Device for spectral analysis

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for the spectroscopic analysis of, for example, liquid samples. In particular, light is to be guided through the sample and then detected and / or analyzed photometrically, spectrophotometrically, fluorometrically, spectrofluorometrically and / or by means of phosphorescence or luminescence.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a device for spectroscopic analysis of, for example, liquid samples. In particular, light is to be guided through the sample and then detected and / or analyzed photometrically, spectrophotometrically, fluorimetrically, spectrofluorimetrically and / or by means of phosphorescence or luminescence. Background Art

[0002] As a general device, a device according to WO2015 / 082611A1 is known, which is provided for spectral analysis of a small amount of liquid sample. The device of WO2015 / 082611A1 comprises: a receiving point for applying a small amount of liquid sample; a light guide for guiding light from a light source to the sample and guiding signal light from the sample to a detector. In addition, the device is characterized in that an illumination source is provided below the receiving point, and an area provided below the receiving point allows light from the illumination source to pass through, so that the illumination light illuminates the receiving point. Summary of the invention

[0003] The object of the invention is to provide a device for spectral analysis which is designed in a compact manner while providing high performance.

[0004] To this end, the present invention provides a device.

[0005] The device is suitable for spectral analysis and includes: a base on which a sample carrier for holding a sample can be installed or installed; a first measuring head, which is configured to guide light generated by a light source to the sample received by the sample carrier and receive signal light from the sample held by the sample carrier and guide it to a detector; a second measuring head, which is configured to guide light generated by the light source to the sample received by the sample carrier and receive signal light from the sample held by the sample carrier and guide it to the detector, wherein the first measuring head and the second measuring head are movable relative to the base.

[0006] The device according to the invention has the advantage, in particular, that a compact arrangement of the device is achieved by means of the first and second measuring heads. In particular, the travel distance can be reduced. In addition to the compact design, a high measuring accuracy can also be ensured.

[0007] According to one embodiment, the device also has a light source for providing light to the first and / or second measuring head. In this connection, according to another embodiment, it is preferred that the light source has a xenon lamp, in particular a xenon flash lamp. This ensures a very high-quality analysis.

[0008] Preferably, the device also has a detector for analyzing the signal light of the first and / or second measuring head. In this case, it can be provided that the detector is a spectrometer, in particular a fluorescence spectrometer or a luminescence spectrometer. These measures also ensure extremely high-quality analysis possibilities.

[0009] Furthermore, the first and the second measuring head can be mounted on a slide, thereby providing a compact and also structurally more stable and simpler design.

[0010] In one embodiment, it is provided that the light source and / or the detector is also mounted on a slide. In this way, the accuracy and stability of the optical alignment of the components can be improved and the structural space can be further reduced.

[0011] Preferably, the device has a linear motor for driving the slide. This allows the most precise and low-vibration feed of the slide movement.

[0012] In one embodiment, a suspended design is provided. Here, the slide can have one or more guides for guiding the slide in a suspended manner. Thus, a device with minimal dimensions can be provided for practical analytical applications.

[0013] The first measuring head and the second measuring head are spaced apart from each other in such a way that only one of the measuring heads can perform spectral analysis on the sample received by the sample carrier, thereby effectively avoiding errors in detection.

[0014] In another variant, it is provided that the first measuring head and the second measuring head are movable along a translation axis. It is further preferably provided that the first measuring head and the second measuring head are movable along one translation axis, particularly preferably along two translation axes. Thus, a plurality of samples arranged, for example, in a grid along the axis can be analyzed. It is also possible to ensure a precise adjustment movement in an inexpensive manner.

[0015] The first measuring head and the second measuring head can be fixed on a common measuring head holder, thereby providing a stable and compact device design.

[0016] Preferably, during operation of the device, the light outlets of the first measuring head and the second measuring head point vertically upwards. This allows a particularly ergonomic device to be formed.

