Spectrometer device and system for detecting incident radiation emanating from an object

Abstract

The present invention relates to a spectrometer device (100) and a spectrometer system (500) for detecting incident radiation emanating from an object (200). A spectrometer device (100) and spectrometer system (500) for detecting incident radiation generated by an object (200) comprises a measurement window (120), a detector array (130), an optical filter (140), and at least one optical element (300) configured to modify the field of view (134) of at least one pixelated sensor (132) by increasing at least one overlap between the fields of view (134) of at least two pixelated sensors (132). The present invention offers the advantage that the spectrometer device (100) and spectrometer system (500) are robust to the granularity of the object (200), particularly by providing sensor signals that can be correlated in a common measurement result since the field of view (134) of a single pixelated sensor (132) has increased overlap.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to spectrometer devices and systems for detecting incident radiation emanating from an object. Such spectrometer devices and systems may generally be employed for research or surveillance purposes. [Background technology]

[0002] Optical metrology systems generally enable reliable, fast, non-invasive measurements in multiple variations and implementations in a wide range of applications including, but not limited to, imaging, microscopy, distance measurement, spectroscopy, and astronomy.

[0003] In particular, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy can measure highly granular objects. Such granular objects are known from agricultural applications, including, but not limited to, grain and / or soil. Furthermore, such granular objects may be known from material sorting applications, including, but not limited to, plastic sorting and textile sorting. However, further types of applications are possible.

[0004] Spectrometer devices using multiple sensors, each with its own field of view, can be sensitive to the granularity of an object, especially when the width of each field of view and the distance between two adjacent fields of view are within the order of magnitude of the object's typical structure size and / or correlation length. In particular, when the individual fields of view of multiple sensors are directed at different portions of an object, the sensor signals generated by the individual sensors may be affected by the object's granularity. Therefore, it may be necessary to combine the individual sensor signals. As an example, each sensor may measure a portion of a spectrum, such that only the combination of the individual sensor signals provides a complete spectrum. In such measurements, the granularity dependence of the individual sensor signals can affect the combination of the individual sensor signals, potentially even resulting in measurement errors.

[0005] Patent document 1 (US 2015 / 0288894 A1) discloses a spectral camera for generating a spectral output. The spectral camera includes an objective lens for generating an image, an array of mirrors, an array of filters for passing different passbands of the optical spectrum for different optical channels arranged to project the optical channels onto different portions of the same focal plane, and a sensor array at the focal plane for simultaneously detecting the filtered image copies. The use of mirrors reduces optical degradation and provides a good trade-off between cost and optical quality. Projecting the optical channels onto different portions of the same focal plane allows the different optical channels to be detected simultaneously using a single sensor or multiple coplanar sensors, making alignment and manufacturing easier.

[0006] Patent document 2 (US 2002 / 0039186 A1) relates to a spectral analysis system and method for determining physical and chemical properties of a sample by measuring the optical properties of light emitted from the sample. In one embodiment, a probe head for use with a spectrometer includes a reflector for illuminating a sample volume arranged circumferentially relative to a light source of the probe head. In another embodiment, the probe head includes a light blocking element for forcing the sample to block the light path between the light source and an optical pickup optically connected to the spectrometer. The probe head also includes a reference shutter for selectively blocking light emitted from the sample from reaching the optical pickup to facilitate calibration of the spectrometer.

[0007] Patent document 3 (US 2017292908A1) discloses a spectrometer system that can be used to determine one or more spectra of an object, where the one or more spectra can be associated with one or more attributes of the object relevant to a user. The spectrometer system can take various forms, but in many cases the system consists of a spectrometer and a processing device that communicates with the spectrometer and with a remote server, and the spectrometer is physically integrated with the device. The device may have a function different from that of a spectrometer, such as a consumer electronic appliance or device.

[0008] Patent Document 4 (US Pat. No. 5,729,011 A) discloses a spectroscopic device capable of simultaneously generating spectroscopic images corresponding to multiple wavelengths, and a spectroscopic image recording device capable of recording the generated spectroscopic images, characterized in that an image generation unit generates multiple identical images from a single input image by dividing the pupil of an optical system, a first spectroscopic unit generates multiple first spectroscopic images corresponding to the multiple identical images by extracting predetermined wavelength components corresponding to each of the multiple identical images, and a second spectroscopic unit generates multiple second spectroscopic images corresponding to each of the first spectroscopic images by extracting predetermined wavelength components corresponding to each of the first spectroscopic images corresponding to the multiple identical images.

[0009] Patent Document 5 (CN 114 360 364 A) discloses a multispectral imaging module and a portable display device, which relates to the technical field of imaging spectral detection devices. The multispectral imaging module includes a primary mirror for correcting aberrations, a microlens array, an array optical filter, and a detector sequentially arranged along an optical path. The number of channels in the microlens array corresponds to the number of channels in the array optical filter, forming multiple imaging channels. A light beam emitted from the primary mirror passes sequentially through the microlens array and the array optical filter, and light of different wavelength bands in the light beam is imaged at corresponding positions on the detector through corresponding imaging channels, thereby achieving multispectral imaging. By adopting the microlens array mode, a data cube of an object can be obtained in a single collection. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0010] [Patent Document 1] US 2015 / 0288894 A1 [Patent Document 2] US 2002 / 0039186 A1 [Patent Document 3] US 2017292908A1 [Patent Document 4] US 5 729 011 A [Patent Document 5] CN 114 360 364 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0011] It would therefore be desirable to provide a spectrometer device and a spectrometer system that at least partially overcomes these current problems. In particular, it would be further desirable to provide a spectrometer device and a spectrometer system that is robust to object granularity by providing sensor signals that can be combined into a common measurement, in particular a spectrum. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] overview This problem is solved by a spectrometer device and a spectrometer system with the features of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments, which can be implemented alone or in any combination, are set out in the dependent claims and in the specification as a whole. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] In a first aspect of the present invention, a spectrometer device for detecting incident radiation emanating from an object is described, the spectrometer device comprising: - a measurement window configured to allow incident radiation generated by the object to enter the spectrometer; - a detector array including at least two pixelated sensors each having a field of view designed to accept at least a portion of the incident radiation, each pixelated sensor configured to generate at least one detector signal related to the accepted incident radiation; - an optical filter disposed within a field of view of the at least two pixelated sensors, the optical filter configured to generate a spectrum of at least two separated wavelength signals from the incident radiation and to transmit the at least two separated wavelength signals onto a respective one of the at least one pixelated sensors; - at least one optical element configured to modify the field of view of at least one pixelated sensor by increasing at least one overlap between the fields of view of at least two pixelated sensors;

[0014] The term "spectrometer device" as used herein is a broad term and is given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art, without being limited to any special or customized meaning. This term may particularly, but not exclusively, refer to a device capable of recording signal intensities for corresponding wavelengths of a spectrum, such as a wavelength interval, or a division thereof, where the signal intensities are preferably provided as a sensor signal, in particular at least one of an electrical signal and an optical signal, which may be used for further evaluation. In a spectrometer device according to the present invention, optical filters may be used to separate incident radiation into a spectrum of separated wavelength signals, the respective intensities of which are determined by using a detector array, as described in more detail below.

[0015] The term "radiation" as used herein is a broad term and is given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art, without being limited to any particular or customized meaning. This term may refer to, but is not limited to, energy-carrying waves and / or particles. Radiation may be electromagnetic radiation. Electromagnetic radiation may be formed by at least one electromagnetic field wave. Electromagnetic radiation may be selected from at least one of radio waves, microwaves, infrared rays, visible light, ultraviolet rays, X-rays, or gamma rays. Specifically, electromagnetic radiation may be light. Light may be electromagnetic radiation perceptible by the human eye. Visible light is typically defined as having a wavelength in the range of 380-760 nm, between infrared and ultraviolet light. Infrared light is typically defined as light having a wavelength of 760 nm or greater and 1 mm or less.

[0016] The term "object" as used herein is a broad term and should be given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art, without being limited to any special or customized meaning. This term may specifically refer to any body, which may be, but is not limited to, a biological and / or non-biological object. Thus, by way of example, at least one object may include one or more components and / or one or more portions of components, and at least one component or at least one portion thereof may include at least one component that can provide a spectrum suitable for interrogation. Additionally or alternatively, the object may be or include one or more living organisms and / or one or more parts thereof, such as a human, e.g., one or more body parts of a person or animal, particularly a portion of the skin of a person or animal. Additionally or alternatively, the object may be a granular material, particularly including at least one of grain; crushed seeds; silage; shredded plastic; or food. Thus, the object may be a mixture of separable components. Alternatively or additionally, the object may have an internal structure, in particular the object may be selected from at least one of wood, concrete and sausage.

[0017] The term "measurement window" refers to a contact surface and / or a resting surface for the investigation object. Before the spectrum measurement process is started, the investigation object may be placed against the measurement window. During the measurement process, in particular until the measurement process is completed, the measurement object may remain in contact with the measurement window. This may determine the measurement conditions, in particular the distance and / or orientation between the spectrometer device and the object. The measurement window may allow incident radiation to travel within the spectrometer device, in particular onto an optical filter. The measurement window may be transparent to the incident radiation.

[0018] As used herein, the term "accepting incident radiation" or any grammatical variations thereof is a broad term and should be given its ordinary and customary meaning to one skilled in the art, and should not be limited to any particular or customized meaning. This term may refer to, but is not limited to, allowing incident radiation to enter the spectrometer device, whereby the incident radiation may be transmitted, particularly transmitted, through the measurement window into the spectrometer device.

