Calibration of thermoelectric and thermo-optical properties in the factory or on-site.

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for operating a spectrometer apparatus (110) for acquiring spectral information of at least one object (112). The method includes, in particular, a step of using at least one evaluation unit (136) of the spectrometer apparatus (110) to evaluate the signal of a detector (128) that derives spectral information of the object (112), wherein the evaluation unit (136) is configured to select at least one correction information from a predetermined set of correction information in accordance with the actual value of at least one operating parameter, and to reflect the selected correction information in the acquisition of spectral information. The present invention further relates to a calibration method for assembling a set of correction information items, a spectrometer device (110) for acquiring spectral information of at least one object (112), a computer program, a computer-readable recording medium, and a non-temporary computer-readable recording medium. An advantage of the present invention lies in the fact that the operating parameters can provide reliable correction parameters, and in particular, can take ambient temperature into consideration. This makes it possible to compensate for variations in the spectral flux and / or spectral characteristics (particularly shift) of at least one light source (114).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for operating a spectrometer apparatus for acquiring spectral information about at least one object, a calibration method for assembling a set of correction information, and a spectrometer apparatus for acquiring spectral information about at least one object. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a computer program, a computer-readable recording medium, and a non-temporary computer-readable recording medium.

[0002] Such methods and apparatus are generally usable for survey or monitoring purposes, and are particularly usable in the infrared (IR) spectral region, especially the near-infrared (NIR) spectral region, and the visible (VIS) spectral region, for example, the spectral region that mimics human color vision. However, other applications may also be possible. [Background technology]

[0003] Spectrometers are known as efficient tools for acquiring the spectral properties of an object as it emits, irradiates, reflects, and / or absorbs light. Therefore, spectrometers can assist in the analysis of samples and other tasks where information regarding the spectral properties of an object is crucial.

[0004] Typically, in a spectrometer, spectral information is acquired via one or more detectors and one or more wavelength-selective optical elements (e.g., one or more dispersive optical elements, bandpass filters, prisms, gratings, interferometers, etc.). The detectors may include any type of photosensitive element, such as single or more pixel detectors, line detectors, or array detectors with one-dimensional or two-dimensional pixel arrays. Furthermore, the spectrometer may include one or more light sources. Thus, spectroscopy typically uses tunable light sources (e.g., lasers) and / or broadband light sources (e.g., halogen-filled bulbs and / or thermal rays). However, other light sources, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs), have also been proposed for the visible light region, either additionally or alternatively.

[0005] For example, Patent Document 1 (US 2010 / 208261 A1) describes an apparatus for measuring at least one optical property of a sample. The apparatus includes an adjustable excitation light source for irradiating the sample with excitation light. The apparatus further includes a detector for detecting detection light emitted from the sample. The excitation light source includes an array of light-emitting diodes, at least a portion of which is configured as a single-crystal light-emitting diode array. This single-crystal light-emitting diode array includes at least three light-emitting diodes, each having a different emission spectrum.

[0006] Patent document 2 (US 8,164,050 B2) describes a multi-channel light source assembly for downhole spectroscopy having individual light sources that generate optical signals across a wavelength range. A coupling assembly optically couples the generated signals into a combined signal, and a routing assembly splits the combined signal into a reference channel and a measurement channel. A control circuit electrically connected to the light sources modulates each light source at its own or independent frequency during operation.

[0007] Furthermore, Patent Document 3 (US 7,061,618 B2) describes an integrated spectroscopic system, and in some examples, an integrated variable detector using one or more Fabry-Perot variable filters is provided. In other examples, an integrated variable light source is used that combines one or more diodes, such as superlaminant light-emitting diodes (SLEDs), with a Fabry-Perot variable filter or etalon.

[0008] Furthermore, Patent Document 4 (US 5,475,221 A) describes an optical device that uses an array of light-emitting diodes controlled by a multiplexing method to replace conventional broadband light sources in devices such as spectrometers.

[0009] Generally, spectrometers are subject to various internal and external influences, including environmental influences, which can affect the results of spectroscopic measurements. Various calibration and / or correction methods are known to correct or compensate for these influences. These calibration methods may be performed once or multiple times under laboratory conditions, such as during manufacturing. However, multiple online calibration techniques are also known, which can be implemented by performing one or more correction and / or calibration steps between or during two spectroscopic measurements.

[0010] Patent Document 5 (US 09360366 B1) discloses a self-reference spectrometer that uses a shared aperture as an optical input and simultaneously and automatically calibrates and measures the optical spectrum of a physical object. Due to its simultaneous measurement and self-calibration functions, it can be used as a spectrometer that can be attached to a mobile computing device without requiring offline calibration using an external reference light source. The acquired spectral information and image data can be distributed via a wireless communication network through the mobile computing device.

[0011] Patent document 6 (DE 102014013848 B4) describes a microspectrometer for mobile applications for battery-powered terminals, particularly a near-infrared (NIR) microspectrometer (which overcomes the miniaturization and portability limitations of the aforementioned system configuration), a microspectrometer system, and a calibration method. The miniaturized near-infrared spectrometer is designed without active temperature stabilization. Instead, according to the invention, as part of a factory temperature calibration process, the spectral sensitivity function is recorded at multiple levels within the expected operating temperature range (QEλ = f(T); measured by an integrated temperature sensor).

[0012] Patent Document 7 (WO 2019 / 191698 A2) relates to a self-referencing spectrometer for simultaneously measuring a background or reference spectral density and a sample or other spectral density. The self-referencing spectrometer includes an interferometer optically coupled to receive an input beam of light, generate a first interference beam along a first optical path, and generate a second interference beam along a second optical path. Each interference beam is generated before the output of the interferometer. The spectrometer further includes a detector that simultaneously detects a first interference signal generated from the first interference light and a second interference signal generated from the second interference light, and a processing unit configured to process the first and second interference signals and to use the second interference signal as a reference signal in processing the first interference signal.

[0013] Patent document 8 (US 20210293620 A1) discloses a spectrometer having the following configuration: an illumination device for illuminating a spectroscopic measurement area; a detection unit for detecting electromagnetic radiation coming from the spectroscopic measurement area; and a spectroscopic element disposed between the optical path of the illumination device and the detection unit.

[0014] The lighting device includes: a light-emitting diode having a first central wavelength, designed to emit a first electromagnetic radiation having a first spectrum; and a light-emitting element that converts a first component of the first electromagnetic radiation having a first spectrum into a second electromagnetic radiation having a second spectrum. The first central wavelength is 550 nm or 3000 nm, or a value between 550 nm and 3000 nm. The first spectrum and the second spectrum overlap.

[0015] Patent document 9 (US 06667802 B2) discloses a calibration method for a spectroscopic inspection system. The method includes providing a plurality of packages, each package containing a group of items, each group of items having a known composition, measuring the reflectance value of each group of items to obtain a set of reference reflectance values, normalizing the set of reference reflectance values ​​to create a normalized set of reference reflectance values, and storing the normalized set of reference reflectance values.

[0016] Patent document 10 (US 06717669 B2) discloses an automated calibration spectrometer and method for measuring the transmittance or reflectance of a sample at a given wavelength without requiring long-term calibration. Reflectance spectrometers and transmission spectrometers, as well as automated calibration methods used therein, are disclosed. Light is focused onto a sample using a lens or similar optical element, the light that strikes the sample is reflected, and the light reflected from the sample is transmitted. By monitoring the light reflected from the first lens and the sample, very useful information regarding the relationship between the system response and time can be obtained. By monitoring the light reflected from the first lens and the sample, this reflected light is used to correct for changes in the system over time.

[0017] Patent document 11 (US 09448114 B2) discloses a spectrometer including a plurality of isolated optical channels. These isolated optical channels include a plurality of isolated optical paths. The isolated optical paths reduce crosstalk between optical paths and improve resolution while shortening the overall length of the spectrometer. In many embodiments, the isolated optical paths include isolated parallel optical paths that can significantly shorten the overall length of the device. In many embodiments, each isolated optical path runs from the filters of the filter array, through the lenses of the lens array, through the channels of the support array, and reaches a region of the sensor array. Each region of the sensor array includes a plurality of sensor elements, the position of each sensor element corresponding to the wavelength of light received based on the angle of light received at that position, the focal length of the lens, and the center wavelength of the filter.

[0018] Patent document 12 (US 2013 / 0093936 A1) discloses an energy dispersion device, spectrometer, and method for evaluating the composition of a substance in the field without requiring specialized training or expensive equipment. This energy dispersion device or spectrometer can be used in combination with a digital camera or smartphone. The device of this invention includes a stack of single or double dispersion diffraction gratings that can rotate around its normal direction, thereby generating multiple diffraction passes and enabling meaningful measurements and determinations regarding the qualitative or quantitative properties of the substance.

[0019] Patent document 13 (EP 2 818 837 A1) discloses a non-contact dental device for determining tooth color, which includes an illumination means for illuminating the tooth to be examined with ambient light. Inventively, at least one color sensor is provided for acquiring and spectrally analyzing the light reflected from the tooth, and the color sensor is associated with a filtering means for at least partially separating the signal component from the illumination light from the signal component from the ambient light. Downstream of the filtering means, an evaluation means is arranged for determining the tooth color based on the signal component from the illumination light.

[0020] Patent document 14 (US 2002 / 0109839 A1) discloses a calibration method for a spectroscopic inspection system, the method comprising providing a plurality of packages, each package containing a group of items having a known composition, measuring the reflectance value of each group, thereby obtaining a set of reference reflectance values, normalizing the set of reference reflectance values, thereby creating a normalized set of reference reflectance values, and storing the normalized set of reference reflectance values.

[0021] Patent document 15 (DE 10 2014 013 848 B4) discloses a miniaturized microspectrometer of near-infrared spectrophotometer, comprising an InGaAs detector array and an integrated temperature sensor for measuring a temperature calibration step to store information about the detector temperature, the microspectrometer is designed to operate on mathematical temperature compensation, which converts the current QE(T) function at the time of measurement into an effective function at a set temperature, thereby correcting the measured spectrum with the resulting QE(T) function to obtain a spectrum that virtually corresponds to the measured set temperature.