[0017] In one embodiment, it is provided that the device comprises a reflector which is arranged opposite the sample carrier or can be positioned opposite the sample carrier. The excitation light which has passed through the sample is reflected back by the reflector integrated in the device and allows a higher signal gain due to the re-passing through the sample. The signal light part generated in the sample and facing away from the detector is also reflected back and can increase the detection sensitivity (for example by a better signal-to-noise ratio). In particular, space-saving embodiments can also be achieved by means of the reflector.

[0018] The first measuring head and / or the second measuring head can be moved relative to the sample carrier to change the distance between the first measuring head and / or the second measuring head and the sample carrier, thereby achieving a particularly mechanically operated focusing.

[0019] In another embodiment, the sample carrier has a sample position (sample well), outside of which the sample carrier is provided with a hydrophobic coating or printed structure. The coating or structure prevents the sample from running off or flowing out, so that a recess for holding the sample in the sample well (which is curved and therefore a difficult optical interface) does not need to be provided. With the aid of the hydrophobic coating or printed structure, any cleaning of the device is also significantly simplified, so that non-productive times can be reduced.

[0020] According to another variant, the device comprises a third measuring head and a fourth measuring head. In a preferred variant, it can be provided that the sample carrier has sample positions arranged in a matrix, for example a matrix arrangement with 3×5, 4×5 or 4×6 sample positions. By means of the variant and the improvement, the performance of the device can be significantly increased again. In particular, a large number of samples can be analyzed in one measurement run.

[0021] The first measuring head and the second measuring head may form a first measuring head pair, and the third measuring head and the fourth measuring head may form a second measuring head pair. The paired design may reduce system complexity and ensure a space-saving configuration.

[0022] The measuring head pairs are preferably movable independently of one another, so that a high degree of flexibility can be ensured.

[0023] Preferably, a further light source and a further detector are provided for the second measuring head pair, thereby providing a further evaluation option.

[0024] In one embodiment, it can be provided that the third measuring head and the fourth measuring head can be moved along one translation axis. It is further preferred that the third measuring head and the fourth measuring head can be moved along two translation axes. Thus, a precise adjustment movement can be ensured while being inexpensively implemented.

[0025] The invention also relates to the use of a device according to the preceding aspects for analyzing one or more samples.

[0026] The invention also relates to a method, in particular a method for spectroscopic analysis using a device, wherein the device has a first measuring head and a second measuring head. The method comprises the following steps: analyzing a first sample with the first measuring head, moving the first measuring head and the second measuring head, and analyzing a second sample with the second measuring head. In particular, the steps are performed in the order mentioned.

[0027] It can also be provided that, after the movement of the first measuring head and the second measuring head, an analysis of a further sample is carried out with the aid of the first measuring head. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 A first specific embodiment of the device according to the invention is shown.

[0029] Figure 2 Show according to Figure 1 A partial stereoscopic view of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a first embodiment of the present invention is shown for explaining the mode of operation of the device.

[0031] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing a second embodiment is shown.

[0032] Figure 5 A schematic plan view of a third embodiment is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The preferred embodiments for illustrating the present invention will be described below. Even though the embodiments should not be understood as restrictive, but are merely exemplary, the features of the embodiments may be considered separately to specifically illustrate the present invention. Modifications of certain features of the preferred embodiments may be combined with variations of other features to form other embodiments.

[0034] Figure 1 An embodiment of a device 1 provided for spectral analysis is shown. The device 1 is shown here without a housing in order to be able to explain the components of the device 1 accordingly. However, in order to protect the components of the device 1, they are accommodated in such a housing in practical implementation.

[0035] The device 1 comprises a base 10, which represents the top side of such a housing of the device or is accommodated in such a housing adjacent to the top side. A sample carrier 16 is arranged on the outward (upward) side of the base 10 or the top side of the housing, wherein the sample carrier 16 receives one or more samples. A power source 17, such as a battery, is arranged on the base 10.

[0036] The device 1 further comprises a track 11 along which a slide 12 can move, wherein the slide 12 has a guide 13 engaging with the track 11 (see Figure 2 The slide 12 is mounted in the device 1 in a suspended manner and is arranged below the rail 11 when the device 1 is in use.