[0019] The term "detector array" as used herein is a broad term and should be given its usual and customary meaning to those skilled in the art, without being limited to any special or customized meaning. Specifically, this term may refer to, without any particular limitation, a series of optical sensors, preferably arranged in a single row as a one-dimensional matrix along the length of the variable-length filter, or in multiple rows, particularly two, three, or four parallel rows, in the form of a two-dimensional matrix, in order to receive as much of the intensity of incident light as possible. Thus, the number of pixels N in one direction may be greater than the number M of pixels in the other direction, where M<10 and N≧10, preferably N≧20, more preferably N≧50, so as to obtain a one-dimensional 1×N matrix or a rectangular two-dimensional M×N matrix. Furthermore, the matrix used herein may also be arranged in a staggered configuration. Here, each of the optical sensors as used therein may have the same or, within a tolerance, similar optical sensitivity, particularly to facilitate the manufacture of the series of optical sensors. Alternatively, each of the optical sensors used in the series of optical sensors may exhibit varying optical sensitivity that can vary according to the varying transmittance characteristics of the variable length filter, such as by providing an increasing or decreasing variation in optical sensitivity with wavelength along the series of optical sensors. However, other types of arrangements are possible. The detector array can be located within the housing of the spectrometer device.

[0020] The term "pixelated sensor" as used herein is a broad term and should be given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art, without being limited to any special or customized meaning. This term may specifically, but not exclusively, refer to a detector designed to generate a sensor signal, preferably an electronic signal or at least one optical signal, related to the intensity of incident radiation incident on an individual pixelated sensor. The sensor signal may be an analog signal and / or a digital signal. Accordingly, the electronic signals of adjacent pixelated sensors may be generated simultaneously or sequentially in time. As an example, during a row or line scan, a series of electronic signals corresponding to a series of individual pixel sensors arranged in a row may be generated. Furthermore, the individual pixel sensors may preferably be active pixel sensors adapted to amplify the electronic signals before providing them to an external evaluation unit. To this end, the pixel sensors may include one or more signal processing devices, such as one or more filters and / or analog-to-digital converters, for processing and / or preprocessing the electronic signals.

[0021] The term "field of view" as used herein is a broad term and is given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art, without being limited to any special or customized meaning. Specifically, the term may refer to, but is not limited to, the geometric extent of the observable world that can be seen by a respective sensor. In particular, the field of view of an optical measurement device corresponds to a solid angle within which each sensor is sensitive to radiation generated by at least one object or portion thereof. Radiation that may occur within the field of view of each sensor may be incident on the spectrometer device, may generate at least one detector signal in at least one of the sensors, and may therefore be detected by the sensor.

[0022] The term "optical filter" as used herein is a broad term and is to be given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art, without being limited to any particular or customized meaning. This term may refer to, but is not limited to, a filter that modifies and / or selects incident radiation depending on at least one criterion, particularly the wavelength, polarization state, and / or direction of the incident radiation. The transfer function of the optical filter may depend on at least one particular criterion. In particular, the propagation direction of the incident radiation transmitted by the optical filter may depend on at least one criterion, while other characteristics of the incident radiation may remain as unchanged as possible. The optical filter may generate a spectrum of the incident radiation, particularly by separating the incident radiation into at least two different wavelength signals. The at least two different wavelength signals may be transferred onto different pixelated sensors, which may then detect each wavelength signal incident on the pixelated sensor and / or generate a corresponding sensor signal. The optical filter may be disposed within the housing of the spectrometer device. The term "spectrum" as used herein is a broad term and should be given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art, and is not limited to any particular or customized meaning. The term may refer, without limitation, to an optical spectral range, particularly a division (segment) of incident radiation. Each segment of the spectrum, particularly each wavelength signal of at least two different wavelength signals, may be constituted by an optical signal, which may be defined by a signal wavelength and a corresponding signal intensity.

[0023] The term "optical element" as used herein is a broad term and should be given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art and should not be limited to a special or customized meaning. This term may particularly, but not exclusively, refer to an element that affects incident radiation in a manner that affects the propagation direction of at least a portion of the incident radiation. The optical element may affect said direction in a manner that may increase the optical path length between the measurement window and the detector array. The optical element may thereby affect at least one field of view of at least one sensor. The optical element may be disposed within a housing of the spectrometer device. The term "modify" or any grammatical variant thereof as used herein is a broad term and should be given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art and should not be limited to a special or customized meaning. This term may particularly, but not exclusively, refer to adjusting at least one field of view by acting on the incident radiation, in particular by redirecting at least a portion of the incident radiation. As used herein, the term "increasing at least one overlap between the fields of view" or any grammatical variations thereof is a broad term and should be given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art, without being limited to any special or customized meaning. This term may particularly, but without limitation, refer to expanding the absolute amount and / or proportion of three-dimensional space simultaneously or concomitantly covered by the fields of view of at least two pixelated sensors, particularly within and / or directly behind the measurement window, where the term "behind" refers to the propagation direction of incident radiation relative to the measurement window. At least one optical element may be configured to particularly similarly modify the fields of view of each pixelated sensor of the at least two pixelated sensors to increase at least one overlap between the fields of view.

[0024] Increasing the at least one overlap between the fields of view of the at least two pixelated sensors may result in at least one increased overlap region constituting a measurement spot of each field of view of the at least two pixelated sensors on the measurement window. The term "measurement spot" as used herein is a broad term and should be given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art and should not be limited to any special or customized meaning. The term may particularly, but not exclusively, refer to a surface generated by a field of view located on the measurement window and from which radiation can be detected by a respective pixelated sensor.

[0025] The optical filter may be selected from or may include at least one of the following: - variable length filter; - static filters; - Tunable filters, especially MEMS Fabry-Perot resonators; - Optical lenses - Diffractive elements.

[0026] The optical filter may be selected from the components described below or may include additional components.

[0027] The term "variable length filter" as used herein is a broad term and should be given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art, without being limited to any particular or customized meaning. This term may specifically, but without limitation, refer to an optical filter that includes a plurality of individual filter elements, preferably a plurality of interference filter elements, and may in particular be provided with a serial arrangement of individual filter elements. Here, each filter element may form a bandpass having a variable center wavelength along a single dimension, typically denoted by the term "length," on the light-receiving surface of the variable length filter, preferably serially, for each spatial position on the filter. The variable center wavelength may be a linear function of the spatial position of each filter element, in which case the variable length filter is typically referred to as a "linear variable filter" or its abbreviation "LVF." However, other types of functions may apply to the relationship between the variable center wavelength and the spatial position on the individual filter elements. Here, the individual filter elements may be arranged on a transparent substrate, which may include at least one material that can exhibit high optical transparency, particularly in the infrared (IR) spectral range, and in particular in the near-infrared (NIR) spectral range, as will be described in more detail below, thereby achieving a change in the spectral characteristics of the filter along its length, particularly a continuously varying spectral characteristic. In particular, the variable length filter may be a wedge filter adapted to carry at least one responsive coating on a transparent substrate, which responsive coating may exhibit spatially variable characteristics, particularly a spatially variable thickness. However, other types of variable length filters, including other materials or exhibiting additional spatially variable characteristics, are also feasible. At a normal angle of incidence of an incident light beam, each of the filter elements included in the variable length filter may have a bandpass width corresponding to a fraction of the center wavelength of the particular filter, typically a few percent.

[0028] The term "static filter" as used herein is a broad term and should be given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art, and is not limited to any special or customized meaning. The term may particularly, but not exclusively, refer to an optical filter that blocks and / or selects light within a predetermined wavelength range, particularly a bandpass filter that blocks and / or selects by reflection and / or absorption. The wavelength range may be fixed. The fixed wavelength length may be unalterable and / or static. The optical properties of a static filter may not change over time.

[0029] The term "tunable filter" as used herein is a broad term and should be given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art, and should not be limited to any particular or customized meaning. The term may refer to, but is not limited to, an optical filter that blocks and / or selects light within a tunable wavelength range. The optical characteristics of the tunable filter may be time-varying. An interferometer may be used as the tunable filter, specifically including a Fabry-Perot interferometer, a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, and / or a Michelson interferometer. Alternatively, the angle-dependent wavelength shift of a static filter may be utilized. This may be achieved by using at least one microelectromechanical system (MEMS), where the moving part of the interferometer is realized using a microactuator.

[0030] The term "optical lens" as used herein is a broad term and should be given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art, without being limited to any special or customized meaning. This term may specifically, but not exclusively, refer to a transparent unit, particularly an article, in which at least one surface of the object is curved, particularly spherically curved. Incident radiation may be refracted at at least one surface of the optical lens, particularly depending on the wavelength of the incident radiation. The incident radiation may be deflected by a converging optical lens toward the center of a beam generated by the incident radiation. Alternatively, the incident radiation may be deflected toward the outside of the beam by a diverging optical lens. The optical lens may have a convex surface for collecting the incident radiation and / or a concave surface for dispersing the incident radiation.

[0031] The term "diffractive element" as used herein is a broad term and is to be given its ordinary and accustomed meaning to those skilled in the art, and is not limited to any special or customized meaning. The term may particularly, but is not limited to, refer to an article for shaping incident radiation by diffraction of the incident radiation at an optical diffraction grating.

[0032] The variable length filter may include at least two bandpass filters, each of which may be assigned to a respective pixelated sensor by being positioned within the field of view of the respective pixelated sensor, and each bandpass filter may be configured to select at least one wavelength of received incident radiation. As used herein, the term "bandpass filter" is a broad term and should be given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art and should not be limited to a special or customized meaning. The term may particularly refer to, but is not limited to, an optical filter that passes only incident radiation having wavelengths within a predefined range. Incident radiation having wavelengths below and / or above the predefined range may be blocked or significantly attenuated. The selected at least one wavelength may be within the predefined range. The selected at least one wavelength may be transmitted onto a respective pixelated sensor. As used herein, the term "assigned to a respective pixelated sensor" is a broad term and should be given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art and should not be limited to a special or customized meaning. This term may particularly, but not exclusively, refer to transmitting received incident radiation onto a respective pixelated sensor, whereby the at least two bandpass filters may be positioned such that each bandpass filter of the at least two bandpass filters is positioned within the field of view of a different pixelated sensor.

[0033] The ratio between at least one overlap area generated by the measurement spots of the respective fields of view of the at least two pixelated sensors and the combined area generated by the measurement spots of the respective fields of view of the at least two pixelated sensors on the measurement window may be at least 60%, 70%, 80%, or 90%. The term "overlap area" as used herein is a broad term and should be given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art and should not be limited to a special or customized meaning. Specifically, but not limited to, the term may refer to the area on the measurement window generated by the intersection of the respective measurement spots of the at least two pixelated sensors. The entire overlap area may include at least a portion of each measurement spot. The term "combined area" as used herein is a broad term and should be given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art and should not be limited to a special or customized meaning. Specifically, but not limited to, the term may refer to the area on the measurement window generated by the accumulation of the respective fields of view of the at least two pixelated sensors. The combined area includes the respective measurement spots of the at least two pixelated sensors.