[0022] Patent document 16 (US 2011 / 0241549 A1) discloses a photogenerating system comprising a plurality of solid-state light-emitting elements (SSEs) and a stability control system for controlling the spectral stability of the SSEs. In a particular embodiment, the stability control system may include the following components: a power regulator that adjusts the power supplied to a subset of SSEs; a constant current circuit connected to the power regulator and supplying a constant current to a subset of SSEs; a current adjustment setpoint connected to the constant current circuit; and a controller configured to set the adjustment setpoint based on measurements of the state of the SSEs.

[0023] Non-patent document 1 (Thomas Tetzlaff et al.) reports in its IEEE paper "Hardware implementation of LED forward voltage measurement for junction temperature estimation" presented at the 19th International Conference on Thermal, Mechanical and Multiphysical Simulation and Experiment in Microelectronics and Microsystems (EUROSIME) held on April 15, 2018, that overheating of the LED junction significantly shortens the LED's lifespan. Color and light intensity are largely temperature-dependent, which degrades light quality. Therefore, thermal management to prevent overheating is essential. Even short-term temperature peaks can affect the LED's lifespan and light quality.

[0024] Despite the advantages obtained with known methods and equipment, several technical challenges remain in the field of spectroscopy and spectroscopic instruments, particularly in spectroscopy in the near-infrared region. Therefore, calibration techniques to compensate for various influences are particularly desired, and online correction of these influences at the spectroscopic measurement site is especially required. Temperature, in particular, is known to have a significant impact on the results and accuracy of spectroscopic measurements. Temperature changes can be caused by external factors such as changes in ambient temperature. Additionally, or alternatively, temperature changes may occur due to internal factors such as electrical current and electrical resistance within the spectroscopic instrument (e.g., due to power consumption). These temperature changes can occur on a short-term scale or in the form of long-term drift. Furthermore, it should be considered that temperature changes do not necessarily occur on an overall scale, and / or the entire spectrometer does not need to be in thermal equilibrium. Therefore, localized temperature changes can occur in locations that are difficult to monitor, such as specific parts within the spectrometer or at interfaces between components of the spectrometer (e.g., semiconductor interfaces). Furthermore, the temperature dependence of the system may also change. For example, even at a constant temperature, a system may behave differently over time, which could be due to factors such as degradation, aging, or changes in the optical or electrical interface due to frequent use. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0025] [Patent Document 1] US 2010 / 208261 A1 [Patent Document 2] US 8,164,050 B2 [Patent Document 3] US 7,061,618 B2 [Patent Document 4] US 5,475,221 A [Patent Document 5] US 09360366 B1 [Patent Document 6] DE 102014013848 B4 [Patent Document 7] WO 2019 / 191698 A2 [Patent Document 8] US 20210293620 A1 [Patent Document 9] US 06667802 B2 [Patent Document 10] US 06717669 B2 [Patent Document 11] US 09448114 B2 [Patent Document 12] US 2013 / 0093936 A1 [Patent Document 13] EP 2 818 837 A1 [Patent Document 14] US 2002 / 0109839 A1 [Patent Document 15] DE 10 2014 013 848 B4 [Patent Document 16] US 2011 / 0241549 A1 [Non-patent literature]

[0026] [Non-Patent Document 1] Non-patent document 1: Thomas Tetzlaff et al., "Hardware implementation of LED forward voltage measurement for junction temperature estimation" [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0027] Therefore, it is desirable to provide at least some solutions to the above technical problems and at least some methods that substantially avoid the shortcomings of known methods and apparatus. In particular, the object of the present invention is to provide a spectrometer apparatus capable of correcting for external and / or internal influences such as temperature changes and a method for acquiring spectral information of at least one object. [Means for solving the problem]

[0028] This problem is solved by a method for operating a spectrometer device to acquire spectral information of at least one object, a calibration method for assembling a correction information set, a spectrometer device to acquire spectral information of at least one object, a computer program, a computer-readable recording medium, and a non-temporary computer-readable recording medium. Advantageous embodiments that can be implemented in independent forms or in any combination are described throughout the dependent claims and specification.

[0029] In a first aspect, a method for operating a spectrometer apparatus to obtain spectral information from at least one object is disclosed. The method performs the following steps in a predetermined order, although a different order is possible. In particular, one, more, or all of the steps of the method may be performed once or repeatedly. Furthermore, the steps of the method may be performed sequentially, or alternatively, one or more steps of the method may be performed in overlapping, parallel, and / or combined manner as appropriate. The method may include additional steps of the method not described.

[0030] In this specification, the term “spectrometer” is a broad term and is intended to have the meaning that is ordinarily understood by those skilled in the art, and is not limited to any special or customized meaning. In particular, the term may also refer to an optical device configured to acquire at least one spectral piece of information for at least one object. Specifically, the at least one spectral piece of information represents at least one optical property or optically measurable property determined as a function of wavelength (one or more different wavelengths). More specifically, the optical property or optically measurable property and the at least one spectral piece of information may be related to a property that characterizes at least one of the properties of transmission, absorption, reflection, or emission of at least one object. These properties include cases where the object is present alone or measured after being illuminated by external light. The at least one optical property may be determined for one or more wavelengths. The spectrometer device may, in particular, form a device for recording signal intensity at wavelengths corresponding to a spectrum or a portion thereof (e.g., a wavelength interval), the signal intensity may, in particular, be provided as an electrical signal that can be used for further evaluation.

[0031] The spectrometer apparatus may, for example, be an apparatus that enables the measurement of at least one spectrum, which can, for example, measure spectral flux (particularly as a function of wavelength or detection wavelength). The spectrum may be acquired, for example, in absolute units or relative units (relative to at least one reference measurement). Thus, for example, the acquisition of at least one spectrum may be performed for the measurement of spectral flux (unit W / nm) or for the measurement of a spectrum against at least one reference material (unit 1), which spectrum may describe the properties of the material, such as reflectance with respect to wavelength. Additionally, or instead, the reference measurement may be based on a reference light source, an optical reference path, a calculated reference signal (e.g., a reference signal calculated from literature), and / or a reference apparatus.

[0032] Specifically, at least one spectrometer device may be a diffuse reflectance spectrometer configured to acquire spectral information from light diffusely reflected by at least one object (e.g., at least one sample). Additionally, or instead, at least one spectrometer device may be an absorption spectrometer and / or a transmission spectrometer, or may include both. In particular, spectral measurements by the spectrometer device may include measurements of absorption in a transmission configuration. Specifically, the spectrometer device may also be configured to measure absorption in a transmission configuration. However, as described above, other types of spectrometer devices are also feasible.

[0033] At least one spectrometer device may include at least one light source, as described in detail below, which may be, for example, a tunable light source, a light source having at least one fixed emission wavelength, or a broadband light source. The spectrometer device may further include at least one detector, as described in detail below, which is configured to detect light transmitted, reflected, or emitted from at least one object. The spectrometer device may also include at least one wavelength-selective element, for example, a grating, a prism, or a filter (for example, a variable-length filter whose transmission characteristics change in the lateral extension direction), as described in detail below. The wavelength-selective element may be used to separate the incident light into the spectrum of the wavelength signals constituting the incident light and to measure the intensity of each of them using a detector (for example, a detector having a detector array), as described in detail below.

[0034] The spectrometer apparatus may, in particular, be a portable spectrometer apparatus. In this specification, the term “portable” is a broad term and is intended to have the meaning that is ordinarily understood by those skilled in the art, and is not limited to any special or customized meaning. In particular, the term may, but is not limited to, the property that at least one object is movable by human force (e.g., by the force of a single user). Specifically, an object characterized by the term “portable” may include objects weighing no more than 10 kg, particularly no more than 5 kg, more specifically no more than 1 kg, or no more than 500 g. Furthermore, or alternatively, the dimensions of an object characterized by the term “portable” may be configured so as not to exceed 0.3 m in any dimension, and specifically no more than 0.2 m in any dimension. The object may, specifically, have a volume of 0.03 m³. 3 Not exceeding, specifically 0.01 m 3 Not exceeding, and more specifically 0.001 m 3 Not exceeding 500 mm 3 This may include devices that do not exceed the specified dimensions. In particular, for example, a portable spectrometer may include devices having dimensions of, for example, 10 mm × 10 mm × 5 mm. Specifically, a portable spectrometer is part of or can be attached to a mobile device such as a laptop computer, tablet, smartphone, smartwatch, or wearable computer (e.g., a body-worn computer such as a wristband or watch). In particular, the weight of a spectrometer, especially a portable spectrometer, is in the range of 1 g to 100 g, and more specifically, in the range of 1 g to 10 g.

[0035] The term “spectroscopic information” is also referred to herein as “spectral information” or “an item of spectral information,” and is a broad term with a general meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art, and is not limited to any special or customized meaning. The term may specifically, but not particularly limited, represent information relating to at least one object and / or radiation emitted from at least one object, information characterizing at least one optical property of an object, or more specifically, at least one piece of information characterizing (e.g., qualitatively or quantitatively) at least one propagation, absorption, reflection, or emission of an object. For example, at least one piece of spectral information may also include at least one piece of intensity information, which is, for example, information relating to the intensity of light propagated, absorbed, reflected, or emitted by an object, and includes, for example, information recorded as a function of wavelength or one or more wavelengths in a wavelength subrange, e.g., in a wavelength range. Specifically, the intensity information may be signal intensity recorded by a spectrometer for the wavelength or wavelength range of a spectrum, in particular corresponding to or derived from an electrical signal.

