Apparatus and method for producing a substantially straight instrument image
AssigneeNew Chromex, Inc.
InventorsJun Zhao, Fritz S. Allen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for producing a substantially straight instrument image is provided. The apparatus and method for producing a substantially straight instrument image, according to the present invention includes a curved slit. The curved slit may be formed in a light beam controller. The curved slit is capable of admitting a light beam into the instrument. The instrument parameters associated with optical devices located in the instrument in the path of the light beam are determined. One or more formulae are used to transform and process the instrument spectral parameters to determine the shape or curvature of the curved slit.
Claims21
A method for producing a substantially straight instrument image, comprising:
- positioning a curved entrance slit in an on-axis instrument for admission of one or more light beams,
- wherein the positioning step includes the substeps of:
- shaping the slit as an arcuate channel having opposing curved sides;
- and
- positioning a jaw in each of the opposing curved sides;
- determining one or more instrument spectral parameters;
- and
- applying to the one or more instrument spectral parameters one or more formulae to determine the shape of the entrance slit.
An apparatus for producing a substantially straight instrument image from a light beam, comprising:
- an on-axis instrument;
- a light beam controller formed with at least one curved slit for admitting the light beam into the on-axis instrument;
- a plurality of instrument optical devices operably connectable to the light beam controller, the plurality of instrument optical devices further providing one or more instrument spectral parameters;
- and
- means for transforming the instrument spectral parameters to configure the at least one curved slit to produce a substantially straight image,
- wherein the transforming means includes means for deriving one or more formulae from the equation mλ=d cos γ(sin α+sin β), where m is the diffraction order, λ is wavelength, d is a distance between adjacent grooves on a grating, α is an incident angle, β is a diffraction angle, and γ is the angle formed between a collimated light beam and the dispersive plane, and is related to the collimating lens focal length identified by f1 and the point source height h′ on the entrance slit by the formula:
- tan γ = h ′ f 1 .
A method for determining an entrance slit configuration for an on-axis instrument, comprising:
- positioning a housing in the on-axis instrument,
- wherein the housing positioning step includes the substep of proximal end in which a waveguide shaped as a curved slit is insertable;
- forming in the housing at least one curved slit for admitting a light beam into the instrument;
- installing one or more optical devices in the path of the beam;
- operatively connecting the at least one curved slit to the one or more optical devices;
- determining from the one or more optical devices instrument spectral parameters;
- and
- transforming the instrument parameters to configure the entrance slit to provide a substantially straight image.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.