[0034] Each field of view may be conical, and in particular each field of view may have a full width at half maximum (FWHM) opening angle γ of less than 60°, less than 40°, or less than 20°. A conical field of view may generate a circular or elliptical measurement spot. Further shapes of the measurement spot and / or field of view may be possible. Exemplarily, the generated measurement spot has a quadratic or rectangular shape. The opening angle γ may be the internal angle of the vertex at the origin of the field of view.

[0035] A further ratio between the distance between two chief rays of at least two adjacent pixelated fields of view on the measurement window and the width of the measurement spot of each field of view of at least two adjacent pixelated sensors may be 35% or less, 25% or less, 15% or less, 10% or less, 8% or less, or 5% or less. This may be particularly true when the fields of view of at least two adjacent pixelated sensors generate circular measurement spots and the widths of the measurement spots are identical. As used herein, the term "chief ray" is a broad term and should be given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art and should not be limited to any special or customized meaning. This term may refer to, but is not limited to, the central axis of the field of view. Alternatively or additionally, the chief ray may be the axis of symmetry of the field of view. Alternatively or additionally, the chief ray may originate at the origin of the field of view and intersect with the center point of the measurement spot. As used herein, the term "width" is a broad term and should be given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art and should not be limited to any special or customized meaning. The term may refer to, but is not limited to, the distance from the center of the measurement spot to the periphery of the measurement spot. The width may be the diameter of the measurement spot.

[0036] The detectable wavelength range of the incident radiation can be at least one of the following ranges: - 400 nm to 10 μm, specifically 400 nm to 1 μm; - 900 nm to 3 μm, in particular where at least two pixelated sensors are PbS sensors; or - 600 nm to 5 μm, where in particular at least two pixelated sensors are PbSe sensors.

[0037] The term "detectable range," as used herein, is a broad term and is given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art, and is not limited to any particular or customized meaning. This term may specifically refer, without limitation, to the wavelength range of incident radiation that can generate at least one detector signal when incident on a pixelated sensor. Incident radiation having wavelengths below the detectable wavelength or above the detectable wavelength range may not be detectable, and thereby may not generate a detector signal when the incident radiation is incident on a pixelated sensor.

[0038] At least two pixelated sensors may be arranged on a detector plane adjacent to each other, and in particular, the detector plane may be a flat plane. The term "detector plane" as used herein is a broad term and should be given its usual and customary meaning to those skilled in the art and is not limited to any special or customized meaning. This term may refer to, but is not limited to, an extended, particularly flat, two-dimensional abstract or concrete object on which the pixelated sensors are arranged. The detection plane may be formed by the at least two pixelated sensors. To generate the plane, no additional elements other than the at least two pixelated sensors may be required. Alternatively or additionally, at least one additional element may be included in the detector plane. The at least two pixelated sensors may be arranged on the at least one additional element. The at least two pixelated sensors may be arranged in a row, thereby allowing the at least two pixelated sensors to be arranged one after the other in one direction. The measurement window may be parallel to the detector plane.

[0039] At least two band-pass filters may be arranged on the filter surface. Alternatively or additionally, the at least two band-pass filters may be arranged in a row on the filter surface. The filter surface may be curved. The term "filter surface" as used herein is a broad term and should be given its usual and customary meaning to those skilled in the art and should not be limited to any special or customized meaning. This term may particularly, but not exclusively, refer to an extended, particularly curved, two-dimensional abstract or specific object on which band-pass filters are arranged. The filter surface may be formed by the at least two band-pass filters. No additional elements other than the at least two band-pass filters may be required to generate the filter surface. Alternatively or additionally, at least one additional element may be included in the filter surface, and in particular, the at least two band-pass filters may be arranged on the at least one additional element. The at least two band-pass filters may be arranged in a row. This allows at least two pixelated sensors to be arranged one after the other in one direction. The measurement window may be parallel to the filter surface. The detection plane may be parallel to the filter plane.

[0040] The at least one bandpass filter may be aligned with each pixelated sensor with respect to a respective field of view of the respective pixelated sensor, and in particular with respect to a chief ray of the field of view of the respective pixelated sensor. As used herein, the term "aligned" is a broad term and is given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art and is not limited to any special or customized meaning. The term may refer, without limitation, to at least one bandpass filter being positioned within the field of view, and in particular, at least one chief ray of the field of view intersecting the at least one bandpass filter.

[0041] The optical path length between the measurement window and the detection surface may be 50 μm to 30 cm, 100 μm to 50 mm, or 500 μm to 15 mm. As used herein, the term "optical path length" is a broad term and is given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art, and is not limited to any particular or customized meaning. This term may particularly refer to, but is not limited to, the distance incident radiation propagates within a spectrometer device, taking into account at least one optical element. The optical path length may be 1 to 5 times longer than the geometric length.

[0042] The field of view of a first pixelated sensor of the at least two pixelated sensors may be tilted relative to the field of view of a second pixelated sensor of the at least two pixelated sensors by modifying the field of view of at least one pixelated sensor with at least one optical element. By tilting the respective fields of view, the respective chief rays can be tilted, particularly at the measurement window. As used herein, the term "tilting" or any grammatical variant thereof, particularly the term "tilt," is a broad term and should be given its ordinary and accustomed meaning to those skilled in the art and is not limited to a specific or customized meaning. This term may refer to, but is not limited to, having a different direction. A pixelated sensor may be considered tilted if the chief rays of the field of view of the first pixelated sensor point in a different direction from the chief rays of the field of view of the second pixelated sensor, particularly toward or directly behind the measurement window. If the chief ray of the field of view of the first pixelated sensor may point in a different direction than the chief ray of the field of view of the second pixelated sensor, the respective chief rays may point in different directions within or directly behind the measurement window.

[0043] At least one optical element may include at least one aperture for trimming the field of view of the at least one pixelated sensor, particularly for aligning a chief ray of the field of view of the at least one pixelated sensor, particularly for aligning the chief ray toward the center of the at least one overlap region. As used herein, the term "trimming" or any grammatical variant thereof is a broad term and should be given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art and is not limited to a special or customized meaning. The term may refer to, but is not limited to, modifying something to form a desired shape. Exemplarily, the field of view may be narrowed and / or limited by blocking a portion of incident radiation, particularly by using an aperture. As used herein, the term "aperture" is a broad term and should be given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art and is not limited to a special or customized meaning. The term may refer, but is not limited to, an optical unit configured to limit the cross-section of a beam and / or field of view (particularly, a beam generated from received incident radiation).

[0044] The at least one optical element may comprise at least one further aperture for cropping the field of view of the at least one further pixelated sensor, in particular for aligning a further chief ray of the field of view of the at least one further pixelated sensor, in particular towards the centre of the at least one overlap region. The angle a 2 between the chief ray at the measurement window and the further chief ray may be 0°, 5°, 10°, 20°, 40° or more than 60°.

[0045] Each bandpass filter may have an acceptance angle, where at least one or each bandpass filter may be arranged with a respective chief ray of the field of view impinging on each bandpass filter within the acceptance angle. As used herein, the term "acceptance angle" is a broad term and should be given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art and should not be limited to any special or customized meaning. The term may refer to, but is not limited to, a predefined angle at which a chief ray can maximally intersect a bandpass filter to enable optimal performance of the bandpass filter. In particular, if the chief ray intersects the bandpass filter at an angle smaller than the acceptance angle, the offset between the incident radiation generated by the bandpass filter may be within an acceptable range. Alternatively or additionally, a shift in wavelength of the incident radiation generated by the bandpass filter may be within an acceptable range, in particular, if the chief ray intersects the bandpass filter at an angle smaller than the acceptance angle. The central axis of the cone defined by the acceptance angle of at least one or each bandpass filter may be parallel to the respective chief ray intersecting each optical filter. The light receiving surface of each bandpass filter may define a normal orientation, and the or each bandpass filter may be arranged such that each chief ray of the field of view incident on the light receiving surface of the respective bandpass filter is parallel to the normal orientation. The optical filter may include a curved filter surface, and in particular, at least two bandpass filters may be arranged on the curved filter surface.

[0046] The at least one optical element may include at least one mirror, particularly a plane mirror or an imaging mirror. The term "mirror" as used herein is a broad term and should be given its usual and customary meaning to those skilled in the art, without being limited to any special or customized meaning. Specifically, the term may refer to, but is not limited to, an optical unit having a reflective surface for reflecting at least a portion of the radiation impinging on the reflective surface, particularly at least a portion of the incident radiation. A typical mirror may reflect at least 5% of the radiation incident on the mirror. A more typical mirror may preferably reflect at least 50%, more preferably at least 90%, of the radiation incident on the mirror. The mirror may have a type selected from at least one of a dielectric mirror, particularly a distributed Bragg mirror, or a metallized mirror, particularly a mirror metallized with gold, silver, and / or aluminum. The mirror substrate may comprise at least one inorganic material and / or at least one organic material, particularly plastic and / or glass.

[0047] The term "flat mirror," as used herein, is a broad term and should be given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art, and should not be limited to any particular or customized meaning. The term may specifically, but not exclusively, refer to a mirror having a flat reflective surface. The flat mirror may reflect incident radiation such that the direction of the reflected incident radiation is independent of the position of the plane mirror at which the incident radiation strikes the plane mirror. The width of the beam produced by the incident radiation may remain constant when the incident radiation is reflected by the flat mirror. The flat mirror may have a flat reflective surface.

[0048] The term "imaging mirror" as used herein is a broad term and should be given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art, and should not be limited to any special or customized meaning. This term may specifically, but not exclusively, refer to a mirror having a reflective surface formed such that incident radiation and / or the field of view of at least one pixelated sensor is focused onto at least one focal point provided by the imaging mirror. The field of view of the at least one pixelated sensor may be focused onto a measurement window, thereby narrowing the field of view at the measurement window. Thus, the imaging mirror can reflect incident radiation such that the direction of the reflected incident radiation depends on the position of the imaging mirror where the incident radiation strikes the plane mirror. The imaging mirror may be a concave mirror.