[0036] A spectrometer apparatus may be specifically configured to acquire the spectrum or a portion thereof of the detection light propagating from the object to the spectrometer. The spectrum may describe the radiant units of the spectral flux, for example, expressed in watts per nanometer (W / nm), or it may be expressed in other units, such as a wavelength function of the detection light. Thus, the spectrum may describe, for example, the optical power of the light in a specific wavelength band in the near-infrared (NIR) spectral range. The spectrum may include one or more optical variables as a wavelength function, such as power spectral density, electrical signals derived from optical measurements, etc. The spectrum may represent, for example, the power spectral density and / or spectral flow of the object (e.g., sample), or it may represent the transmittance and / or reflectance of the object (especially the sample) as a relative value to a reference sample (e.g., transmittance and / or reflectance).

[0037] The spectrum may include, for example, at least one measurable optical variable or property of the detected light and / or object, and may in particular include it as a function dependent on the illumination light and / or detected light. As an example, the at least one measurable optical variable or property may include at least one radiant quantity, such as spectral density, power spectral density, spectral flux, radiation flux, radiant intensity, spectral radiant intensity, illuminance, spectral illuminance. Specifically, for example, a spectrometer, in particular a detector, may include watts per square meter (W / m²). 2) Measuring the illuminance 、 More specifically 、 Watts per square meter per nanometer (W / m 2 It is also possible to measure the spectral irradiance (watts / nanometer (W / nm)). Based on the measured quantity, the spectral flux (watts / nanometer (W / nm)) and / or radiant flux (watts (W)) can be determined, for example, by taking into account the detector area.

[0038] In this specification, the term “subject matter” is a broad term and is intended to have the general meaning that is ordinarily understood by those skilled in the art, and is not limited to any special or customized meaning. The term “subject matter” is not particularly limited and may represent any object selected from living and non-living things. For example, at least one subject matter may include one or more articles and / or one or more parts of articles, and such at least one article or at least one part thereof may include at least one component that provides a spectrum suitable for investigation. Additionally or instead, the subject matter may be, or include, one or more living things and / or parts thereof, e.g., parts of the human body (e.g., user) and / or animals. The subject matter may, in particular, include at least one sample that can be analyzed completely or partially by spectroscopy. For example, the subject matter may be, or include, one or more of the following: human skin or animal skin; edibles (e.g., fruit); plastics and fibers.

[0039] This method involves the following steps: i. A step of irradiating an object with illumination light generated by at least one light source of a spectrometer, wherein the light source includes at least one light-emitting diode and at least one light-emitting material that converts primary light generated by the light-emitting diode into light; ii. A step of determining at least one measured value of at least one operating parameter of a spectrometer using at least one drive unit of the spectrometer, wherein the drive unit is configured to electrically drive a light source; iii. The step of detecting detection light from an object using at least one detector of a spectrometer and generating at least one detection signal; and iv. A step of evaluating a detector signal and deriving spectral information of an object using at least one evaluation unit of a spectrometer, wherein the evaluation unit is configured to select at least one correction information item from a predetermined set of correction information items depending on the actual value of at least one operating parameter, and to reflect the selected correction information item in the derivation of spectral information.

[0040] In step i, the object is illuminated by illumination light generated by at least one light source of the spectrometer device, wherein the light source includes at least one light-emitting diode and at least one light-emitting material that converts primary light generated by the light-emitting diode into light.

[0041] In this specification, the term “light” is a broad term and has the general meaning that is ordinarily understood by those skilled in the art, and is not limited to any special or customized meaning. The term may also refer to electromagnetic waves including one or more of the infrared, visible light, and ultraviolet spectral ranges, without particular limitation. Here, “ultraviolet spectral range” generally refers to electromagnetic waves with wavelengths from 1 nm to 380 nm, which preferably have wavelengths from 100 nm to 380 nm. Furthermore, in part with the ISO-21348 standard effective as of the date of this document, the term “visible spectral range” generally refers to the spectral range from 380 nm to 760 nm. The "infrared spectral range" (IR) generally refers to electromagnetic waves with wavelengths from 760 nm to 1000 μm. Of these, the range from 760 nm to 1.5 μm is usually called the "near-infrared spectral range" (NIR), the range from 1.5 μm to 15 μm is called the "mid-infrared spectral range" (MidIR), and the range from 15 μm to 1000 μm is called the "far-infrared spectral range" (FIR). Preferably, the light used in the typical applications of the present invention is light in the infrared (IR) spectral range, more preferably near-infrared (NIR) and / or mid-infrared spectral range (MidIR), and in particular, light with wavelengths of 1 μm to 5 μm, preferably 1 μm to 3 μm. This is because many properties or chemical compositional characteristics of materials can be derived from the near-infrared spectral range. However, it should be noted that spectroscopic methods in other spectral ranges are also possible and fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0042] Accordingly, the terms “light source” or “illumination source” as used herein are broad terms and have the ordinary meanings that are commonly understood by those skilled in the art, and are not limited to any special or customized meanings. The terms may also refer to any device that generates or provides light in the sense defined above, without being particularly limited. A light source may be at least one electric light source, including, for example, an electrically driven light source.

[0043] As will be explained in detail below, light sources can generally be implemented in various forms. For example, the light source may be part of the spectrometer apparatus, contained within the housing of the spectrometer apparatus. However, at least one light source may be configured as a separate light source located outside the housing. The light source may be positioned away from the object and configured to illuminate the object.

[0044] In spectroscopy, it is necessary to distinguish between the light source and the optical path. In the context of this invention, first, the light propagating from the light source to the object is referred to as "illumination light." Next, the light propagating from the object to the detector is referred to as "detection light." Detection light may also include illumination light reflected by the object, illumination light scattered by the object, illumination light transmitted by the object, and emitted light generated by the object (for example, fluorescent or phosphorescent light generated by the object after optical, electrical, or acoustic stimulation by the illumination light). Therefore, detection light may be generated directly or indirectly through the illumination of the object by the illumination light.

[0045] Furthermore, as will be explained in detail below, it is also possible to distinguish between various light sources, such as primary and secondary light sources, within the light source itself. Accordingly, as will be explained in more detail below, "primary light" (also called "pump light") may be generated by at least one primary light source, such as a light-emitting diode, and then converted into "secondary light" by optical conversion (e.g., conversion through one or more phosphor materials). Illumination light may be a primary light source or a part thereof, a secondary light source or a part thereof, or a mixture of both, or may include them.

[0046] Accordingly, the term “illuminate” as used herein is a broad term and is intended to have the general meaning that a person skilled in the art would ordinarily understand, and is not limited to any special or customized meaning. This term includes, but is not limited to, the process of exposing at least one element to light.

[0047] As described above, the light source includes at least one light-emitting diode and at least one light-emitting material that converts primary light generated by the light-emitting diode into light, and specifically, the illumination light may be a combination of primary light and light generated by the light conversion by the light-emitting material, or light generated by the light conversion by the light-emitting material (also called secondary light).

[0048] In this specification, the terms “light-emitting diode” or the abbreviation “LED” are broad terms and have the general meanings that are commonly understood by those skilled in the art, and are not limited to any specific or customized meanings. The term may also refer to, without particular limitation, a photoelectron semiconductor device that emits light as an electric current passes through the device. Photoelectron semiconductor devices may be configured to generate light by one or more physical processes, such as spontaneous emission, induced emission, or the decay of metastable excited states. For example, a light-emitting diode may include one or more of the following: a light-emitting diode based on spontaneous emission (especially organic light-emitting diodes), a light-emitting diode based on superluminescence (sLED), or a laser diode (LD). Hereafter, the abbreviation “LED” will be used to represent all types of light-emitting diodes, without limiting possible embodiments of light-emitting diodes to any of the aforementioned physical principles or configurations. Specifically, an LED may comprise at least two layers of semiconductor material and may be configured to generate light at the interface of the at least two layers of semiconductor material, and specifically may be configured to generate light by the recombination of positive and negative electric charges (e.g., by the recombination of electrons and holes). At least two semiconductor material layers may have different electrical properties; for example, at least one layer may be an n-type doped semiconductor material and at least one layer may be a p-type doped semiconductor material. For example, an LED may include at least one pn junction and / or at least one pn setup. However, it should be noted that other device structures are also possible. The at least one semiconductor material may be, in particular, at least one inorganic semiconductor material, or may include at least one inorganic semiconductor material. However, it should be noted that organic semiconductor materials may be used additionally or as a substitute.

[0049] In general, an LED converts electrical current into light, and may be converted into primary light, and more specifically into blue primary light, the details of which will be described later. Therefore, the LED may be a blue LED in particular. The LED may be configured to generate primary light (so-called "pump light"). Therefore, the LED may also be called a "pump LED". The LED may include at least one LED chip and / or at least one LED die. Therefore, the semiconductor elements of the LED may include a bare LED chip.

[0050] Various types of LEDs suitable for generating primary light are well known to those skilled in the art and are applicable to the present invention. Specifically, pn diodes may be used. For example, one or more LEDs selected from indium gallium nitride (InGaN) substrate LEDs, gallium nitride (GaN) substrate LEDs, InGaN / GaN alloy or combination thereof substrate LEDs, and / or other LEDs may be used. Additionally or instead, quantum well LEDs may be used, for example, one or more quantum well LEDs based on InGaN. Additionally or instead, superluminescent LEDs (sLEDs) and / or quantum cascade lasers may be used.

[0051] As used herein, the term “luminescence” is a broad term and is intended to have the general meaning that is ordinarily understood by those skilled in the art, and is not limited to any specific or customized meaning. Specifically, it includes, but is not limited to, the process of spontaneous emission of light by a substance that is not caused by heat. In particular, luminescence may also refer to “cold radiation.” More specifically, luminescence may be induced or excited by light irradiation, in which case luminescence may also be referred to as “photoluminescence.” In the context of this invention, the ability of a substance to emit light is expressed by the adjective “luminescence.” At least one luminescent material specifically refers to a photoluminescent material, i.e., a material that has the ability to emit light after absorbing a photon or excitation light. Specifically, a luminescent material may have a positive Stokes shift, which generally means that the secondary light is redshifted relative to the primary light.

