Combination teaching aid and monochromator unit

Claim 2

A combination monochromator and teaching aid unit comprising, in combination, housing means, including entrance and exit opening means disposed in said housing means for allowing entry and exit therefrom of a beam of light, mirror means for reflecting at least portions of a beam of light from said entrance opening to said exit opening, diffraction means disposed between said mirror and said exit opening means, a support assembly for said mirror means, said support assembly being adapted for selective positioning of said mirror means and including a cam follower portion operatively associated with said support assembly for said mirror means, support assembly holder means fixed in relation to said housing means, and means movable joining said support assembly for said mirror means to said holder means, means for indicating the wavelength of a light beam diffracted by said diffraction means and directed out of said exit opening, said indicating means being operatively attached to cam means for moving said mirror support assembly in a selected and predetermined manner and means for rotating said cam means, whereby moving said cam means changes the angle between said mirror and said diffraction means, thereby directing differing wavelength portions of a spectrum to said exit opening means as substantially monochromatic light beams, said housing means including a pair of alignment adjusting means extending through one portion of said housing means and a single locking means extending through an oppositely disposed portion of said housing means, whereby alignment may be adjusted with respect to a base unit disposed between said alignment adjusting means and said single locking means independently of the operation of said locking means.

Claim 3

The combination unit as defined in claim 1 in which said pair of adjusting means and said single locking means comprise screw units.

Claim 4

A combination monochromator and teaching aid unit comprising, in combination, housing means, including entrance and exit opening means disposed in said housing means for allowing entry and exit therefrom of a beam of light, mirror means for reflecting at least portions of a beam of light from said entrance opening to said exit opening, diffraction means disposed between said mirror and said exit opening means, a support assembly for said mirror means, said support assembly being adapted for selective positioning of said mirror means and including a cam follower portion operatively associated with said support assembly for said mirror means, support aSsembly holder means fixed in relation to said housing means, and means movably joining said support assembly for said mirror means to said holder means, means for indicating the wavelength of a light beam diffracted by said diffraction means and directed out of said exit opening, said indicating means being operatively attached to cam means for moving said mirror support assembly in a selected and predetermined manner, and means for rotating said cam means, whereby moving said cam means changes the angle between said mirror and said diffraction means, thereby directing differing wavelength portions of a spectrum to said exit opening means as substantially monochromatic light beams, said housing unit including at the top portion thereof, an optically transparent protective cover means for protecting the components located on the interior of said housing and for allowing the functioning of said components to be observed, and said housing unit also including an opaque raisable top cover means for covering said top portion of said housing means.

Claim 5

A combination monochromator and teaching aid unit comprising, in combination, housing means, including entrance and exit opening means disposed in said housing means for allowing entry and exit therefrom of a beam of light, mirror means for reflecting at least portions of a beam of light from said entrance opening to said exit opening, diffraction means disposed between said mirror and said exit opening means, a support assembly for said mirror means, said support assembly being adapted for selective positioning of said mirror means and including a cam follower portion operatively associated with said support assembly for said mirror means, support aSsembly holder means fixed in relation to said housing means, and means movably joining said support assembly for said mirror means to said holder means, means for indicating the wavelength of a light beam diffracted by said diffraction means and directed out of said exit opening, said indicating means being operatively attached to cam means for moving said mirror support assembly in a selected and predetermined manner, and means for rotating said cam means, whereby moving said cam means changes the angle between said mirror and said diffraction means, thereby directing differing wavelength portions of a spectrum to said exit opening means as substantially monochromatic light beams, said housing unit including at the top portion thereof, an optically transparent protective cover means for protecting the components located on the interior of said housing and for allowing the functioning of said components to be observed, and said housing unit also including an opaque raisable top cover means for covering said top portion of said housing means.

Claim 6

A combination monochromator and teaching aid unit comprising, in combination, housing means, including entrance and exit opening means disposed in said housing means for allowing entry and exit therefrom of a beam of light, mirror means for reflecting at least portions of a beam of light from said entrance opening to said exit opening, diffraction means disposed between said mirror and said exit opening means, a support assembly for said mirror means, said support assembly being adapted for selective positioning of said mirror means and including a cam follower portion operatively associated with said support assembly for said mirror means, support assembly holder means fixed in relation to said housing means, means movably joining said support assembly for said mirror means to said holder means, means for indicating the wavelength of a light beam diffracted by said diffraction means and directed out of said exit opening, said indicating means being operatively attached to cam means for moving said mirror support assembly in a selected and predetermined manner, and means for rotating said cam means, whereby moving said cam means changes the angle between said mirror and said diffraction means, thereby directing differing wavelength portions of a spectrum to said exit opening means as substantially monochromatic light beams, flange means defining entrance and exit collimating slits associated with said entrance and exit opening means for collimating a beam of light propagated through said entrance and exit opening means, lens means disposed on either side of said diffraction means, and a unitary optical component support means holding said flange means defining said entrance slit and said exit slit, said diffraction means, and said lens means in place, said support means being supported as a unit for adjustment thereof as a unit in relation to said housing mean.

Claim 7

A combination monochromator and teaching aid unit comprising, in combination, housing means, including entrance and exit opening means disposed in said housing means for allowing entry and exit therefrom of a beam of light, mirror means for reflecting at least portions of a beam of light from said entrance opening to said exit opening, diffraction means disposed between said mirror and said exit opening means, a support assembly for said mirror means, said support assembly being adapted for selective positioning of said mirror means and including a cam follower portion operatively associated with said support assembly for said mirror means, support assembly holder means fixed in relation to said housing means, means movably joining said support assembly for said mirror means to said holder means, means for indicating the wavelength of a light beam diffracted by said diffraction means and directed out of said exit opening, said indicating means being operatively attached to cam means for moving said mirror support assembly in a selected and predetermined manner, and means for rotating said cam means, whereby moving said cam means changes the angle between said mirror and said diffraction means, thereby directing differing wavelength portions of a spectrum to said exit opening means as substantially monochromatic light beams, flange means defining entrance and exit collimating slits associated with said entrance and exit opening means for collimating a beam of light propagated through said entrance and exit opening means, lens means disposed on either side of said diffraction means, and a unitary optical component support means holding said flange means defining said entrance slit and said exit slit, said diffraction means, and said lens means in place, said support means being supported as a unit for adjustment thereof as a unit in relation to said housing mean.

Claim 8

The combination unit as defined in claim 4 in which said support assembly holder means is integrally formed as a projection on said optical component support means.