[0049] The imaging mirror may be selected from at least one of the following: - curved mirror; - Freeform mirror.

[0050] The term "curved mirror," as used herein, is a broad term and should be given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art, and should not be limited to any particular or customized meaning. This term may specifically, but is not limited to, a mirror having a curved reflective surface. A curved mirror may have an at least partially curved reflective surface, and specifically, an at least partially concave reflective surface. The term "freeform mirror," as used herein, is a broad term and should be given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art, and should not be limited to any particular or customized meaning. This term may specifically, but is not limited to, a mirror having a surface that can be described using a polynomial function.

[0051] Modifying the field of view of the at least one pixelated sensor with at least one optical element may fold the field of view of the at least one pixelated sensor by increasing the optical path length between the detector array and the measurement window. As used herein, the term “folding” or any grammatical variant thereof, particularly “folded,” is a broad term and should be given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art and should not be limited to a special or customized meaning. This term may particularly, but not exclusively, refer to directing incident radiation using an optical element such that the length of the optical path the incident radiation travels from the measurement window to the at least one pixelated sensor, particularly to the interior of the spectrometer device, particularly to the interior of the housing of the spectrometer device, is increased. The optical path length may particularly be increased relative to the length of the optical path the incident radiation travels from the measurement window to the at least one pixelated sensor in the absence of the optical element. The field of view of at least one pixelated sensor may be folded by modifying the direction of the chief ray of each field of view to have a directional component parallel to the detector array, particularly where the angle between the detector array and the direction of the chief ray is less than 0°, 20°, 40°, 60°, or 80°, or more particularly where the directional component accounts for at least 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, or 100% of the direction of the chief ray. The term "directional component" as used herein is a broad term and should be given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art and should not be limited to any particular or customized meaning. This term may particularly, but not exclusively, refer to a vector pointing in a direction parallel to the extension of the detector array.

[0052] The at least one optical element may focus the field of view of the at least one pixelated sensor, particularly the measurement window, more particularly at least one overlap region. The focusing may be generated by modifying the field of view of the at least one pixelated sensor by the at least one optical element. As used herein, the term "focusing" or any grammatical variant thereof is a broad term and should be given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art and is not limited to a specific or customized meaning. In particular, but not limited to, the term may refer to narrowing the width of the respective field of view. The at least one optical element may include at least one imaging mirror for focusing the respective field of view. The imaging mirror may be positioned within the respective field of view.

[0053] Chief rays of the field of view of at least one pixelated sensor may be redirected due to the modification of the field of view of the at least one pixelated sensor by the at least one optical element, particularly toward chief rays of the field of view of a further pixelated sensor of the at least two pixelated sensors, more particularly toward the center of at least one overlap region. As used herein, the term "redirect" or any grammatical variant thereof is a broad term and should be given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art and should not be limited to a special or customized meaning. This term may particularly, but not exclusively, refer to modifying the direction of respective chief rays. The at least one optical element may include at least one imaging mirror for redirecting the respective field of view. The imaging mirror may be located within the respective field of view. Alternatively or additionally, the at least one optical element may include at least one plane mirror for redirecting the respective field of view. The plane mirror may be located within the respective field of view.

[0054] The at least one optical element includes a first mirror selected from at least one of the following: a first plane mirror, or - a first imaging mirror, and the at least one optical element comprises a second mirror selected from at least one of the following: - a second plane mirror, or - a second imaging mirror, and In particular, the at least one optical element may comprise a further mirror, in particular selected from at least one of the following: - More plane mirrors - Further imaging mirrors.

[0055] This allows the following combinations: a first plane mirror and a second plane mirror; a first imaging mirror and a second plane mirror; a first plane mirror and a second imaging mirror; a first imaging mirror and a second imaging mirror; a first plane mirror, a second plane mirror and a further plane mirror; a first imaging mirror, a second plane mirror and a further plane mirror; a first imaging mirror, a second plane mirror and a further plane mirror; a first plane mirror, a second imaging mirror and a further plane mirror; a first imaging mirror, a second imaging mirror and a further plane mirror; a first plane mirror, a second plane mirror and a further imaging mirror; a first imaging mirror, a second plane mirror and a further imaging mirror; a first imaging mirror, a second imaging mirror and a further imaging mirror; a first plane mirror, a second imaging mirror and a further imaging mirror; a first plane mirror, a second imaging mirror and a further imaging mirror; a first imaging mirror, a second imaging mirror and a further imaging mirror; a first plane mirror, a second imaging mirror and a further imaging mirror; a first imaging mirror, a second imaging mirror and a further imaging mirror. Further combinations may also be possible.

[0056] The at least one optical element may include a first plane mirror and a second plane mirror, where the first plane mirror may be positioned in a direction of incidence of the incident radiation in front of the second plane mirror. The arrangement of the first plane mirror and the second plane mirror may increase at least one overlapping area constituting a measurement spot of each field of view of the at least two pixelated sensors on the measurement window. The arrangement of the first plane mirror and the second plane mirror may fold the at least one field of view or each field of view by increasing the optical path length between the detector array and the measurement window. The first plane mirror may reflect the incident radiation toward or onto the second plane mirror, and the second plane mirror may reflect the incident radiation toward or onto the optical filter. The reflective surfaces of the first plane mirror and the second plane mirror may be parallel.

[0057] The at least one optical element may include a first plane mirror and a second imaging mirror, and the first plane mirror may be positioned in a direction of incidence of the incident radiation in front of the second imaging mirror. The arrangement of the first plane mirror and the second imaging mirror may increase at least one overlap region including measurement spots of each field of view of the at least two pixelated sensors on the measurement window. The arrangement of the first plane mirror and the second imaging mirror may fold at least one field of view or each field of view by increasing the optical path length between the detector array and the measurement window. The first plane mirror may reflect the incident radiation toward or onto the second imaging mirror, which may reflect the incident radiation toward or onto an optical filter. The second imaging mirror may focus the fields of view of the at least two pixelated sensors onto the measurement window. Alternatively or additionally, at least one chief ray of the field of view of the at least two pixelated sensors may be directed by a second imaging mirror towards the centre of at least one overlap region in the measurement window.

[0058] The at least one optical element may include a first imaging mirror and a second plane mirror, where the first imaging mirror may be positioned in a direction of incidence of the incident radiation in front of the second plane mirror. The arrangement of the first imaging mirror and the second plane mirror may increase at least one overlap region including measurement spots of each field of view of the at least two pixelated sensors on the measurement window. The arrangement of the first imaging mirror and the second plane mirror may fold the at least one field of view or each field of view by increasing the optical path length between the detector array and the measurement window. The first imaging mirror may reflect the incident radiation toward or onto the second plane mirror, which may reflect the incident radiation toward or onto an optical filter. The first imaging mirror may focus the fields of view of the at least two pixelated sensors onto the measurement window. Alternatively or additionally, the or each chief ray of the field of view of the at least two pixelated sensors may be directed by a first imaging mirror towards the centre of at least one overlap region in the measurement window.

[0059] The at least one optical element may include a first imaging mirror and a second imaging mirror, where the first imaging mirror may be positioned in front of the second imaging mirror in a direction of incidence of the incident radiation. The arrangement of the first imaging mirror and the second imaging mirror may increase at least one overlapping area constituting a measurement spot of each field of view of the at least two pixelated sensors on the measurement window. The arrangement of the first imaging mirror and the second imaging mirror may fold the at least one field of view or each field of view by increasing the optical path length between the detector array and the measurement window. The first imaging mirror may reflect the incident radiation toward or onto the second imaging mirror, and the second imaging mirror may reflect the incident radiation toward or onto an optical filter. The first imaging mirror and the second imaging mirror may focus the fields of view of the at least two pixelated sensors on the measurement window. Alternatively or additionally, at least one or each chief ray of the field of view of the at least two pixelated sensors may be directed by the first imaging mirror and the second imaging mirror to the center of at least one overlap region in the measurement window.

[0060] The at least one optical element may include a further imaging mirror. The further imaging mirror may reflect incident radiation from the second plane mirror towards or onto the optical filter. The first imaging mirror may reflect incident radiation towards or onto the second imaging mirror, which may reflect incident radiation towards or onto the further imaging mirror, which may reflect incident radiation towards or onto the optical filter. The further imaging mirror may further focus the fields of view of the at least two pixelated sensors at the measurement window. Alternatively or additionally, at least one or each chief ray of the fields of view of the at least two pixelated sensors may be further directed towards the center of the at least one overlap region window by the further imaging mirror.

[0061] The at least one optical element may increase the optical path length of incident radiation from the measurement window to the detector array by at least 50 μm to 30 cm, 100 μm to 50 mm, or 500 μm to 15 mm. The optical path length between the first mirror and the second mirror may be at least 50 μm to 30 cm, 100 μm to 50 mm, or 500 μm to 15 mm. The optical path length between the second mirror and the further mirror may be at least 50 μm to 30 cm, 100 μm to 50 mm, or 500 μm to 15 mm.

[0062] The detector array may include at least two further pixelated sensors, wherein the at least one optical element may be configured to generate at least one further overlap between the fields of view of the at least two further pixelated sensors in the measurement window, in particular at least one further overlap region including a further measurement spot of each further field of view of the at least two further pixelated sensors, wherein the further overlap region may not intersect with the other overlap regions.

[0063] The spectrometer device may include at least one radiation-emitting element, and the at least one radiation-emitting element may be configured to emit optical radiation. The at least one radiation-emitting element may be part of the spectrometer device within the housing. Alternatively or additionally, the at least one radiation-emitting element may be located outside the housing, for example as a separate radiation-emitting element. The at least one radiation-emitting element may be configured to provide sufficient emission in a desired spectral range.

[0064] The at least one radiation-emitting element may in particular be comprised in at least one of a thermal emitter or a semiconductor-based radiation source, where the semiconductor-based radiation source may in particular be selected from at least one of a light-emitting diode (LED) or a laser, in particular a laser diode.