[0052] Accordingly, at least one light-emitting material can also form at least one converter (also called an optical converter) that converts primary light into secondary light having different spectral characteristics from the primary light. Specifically, the spectral width of the secondary light may be wider than that of the primary light, and / or the central wavelength of the secondary light may be shifted (particularly red-shifted) relative to the primary light. Specifically, at least one light-emitting material may absorb in the ultraviolet and / or blue spectral region and emit in the near-infrared and / or infrared spectral region. Accordingly, generally, the light-emitting material or converter may form at least one component of a phosphor LED that converts primary light or pump light (particularly in the blue spectral region) into light of longer wavelengths (e.g., in the near-infrared or infrared spectral region).

[0053] Various types of conversions and / or luminescence are known and applicable in the context of this invention. Specifically, conversions occur via dipole-allowed transitions (fluorescence) in the luminescent material and / or via dipole-forbidden (and therefore long-lived) transitions in the luminescent material, the latter of which are commonly referred to as phosphorescence.

[0054] The luminescent material can thus also form at least one converter or light converter. The luminescent material can also form at least one of a converter platelet on the LED, a luminescent coating (especially a fluorescent coating) or a phosphor coating on the LED. The luminescent material can also contain, for example, one or more of the following materials: Ceriumdoped YAG (YAG:Ce 3+ 、 or Y3Al5O 12 :Ce 3+ ); Rare earthdoped sialon; Copperand aluminumdoped zinc sulfide (ZnS:Cu,Al).

[0055] The LED and the luminescent material can together form a so-called "phosphor LED". Thus, the term "phosphorescent light-emitting diode" or the abbreviation "phosphor LED" used herein is a broad term and is taken to have the meaning normally understood by those skilled in the art and is not limited to a special or customized meaning. This term is not particularly limited and can represent a combination of at least one light-emitting diode (LED) and at least one luminescent material (phosphor), where the light-emitting diode is configured to generate primary light or pump light and the luminescent material is configured to optically convert the primary light generated by the light-emitting diode. The phosphor LED can also form a packaged LED light source including an LED die (e.g., a blue LED emitting blue pump light) and a phosphor (e.g., one configured to completely or partially cover the LED and convert primary light or blue light into light having different spectral characteristics, particularly near-infrared light). Generally, the phosphor LED can be enclosed in one housing (case) or can be in an unenclosed state. Thus, the LED and at least one phosphor for optically converting the primary light generated by the light-emitting diode can be housed in a common housing. Alternatively, however, the LED is an unpackaged or bare LED and can be completely or partially covered with the luminescent material, which can be achieved, for example, by arranging one or more layers of the luminescent material on the LED die. Generally, the phosphor LED can form a light-emitting element or light source alone.

[0056] In a light source, particularly a phosphor LED, at least one light-emitting material may be positioned relative to a light-emitting diode (LED) to allow heat transfer from the LED to the light-emitting material. More specifically, the light-emitting material may be positioned to allow heat transfer by either thermal radiation and / or thermal conduction, or both, and more preferably by thermal conduction. For example, the light-emitting material may be positioned to have thermal and / or physical contact with the LED. For example, the light-emitting material may have one or more coatings or layers in contact with or near the LED, in contact with one or more of the semiconductor materials of the LED. In this way, the temperature of the light-emitting material and the temperature of the LED may generally be coupled.

[0057] At least one light-emitting material may, in particular, form at least one layer. In general, various alternatives for arranging the light-emitting material relative to a photoluminescent diode (LED) are achievable individually or in combination. First, the light-emitting material (e.g., at least one layer of the light-emitting material, e.g., a phosphor) may be directly arranged on the LED, also known as "direct attachment," which includes cases where there is no material between the LED and the light-emitting material, or where one or more transparent materials (e.g., one or more transparent materials placed between the LED and the light-emitting material and transparent to the principal light) are interposed. Thus, as an example, it is possible to arrange a coating of the light-emitting material directly or indirectly on the LED. Additionally, or alternatively, the light-emitting material may form, for example, at least one converter body (e.g., at least one converter disk), and this converter body may be placed on top of the LED, for example, by fixing the converter body to the LED with adhesive. Additionally, or alternatively, the light-emitting material may be arranged to be remotely arranged, so that the principal light from the LED passes through an intermediate optical path before reaching the light-emitting material. This arrangement is also called "remote placement" or "remote phosphor." For example, in remote placement, the light-emitting material can form a solid body such as a disk or converter disk, or a converter body. Furthermore, in remote placement, the light-emitting material may be a coating. In particular, a phosphor can be coated onto a light-transmitting object (e.g., a thin sheet made of / or manufactured from glass or plastic, such as a glass substrate or module window). Alternatively, the reflective surface may be coated with phosphor. This includes smooth or rough mirrors made of / or manufactured from a substrate of a highly reflective material such as silicon, or smooth or rough surfaces of glass or plastic coated with gold, silver, aluminum, or chromium. The intermediate optical path may also contain one or more optical elements, including lenses, prisms, gratings, mirrors, apertures, or combinations thereof. This specifically places an optical system with image-forming properties between the LED and the light-emitting material in the intermediate optical path. This allows, for example, the principal light to be focused or concentrated onto the converter body.

[0058] In step ii, at least one real value of at least one operating parameter of the spectrometer is measured using at least one drive unit of the spectrometer, which is configured to electrically drive the light source.

[0059] In this specification, the term “driving” is a broad term, given the meaning that a person skilled in the art would ordinarily understand, and is not limited to any special or customized meaning. In particular, the term may represent, but is not limited to, a process of supplying at least one control parameter and / or at least one or both of electrical power to another device. Accordingly, the term “driving unit” as used herein is a broad term, given the meaning that a person skilled in the art would ordinarily understand, and is not limited to any special or customized meaning. In particular, the term may represent, but is not limited to, any device or combination of devices that provide at least one control parameter and / or one or both of electrical power to another device. For example, in this embodiment, this represents a device that provides to at least one light source.

[0060] For example, the drive unit may be configured to measure and / or control one or more electrical parameters of the electrical power supplied to a light source (specifically, at least one light-emitting diode). For example, the drive unit may be configured to supply an electrical current to an LED and, in particular, to control the electrical current passing through the LED. In this case, for example, the drive unit may also be configured to adapt and measure the voltage supplied to the LED, where this voltage is required to realize a specific electrical current passing through the LED. The drive unit may encompass a measuring unit, which may specifically include one or more of the following: a current source, a voltage source, a current measuring device (e.g., an ampere meter), a voltage measuring device (e.g., a voltmeter), a power measuring device, or a thermometer. Specifically, the drive unit may also include at least one current source for supplying at least one predetermined current to the LED, which may be configured to adjust or control the voltage applied to the LED to generate the predetermined current. The drive unit may also include one or more electrical components, such as an integrated circuit for driving a light source. The drive unit may be fully or partially integrated with the light source, or it may be separate from the light source.

[0061] The drive unit may also determine, in particular, at least one operating parameter of the spectrometer device by providing and / or measuring it. In this specification, the term “operating parameter” is a broad term and has the meaning commonly understood by those skilled in the art, and is not limited to any special or customized meaning. In particular, this term may represent, but is not limited to, factors and / or conditions that directly and / or indirectly affect the operating process and / or function of the device, in particular the function of the spectrometer device in determining at least one spectroscopic piece of information on an object. At least one control parameter and / or electrical output provided by the drive unit may be an operating parameter. Alternatively, or additionally, at least one external factor in the environment in which the spectrometer device operates, in particular environmental conditions such as ambient temperature, may be an operating parameter. Furthermore, additional operating parameters may exist, as described in particular elsewhere in this specification.

[0062] In step iii, the detected light from the object is detected using at least one detector of the spectrometer, and at least one detection signal is generated.

[0063] As described in more detail above, the spectrometer apparatus comprises at least one detector configured to detect detection light (e.g., diffuse reflected light) detected from an object. The verb “detect” as used herein is a broad term, having the ordinary meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art, and is not limited to any special or customized meaning. The term may also, without particular limitation, describe a process of qualitatively and / or quantitatively determining, measuring, or monitoring at least one parameter (e.g., a physical parameter, a chemical parameter, a biological parameter). Specifically, the physical parameter may be an electrical parameter, or may include an electrical parameter. Accordingly, the term “detector” as used herein is a broad term, used in the sense commonly understood by those skilled in the art, and is not limited to any special or customized meaning. In particular, the term may also, without particular limitation, describe any apparatus for qualitatively and / or quantitatively determining, measuring, or monitoring at least one parameter (either a physical parameter, a chemical parameter, or a biological parameter). The detector may also be configured to generate at least one detector signal, more specifically at least one electrical detector signal (such as an analog and / or digital detector signal), the detector signal providing information about at least one parameter measured by the detector. The detector signal may also be provided directly or indirectly from the detector to an evaluation unit, thereby allowing the detector and the evaluation unit to be connected directly or indirectly. The detector signal may be used as a “raw” detector signal, or may be processed or preprocessed before further use, for example, by filtering. Accordingly, the detector may also include at least one processing unit and / or at least one preprocessing unit, such as an amplifier, an analog-to-digital converter, an electrical filter, a Fourier transform, etc.

[0064] In this embodiment, the detector is configured to detect light propagating from an object to a spectrometer or, more specifically, to the detector of the spectrometer, which is referred to as “detection light” according to the terminology described above. Thus, specifically, the detector may be at least one photodetector or may include at least one photodetector. The optical detector may be configured to measure at least one optical parameter, such as the intensity and / or power of light irradiated onto at least one photosensitive area of ​​the detector. More specifically, the optical detector may include at least one photosensitive element and / or at least one optical sensor, such as at least one of a photodiode, photocell, photosensitive resistor, phototransistor, thermoelectric sensor, photoacoustic sensor, pyroelectric sensor, photomultiplier, or bolometer. Thus, the detector may be configured to generate at least one detection signal, more specifically at least one electrical detection signal, in the sense described above, which provides information about at least one optical parameter, such as the power and / or intensity of light irradiated onto the detector or the photosensitive area of ​​the detector.