[0037] The light source 20, which in the present embodiment is a xenon flash lamp, is mounted on the carriage 12. According to a modification of this embodiment, the light source 20 can also be designed as an LED lamp (in particular for the VIS and IR ranges, but more recently also for the UV) or a deuterium lamp (in particular for the UV range). On the side of the carriage 12 opposite the light source 20, a detector 30 is arranged, which in the present embodiment is designed as a spectrometer.

[0038] The light source 20 is used to generate light, which is emitted to the sample as described below, transmitted through the sample, and then analyzed by the detector after receiving signal light, ie, light from the sample.

[0039] For this purpose, the first optical waveguide 41 and the second optical waveguide 51 are coupled to the light source 20 via the SMA connector 21. The first optical waveguide 41 is connected to the first measuring head 43, while the second optical waveguide 51 is connected to the second measuring head 53. The measuring heads 43, 53 are mounted on a common measuring head support 14.

[0040] The first measuring head 43 and the second measuring head 53 can move together along the sample stage. In addition, the measuring head can be adjusted relative to the sample stage (Z direction) to adapt the focus of the measuring head.

[0041] The light guides 41 , 51 are glass fiber lines which are provided to guide the light emitted by the light source 20 to the respective measuring heads 43 , 53 .

[0042] The first measuring head 43 is in contact with the signal line 42. The second measuring head 53 is correspondingly connected to the second signal line 52. The first signal line 42 and the second signal line 52 are connected to a detector (spectrometer) by means of an optical fiber connector 31.

[0043] The sample carrier 16 is made of quartz glass, for example, and comprises a plurality of sample positions 16a for receiving a sample, in particular a liquid sample. Each of the sample positions 16a is designed as a window that allows the excitation radiation and signal radiation used to pass through. Figure 1 In the illustration, the sample carrier 16 is arranged on a side of the base (not shown) opposite to the track 11.

[0044] The sample positions 16a are provided as sections on the sample carrier 16. In the case of an uncoated sample carrier, they can be formed by holes or recesses in the sample carrier. Alternatively, the sample positions can be defined in that, outside the sample positions, the sample carrier 16 is provided with a hydrophobic coating, for example silane or Teflon or a ceramic surface. Color printing can also define the sample positions 16a. This ensures that the sample remains in the region of the respective sample position.

[0045] On the side of the sample carrier 16 facing away from the first and second measuring heads 43 , 53 , a reflector 15 is fixed to a base, the reflector having a reflector portion 15 a which is always opposite the sample position 16 a .

[0046] exist Figure 3The schematic diagram of FIG. 4 clearly shows the working mode of the device 1. The excitation light sent through the light guide 41, 51 is guided from the measuring head 43, 53 through the sample position 16a and the sample located therein, reflected by the corresponding reflector portion 15a, and then transmitted through the sample again. Each time the excitation light passes through, the sample is excited and causes the generation of signal light. Then, the signal light is fed back into the signal optical fiber 42, 52 by the measuring head 43, 53 and is transmitted to the detector 30.

[0047] It can be seen that the first measuring head 43 and the second measuring head 53 are spaced apart from each other, so that only one of the measuring heads can be arranged opposite the opening 16 a of the sample carrier 16 at any one time.

[0048] As mentioned in the introduction, the carriage 12 accommodating the light source 20 , the detector 30 , the light guides 41 , 51 , the signal lines 42 , 52 and the measuring heads 43 , 53 can be moved along the track 11 in a translational motion.

[0049] The optical waveguides 41, 51 and the signal lines 42, 52 are designed in such a way that they can be deformed according to a certain bending radius. The spacing between the measuring heads 43, 53 determines the position of the first measuring head 43 in the measuring head 43. Figure 3 In the example of FIG. 1 , the sample position 16 a on the left side of the sample carrier 16 can be analyzed, and the second measuring head 53 is configured to measure the sample position 16 a on the left side of the sample carrier 16. Figure 3 This ensures that only one of the measuring heads 43, 53 performs the analysis.