[0065] The thermal radiator may be selected from an incandescent lamp or a thermal infrared radiator. As used herein, the term "incandescent lamp" is a broad term and should be given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art, and should not be limited to any particular or customized meaning. This term may specifically, but not be limited to, an electric lamp having a heatable element, such as a heated wire filament, that can be heated to a temperature at which it emits light, especially infrared light. Incandescent lamps can therefore be considered thermal radiators in the infrared spectral range, since the luminous power of incandescent lamps decreases with increasing wavelength. The thermal radiator may be selected from an incandescent lamp or a thermal infrared radiator. As used herein, the term "thermal infrared radiator" is a broad term and should be given its ordinary and customary meaning to those skilled in the art, and should not be limited to any particular or customized meaning. This term may specifically, but not be limited to, a micromachined thermal radiating element that includes a radiation emitting surface as the radiation emitting element that emits the optical radiation to be monitored.

[0066] In a further aspect of the present invention, a spectrometer apparatus is described, the spectrometer apparatus comprising: - a spectrometer device for detecting incident radiation generated by an object according to any one of the claims; and an evaluation device configured to determine information related to the spectrum of said object by evaluating at least one detector signal provided by said spectrometer arrangement.

[0067] The term "evaluation device" as used herein is a broad term and is given its usual and customary meaning to those skilled in the art, without being limited to any special or customized meaning. This term may particularly, but without limitation, refer to any device designed to generate at least one desired item of information, in particular related to the spectrum of an object. To this end, the evaluation unit may be or include one or more integrated circuits, such as one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and / or one or more data processing devices, such as a computer, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), preferably one or more microcomputers and / or microcontrollers, and may in particular be or include at least one mobile communication device selected from a smartphone, a tablet, or a laptop, although further embodiments are also possible. Additional components may also be included, for example, one or more devices for receiving and / or preprocessing the detector signal, for example, one or more preprocessing devices and / or data acquisition devices, such as one or more AD converters and / or one or more filters. As used herein, a detector signal is provided by a spectrometer device, in particular a detector array of a spectrometer device. Furthermore, the evaluation unit may include one or more data storage devices. Furthermore, the evaluation unit may comprise one or more interfaces, such as one or more wireless interfaces and / or one or more wired interfaces.

[0068] Also, the definitions or characteristics given in the further aspects may also apply to the spectrometer system, which may typically be the case in the embodiments and claims given below.

[0069] The spectrometer devices and systems described above have significant advantages over the prior art. Thus, in general, the spectrometer devices and systems are robust to object granularity, in particular by providing sensor signals that can be correlated in a common measurement result since the fields of view of a single pixelated sensor have increased overlap, particularly in the measurement window, so that measurements can be taken at the same location on the object, so that contributions to the optical signals generated by the pixelated sensors each have the same contribution due to the graininess of the sample.

[0070] This means that the effect of the object's granularity may only affect the overall signal level, especially since all channels may see the same part of the object. However, this may not affect the spectral contrast of the measured signal. This can be thought of as analogous to color measurements in the visible range, where a mixed color of two components can become lighter or darker without losing the ratio of both components.

[0071] As used herein, the terms "have," "comprise," "include," or any grammatical variations thereof, are used in a non-exclusive sense. Thus, these terms may refer to both the absence of any additional features in the entity described in this context, other than the features introduced by these terms, as well as the presence of one or more additional features. As an example, the expressions "A has B," "A comprises B," and "A includes B" may refer to both the absence of any other elements in A besides B (i.e., A consists only of B), and the presence of one or more additional elements in entity A besides B, such as element C, elements C and D, or further elements.

[0072] Furthermore, it should be noted that the terms "at least one," "one or more," or similar expressions indicating that a feature or element may be present one or more times are typically used only once when introducing each feature or element. In most cases herein, when referring to each feature or element, the phrase "at least one" or "one or more" will not be repeated, regardless of the fact that each feature or element may be present one or more times.

[0073] Furthermore, as used herein, the terms "preferably," "more preferably," "particularly," "more particularly," "particularly," "more particularly," or similar terms are used in combination with any feature without limiting its substitution. Features introduced by these terms are therefore optional features and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims in any way. The present invention can be practiced using alternative features, as will be recognized by those skilled in the art. Similarly, features introduced by "in an embodiment of the invention" or similar expressions are intended to be optional features, without any limitation on alternative embodiments of the invention, without any limitation on the scope of the invention, and without any limitation on the possibility of combining the feature so introduced with other optional or non-optional features of the invention.

[0074] In summary, without excluding further possible embodiments, the following embodiments may be envisaged: Embodiment 1: A spectrometer device for detecting incident radiation emanating from an object, comprising: - a measurement window configured to allow incident radiation generated by the object to enter the spectrometer; - a detector array including at least two pixelated sensors, each having a field of view designed to accept at least a portion of the incident radiation, each pixelated sensor configured to generate at least one detector signal related to the accepted incident radiation; - an optical filter disposed within a field of view of the at least two pixelated sensors, the optical filter configured to generate a spectrum of at least two separated wavelength signals from the incident radiation and to transmit the at least two separated wavelength signals onto a respective one of the at least one pixelated sensors; - at least one optical element configured to modify a field of view of at least one pixelated sensor by increasing at least one overlap between the fields of view of at least two pixelated sensors; 1. A spectrometer apparatus comprising:

[0075] Embodiment 2: A spectrometer device as described in embodiment 1, wherein increasing at least one overlap between the fields of view of the at least two pixelated sensors increases at least one overlap area containing measurement spots of each field of view of the at least two pixelated sensors on the measurement window.

[0076] Embodiment 3: The spectrometer apparatus of embodiment 1 or 2, wherein the optical filter is selected from or includes at least one of the following: - variable length filter; - static filters; - Tunable filters, especially MEMS Fabry-Perot resonators; - optical lenses; or - Diffractive elements.

[0077] Embodiment 4: A spectrometer device as described in embodiment 3, wherein the length variable filter includes at least two bandpass filters, each bandpass filter assigned to a respective pixelated sensor by being positioned within the field of view of the respective pixelated sensor, and each bandpass filter configured to select at least one wavelength of the received incident radiation.

[0078] Embodiment 5: A spectrometer device described in any one of embodiments 1 to 4, wherein at least one optical element is configured to modify the field of view of each pixelated sensor of at least two pixelated sensors to increase at least one overlap between the fields of view.

[0079] Embodiment 6: A spectrometer device described in any one of embodiments 2 to 5, wherein the ratio between at least one overlap area generated by the measurement spots of each field of view of at least two pixelated sensors and the combined area generated by the measurement spots of each field of view of at least two pixelated sensors on the measurement window is at least 60%, 70%, 80%, or 90%.

[0080] Embodiment 7: A spectrometer device according to any one of embodiments 1 to 6, wherein each field of view is conical, in particular each field of view has a full width at half maximum (FWHM) aperture angle of less than 60°, less than 40°, or less than 20°.

[0081] Embodiment 8: A spectrometer device described in any one of embodiments 1 to 7, wherein a further ratio between the distance between two chief rays of at least two adjacent pixelated fields on the measurement window and the width of the measurement spot of each field of the at least two adjacent pixelated sensors is 35% or less, 25% or less, 15% or less, 10% or less, 8% or less, or 5% or less.

[0082] Embodiment 9: The spectrometer device of any one of embodiments 1 to 8, wherein the detectable wavelength range of the incident radiation is at least one of the following ranges: - 400 nm to 10 μm, specifically 400 nm to 1 μm; - 900 nm to 3 μm, in particular at least two pixelated sensors are PbS sensors, or - 600 nm to 5 μm, and in particular at least two pixelated sensors are PbSe sensors.

[0083] Embodiment 10: A spectrometer device according to any one of embodiments 1 to 9, wherein at least two pixelated sensors are arranged on a detector plane adjacent to each other, in particular the detector plane is a plane.

[0084] Embodiment 11: A spectrometer device according to any one of embodiments 1 to 10, wherein at least two pixelated sensors are arranged in a line.

[0085] Embodiment 12: A spectrometer device according to any one of the preceding eight embodiments 4 to 11, wherein at least two bandpass filters are arranged on the filter surface, in particular the filter surface is curved.

[0086] Embodiment 13: The spectrometer device of embodiment 12 above, wherein the at least two bandpass filters are arranged in a line.

[0087] Embodiment 14: A spectrometer device described in any of the preceding embodiments 4 to 13, wherein each bandpass filter is aligned with a respective pixelated sensor with respect to the respective field of view of the respective pixelated sensor, in particular with respect to the chief ray of the field of view of the respective pixelated sensor.

[0088] Embodiment 15: A spectrometer device according to any one of the preceding embodiments 12 to 14, wherein the measurement window is parallel to the filter surface.

[0089] Embodiment 16: The spectrometer device of any one of the preceding embodiments 10 to 15, wherein the measurement window is parallel to the detector plane.

[0090] Embodiment 17: The spectrometer device of any one of the preceding embodiments 10-16, wherein the optical path length between the measurement window and the detector plane is 50 μm to 30 cm, 100 μm to 50 mm, or 500 μm to 15 mm.

[0091] Embodiment 18: A spectrometer device described in any one of embodiments 1 to 17, wherein the field of view of a first pixelated sensor of at least two pixelated sensors is tilted relative to the field of view of a second pixelated sensor of at least two pixelated sensors by correcting the field of view of at least one pixelated sensor by at least one optical element.

[0092] Embodiment 19: A spectrometer device described in any one of embodiments 1 to 18, wherein at least one optical element comprises at least one aperture for trimming the field of view of at least one pixelated sensor, in particular for aligning the chief ray of the field of view of at least one pixelated sensor, in particular towards the center of at least one overlap region.

[0093] Embodiment 20: Spectrometer device according to embodiment 18 or 19, wherein the angle a between the chief ray at the measurement window and the further chief ray is greater than 0°, 5°, 10°, 20°, 40° or 60°, in particular due to an inclination of the field of view of the first pixelated sensor having the chief ray relative to the field of view of the second pixelated sensor having the further chief ray.

