US4469441A — Scanning monochromator system with direct coupled…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 180 words

A scanning monochromator system comprising a housing, structure in said housing defining an entrance aperture, structure in said housing defining an exit aperture, a radiation dispersing component in said housing arranged to disperse radiation passing through said entrance aperture into a spectrum for transmission towards said exit aperture, an electromagnetic drive transducer, said dispersing component being directly coupled to said electromagnetic drive transducer, and support structure for mounting the assembly of a rotary component of said drive transducer and said dispersing component for rotation as a unit about a stationary axis that is perpendicular to the optical axis of the system so that a selected portion of the radiation dispersed by said dispersing component is passed through said exit aperture, said support structure including first adjustment means for rotating said assembly about its axis of rotation, and a second adjustment means for tilting said assembly about a fixed pivot offset from the assembly axis, said drive transducer being adapted to move said selected portion of dispersed radiation at said exit aperture over a wavelength range of at least 3000 angstroms.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 180 words

A scanning monochromator system comprising a housing, structure in said housing defining an entrance aperture, structure in said housing defining an exit aperture, a radiation dispersing component in said housing arranged to disperse radiation passing through said entrance aperture into a spectrum for transmission towards said exit aperture, an electromagnetic drive transducer, said dispersing component being directly coupled to said electromagnetic drive transducer, and support structure for mounting the assembly of a rotary component of said drive transducer and said dispersing component for rotation as a unit about a stationary axis that is perpendicular to the optical axis of the system so that a selected portion of the radiation dispersed by said dispersing component is passed through said exit aperture, said support structure including first adjustment means for rotating said assembly about its axis of rotation, and a second adjustment means for tilting said assembly about a fixed pivot offset from the assembly axis, said drive transducer being adapted to move said selected portion of dispersed radiation at said exit aperture over a wavelength range of at least 3000 angstroms.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 48 words

The system of claim 1 wherein said housing provides environmental isolation and electromagnetic shielding, and further including heater pads on the walls of said housing, and a temperature controller responsive to a temperature sensor within said housing for maintaining the temperature in said housing at a predetermined value.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 138 words

A scanning monochromator system of the atomic emission type comprising structure defining an entrance aperture, structure defining an exit aperture, a collimating component disposed to receive divergent rays of radiant energy passed through said entrance aperture and to render those divergent rays substantially parallel, a radiation dispersing component arranged to receive the substantially parallel rays from said collimating component and to disperse those rays into a spectrum, a focusing component arranged to receive said dispersed radiation and to focus that dispersed radiation adjacent said exit aperture, and an electromagnetic drive transducer, said dispersing component being directly coupled to said electromagnetic drive transducer with the assembly of a rotary component of said drive transducer and said dispersing component being mounted for rotation as a unit about a stationary axis that is perpendicular to the optical axis of the system.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 138 words

A scanning monochromator system of the atomic emission type comprising structure defining an entrance aperture, structure defining an exit aperture, a collimating component disposed to receive divergent rays of radiant energy passed through said entrance aperture and to render those divergent rays substantially parallel, a radiation dispersing component arranged to receive the substantially parallel rays from said collimating component and to disperse those rays into a spectrum, a focusing component arranged to receive said dispersed radiation and to focus that dispersed radiation adjacent said exit aperture, and an electromagnetic drive transducer, said dispersing component being directly coupled to said electromagnetic drive transducer with the assembly of a rotary component of said drive transducer and said dispersing component being mounted for rotation as a unit about a stationary axis that is perpendicular to the optical axis of the system.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 89 words

The system of either claim 1 or 3 and further including a controller for generating a digital input signal of at least sixteen binary digits that specifies a desired dispersing component angular position, a position transducer coupled to said drive transducer for producing an output signal indicative of the actual angular position of said dispersing component, and servo-amplifier circuitry that has a first summing point responsive to the angular position input signal and the position transducer output signal for accurately positioning said dispersing component at the desired angular position.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 24 words

The system of either claim 1 or 3 wherein said dispersing component is a diffraction grating that has at least 50 grooves per millimeter.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 26 words

The system of either claim 1 or 3 wherein the mass of said grating is greater than that of the rotary component of said drive transducer.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 28 words

The system of either claim 1 or 3 wherein said drive transducer moves said grating over the entire width of said wavelength range in less than one second.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 40 words