[0050] With the help of Figure 1 A second embodiment of the device 1 according to the present invention is illustrated by means of a schematic diagram of Figure 1 to Figure 2 The device 1 ′ is designed as shown.

[0051] Like the first embodiment, the device 1' has a light source 20' and a detector 30'. The light source 20' is connected to a first measuring head 43' via a first light guide 41' and to a second measuring head 53' via a second light guide 51'. From the first measuring head 43', a signal line 42' is connected to the detector 30'. A second signal line 52' is also provided to couple the second measuring head 53' to the detector 30'.

[0052] Similar to the first embodiment, a stage 16 ′ having an opening 16 a ′ is provided, wherein a reflector 15 ′ having a reflector portion 15 a ′ can be arranged opposite to the stage 16 ′.

[0053] The main difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment is that the light source 20 ′ and the detector 30 ′ are not mounted on a slide, but are fixedly arranged in a housing of the device 1 ′.

[0054] With regard to further features or a detailed description of the features mentioned with respect to the second embodiment, reference is made to the preceding description.

[0055] Next, in combination with the third embodiment Figure 5 Another variation is depicted in a top view.

[0056] The apparatus of the third embodiment includes a plurality of sample positions 16a'' arranged in a matrix form. Specifically, 4x5 sample positions 16a'' are prepared, wherein, according to other modifications of the third embodiment, a different number of sample positions 16a'' may also be provided, such as 4x4, 4x6, etc.

[0057] The device of the third embodiment comprises four measuring heads 43", 53", 63", 73". The measuring heads 43", 53", 63", 73" are coupled to one another and spaced relative to one another so that only one of the measuring heads detects a sample arranged at the sample position 16a", and accordingly only this measuring head emits a corresponding measurement signal.

[0058] The first measuring head pair of measuring heads 43", 53" and the second measuring head pair of measuring heads 63", 73" are carried by a common slide and can therefore be moved in a plane, in particular in the X and Y directions (see also Figure 5 ). Furthermore, the measuring head pair can be adjusted relative to the sample carrier to change the focus of the measuring heads.

[0059] With regard to further features or a detailed description of features mentioned with respect to the third embodiment, reference is made to the preceding embodiments.

[0060] According to a modification of the third embodiment, the first pair of measuring heads and the second pair of measuring heads may be mounted on separate carriages so that the pairs of measuring heads can be moved independently of each other. This improves the flexibility of the device.

Claims

1. A device (1, 1', 1") for spectral analysis, the device (1, 1', 1") comprising: A base (10) is mounted or can be mounted on a sample carrier (16, 16', 16") for holding a sample, the sample carrier (16, 16', 16") having a plurality of sample positions (16a, 16a', 16a"), a first measuring head (43, 43') configured to direct light generated by a light source (20, 20') to a sample received by the sample stage (16, 16', 16") and to receive signal light from the sample held by the sample stage (16, 16', 16") and direct the signal light to a detector (30, 30'), a second measuring head (53, 53') configured to direct light generated by a light source (20, 20') to a sample received by the sample stage (16, 16', 16") and to receive signal light from the sample held by the sample stage (16, 16', 16") and direct the signal light to a detector (30), The first measuring head (43, 43') and the second measuring head (53, 53') are fixed on a common measuring head bracket (14) and can move relative to the base (10), wherein the first measuring head (43, 43') and the second measuring head (53, 53') are spaced apart from each other so that only one of the measuring heads can always be arranged relative to the sample position of the sample carrier.

2. The device (1, 1', 1") according to claim 1, further comprising the light source (20) for providing the first measuring head and / or the second measuring head with the light.

3. The device (1, 1', 1") according to claim 1, further comprising the detector (30, 30') for analyzing the signal light of the first measuring head and / or the second measuring head.

4. The device (1, 1', 1") according to claim 1, characterized in that The first measuring head (43, 43') and the second measuring head (53, 53') are mounted on a slide (12).