[0094] Embodiment 21: A spectrometer device described in any one of embodiments 1 to 20, wherein each bandpass filter has an acceptance angle, and at least one bandpass filter or each bandpass filter is arranged in such a manner that it has its respective chief ray of the field of view impinging on each bandpass filter within the acceptance angle.

[0095] Embodiment 22: A spectrometer device described in any one of embodiments 1 to 22, wherein the receiving surface of each bandpass filter defines a normal direction, and at least one, or each, bandpass filter is arranged in such a way that each chief ray of the field of view incident on the receiving surface of each bandpass filter is parallel to the normal direction.

[0096] Embodiment 23: A spectrometer device according to any one of embodiments 1 to 22, wherein the optical filter comprises a curved filter surface, in particular at least two bandpass filters are arranged on the curved filter surface.

[0097] Embodiment 24: A spectrometer device according to any one of embodiments 1 to 23, wherein the at least one optical element comprises at least one mirror, in particular a plane mirror or an imaging mirror.

[0098] Embodiment 25: The spectrometer apparatus of embodiment 24, wherein the imaging mirror is selected from at least one of the following: - curved mirror; - Freeform mirror.

[0099] Embodiment 26: A spectrometer device described in any one of embodiments 1 to 25, wherein the field of view of at least one pixelated sensor is folded by modifying the field of view of at least one pixelated sensor by at least one optical element, thereby increasing the optical path length between the detector array and the measurement window.

[0100] Embodiment 27: A spectrometer device according to embodiment 26, wherein the field of view of at least one pixelated sensor is folded by modifying the direction of the chief ray of each field of view to have a directional component parallel to the detector array, in particular an angle between the detector array and the direction of the chief ray being less than 0°, 20°, 40°, 60° or 80°, more in particular a directional component that accounts for at least 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% or 100% of the direction of the chief ray.

[0101] Embodiment 28: A spectrometer device according to any one of embodiments 1 to 27, wherein the optical element comprises a mirror, in particular an imaging mirror.

[0102] Embodiment 29: A spectrometer device described in any one of embodiments 1 to 28, wherein the field of view of at least one pixelated sensor is modified by at least one optical element so that the field of view of at least one pixelated sensor is focused, in particular on the measurement window, more particularly on at least one overlap region.

[0103] Embodiment 30: A spectrometer device described in any one of embodiments 1 to 29, wherein due to the correction of the field of view of at least one pixelated sensor by at least one optical element, the chief ray of the field of view of at least one pixelated sensor is redirected, in particular towards the chief ray of the field of view of at least one further pixelated sensor among the at least two pixelated sensors, and more particularly towards the center of at least one overlap region.

[0104] Embodiment 31: A spectrometer device described in any one of the preceding seven embodiments 24 to 30, wherein the flat mirror has a flat reflective surface.

[0105] Embodiment 32: A spectrometer device described in any one of the preceding eight embodiments 24 to 32, wherein the imaging mirror has an at least partially curved reflective surface, in particular an at least partially concave reflective surface.

[0106] Embodiment 33: At least one optical element is, in particular: a first plane mirror, or - a first imaging mirror, a first mirror selected from at least one of and at least one optical element is in particular: - a second plane mirror, or - Second imaging mirror a second mirror selected from at least one of In particular, at least one optical element is in particular: plane mirror Further imaging mirrors, 33. The spectrometer apparatus of any one of embodiments 1 to 32, comprising a further mirror selected from at least one of:

[0107] Embodiment 34: A spectrometer device described in any one of embodiments 1 to 33, wherein at least one optical element comprises a first plane mirror and a second plane mirror, and the first plane mirror is positioned in the direction of incidence of the incident radiation in front of the second plane mirror.

[0108] Embodiment 35: A spectrometer device as described in the previous embodiment 34, wherein the arrangement of the first plane mirror and the second plane mirror increases at least one overlapping area that includes measurement spots of each field of view of the at least two pixelated sensors on the measurement window.

[0109] Embodiment 36: A spectrometer device as described in embodiment 34 or 35, wherein the arrangement of the first plane mirror and the second plane mirror convolves at least one or each field of view by increasing the optical path length between the detector array and the measurement window.

[0110] Embodiment 37: A spectrometer device described in any one of the preceding three embodiments 34 to 36, wherein the first plane mirror reflects incident radiation towards or onto the second plane mirror, and the second plane mirror reflects incident radiation towards or onto the optical filter.

[0111] Embodiment 38: A spectrometer device according to any one of embodiments 34 to 37, wherein the reflecting surface of the first plane mirror and the reflecting surface of the second plane mirror are parallel to each other.

[0112] Embodiment 39: A spectrometer device described in any one of embodiments 1 to 38, wherein at least one optical element comprises a first plane mirror and a second imaging mirror, and the first plane mirror is positioned in front of the second imaging mirror in the direction of incidence of the incident radiation.

[0113] Embodiment 40: The spectrometer device described in embodiment 39, wherein the arrangement of the first plane mirror and the second imaging mirror increases at least one overlap region that includes measurement spots of each field of view of the at least two pixelated sensors on the measurement window.

[0114] Embodiment 41: A spectrometer device as described in embodiment 39 or 40, wherein the arrangement of the first plane mirror and the second imaging mirror convolves at least one or each field of view by increasing the optical path length between the detector array and the measurement window.

[0115] Embodiment 42: A spectrometer device described in any one of embodiments 39 to 41, wherein the first plane mirror reflects incident radiation towards or onto the second imaging mirror, and the second imaging mirror reflects incident radiation towards or onto an optical filter.

[0116] Embodiment 43: A spectrometer device described in any one of the preceding four embodiments 39 to 42, wherein a second imaging mirror focuses the fields of view of the at least two pixelated sensors onto the measurement window.

[0117] Embodiment 44: A spectrometer device as described in embodiment 43, wherein at least one optical element comprises a first imaging mirror and a second plane mirror, the first imaging mirror being positioned in front of the second plane mirror in the direction of incidence of the incident radiation.

[0118] Embodiment 45: A spectrometer device as described in embodiment 44, wherein the arrangement of the first imaging mirror and the second plane mirror increases at least one overlap region that includes measurement spots of each field of view of the at least two pixelated sensors on the measurement window.

[0119] Embodiment 46: A spectrometer device as described in embodiment 45 or 46, wherein the arrangement of the first imaging mirror and the second plane mirror convolves at least one or each field of view by increasing the optical path length between the detector array and the measurement window.

[0120] Embodiment 47: A spectrometer device described in any one of embodiments 44 to 46, wherein the first imaging mirror reflects incident radiation towards or onto the second plane mirror, and the second plane mirror reflects incident radiation towards or onto the optical filter.

[0121] Embodiment 48: A spectrometer device described in any one of embodiments 44 to 47, wherein the first imaging mirror focuses the fields of view of the at least two pixelated sensors onto the measurement window.

[0122] Embodiment 49: A spectrometer device described in any one of embodiments 1 to 48, wherein at least one optical element comprises a first imaging mirror and a second imaging mirror, and the first imaging mirror is positioned in front of the second imaging mirror in the direction of incidence of the incident radiation.

[0123] Embodiment 50: A spectrometer device as described in embodiment 49, wherein the arrangement of the first imaging mirror and the second imaging mirror increases at least one overlapping area that includes measurement spots of each field of view of the at least two pixelated sensors on the measurement window.

[0124] Embodiment 51: A spectrometer device as described in embodiment 49 or 50, wherein the arrangement of the first imaging mirror and the second imaging mirror convolves at least one or each field of view by increasing the optical path length between the detector array and the measurement window.

[0125] Embodiment 52: A spectrometer device described in any one of embodiments 49 to 51, wherein the first imaging mirror reflects incident radiation towards or onto the second imaging mirror, and the second imaging mirror reflects incident radiation towards or onto the optical filter.

[0126] Embodiment 53: A spectrometer device described in any one of embodiments 49 to 52, wherein the first imaging mirror and the second focusing focus the fields of view of the at least two pixelated sensors onto the measurement window.

[0127] Embodiment 55: A spectrometer device described in any one of embodiments 50 to 54, wherein at least one optical element comprises a further imaging mirror.

[0128] Embodiment 56: A spectrometer device as described in embodiment 55, wherein a further imaging mirror reflects incident radiation from the second plane mirror towards or onto an optical filter.

[0129] Embodiment 57: A spectrometer device as described in embodiment 55 or 56, wherein the first imaging mirror reflects incident radiation towards or onto the second imaging mirror, the second imaging mirror reflects incident radiation towards or onto the further imaging mirror, and the further imaging mirror reflects incident radiation towards or onto the optical filter.

[0130] Embodiment 58: A spectrometer device described in any one of embodiments 55 to 57, wherein a further imaging mirror further focuses the field of view of the at least two pixelated sensors onto the measurement window.

[0131] Embodiment 59: A spectrometer device described in any one of embodiments 1 to 58, wherein at least one optical element increases the optical path length of incident radiation from the measurement window to the detector array by at least 50 μm to 30 cm, 100 μm to 50 mm, or 500 μm to 15 mm.

[0132] Embodiment 60: A spectrometer device described in any one of embodiments 33 to 59, wherein the optical path length between the first mirror and the second mirror is at least 50 μm to 30 cm, 100 μm to 50 mm, or 500 μm to 15 mm.

[0133] Embodiment 61: A spectrometer device described in any one of embodiments 33 to 60, wherein the optical path length between the second mirror and the further mirror is at least 50 μm to 30 cm, 100 μm to 50 mm, or 500 μm to 15 mm.

[0134] Embodiment 62: A spectrometer device as described in embodiment 61, wherein the detector array comprises at least two further pixelated sensors, and at least one optical element is configured to generate at least one further overlap between the fields of view of the at least two further pixelated sensors in the measurement window, in particular to generate at least one further overlap region including a further measurement spot of each further field of view of the at least two further pixelated sensors.

[0135] Embodiment 63: A spectrometer device described in any one of embodiments 1 to 62, wherein the spectrometer device comprises at least one radiation emitting element, and the at least one radiation emitting element is configured to emit optical radiation.

[0136] Embodiment 64: A spectrometer device as described in embodiment 63, wherein the at least one radiation emitting element is included in at least one of a thermal emitter or a semiconductor-based radiation source.

