Fluorescence measuring equipment
AssigneePanasonic Corporation
InventorsYasuo Kitaoka, Kazuhisa Yamamoto
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A measuring substance (2) is excited by light emitted from a light source (1), fluorescence generated from the substance (2) is directed to transmission-type band-pass filters (4, 6, 8) sequentially, and light having a specific wavelength that has passed through the band-pass filters (4, 6, 8) is detected by light-receiving portions (5, 7, 9). Differences or relative ratios between the signal strengths detected by the respective light-receiving portions (5, 7, 9) are measured to determine a peak wavelength of the fluorescence spectrum, thus identifying the substance (2). With this configuration, a fluorometer can achieve a small size, low cost, and short-time detection.
Claims5
A system for detecting intensity of fluorescence generated from a substance that is excited by light, comprising:
- a single light source emitting light having one wavelength;
- a fluorometer, comprising:
- n (n is an integer of not less than 2) narrow-band-pass filters for transmitting light in different limited wavelength regions of the fluorescence, and
- n light-receiving portions having one-to-one correspondence with the n narrow-band-pass filters,
- wherein the n narrow-band-pass filters are arranged to each have a different incident angle of light,
- wherein the n narrow-band-pass filters share a similar transmittance configuration;
- wherein an intensity P1 of fluorescence transmitted though a first narrow-band-pass filter is detected by a first light-receiving portion, and
- wherein fluorescence reflected from an (n−1)-th narrow-band-pass filter is allowed to enter an n-th narrow-band-pass filter, and an intensity Pn of fluorescence transmitted through the n-th narrow-band-pass filter is detected by an n-th light-receiving portion, and
- wherein a relative ratio or a difference between the intensities P1, P2 . . . , Pn of the fluorescence detected respectively by the n light-receiving portions is determined to detect a wavelength width of a spectrum of the fluorescence.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.