5. The device (1, 1', 1") according to claim 4, characterized in that The light source (20, 20') and / or the detector (30, 30') are mounted on the slide (12).

6. The device (1, 1', 1") according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that The device comprises a linear motor for driving the slide (12).

7. The device (1, 1', 1") according to claim 4, characterized in that The slide (12) has one or more guide elements (13) for guiding the slide (12) in a suspended manner.

8. The device (1, 1', 1") according to claim 1, characterized in that The first measuring head (43, 43') and the second measuring head (53, 53') are movable along a translation axis.

9. The device (1, 1', 1") according to claim 1, characterized in that When the device (1, 1', 1") is in operation, the light outlets of the first measuring head (43, 43') and the second measuring head (53, 53') point vertically upward.

10. The device (1, 1', 1") according to claim 1, further comprising a reflector (15, 15'), which is arranged opposite to the sample carrier (16, 16', 16") or can be positioned opposite to the sample carrier (16, 16', 16").

11. The device (1, 1', 1") according to claim 1, characterized in that The first measuring head (43, 43') and / or the second measuring head (53, 53') can be moved relative to the sample carrier (16, 16") to change the distance between the first measuring head (43, 43') and / or the second measuring head (53, 53') and the sample carrier (16, 16', 16").

12. The device (1, 1', 1") according to claim 1, characterized in that Outside the sample position (16a, 16a', 16a"), the sample carrier (16, 16', 16") is provided with a hydrophobic coating or a printed structure.

13. The device (1, 1', 1") according to claim 1, further comprising a third measuring head (63") and a fourth measuring head (73").

14. The device (1, 1', 1") according to claim 13, characterized in that The first measuring head (43") and the second measuring head (53") form a first measuring head pair, and the third measuring head (63") and the fourth measuring head (73") form a second measuring head pair.

15. The device (1, 1', 1") according to claim 14, characterized in that A further light source and a further detector are provided for the second measuring head pair.

16. The device (1, 1', 1") according to claim 14, characterized in that The third measuring head (63") and the fourth measuring head (73") are movable along a translation axis.

17. The device (1, 1', 1") according to claim 2, characterized in that The light source (20, 20') comprises a xenon lamp.

18. The device (1, 1', 1") according to claim 2, characterized in that The light source (20, 20') comprises a xenon flash lamp.

19. The device (1, 1', 1") according to claim 3, characterized in that The detector (30, 30') is a spectrometer.

20. The device (1, 1', 1") according to claim 3, characterized in that The detector (30, 30') is a fluorescence spectrometer or a luminescence spectrometer.

21. The device (1, 1', 1") according to claim 8, characterized in that The first measuring head (43, 43') and the second measuring head (53, 53') are movable along two translation axes.

22. The device (1, 1', 1") according to claim 13, characterized in that The sample carrier (16") has a plurality of sample positions (16a") arranged in a matrix.

23. The device (1, 1', 1") according to claim 13, characterized in that The sample carrier (16") has a matrix arrangement including 3x5, 4x5 or 4x6 sample positions (16a").

24. The device (1, 1', 1") according to claim 14, characterized in that The measuring head pairs can be moved independently of one another.

25. The device (1, 1', 1") according to claim 16, characterized in that The third measuring head (63") and the fourth measuring head (73") are movable along two translation axes.

26. Use of the device (1, 1', 1") according to claim 1 for spectroscopic analysis of one or more samples.

27. A method for spectral analysis by means of a device (1, 1', 1") according to claim 1, the device (1, 1', 1") having a first measuring head (43, 43', 43") and a second measuring head (53, 53', 53"), the method comprising the following steps: analyzing a first sample with a first measuring head (43, 43, 43'), Move the first measuring head (43, 43', 43") and the second measuring head (53, 53', 53"), The second sample is analyzed using the second measuring head (53), wherein: The first measuring head and the second measuring head are fixed on a common measuring head support (14) and are spaced apart from each other so that only one of the measuring heads can perform spectral analysis on a sample received by the sample carrier.

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