[0137] Embodiment 65: A spectrometer device as described in embodiment 64, wherein the thermal emitter is selected from an incandescent lamp or a thermal infrared emitter.

[0138] Embodiment 66: A spectrometer system, comprising: a spectrometer device for detecting incident radiation produced by an object according to any one of embodiments 1 to 65; and an evaluation device configured to determine information related to the spectrum of the object by evaluating at least one detector signal provided by the spectrometer arrangement; 1. A spectrometer system comprising: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0139] Further optional features and embodiments are disclosed in more detail in the description of the following embodiments, preferably in conjunction with the dependent claims, where each optional feature may be realized in isolation as well as in any possible combination, as understood by a person skilled in the art. The scope of the present invention is not limited by the preferred embodiments. The embodiments are schematically depicted in the figures, where identical reference numerals in these figures refer to identical or functionally equivalent elements. In the figure: [Figure 1] FIG. 1 exemplarily shows a first spectrometer device without optical elements. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 exemplarily shows a second spectrometer arrangement having optical elements, in particular two apertures. [Figure 3]FIG. 3 exemplarily shows a third spectrometer arrangement having an optical element, in particular a plane mirror. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 exemplarily shows a fourth spectrometer arrangement having optical elements, in particular two plane mirrors. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 exemplarily shows a fifth spectrometer arrangement having optical elements, in particular a plane mirror and an imaging mirror. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 exemplarily shows a sixth spectrometer arrangement in which further optical elements, in particular a plane mirror and an imaging mirror, are arranged. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 exemplarily shows a seventh spectrometer arrangement having optical elements, in particular three imaging mirrors. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0140] According to FIG. 1 , a spectrometer device 100 for detecting incident radiation generated by an object 200 comprises a measurement window 120 configured to receive incident radiation generated by the object 200 into a housing 110 of the spectrometer device 100.

[0141] The detectable wavelength range of the incident radiation may be in the range of 400 nm to 10 μm, particularly 400 nm to 1 μm, and / or 900 nm to 3 μm, particularly where at least two pixelated sensors 132 are PbSe sensors, and / or 600 nm to 5 μm, particularly where at least two pixelated sensors 132 are PbSe sensors.

[0142] The spectrometer device 100 further comprises a detector array 130 including at least two pixelated sensors 132, each having a field of view 134 designed to accept at least a portion of the incident radiation, wherein each pixelated sensor 132 is configured to generate at least one detector signal related to the accepted incident radiation.

[0143] Typically, each field of view 134 may be conical, and in particular, each field of view 134 may have a full width half maximum (FWHM) aperture angle γ of less than 60°, less than 40°, or less than 20°. At least one optical element 300 may be configured to modify the field of view 134 of each pixelated sensor 132 to increase at least one overlap between the fields of view 134, as illustrated in FIGS. 2-7.

[0144] The spectrometer device 100 further comprises an optical filter 140, the optical filter being positioned within the field of view 134 of the at least two pixelated sensors 132, the optical filter 140 being configured to generate a spectrum of at least two separated wavelength signals from the incident radiation and transmit the at least two separated wavelength signals onto a respective one of the pixelated sensors 132. The measurement window 120 may be parallel to the filter surface including the at least two pixelated sensors 132.

[0145] Each field of view 134 may be sensitive to the granularity of the object 200 that may be generated by the components 210 of the object 200, such that the width a of the field of view 134 and the distance s between two adjacent fields of view 134 are within the order of a typical feature size g of the components 210 of the object 200. In particular, when the fields of view 134 are aimed at different parts of the object 200, the sensor signal generated by the pixelated sensor 132 may be affected by the granularity of the object 200.

[0146] Typically, the spectrometer device 100 may comprise at least one radiation-emitting element 600. The at least one radiation-emitting element 600 may be configured to emit optical radiation. The at least one radiation-emitting element 600 may be constituted by a thermal emitter and / or a semiconductor-based radiation source. The thermal emitter may be an incandescent lamp and / or a thermal infrared emitter.

[0147] More typically, the evaluation device 400 may be configured to determine information related to the spectrum of the object 200 by evaluating at least one detector signal provided by the spectrometer device 100. The evaluation device 400 and the spectrometer device 100 may be included in a spectrometer system 500.

[0148] 2 , the spectrometer device 100 for detecting incident radiation generated by the object 200 further comprises at least one optical element 300 configured to modify the field of view 134 of the at least one pixelated sensor 132 by increasing the at least one overlap between the field of view 134 of the at least two pixelated sensors 132. Thereby, the at least one overlap between the field of view 134 of the at least two pixelated sensors 132 may result in an increased at least one overlap region 136 that includes measurement spots of each field of view 134 of the at least two pixelated sensors 132 on the measurement window 120.

[0149] Furthermore, the ratio between the at least one overlap area 136 generated by the measurement spots of each field of view 134 of the at least two pixelated sensors 132 and the combined area 138 generated by the measurement spots of each field of view 134 of the at least two pixelated sensors 132 on the measurement window 120 may be at least 60%, 70%, 80%, or 90%. A further ratio between the distance between the two chief rays 135 of the fields of view 134 of the at least two adjacent pixelated sensors 132 on the measurement window 120 and the width a of the measurement spots of each field of view 134 of the at least two adjacent pixelated sensors 132 may be not more than 35%, not more than 25%, not more than 15%, not more than 10%, not more than 8%, or not more than 5%.

[0150] The at least one optical element 300 may be or may include at least one aperture 310 (stop 310) for trimming the field of view 134 of the at least one pixelated sensor 132, as exemplarily depicted in FIG. 2 , so that the chief rays 135 of the field of view 134 of the at least one pixelated sensor 132 are aligned, in particular, toward the center of the overlap region 136. The at least one optical element 300 may include at least one further aperture 320 for trimming the field of view 134 of the at least one further pixelated sensor 132, in particular, so that the further chief rays 135 of the field of view 134 of the at least one further pixelated sensor 132 are aligned, in particular, toward the center of the overlap region 136, as exemplarily depicted in FIG. 2 . The angle a 1 between the chief ray at the measurement window 120 and the further chief ray 135 may be 0°, 5°, 10°, 20°, 40° or more than 60°.

[0151] The optical filter 140 may be selected from or include a variable length filter, a static filter, and / or a tunable filter, in particular a MEMS Fabry-Perot cavity, an optical lens, and / or a diffractive element. The variable length filter may include at least two bandpass filters 142, each of which may be assigned to a respective pixelated sensor 132 by being positioned within the field of view 134 of the respective pixelated sensor 132. Each bandpass filter 142 may be configured to select at least one wavelength or wavelength range of the received incident radiation.

[0152] At least two pixelated sensors 132 may be arranged on a detector plane adjacent to each other, and in particular, the detector plane may be planar. At least two pixelated sensors 132 may be arranged in a row. At least two band-pass filters 142 may be arranged on a filter plane, particularly if the filter plane is curved. At least two band-pass filters 142 may be arranged in a row. Each band-pass filter 142 may be aligned with a respective pixelated sensor 132 with respect to the respective field of view 134 of the respective pixelated sensor 132, and in particular with respect to the chief ray 135 of the field of view 134 of the respective pixelated sensor 132.

[0153] Each bandpass filter 142 may have an acceptance angle, and at least one or each bandpass filter 142 may be arranged with a respective chief ray 135 of the field of view 134 impinging on each bandpass filter 142 within the acceptance angle. The acceptance surface of each bandpass filter 142 may define a normal orientation, and at least one or each bandpass filter 142 may be arranged with a respective chief ray 135 of the field of view 134 incident on the acceptance surface of the respective bandpass filter 142 parallel to the normal orientation. The optical filter 140 may be comprised of a curved filter surface, and in particular, at least two bandpass filters 142 may be arranged on the curved filter surface.

[0154] The measurement window 120 may be parallel to the detector surface. The optical path length between the measurement window 120 and the detector surface may be 50 μm to 30 cm, 100 μm to 50 mm, or 500 μm to 15 mm.

[0155] Alternatively or additionally, the at least one optical element 300 may include a plane mirror. A flat mirror may have a flat reflective surface. FIG. 3 depicts a spectrometer device 100 including exclusively plane mirrors. Alternatively or additionally, the at least one optical element 300 may include exclusively an imaging mirror. The imaging mirror may be a curved mirror and / or a freeform mirror. The imaging mirror may have an at least partially curved reflective surface, particularly an at least partially concave reflective surface. The imaging mirror may focus the fields of view 134 of the at least two pixelated sensors 132 onto the measurement window 120. In particular, by using a plane mirror and / or a curved mirror, the at least one optical element 300 can fold the at least one or each field of view 134 by increasing the respective optical path length between the detector array 130 and the measurement window 120.

[0156] At least one or each field of view 134 may be folded by modifying the direction of the chief ray 135 of the respective field of view 134 to have a directional component parallel to the detector array 130, where in particular the angle between the detector array and the direction of the chief ray is less than 0°, 20°, 40°, 60° or 80°, and more in particular the directional component accounts for at least 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% or 100% of the direction of the chief ray 135.

[0157] Typically, the at least one optical element 300 may include a first mirror, in particular a first plane mirror 330 or a first imaging mirror 336, and the at least one optical element 300 may include a second mirror, in particular a second plane mirror 332 or a second imaging mirror 334. Furthermore, the at least one optical element 300 may include a further mirror, in particular a further plane mirror or a further imaging mirror 338.

[0158] 4 , the at least one optical element 300 may be composed of a first plane mirror 330 and a second plane mirror 332, where the first plane mirror 330 may be arranged in the direction of incidence of the incident radiation in front of the second plane mirror 332. The arrangement of the first plane mirror 330 and the second plane mirror 332 may increase at least one overlap region 136 that includes measurement spots of each field of view 134 of the at least two pixelated sensors 132 on the measurement window 120. The arrangement of the first plane mirror 330 and the second plane mirror 332 may convolve at least one or each field of view 134 by increasing the respective optical path lengths between the detector array 130 and the measurement window 120.

[0159] The first plane mirror 330 may reflect incident radiation towards or onto the second plane mirror 332, which may reflect incident radiation towards or onto the optical filter 140. The reflective surfaces of the first plane mirror 330 and the second plane mirror 332 may be parallel.