[0065] The detector may include a single photosensitive element or region, or multiple photosensitive elements or regions. Specifically, the detector may be at least one detector array, more specifically an array of photosensitive elements, or components thereof, as described in detail below. Each photosensitive element may include at least one photosensitive region adapted to generate an electrical signal in response to the intensity of incident light, which may, in particular, be provided to an evaluation unit, as described in detail below.

[0066] The photosensitive region contained within each photosensitive element may be a single, uniform photosensitive region configured to receive incident light irradiated onto each individual photosensitive element. However, other arrangements of photosensitive elements are also possible.

[0067] An array of photosensitive elements can also be designed to generate a detection signal (preferably an electronic signal) corresponding to the intensity of incident light striking each individual photosensitive element. The detection signal can be an analog and / or digital signal. The electronic signals of adjacent pixelated sensors can therefore be generated simultaneously or sequentially in time. For example, during a row scan, it is possible to generate a sequence of electronic signals corresponding to a linearly arranged sequence of individual photosensitive elements. Furthermore, each photosensitive element is preferably an active pixel sensor and can be adapted to amplify the electronic signal before supplying it to an evaluation unit. For this purpose, the detector may also include one or more signal processing devices (e.g., one or more filters and / or analog-to-digital converters) for processing and / or preprocessing the electronic signal.

[0068] If the detector includes an array of photosensitive elements, the detector is selected from, for example, known pixel sensors, particularly pixelated organic camera elements, preferably pixelated organic camera chips, or pixelated inorganic camera elements, preferably pixelated inorganic camera chips, and more preferably CCD chips or CMOS chips, which are currently commonly used in various cameras. Alternatively, the detector is generally a photoconductor, particularly an inorganic photoconductor, particularly PbS, PbSe, Ge, InGaAs, InSb, or HgCdTe. As a further alternative, it may also include at least one of pyroelectric, bolometer, or thermophilic detection element elements. Thus, a camera chip having a 1×N pixel or M×N pixel matrix may also be used, for example, where M is less than 10 and N is in the range of 1 to 50, preferably 2 to 20, and more preferably 5 to 10. Furthermore, a monochrome camera element, preferably a monochrome camera chip, may also be used, where a different monochrome camera element is selected for each optically sensitive element depending on the wavelength which changes along the sequence of optical sensors.

[0069] Therefore, the array may be adaptable to provide multiple electrical signals generated by the photosensitive regions of the photosensitive elements constituting the array. The electrical signals provided from the array of spectrometers are transmitted to the evaluation unit.

[0070] In step iv, the detector signal is evaluated using at least one evaluation unit of the spectrometer to derive spectral information of the object. The evaluation unit is configured to select at least one correction information from a predetermined set of correction information depending on the actual value of at least one operating parameter, and to reflect the selected correction information in the derivation of spectral information.

[0071] As further explained above, the spectrometer apparatus includes at least one evaluation unit for evaluating at least one detector signal generated by the detector and deriving spectral information of an object from the detector signal. In this specification, the term “evaluate” is a broad term and is intended to have the meaning that a person skilled in the art would ordinarily understand, and is not limited to any special or customized meaning. In particular, this term represents, but is not limited to, a process of processing at least one first information item to generate at least one second information item. Accordingly, the term “evaluation unit” as used herein is a broad term and is intended to be interpreted in the meaning that a person skilled in the art would ordinarily understand, and is not limited to any special or customized meaning. The term “evaluation unit” may represent, but is not limited to, any device or combination of devices configured to evaluate or process at least one first information item to generate at least one second information item. Accordingly, the evaluation unit may be configured to process at least one input signal to generate at least one output signal. At least one input signal may include, for example, at least one detector signal provided directly or indirectly from at least one detector, and may also include at least one signal provided directly or indirectly from a drive unit.

[0072] For example, the evaluation unit may consist of one or more integrated circuits (e.g., one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs)) and / or one or more data processing devices (e.g., one or more computers, digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), preferably one or more microcomputers and / or microcontrollers), or a configuration that includes these. Additional components may also be included, for example, one or more preprocessing devices and / or data acquisition devices (e.g., one or more devices for receiving and / or preprocessing detector signals, for example, one or more analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) and / or one or more filters). Furthermore, the evaluation unit may include one or more data storage devices. Furthermore, the evaluation unit may include one or more interfaces, for example, one or more wireless interfaces and / or one or more wired interfaces.

[0073] At least one evaluation unit may be adapted to run at least one computer program, for example, at least one computer program that performs or assists in the step of generating information items. For example, at least one algorithm may be implemented that takes at least one detection signal and at least one operating parameter as input variables and performs a predetermined transformation for deriving spectral information of an object, the transformation including the derivation of a corrected spectrum and / or the derivation of at least one spectral piece of information describing at least one property of the object. At least one additional parameter may be considered and / or included as an input variable. The evaluation unit may be configured to consider at least one additional parameter and / or variable.

[0074] For this purpose, the evaluation unit may also include, in particular, at least one data processing device (also referred to as a processor), which is specifically an electronic data processing device and may be designed to generate desired information by evaluating detector signals and / or at least one operational parameter. The evaluation unit may also be configured to take into account at least one additional parameter and / or variable. The evaluation unit may also be used to generate the required information by any processing, such as calculation and / or using at least one stored and / or known relationship.

[0075] The evaluation unit may also be configured to perform at least one digital signal processing (DSP) technique, in particular at least one Fourier transform, on the detector signal or its derived secondary detector signal. Additionally or alternatively, the evaluation unit may also be configured to perform one or more additional digital signal processing techniques on the detector signal or its derived secondary detector signal, including, for example, windowing, filtering, Goldser algorithm, cross-correlation, and autocorrelation. Furthermore, the detection signal and at least one operating parameter may influence the relationship. The relationship is decidable or determinable empirically, analytically, or semi-empirically. For example, the relationship may include a model or calibration curve, at least one set of calibration curves, at least one function, or a combination of the above possibilities. One or more calibration curves may be stored in a data storage device and / or table, for example, in the form of a set of values ​​and their corresponding function values. Alternatively or additionally, however, at least one calibration curve may be stored in parameterized form and / or as a functional expression. Separate relational expressions may also be used to convert the detection signal into information items. Alternatively, at least one composite relational expression for processing the detection signal can also be implemented. Various possibilities exist, and these can be combined.

[0076] As described above, the evaluation unit may also be configured to select at least one correction information item from a predefined set of correction information items, for example, by software programming. Thus, for example, the evaluation unit may also be configured to determine a spectrum from at least one detector signal provided by the detector, which may show a luminosity parameter or emission parameter as a function of wavelength. Alternatively, or additionally, the evaluation may be configured to select at least one correction information, taking at least one operational parameter into consideration. The selected at least one correction information depends on at least one operational parameter, and in particular, at least two different correction information is selected for at least two different operational parameters. The spectrum is corrected by applying at least one correction function (e.g., a correction coefficient, e.g., a correction coefficient for a wavelength-dependent correction function) to the spectrum, and a corrected spectrum is produced. The correction information may be, include, or correspond to at least one correction function (e.g., a correction coefficient, e.g., a correction coefficient for a wavelength-dependent correction function). For example, the correction coefficient may be, or include, at least one correction coefficient that is a function of the wavelength of the detected light and at least one operational parameter. The detector signal provides, for example, a signal as a function of the wavelength of the detected light, and by using a correction coefficient, each functional value of the detector signal is multiplied by a corresponding correction coefficient determined by at least one operating parameter.

[0077] For example, the detector signal may include multiple detector signals that are at least a function of the wavelength of the detected light, and may also include a time-dependent detector signal that is dependent on time as needed. These multiple detector signals may form a digital or analog spectrum. Thus, for example, each detector signal may summarize information from a predetermined spectral range defined by the spectral resolution of the detector. As will be described in detail below, the detector may also include multiple photosensitive elements, each of which is sensitive to a different spectral range and / or is exposed to different parts of the spectrum of the detected light. The combined detector signals of the photosensitive elements may constitute a detector signal, or as a whole may define, for example, spectral information, a part thereof, or its precursor. Since the sensitivity spectral range of each photosensitive element may be known, the detector signal can also be used to derive the intensity of the detected light for a given detection wavelength by combining data pairs of the photosensitive elements (each data pair containing the signal of the photosensitive element and the sensitivity wavelength). The signal of each photosensitive element may be corrected using a correction coefficient for the corresponding wavelength, which is provided by the evaluation unit as a function of at least one operational parameter. However, other methods for generating spectral information are also possible, such as sequentially exposing the same detector to different spectral regions of the detected light. This includes, for example, the use of a scannable wavelength-selective element. Correction of these sequentially measured spectra may be performed using a correction coefficient that is a wavelength function, in a similar manner to appropriately correct the spectrum.

[0078] Accordingly, the term “correction” as used herein is a broad term and is intended to have the ordinary meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art, and is not limited to any special or customized meaning. The term may also represent, without particular limitation, the modification or process of modifying at least one item of interest according to information indicating one or more parameters known to affect that item. Thus, the measured spectrum may be modified so that the modified spectrum matches a spectrum under precisely known or standardized conditions, for example, a spectrum under a specific temperature and / or predetermined operating parameters. The modified spectrum may then be compared to a reference spectrum determined under precisely known or standardized conditions, for example, a specific temperature and / or predetermined operating parameters. As an example, correction may include modifying the measured spectrum contained in the detector signal to correspond to predetermined operating parameters, in particular standardized conditions under predetermined operating parameters, which are necessary to drive, for example, a light-emitting diode. Thus, step iv. may also include a correction that modifies the measured spectrum derived from the detector signal to correspond to a corrected spectrum (specifically, a spectrum presumed to have been obtained under predetermined standard conditions). Standardized conditions may be defined using appropriate conditions, which can be done, for example, by using room temperature as a given temperature, or by using a specific measurable quantity required to drive the light-emitting diode, in particular a specific forward voltage measured at a given forward current at room temperature. However, other standard conditions are also possible.

