Spectrometer means employing linear synthesized RF excitation

Claim 5

In the method of claim 2, wherein selecting a desired frequency domain spectra includes detecting a physical representation of said desired irradiation spectrum, and converting said detected representation into the form for transformation thereof.

Claim 8

The method of claim 4 wherein the step of generating the modulation output includes the steps of, programming a digital computer with a Fourier transform program for transforming a desired frequency spectrum of sideband energy into a corresponding time variable function in the time domain, such time variable function serving as said modulation output to be employed for modulating the carrier to generate the sideband energy.

Claim 9

The method of claim 5 wherein the step of reading out the signal components stored in said storage channels includes the step of, programming said digital computer to read out the signal stored in said respective channels, and to treat such read out signal data with a second Fourier transform program to Fourier transform the read out outputs in the time domain into corresponding Fourier transform outputs in the frequency domain, and displaying said frequency domain outputs to obtain a display of the radio frequency resonance spectrum of the sample under analysis.

Claim 10

The method of claim 5 wherein the step of modulating the carrier comprises the step of pulse width modulating the carrier with the pulse width being determined by the modulation output derived from the digital computer.

Claim 11

The method of claim 5 wherein the step of modulating the carrier to generate the sideband energy for exciting the sample includes the step of, pulse height modulating the carrier energy with pulses of a height variable in accordance with said modulation output derived from said digital computer.

Claim 12

The method of claim 5 wherein the step of programming the digital computer to generate the modulation output includes the step of, introducing into the desired radio frequency spectrum of sideband resonance exciting energy a pseudorandom phase shift component such that the corresponding Fourier transform time variable function in the time domain serving as said modulation output scrambles the phases of the sideband energy of the modulated radio frequency carrier energy employed to excite resonance of the sample.

Claim 13

The method of claim 9 including the step of, subtracting the pseudorandom phase shift components from the signal components read out of the storage channels to unscramble the phases of the detected resonance signals.

Claim 14

The method of claim 9 wherein the step of reading out the signals stored in the respective storage channels includes the step of, treating the data read out of the respective storage channels with a second Fourier transform program for transforming the spectral data in the time domain into corresponding Fourier transform outputs in the frequency domain, and subtracting the pseudorandom phase shift components from the Fourier transform outputs in the frequency domain to unscramble the phases of the read-out resonance signals, and displaying the unscrambled frequency domain output to obtain a display of the radio frequency resonance spectrum of the sample under analysis.

Claim 15

The method of claim 5 wherein the step of programming the digital computer to generate said modulation output includes the step of, programming the digital computer to generate a modulation output which is a complex function of time having both real and imaginary parts, whereby the sideband resonance exciting spectrum is controllable on both sides of carrier frequency separately.

Claim 16

The method of claim 5 wherein the step of programming the digital computer to generate said modulation output includes the step of, programming the digital computer to generate the modulation output which when applied to modulate the carrier signal produces a sequence of sideband resonance exciting spectra of different types, each type of said exciting spectra exciting only a selected portion of the expected resonance spectrum of the sample under analysis.

Claim 17

A NMR spectrometer having RF excitation means for irradiating a sample of matter to be analyzed with RF excitation for exciting a spectrum of RF resonance lines within the sample simultaneously, means for detecting said excited resonance and means for reading out the resonance line spectrum of said sample, said RF excitation means for irradiating including a broadband RF transmitter, a linear transformation synthesizer and a selection means for establishing a desired irradiation spectrum of nonuniform spectral power density in or near the frequency region of the resonance line spectrum to be excited, said synthesizer being coupled to said selection means for transforming said spectrum of nonuniform spectral power density into the time domain, said broadband transmitter being responsive to the time domain output of said synthesizer.

Claim 18

A NMR spectrometer having RF excitation means for irradiating a sample of matter to be analyzed with RF excitation for exciting a spectrum of RF resonance lines within the sample simultaneously, means for detecting said excited resonance and means for reading out the resonance line spectrum of said sample, said RF excitation means for irradiating including a broadband RF transmitter, a linear transformation synthesizer and a selection means for establishing a desired irradiation spectrum of nonuniform spectral power density in or near the frequency region of the resonance line spectrum to be excited, said synthesizer being coupled to said selection means for transforming said spectrum of nonuniform spectral power density into the time domain, said broadband transmitter being responsive to the time domain output of said synthesizer.

Claim 19

In a spectrometer of claim 14, wherein said selection means comprises a teletype terminal.

Claim 20

In a spectrometer of claim 14 wherein said selection means comprises a bank of switches.

Claim 21

In a spectrometer of claim 14, wherein said selection means comprises means for converting a physical representation of said desired irradiation spectrum into the form for transformation by said synthesizer.