[0160] 5 , the at least one optical element 300 may include a first plane mirror 330 and a second imaging mirror 334, and the first plane mirror 330 may be arranged in the direction of incidence of the incident radiation in front of the second imaging mirror 334. The arrangement of the first plane mirror 330 and the second imaging mirror 334 may increase at least one overlap region 136 that includes measurement spots of each field of view 134 of the at least two pixelated sensors 132 on the measurement window 120.

[0161] The arrangement of the first plane mirror 330 and the second imaging mirror 334 may fold at least one or each field of view 134 by increasing the respective optical path lengths between the detector array 130 and the measurement window 120. The first plane mirror 330 may reflect incident radiation towards or onto the second imaging mirror 334, which may reflect incident radiation towards or onto the optical filter 140. The second imaging mirror 334 may focus the field of view 134 of at least one pixelated sensor 132 onto the measurement window 120. Alternatively or additionally, chief rays 135 of the fields of view 134 of the at least two pixelated sensors 132 may be directed by the second imaging mirror 334 to the center of at least one overlap region 136 in the measurement window 120.

[0162] 6 , the at least one optical element 300 may include a first imaging mirror 336 and a second plane mirror 332, and the first imaging mirror 336 may be arranged in front of the second plane mirror 332 in the direction of incidence of the incident radiation. The arrangement of the first imaging mirror 336 and the second plane mirror 332 may increase at least one overlap region 136 that includes measurement spots of each field of view 134 of the at least two pixelated sensors 132 on the measurement window 120.

[0163] The arrangement of the first imaging mirror 336 and the second planar mirror 332 can fold at least one or each field of view 134 by increasing the respective optical path lengths between the detector array 130 and the measurement window 120. The first imaging mirror 336 may reflect incident radiation towards or onto the second planar mirror 332, which may reflect incident radiation towards or onto the optical filter 140. The first imaging mirror 336 may focus the field of view 134 of at least one pixelated sensor 132 onto the measurement window 120. Alternatively or additionally, chief rays 135 of the fields of view 134 of the at least two pixelated sensors 132 may be directed by the first imaging mirror 336 to the center of at least one overlap region 136 in the measurement window 120.

[0164] 7 , the at least one optical element 300 may include a first imaging mirror 336 and a second imaging mirror 334, and the first imaging mirror 336 may be arranged in the direction of incidence of the incident radiation in front of the second imaging mirror 334. The arrangement of the first imaging mirror 336 and the second imaging mirror 334 may increase at least one overlap region 136 that includes measurement spots of each field of view 134 of the at least two pixelated sensors 132 on the measurement window 120.

[0165] The arrangement of the first imaging mirror 336 and the second imaging mirror 334 may fold at least one or each field of view 134 by increasing the respective optical path lengths between the detector array 130 and the measurement window 120. The first imaging mirror 336 may reflect incident radiation towards or onto the second imaging mirror 334, which may reflect incident radiation towards or onto the optical filter 140. The first imaging mirror 336 and the second imaging mirror 334 may focus the fields of view 134 of the at least two pixelated sensors 132 onto the measurement window 120. Alternatively or additionally, chief rays 135 of the fields of view 134 of the at least two pixelated sensors 132 may be directed towards each other at the measurement window 120 by the first imaging mirror 336 and the second imaging mirror 334.

[0166] 7 , the at least one optical element 300 may include a further imaging mirror 338. The further imaging mirror 338 may reflect incident radiation from the second imaging mirror 334 towards or onto the optical filter 140. The first imaging mirror 336 may reflect incident radiation towards or onto the second imaging mirror 334, which may reflect incident radiation towards or onto the further imaging mirror 338, which may reflect incident radiation towards or onto the optical filter 140. The further imaging mirror 338 may further focus the field of view 134 of the at least one pixelated sensor 132 onto the measurement window 120. Alternatively or additionally, the chief rays 135 of the fields of view 134 of the at least two pixelated sensors 132 may be further directed towards each other at the measurement window 120 by a further imaging mirror 338. Alternatively, the further mirror may be a further plane mirror.

[0167] Typically, the at least one optical element 300 may increase the optical path length of incident radiation from the measurement window 120 to the detector array 130 by at least 50 μm to 30 cm, 100 μm to 50 mm, or 500 μm to 15 mm. The optical path length between the first mirror and the second mirror may be at least 50 μm to 30 cm, 100 μm to 50 mm, or 500 μm to 15 mm. The optical path length between the second mirror and the further mirror may be at least 50 μm to 30 cm, 100 μm to 50 mm, or 500 μm to 15 mm.

[0168] Typically, the detector array 130 may include at least two further pixelated sensors 132, and the at least one optical element 300 may be configured to generate at least one further overlap between the fields of view 134 of the at least two further pixelated sensors 132 in the measurement window 120, and in particular, the at least one further overlap region 136 may include a further measurement spot of each further field of view 134 of the at least two further pixelated sensors 132.

[0169] Reference Number List spectrometer equipment 110 Housing 120 Measuring window 130 detector array 132 Pixelated Sensor (Pixel Sensor) 134 Field of view 135 Chief ray 136 overlapping area 138 Combined area 140 Optical Filters 142 Bandpass Filter 200 objects 210 Components 300 Optical Elements 310 Aperture (aperture) 320 Further Openings 330 First Plane Mirror 332 Second Plane Mirror 334 Second Imaging Mirror 336 First Imaging Mirror 338 Further Imaging Mirrors 400 Evaluation Device 500 Spectrometer System 600 Radiation-emitting element a width g Structure size s distance

Claims

1. A spectrometer device (100) for detecting incident radiation emanating from an object (200), comprising: - a measurement window (120) configured to receive incident radiation generated by the object (200) entering the spectrometer device (100), the measurement window (120) being at least one of a contact surface, a laying surface for the object (200) to be investigated; a detector array (130) including at least two pixelated sensors (132), each having a field of view (134) designed to receive at least a portion of the incident radiation, each pixelated sensor (132) configured to generate at least one detector signal related to the received incident radiation; an optical filter (140) arranged within a field of view (134) of the at least two pixelated sensors (132), the optical filter (140) configured to generate a spectrum of at least two separated wavelength signals from the incident radiation and to transmit the at least two separated wavelength signals onto a respective one of the at least one pixelated sensors (132); at least one optical element (300) configured to modify the field of view (134) of at least one pixelated sensor (132) by increasing at least one overlap between the fields of view (134) of said at least two pixelated sensors (132), wherein the at least one optical element (300) is: a first plane mirror (330), or First imaging mirror (336) at least one optical element (300) comprising a first mirror selected from at least one of and at least one optical element (300) comprising: a second plane mirror (332), or 〇 Second imaging mirror (334), a second mirror selected from at least one of:

2. 2. The spectrometer device (100) of claim 1, wherein increasing the at least one overlap between the fields of view (134) of the at least two pixelated sensors (132) increases at least one overlap region (136) that includes a measurement spot of each field of view (134) of the at least two pixelated sensors (132) on the measurement window (120).

3. 3. The spectrometer device (100) of claim 1 or 2, wherein the optical filter (140) is a variable length filter, the variable length filter including at least two bandpass filters (142), each bandpass filter (142) assigned to a respective pixelated sensor (132) by being positioned within the field of view (134) of the respective pixelated sensor (132), and each bandpass filter (142) configured to select at least one wavelength of the received incident radiation.

4. 3. The spectrometer device (100) of claim 2, wherein the ratio between at least one overlap area (136) generated by the measurement spots of each field of view (134) of the at least two pixelated sensors (132) and a combined area (138) generated by the measurement spots of each field of view (134) of the at least two pixelated sensors (132) on the measurement window (120) is at least 60%, 70%, 80%, or 90%.

5. 3. The spectrometer device (100) of claim 1, wherein a field of view (134) of a first pixelated sensor (132) of the at least two pixelated sensors (132) is tilted relative to a field of view (134) of a second pixelated sensor (132) of the at least two pixelated sensors (132) due to a change in the field of view (134) of the at least one pixelated sensor (132) by the at least one optical element (300).

6. 3. The spectrometer device (100) of claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least one optical element (300) comprises at least one aperture (310, 320) for trimming a field of view (134) of at least one pixelated sensor (132).

7. 3. The spectrometer device (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least one optical element (300) comprises at least one mirror, in particular a plane mirror or an imaging mirror.

8. 3. The spectrometer device (100) of claim 1 or 2, wherein the modification of the field of view (134) of the at least one pixelated sensor (132) by the at least one optical element (300) folds the field of view (134) of the at least one pixelated sensor (132) by increasing the optical path length between the detector array (130) and the measurement window (120).

9. 9. The spectrometer device of claim 8, wherein the field of view of the at least one pixelated sensor is folded by modifying the direction of a chief ray of the field of view to have a directional component parallel to the detector array, wherein the angle between the detector array and the direction of the chief ray is less than 0°, 20°, 40°, 60°, or 80°.

10. 3. The spectrometer device (100) of claim 1 or 2, wherein the field of view (134) of the at least one pixelated sensor (132) is focused by modifying the field of view (134) of the at least one pixelated sensor (132) by the at least one optical element (300).

11. 3. The spectrometer device (100) of claim 1 or 2, wherein the change in the field of view (134) of the at least one pixelated sensor (132) by the at least one optical element (300) redirects a chief ray (135) of the field of view (134) of the at least one pixelated sensor (132).

12. The at least one optical element (300) comprises: - Further plane mirrors - Further imaging mirrors (338) 3. The spectrometer device (100) of claim 1 or 2, comprising a further mirror selected from at least one of:

13. 3. The spectrometer device (100) of claim 1 or 2, wherein the spectrometer device (100) comprises at least one radiation emitting element (600), the at least one radiation emitting element (600) being configured to emit optical radiation.

14. A spectrometer system (500), - a spectrometer device (100) for detecting incident radiation generated by an object (200) according to claim 1 or 2; and an evaluation device (400) configured to determine information related to the spectrum of the object (200) by evaluating at least one detector signal provided by the spectrometer device (100); A spectrometer system (500) comprising:

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