[0079] One or more calibration measurements may be performed to determine the correction coefficient, in particular the correction function, and this is done by performing a calibration method that assembles a set of correction information used in a method otherwise described herein. Thus, the correction may be based on one or more calibration measurements. As an example, the calibration measurement may determine at least one detector signal as a function of operating parameters, and further, if necessary, as a function of the detection wavelength. As described above, at least one condition may be determined as a standard condition, which is, for example, at least one specific operating parameter required to drive a light-emitting diode. For example, specific operating parameters may be determined in advance to define the standard condition (e.g., for each wavelength). The correction coefficient, provided as correction information, may be determined for each wavelength by determining the ratio of the detector signal measured with any operating parameter to the detector signal measured with a specific operating parameter. Any operating parameter may be known from at least one measurement by at least one sensor. This allows the correction factor to be selected such that, in particular, if any operating parameter provided by the drive unit deviates from standard conditions, the corrected detector signal corresponds to the detector signal measured when the conditions were identical to predetermined standard conditions (e.g., room temperature). Furthermore, or alternatively, the temperature may be intentionally varied and set or adjusted to, for example, two or more target temperatures. Specifically, the standard conditions may include two or more predefined sets of target temperatures and / or corresponding sets of operating parameters. For each temperature, at least one operating parameter may be measured. The correction factor may then be determined as described above. In this specification, the term “predetermined set of correction information items” is a broad term and is intended to have the meaning that is ordinarily understood by those skilled in the art, and is not limited to any special or customized meaning. In particular, the term may represent, but is not limited to, a set of correction information items given for at least two different predetermined operating parameter values ​​for the same operating parameter.

[0080] The correction may be based on a model that describes the spectral characteristics of the light source as a function of at least one operating parameter (particularly positive voltage) and / or temperature. This model may be empirical, quasi-empirical, or theoretical. Thus, for example, as will be described in detail below, the effect of changes in the operating parameter on the measured spectrum may be measured in one or more calibration measurements, particularly in comparison with a reference spectrum, and the correction may be determined, for example, by measuring the spectrum as a function of the operating parameter using a standardized object or reference object. Subsequently, it is possible to correct the spectrum measured with other operating parameters to match the standardized spectrum, for example, using a specific operating parameter as a reference. At least one model that describes changes in the object's spectrum and / or spectral information as a function of the operating parameter, or at least one model that describes the corrections necessary to correct the object's spectrum and / or spectral information as a function of the operating parameter, may be determined in advance and stored, for example, in at least one data storage device of the spectrometer.

[0081] The detector may provide at least one raw detector signal in step iii, where the evaluation unit corrects the raw detector signal to at least one corrected detector signal using at least one selected correction information in step iv.

[0082] As further explained above, the evaluation unit may also be configured to correct at least one detector signal using corrections. Thus, for example, the evaluation unit may be configured, for example, by software programming, to convert a detector signal (specifically a raw detector signal, e.g., a spectrum derived therefrom) directly or indirectly into a corrected detector signal (e.g., a corrected spectrum). For example, as further explained above, the correction may include multiplying at least one detector signal (i.e., a "raw" detector signal or a derived signal therefrom, e.g., a spectrum generated using the detector signal) by at least one correction factor. This also allows for spectral correction considering operational parameters as correction parameters. The evaluation unit may also be configured, in particular, to derive spectral information using the corrected detector signal.

[0083] For example, the detector may be configured to generate a detector signal for at least one spectral range, specifically at least two different spectral ranges of light from an object, specifically at least one spectral range sequentially or simultaneously. For example, as described above, the detector may include an array of photosensitive elements, each of which is sensitive to a different spectral range or is exposed to light in different spectral ranges. The evaluation unit may be configured to derive spectral information by individually correcting the detector signals for different spectral ranges and combining the individually corrected detector signals. The individually corrected detector signals may then be combined, for example, to generate a corrected spectrum.

[0084] Therefore, generally, a detector may include an array of photosensitive elements configured such that each photosensitive element generates at least one detector signal. The evaluation unit may generally be configured to derive spectral information by individually correcting each detector signal and combining the detector signals. Therefore, it is also possible to individually correct for each photosensitive element the effect of correction parameters as operating parameters, especially when each photosensitive element is sensitive to or exposed to light in different spectral ranges (e.g., by one or more appropriate filters placed in the detection optical path).

[0085] As described above, the photosensitive elements may be sensitive to different spectral ranges of light from the object. Different spectral sensitivities can be achieved by using photosensitive elements having essentially different spectral sensitivities, for example, by using different integrated filters and / or different photosensitive materials (e.g., semiconductor materials). Alternatively, different spectral sensitivities can be achieved by placing filters, diffraction gratings, prisms, or one or more similar wavelength-selective elements in one or more optical paths of the detected light, so that different spectral components of the detected light from the object reach the individual photosensitive elements sequentially or simultaneously.

[0086] The set of correction information can be specified for at least one of the following: - Individual spectrometer devices; or - Multiple spectrometer devices, Here, in particular, a set of correction information items is assigned to each spectrometer based on the serial number of the spectrometer. The set of correction information items may further be specific to individual detectors, in particular to individual detectors within individual detector arrays. Thus, an individual spectrometer, including individual detector arrays having N detectors, may also contain N individual correction information sets. Therefore, individual correction information set items may be available for spectrometers of the same type. The first individual correction information set items may be assigned to exactly one or more first spectrometers, and the second individual correction information set items may be assigned to exactly one or more second spectrometers, where the first and second spectrometers are of the same type, and in particular may be identical in the functionality and / or arrangement and / or type of their components. In this specification, the term “type” is a broad term and has the general meaning that is ordinarily understood by those skilled in the art, and is not limited to any special or customized meaning. In particular, this term may also refer to parts and / or spectrometers belonging to the same series that differ only in function and / or structure due to manufacturing tolerances, but are not limited to this. Therefore, multiple separate correction information sets may be available for a particular type of spectrometer.

[0087] The evaluation unit may include a database storing multiple correction information items, each containing a set of correction information depending on the value of at least one different operational parameter. The database may also include at least one lookup table specifically configured to provide a set of correction information that the evaluation unit considers in order to derive spectral information. In this specification, the term “database” is a broad term and is intended to have the general meaning that a person skilled in the art would ordinarily understand, and is not limited to any special or customized meaning. The term may also represent an organized collection of data, without particular limitation. The evaluation unit may include a data storage device in which the database is stored. Alternatively, at least a portion of the database may be provided by a remote data storage device and / or an external data storage device (particularly configured as a remote server). The database may be implemented as a lookup table, or may include a lookup table. The term “lookup table” is a broad term and is intended to have the meaning that a person skilled in the art would ordinarily understand, and is not limited to any special or customized meaning. The term includes, but is not limited to, an array that replaces runtime calculations with simple array index operations. The lookup table may provide the necessary correction information for the evaluation unit as correction information.

[0088] At least one operating parameter includes at least two sets of operating parameters. The at least two operating parameters may also be independently selected from the following groups: electrical input current applied to the light-emitting diode; voltage applied to the light-emitting diode; electrical output applied to the light-emitting diode; forward voltage of the light-emitting diode; forward current of the light-emitting diode; ambient temperature; temperature within the spectrometer apparatus, specifically the temperature within at least one of the light source, drive unit, detector, or evaluation unit; operating mode parameters, specifically the number of measurements and / or measurement sequence, measurement time, duty cycle, parameters related to the operating mode of the light source, and parameters related to the operating parameters of the detector. At least two operating parameters include at least one temperature (specifically, at least one of the ambient temperature and the temperature within the spectrometer apparatus) and at least one electrical operating parameter of the spectrometer apparatus or an optical operating parameter of the spectrometer apparatus. At least two operating parameters may also include at least one operating mode parameter. Other operating mode parameters, as separately defined herein, may also be considered.

[0089] In this specification, the term “forward voltage” is a broad term and has the general meaning that is ordinarily understood by those skilled in the art, and is not limited to any special or customized meaning. In particular, the term may also, for example, represent a voltage applied to an LED in the forward direction (e.g., connecting the positive terminal of a voltage or current source to the p-layer and the negative terminal to the n-layer of the LED) so as to generate a predetermined electrical current through the LED. For example, the predetermined current defining the forward voltage may be a current known to produce a predetermined light output of a light source and / or light-emitting diode. The predetermined current may be in the range of 10 mA to 500 mA in particular, and more specifically, in the range of 50 mA to 300 mA. Furthermore, or alternatively, the term “forward voltage” may represent the minimum voltage that must be applied to an LED in the forward direction, and more specifically, the minimum electrical current defined to generate an electrical current through the LED (e.g., an amount of electrical current equal to or greater than a minimum threshold). One example of a positive voltage is the voltage that can be derived from the diode characteristics of an LED, which is specifically the voltage derived from a graph plotting the voltage applied to the LED on the horizontal axis and the current corresponding to that voltage on the vertical axis. Another example of a positive voltage is the voltage derived from a logarithmic plot of the diode characteristics of an LED, which can be derived, for example, by determining the voltage at the intersection of the straight line representing the steep portion of the positive branch of the characteristic curve with the horizontal axis or voltage axis, or by determining the voltage at the intersection of the straight line characterizing the steep portion of the positive branch of the characteristic curve with the horizontal axis or voltage axis. Therefore, the positive voltage can generally mean the voltage applied to the LED in the positive direction (p to n), and can represent the voltage required to drive the electrical current through the diode, especially the positive current. The positive voltage may also depend on the band gap of the LED. Therefore, generally, LEDs with a primary emission wavelength or primary emission wavelength range in the short wavelength range (e.g., the blue spectrum range) may require a higher positive voltage than LEDs that emit light in the long wavelength range, such as red light. The positive voltage is sometimes also called the "positive bias" or "junction voltage." The positive voltage includes V F or V LED The symbol may be used.