The system of claim 7 wherein said drive transducer is a limited rotation motor having a torsion bar which resiliently supports both the rotor of said motor and said grating, and said position transducer is a capacitance rotor position transducer.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 61 words

The system of claim 4 wherein said servo-amplifier includes a differential amplifier responsive to said position transducer, a second summing point which an error rate signal is summed with the error signal, and an integrator stage; said system positioning said dispersing component at any particular wavelength of interest with an accuracy of better than 0.1 angstrom in less than one second.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 78 words

The system of claim 4 wherein said exit aperture defining structure defines a plurality of spaced exit slits that are located at different system off-axis angles, and further including a plurality of sensors that have different sensitivities to different portions of the spectral wavelength range of the analysis system, each said sensor being located behind a corresponding exit slit, said controller selecting a particular sensor and the corresponding off-axis angle as a function of the wavelength of interest.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 50 words

The system of claim 3 and further including support structure for said dispersing component drive transducer assembly, said support structure including first adjustment means for rotating said assembly about its axis of rotation, and second adjustment means for tilting said assembly about a fixed pivot offset from the assembly axis.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 78 words

The system of claim 11 wherein said support structure includes a support plate that is biased against a spherical bearing surface that defines said fixed pivot, said second adjustment means is adapted to tilt said support plate relative to said spherical bearing surface, and said first adjustment includes a support disc that is fixed to said dispersing component-drive transducer assembly and is mounted for rotation, and biasing means for urging said assembly against an adjustable angular reference member.

Claim 15

Independent Claim 68 words

The system of any one of claims 1, 3 or 12 wherein said system further includes an induction coupled plasma type of sample excitation source into which a spectroscopic sample to be analyzed is introduced for raising the sample to spectroemissive levels, a calibrating radiation source having a plurality of discrete known spectral lines, and means for selectively directing radiation from said calibrating source to said entrance aperture.

Claim 16

Independent Claim 31 words

The system of any one of claims 3, 2 or 11 wherein said monochromator has a wavelength range of at least 3000 angstroms and a speed of at least f 20.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 138 words

The system of claim 3 and further including a controller for generating a digital input signal of at least sixteen binary digits that specifies a desired dispersing component angular position, a position transducer coupled to said drive transducer for producing an output signal indicative of the actual angular position of said dispersing component, and servo-amplifier circuitry that has a first summing point responsive to the angular position input signal and the position transducer output signal for accurately positioning said dispersing component at the desired angular position, a differential amplifier responsive to said position transducer, a second summing point which an error rate signal is summed with the error signal, and an integrator stage; said system positioning said dispersing component at any particular wavelength of interest with an accuracy of better than 0.1 angstrom in less than one second.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 25 words

The system of claim 15 wherein said drive transducer moves said grating over the entire width of said wavelength range in less than one second.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 21 words

The system of claim 16 wherein said dispersing component is a diffraction grating that has at least 1000 grooves per millimeter.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 62 words

The system of claim 17 wherein said system further includes an induction coupled plasma type of sample excitation source into which a spectroscopic sample to be analyzed is introduced for raising the sample to spectroemissive levels, a calibrating radiation source having a plurality of discrete known spectral lines, and means for selectively directing radiation from said calibrating source to said entrance aperture.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 78 words

The system of claim 17 wherein said exit aperture defining structure defines a plurality of spaced exit slits that are located at different system off-axis angles, and further including a plurality of sensors that have different sensitivities to different portions of the spectral wavelength range of the analysis system, each said sensor being located behind a corresponding exit slit, said controller selecting a particular sensor and the corresponding off-axis angle as a function of the wavelength of interest.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 49 words

The system of claim 19 and further including support structure for said dispersing component-drive transducer assembly, said support structure including first adjustment means for rotating said assembly about its axis of rotation, and second adjustment means for tilting said assembly about a fixed pivot offset from the assembly axis.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 78 words

The system of claim 20 wherein said support structure includes a support plate that is biased against a spherical bearing surface that defines said fixed pivot, said second adjustment means is adapted to tilt said support plate relative to said spherical bearing surface, and said first adjustment includes a support disc that is fixed to said dispersing component-drive transducer assembly and is mounted for rotation, and biasing means for urging said assembly against an adjustable angular reference member.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1987-09-04	1988-03-05	1988-09-04	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1991-09-04	1992-03-05	1992-09-04	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1995-09-04	1996-03-05	1996-09-04	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Scanning monochromator system with direct coupled dispersing element-electromagnetic drive transducer assembly

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