Claim 22

In a radio frequency spectrometer: means for generating a band of radio frequency energy to be applied to a sample of matter to be analyzed, such band of energy having sufficient bandwidth to cover the spectral lines of the sample to be analyzed for exciting radio frequency resonance simultaneously of different resonance spectral lines within the sample; means for detecting the excited resonance of the sample to obtain a composite resonant signal therefrom for analysis of the sample; means for storing a multiplicity of successive time displaced components of the composite resonance signal in a multiplicity of respective channels; means for reading out the signal components stored in such channels; said means for generating said band of radio frequency energy to be applied to the sample including, means for supplying radio frequency carrier energy, means for modulating said radio frequency carrier energy to produce radio frequency sideband energy for exciting resonance of the sample, digital computer means, means for storing in said digital computer a table of values representative of the coefficients of the frequencies of the desired radio frequency energy to be applied to the sample, program means for sequencing said digital computer means to generate a modulation output responsive to said table of values which is a function of time such that when said modulation output is employed to modulate said radio frequency carrier signal the resultant sidebands of said modulated carrier will have Fourier frequency components forming said band of radio frequency energy to be applied to the sample for exciting resonance thereof and said sideband being of nonuniform spectral power density in or near the frequency region of the resonance line spectrum to be excited, and means for applying said modulation output to said modulation means for modulating said radio frequency carrier energy to produce the sideband radio frequency energy for exciting resonance of the sample under analysis.

Claim 23

In a radio frequency spectrometer: means for generating a band of radio frequency energy to be applied to a sample of matter to be analyzed, such band of energy having sufficient bandwidth to cover the spectral lines of the sample to be analyzed for exciting radio frequency resonance simultaneously of different resonance spectral lines within the sample; means for detecting the excited resonance of the sample to obtain a composite resonant signal therefrom for analysis of the sample; means for storing a multiplicity of successive time displaced components of the composite resonance signal in a multiplicity of respective channels; means for reading out the signal components stored in such channels; said means for generating said band of radio frequency energy to be applied to the sample including, means for supplying radio frequency carrier energy, means for modulating said radio frequency carrier energy to produce radio frequency sideband energy for exciting resonance of the sample, digital computer means, means for storing in said digital computer a table of values representative of the coefficients of the frequencies of the desired radio frequency energy to be applied to the sample, program means for sequencing said digital computer means to generate a modulation output responsive to said table of values which is a function of time such that when said modulation output is employed to modulate said radio frequency carrier signal the resultant sidebands of said modulated carrier will have Fourier frequency components forming said band of radio frequency energy to be applied to the sample for exciting resonance thereof and said sideband being of nonuniform spectral power density in or near the frequency region of the resonance line spectrum to be excited, and means for applying said modulation output to said modulation means for modulating said radio frequency carrier energy to produce the sideband radio frequency energy for exciting resonance of the sample under analysis.

Claim 24

The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said programming means includes a Fourier transform program for transforming a desired frequency spectrum of sideband energy for exciting resonance of the sample into a corresponding time variable function in the time domain serving as said modulation output.

Claim 25

The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said readout means includes a second Fourier transform program means for programming said digital computer means to read out the signals stored in said respective channels in the time domain into corresponding frequency transformed outputs in the frequency domain, and means for displaying said frequency domain outputs to obtain a display of the radio frequency resonance spectrum of the sample under analysis.

Claim 26

The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said modulation means comprises a pulse width modulator for modulating said radio frequency carrier energy with pulses of a width variable in accordance with said modulation output derived from said digital computer means.

Claim 27

The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said modulator means comprises a pulse height modulator for modulating said radio frequency carrier energy with pulses of a height variable in accordance with said modulation output derived from said digital computer means.

Claim 28

The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said program means for sequencing said digital computer means to generate said modulation output includes, means for introducing into the desired radio frequency spectrum of sideband resonance exciting energy a pseudorandom phase shift component such that the corresponding Fourier transformed time variable function in the time domain, serving as said modulation output, scrambles the phases of the sideband energy of the modulated radio frequency carrier energy.

Claim 29

The apparatus of claim 23 including means for subtracting the respective pseudorandom phase shift components from the signal components as read out of said storage channels.

Claim 30

The apparatus of claim 23 wherein said readout means includes a second Fourier transform program means for sequencing said digital computer means to read out the signals stored in said respective channels in the time domain into corresponding Fourier transformed outputs in the frequency domain, means for subtracting the pseudorandom phase shift components from the Fourier transform outputs in the frequency domain to unscramble the phases thereof, and means for displaying said unscrambled frequency domain outputs to obtain a display of the radio frequency resonance spectrum of the sample under analysis.

Claim 31

The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said program means programs said computer means to generate said modulation output as a complex function of time having both real and imaginary parts, whereby the sideband resonance exciting spectrum is controllable on both sides of the carrier frequency separately.