[0090] Therefore, generally, the direction of electrical current within an LED may be defined as the direction in which the current flows from the p-type doping layer to the n-type doping layer of the LED, and / or the direction in which the p-side or p-type doping layer of the LED is connected to the positive terminal of the power supply and the n-side or n-type doping layer is connected to the negative terminal of the power supply.

[0091] A measuring unit included in a drive unit may also be configured to determine at least one measured value of at least one operating parameter. In this specification, the term “measuring unit” is a broad term and is intended to have the meaning commonly understood by those skilled in the art, and is not limited to any special or customized meaning. The term “measuring unit” may also refer to any device or combination of devices configured to measure one or more operating parameters. A measuring unit may also include one or more measuring devices or elements, e.g., one or more voltage measuring devices. As an example, at least one actual value of at least one operating parameter is provided by the measuring unit in the form of at least one electrical signal and / or electrical information (e.g., including one or both of an analog signal and / or a digital signal). An electrical signal containing at least one actual value of at least one operating parameter may be provided directly or indirectly to an evaluation unit. The electrical signal may be time-dependent or static. A measuring unit may also be considered a functional part of a drive unit; however, a measuring unit may also be included as a physical entity by an evaluation unit and / or a drive unit.

[0092] The term “operational method parameter” is used herein in a broad sense and has the ordinary meaning that is ordinarily understood by those skilled in the art, and is not limited to any special or customized meaning. The term may also represent, without particular limitation, a parameter related to at least one step included in a series of steps of a process. Operational method parameters may be considered for correction of spectral information at the time the actual operational method parameters are determined. Alternatively, or additionally, operational method parameters may be considered for correction of spectral information at a time later than when the actual operational method parameters are determined. This allows operational method parameters that affect at least one subsequent measurement to be considered as correction information in at least one subsequent measurement. Operational method parameters from a previous measurement may be considered as correction information in a subsequent measurement. This allows operational method parameters from a previous measurement that affect or may affect a subsequent measurement to be considered as correction information in a subsequent measurement.

[0093] The operating procedure parameters are selected from at least one of the following: the number and / or order of measurements; measurement time; parameters related to the operating method of the light source, specifically parameters describing the mode of the light source (continuous wave mode, modulate mode, and / or duty cycle mode, etc.); parameters related to the operating parameters of the detector, specifically parameters describing the mode of the detector (gain mode, dark current mode, and / or compensation mode, etc.); voltage levels of the internal and / or external power supply of the spectrometer; operating load of the evaluation unit; power consumption from the internal and / or external power supply of the spectrometer to the spectrometer and at least one peripheral module, such as a camera, further connected to the internal and / or external power supply of the spectrometer; or wear and / or storage conditions of the spectrometer.

[0094] The method may be performed online, particularly in the field. In this specification, the term "online" is a broad term, having the ordinary meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art, and is not limited to any special or customized meaning. The term "online" may also, without particular limitation, describe the nature of a process performed as part of another process, such as a process performed during another process that does not require separate initiation or activation by the user. Therefore, specifically, correcting a detection signal with respect to at least one operating parameter may be performed as an online correction when acquiring spectral information relating to at least one object.

[0095] The method is at least partially computer-implementable. The method described above and / or any embodiment described in detail below may be at least partially implemented by computer control, computer implementation, or computer assistance, or a combination thereof, for example by using one or more computer programs running on at least one processor, the processor being, for example, at least one processor in a spectrometer, or at least one processor integrated in a detector and / or evaluation unit. Specifically, as outlined above, step iv. of the method may be one or more of computer control, computer implementation, or computer assistance. However, the other steps of the method (e.g., one or more of steps i., ii., and iii.) may also be one or more of computer control, computer implementation, or computer assistance.

[0096] In a further context, a calibration method is disclosed for assembling a set of correction information used in a method of operating a spectrometer to acquire spectral information of at least one object. The calibration method may perform the following steps in any order, although different orders are possible. In particular, one, more, or all of the steps of the method may be performed once or repeatedly. Furthermore, the steps of the method may be performed sequentially, or alternatively, one or more steps of the method may be performed in overlapping, parallel, or combined manner at appropriate timings. The method may include additional steps of the method not listed.

[0097] The calibration method includes the following steps: I. A step of performing multiple calibration measurements under different operating conditions of a spectrometer, wherein each calibration measurement measures the system response of the spectrometer in a controlled environment, and the system response includes spectral information; II. For each calibration measurement, record at least one value of at least one operating parameter; III. Step of assembling a set of correction information by comparing spectral information from each calibration measurement with at least one recorded value of at least one operating parameter. In this specification, the term “controlled environment” is a broad term and is intended to have the general meaning that is ordinarily understood by those skilled in the art, and is not limited to any special or customized meaning. The term may also mean, without particular limitation, a condition in which at least one parameter (e.g., at least one operating parameter) is set to a known and / or predetermined, particularly standard, value in the vicinity of and / or within the area of ​​the spectrometer apparatus. In a controlled environment, predetermined standard conditions (particularly as otherwise defined herein) may apply.

[0098] The calibration method may also include performing calibration measurements under these predetermined controlled environmental conditions. In particular, the ambient temperature; the temperature inside the spectrometer apparatus, especially the temperature of at least one of the light, drive unit, detector and / or evaluation unit, may be controlled to a predetermined value.

[0099] Step III may also include storing at least one emission spectrum, a correction function for the emission spectrum, or a correction coefficient for the emission spectrum in a lookup table. Calibration measurements may also be performed under different ambient temperatures. Step I may include the use of an external detector, and specifically, at least one of an external spectrometer and an external power meter. In this specification, the term “power meter” is a broad term and is given the meaning that a person skilled in the art would ordinarily understand, and is not limited to any special or customized meaning. This term may, without particular limitation, refer to a calibrated device capable of measuring spectral flow. To measure spectral flux, a power meter may also include at least one detector. An external power meter refers to a power meter not included in a spectrometer device. The calibration method may also include the use of an external power meter having at least one wavelength-selective element (specifically, at least one of an optical filter, a dispersion element, or a diffraction element). In this specification, the term “wavelength-selective element” is a broad term and is given the meaning that a person skilled in the art would ordinarily understand, and is not limited to any special or customized meaning. In particular, this term is not limited and can represent any optical element that interacts with incident light-alike spectral regions in different ways, including, but not limited to, elements having at least one wavelength-dependent optical property. Such wavelength-dependent optical properties include reflectance, reflection direction, refractive index, refraction direction, absorption, transmittance, etc.

[0100] Step I may include using the light source of the spectrometer and using at least one calibration target, in particular using at least one diffuse reflectance calibration target having known reflectance spectral characteristics, and Step I may further include using the light-emitting diode of the light source to perform multiple spectral measurements at a predetermined repetition rate, in particular the repetition rate being at least 0.1 Hz; 0.5 Hz; 1 Hz; 2 Hz; 5 Hz, or 10 Hz. This may heat the spectrometer, in particular by heating the light source and more specifically by heating the light-emitting diode. Using an external detector ensures that the calibration is independent of the heating effect on the external detector, since the external detector is not heated when the above steps are performed. This method ensures that the signal of the external detector used for calibration is stable. Alternatively, or additionally, the spectrometer may be heated by performing a series of spectroscopic measurements of a predetermined length. Typically, the series of spectroscopic measurements may have a predetermined length of at least 0.1 seconds; 0.5 seconds; or 1 second.

[0101] Spectroscopic measurements, particularly those on at least one calibration target, may be performed at predetermined time intervals before measurements to derive spectral information of the object. These predetermined time intervals may be at least 1 second, 5 seconds, or 10 seconds, 20 seconds, or 30 seconds in length. Alternatively, or additionally, the predetermined time intervals may be at least 5 minutes or 10 minutes in length. Alternatively, or additionally, the spectrometer may be heated when the spectrometer and / or software including the use of the spectrometer is activated. At least one diffuse reflectance calibration target for determining at least one performance parameter related to the detector may be contained within an integrating sphere, which is configured to connect the spectrometer to an external detector and / or external light source, for example, using at least one optical port.

[0102] Step II may include recording at least two, specifically at least three, and more specifically all, operating parameters from the list of operating parameters, including the following: the electrical input current applied to the light-emitting diode, the voltage applied to the light-emitting diode, the forward voltage of the light-emitting diode, and the forward current of the light-emitting diode; operating method parameters (specifically, the number of measurements and / or the measurement order, the measurement time, parameters related to the operating method of the light source, and parameters related to the operating parameters of the detector); and the calibration method further includes recording at least one optical signal, wherein the at least one optical signal includes at least one detector signal from the detector of the spectrometer or a signal provided from an external detector (specifically an external power meter); and Step III includes deriving correction information taking the optical signal into consideration. Additional or different operating method parameters (as defined elsewhere herein) may also be considered.

[0103] Additional correction information for correcting at least one actual value determined by at least one operating parameter determined by the drive unit can be determined using an external measuring device, where in particular step III may include considering the additional correction information when assembling a set of correction information. In particular this may calibrate the drive unit and / or the measuring unit. The external measuring device may be at least one optical sensor configured to detect time-resolved spectral data. For example, an external optical sensor and / or an optical fluxmeter and / or an external spectrometer, in particular combined with at least one static and / or at least one dynamic optical filter.

[0104] The light source may be driven by a predetermined control scheme to set the temperature of the light source to a predetermined value, in particular taking into account additional correction information and / or the heat capacity of the light source. In this specification, the term “driven by a predetermined control scheme” is a broad term and is intended to have the meaning that a person skilled in the art would ordinarily understand, and is not limited to any special or customized meaning. This term may, but is not limited to, supplying a specific amount of energy to the light source in order to heat it.

