. generating a train of transmittance signals by said passage, each signal being related to the absorbance of a respective vessel and contents, the transmittance signals each being generated when the reaction vessel individual thereto is substantially coincident with said optical axis;
• C. providing a plurality of strobe generating means equal in number to said sample vessels and each being individual to a vessel and moving at least one strobe generating means in synchronism with the vessels relative to said optical axis;
• D. generating a strobe signal having a period timed so that the peak amplitude of the transmittance signals always occurs during the strobe period;
• E. logarithmically amplifying said transmittance signals;
• F. detecting the peak amplitudes of the logarithmically amplified analog transmittance signals during the strobe periods;
• and
• G. generating data from the detected peak amplitudes indicative of the amount of radiant energy which has been absorbed by each reaction vessel and contents.

Apparatus for generating reaction affect data derived by directing a beam of radiant energy through a plurality of cuvettes containing reaction samples, and the cuvettes being partially transparent, the apparatus comprising:

• A. means for scanning the cuvettes seriatim with the beam;
• B. means for sensing the unabsorbed radiant energy which is transmitted through each cuvette and its reaction sample and generating an analog transmittance signal therefrom;
• C. means for providing a strobe signal having a period, the strobe signal being provided such that the analog transmittance signal always is at a peak amplitude during the strobe period;
• D. means for logarithmically amplifying said analog transmittance signal;
• E. means for detecting the peak amplitude of the logarithmically amplified analog transmittance signal during the strobe period;
• F. means for generating data from the detected peak amplitude indicative of the amount of radiant energy which has been absorbed by each cuvette and reaction sample.

An apparatus for obtaining data relating to the absorbance of a beam of radiant energy of a predetermined wavelength through a plurality of at least partially transparent reaction vessels, each vessel containing a reaction sample of an individual character relative to the other reaction samples in the other reaction vessels, the beam of radiant energy having an optical axis, the beam being passed relative to all of the vessels to scan the same seriatim, the amount of energy remaining in the beam after transmission to each reaction vessel being measured and adapted to be utilized to derive the set of absorbance data, the apparatus comprising:

• A. means for repeatedly passing said reaction vessels through said optical axis in a plurality of cycles;
• B. means for generating a train of transmittance signals by said passage, each signal being related to the absorbance of a respective vessel and contents, the transmittance signals each being generated when the sample vessel individual thereto is substantially coincident with said optical axis;
• C. means for providing a plurality of strobe generating means equal in number to said sample vessels and each being individual to a vessel and moving at least one strobe generating means in synchronism with the vessels relative to said optical axis;
• D. the strobe generating means generating a strobe signal having a period chosen so that the peak amplitude of the transmittance signals always occurs during the strobe period;
• E. means for logarithmically amplifying said analog transmittance signals;
• F. means for detecting the peak amplitude of the logarithmically amplified analog transmittance signals during the strobe periods;
• and
• G. means for generating data from the detected peak amplitudes indicative of the amount of radiant energy which has been absorbed by each cuvette and reaction sample.

An apparatus for generating data relating to the absorbance of a beam of radiant energy in a plurality of at least partially transparent reaction vessels, each vessel containing a reaction sample of an individual character relative to the other reaction samples in the other reaction vessels, and the beam of radiant energy having an optical axis, the apparatus comprising:

• a circular rotor containing all of the reaction vessels and located so that the beam optical axis is radial of the rotor, the rotor being rotatable so that all of the reaction vessels may be passed through the beam optical axis seriatim;
• photometer means for generating transmittance signals having amplitudes directly related to the amount of energy remaining in the beam after transmission through the reaction vessels with each transmittance signal being related to the absorbance of a respective vessel and contents, the transmittance signals each being generated when the reaction vessel individual thereto is substantially coincident with said optical axis;
• a code skirt carried by the rotor, the code skirt including for every reaction vessel a strobe hole through the code skirt, the strobe holes each being aligned with the reaction vessels to indicate when the beam optical axis is substantially coincident with the respective reaction vessel;
• strobe generating means for generating a strobe signal in response to every strobe hole, the strobe signals each having a period and being timed so that the peak amplitude of the transmittance signals always occur during the strobe period;
• amplifier means for logarithmically amplifying said transmittance signals;
• detector means for detecting the peak amplitudes of the logarithmically amplified transmittance signals during the strobe periods;
• and
• generator means for generating data from the detected peak amplitudes indicative of the amount of radiant energy which has been absorbed by each reaction vessel and contents.