[0105] In step I, performing multiple calibration measurements under different operating conditions of the spectrometer can be done by determining at least one performance parameter by: using an external light source, particularly one with a known emission spectrum, to determine at least one performance parameter related to the detector; or using an external detector, particularly one with a known spectral efficiency, to identify at least one performance parameter related to the detector; where at least one performance parameter is considered when assembling the set of correction information in step III. The term “performance parameter” as used herein is a broad term and is intended to have the general meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art, and is not limited to any specific or customized meaning. In particular, the term can also, without limitation, represent a value that quantifies the relationship between an input and an output. The input may relate to at least one temperature, and the output may relate to at least one detector sensitivity, responsiveness, and / or dark current resistance. Alternatively, or additionally, the input may relate to temperature, positive voltage, positive current, and / or electrical output, and the output may relate to spectral flux, a shift of at least one peak wavelength, a shift of at least one peak amplitude, or a shift of the total flux of the external light source. Therefore, performance parameters may be particularly related to electronic values.

[0106] The calibration method may be repeated on other light sources of the same type, and further correction information sets may be created. As a result, individual correction information sets become available for spectrometers of the same type.

[0107] In a further context, a spectrometer apparatus for acquiring spectral information of at least one object is disclosed. The spectrometer apparatus includes the following components: A. A light source comprising at least one light source that generates illumination light for illuminating an object, the light source comprising at least one light-emitting diode and at least one light-emitting material for converting primary light generated by the light-emitting diode into light; B. At least one drive unit for driving a light source, configured to determine at least one measured value of at least one operating parameter of a spectrometer; C. At least one detector that detects light from an object and generates at least one detection signal; and D. At least one evaluation unit for evaluating a detection signal and deriving spectral information about an object, wherein the evaluation unit is configured to select at least one correction information item from a predetermined set of correction information items depending on the actual value of at least one operating parameter, and to consider the selected correction information item in the derivation of spectral information. At least one evaluation unit.

[0108] The light source may include a phosphor light-emitting diode. The light-emitting diode may, in particular, have at least a portion of its primary emission wavelength range located within the spectral range of 250 nm to 940 nm. In particular, the light-emitting diode may have at least a portion of its primary emission wavelength range located within the spectral range of 420 nm to 460 nm, more specifically within the range of 440 nm to 445 nm, and even more specifically within 440 nm.

[0109] The illumination light may have a spectral range in which at least a portion is located within the near-infrared spectral range, which is specifically in the range of 1 μm to 3 μm, preferably in the range of 1.3 μm to 2.5 μm, and more preferably in the range of 1.5 μm to 2.2 μm.

[0110] In a further aspect, a computer program is disclosed which, when executed by a spectrometer device, causes the spectrometer device to perform a method of operating the spectrometer device. In a further aspect, a computer-readable storage medium containing instructions is disclosed which, when executed by a spectrometer device, causes the spectrometer device to perform a method of operating the spectrometer device. In a further aspect, a non-temporary computer-readable medium containing instructions is disclosed which, when executed by one or more processors of the evaluation unit of the spectrometer device, causes one or more processors to perform a method of operating the spectrometer device.

[0111] As used herein, the terms “computer-readable data carrier,” “computer-readable storage medium,” and “non-temporary computer-readable medium” are broad terms and have meanings that are commonly understood by those skilled in the art, and are not limited to special or customized meanings. These terms may also refer to data storage means, particularly non-temporary data storage means (e.g., hardware storage media storing computer executable instructions). A computer-readable data carrier or storage medium or computer-readable medium may be, in particular, a storage medium such as random-access memory (RAM) and / or read-only memory (ROM).

[0112] In this specification, “having,” “including,” or “incorporating,” or any grammatical variations thereof, are used in a non-exclusive sense. Thus, these terms may refer to both situations in which the object described in the context has no further features other than those introduced by these terms, and situations in which one or more further features exist. For example, the expressions “A has B,” “A constitutes B,” and “A contains B” may refer to both situations in which A has no other elements other than B (i.e., A is solely and exclusively composed of B), and situations in which A has one or more additional elements other than B (e.g., element C, elements C and D, or yet another element).

[0113] Furthermore, expressions such as "at least one," "one or more," or similar phrases indicating that a feature or element may exist more than once are typically used only once when introducing the feature or element in question. In most cases, the phrases "at least one" or "one or more" are not repeated when referring to the feature or element in question, even if the feature or element exists more than once.

[0114] Furthermore, in this specification, the terms “preferred,” “more preferably,” “particularly,” “more especially,” “specifically,” “more specifically,” or similar terms are used to indicate optional characteristics and do not limit the possibility of substitution. Accordingly, the characteristics introduced by these terms are optional characteristics and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims in any way. As those skilled in the art will recognize, the present invention may be carried out using alternative features. Similarly, features introduced in “in one embodiment of the present invention” or similar expressions are intended to be optional features, without any limitation relating to alternative embodiments, limitations relating to the scope of the invention, or limitations relating to the possibility of combining such introduced features with other optional or non-optional features of the invention.

[0115] The spectrometer apparatus and method of the present invention offer several advantages over similar apparatuses and methods in one or more of the above embodiments, or in one or more of the embodiments described in detail below. Specifically, online correction or calibration for temperature changes, including local temperature changes within the light source, can be performed, which may affect the radiative properties of the light source. More specifically, the operating parameters can also provide reliable correction parameters, particularly when ambient temperature is taken into account. This allows for compensation of variations in the spectral flux and / or spectral characteristics (particularly shifts) of at least one light source. By generating specific and / or individual, particularly serial number-specific, correction information sets, particularly optimized corrections can improve the accuracy and / or reproducibility of spectrometer measurements.

[0116] Furthermore, using phosphorescent LEDs instead of, or in combination with, conventional thermal radiators (e.g., incandescent lamps using tungsten wires as light sources) can offer several advantages. Generally, thermal radiators can achieve flat spectra, low low-temperature dependence, and high power spectral density even in the long-wavelength range (e.g., the near-infrared region), but thermal radiators are usually not suitable for manufacturing large-capacity spectrometers. Therefore, thermal radiating elements have drawbacks such as high complexity of the manufacturing process, low efficiency in converting electricity to light, and physical limitations in miniaturization. These drawbacks can be overcome by using LEDs, especially phosphorescent LEDs. LEDs have been established as reliable light sources as a standardized light source in the visible light region.

[0117] In the context of the present invention, it is also possible to provide a broadband light source using one or more phosphor LEDs by configuring the spectrometer device to include at least one light-emitting diode and at least one light-emitting material or phosphor. This makes it possible to create, for example, a white light source or to realize a broadband light source in the infrared region, particularly the NIR region. The phosphor can convert photons with shorter wavelengths (and therefore higher energy) to photons with longer wavelengths (and therefore lower energy), and this conversion is carried out, for example, by transferring a portion of the energy of the primary photons to the phosphor material (e.g., a phosphor lattice). The remaining lower energy can cause the emission of long-wavelength photons.

[0118] Therefore, the light-emitting material may be configured to absorb one or more principal photons generated by a light-emitting diode and may emit one or more secondary photons in response to this absorption. The emission of secondary photons may occur immediately or after a delay or decay time. As described above, the light-emitting material may include a fluorescent material or at least one of the fluorescent materials. Fluorescence may cause the light-emitting material to emit secondary light (e.g., long-wavelength light) over a characteristic lifetime τ (tau) after the primary light source (e.g., short-wavelength or high-energy pump light) has been turned off, which may be due to, for example, a forbidden quantum optical transition or a forbidden dipole transition. Therefore, specifically, in the light-emitting material, the emission of secondary light may occur via a forbidden transition (e.g., a forbidden dipole transition) with a longer lifetime than, for example, a spontaneous dipole-allowed transition. This is similar to what is seen in many fluorescent materials.

[0119] Specifically, as described above, fluorescent materials, particularly those that absorb in the blue spectral region and emit light in the infrared spectral region, can also be used. For example, a light-emitting material capable of converting blue primary or pump light having a wavelength of 440 nm to near-infrared secondary light (e.g., secondary light having a wavelength in the 1-3 μm range, preferably 1.3-2.5 μm, more preferably 1.5-2.2 μm) can also be used. Additionally, or alternatively, the primary or pump light may be generated by an infrared LED with a wavelength in the 850 nm-940 nm range, and then converted by the light-emitting material to near-infrared secondary light (wavelength in the 1 μm-3 μm range, preferably 1.3 μm-2.5 μm, more preferably 1.5 μm-2.2 μm).

[0120] A phosphor LED comprising at least one light-emitting diode and at least one light-emitting material can be realized as a single element. Therefore, technically, a phosphor LED may include multiple subcomponents.

[0121] First, the phosphor LED may include an LED die having at least one functional element, for example, at least one junction between at least two semiconductor regions (e.g., at least one pn junction). In the LED die, principal light (e.g., short-wavelength excitation light, e.g., in the blue spectral range) may be generated.

[0122] Furthermore, the phosphor LED may include at least one light-emitting material, specifically at least one phosphor material, which is positioned in particular directly above the LED die and converts primary light (particularly excitation light) into secondary light (particularly long-wavelength near-infrared light).

[0123] Furthermore, the phosphor LED may also include at least one substrate, specifically at least one electrically insulating substrate. For example, the phosphor LED may also include at least one ceramic substrate. At least one substrate may be configured to hold at least one LED die and at least one light-emitting material. Furthermore, at least one substrate may hold or contain one or more electrical connection components, such as one or more contact pads and / or one or more electrical leads (e.g., one or more metal contacts and / or one or more metal leads). Furthermore, the substrate (e.g., a ceramic substrate) may be configured to function as a heat sink. Heat can be generated in both the LED die and the light-emitting material, and also within the light-emitting material, for example, during the conversion process, because the conversion from electrical energy to light energy is limited. This heat can be dissipated, for example, to the substrate within the ceramic substrate.

[0124] A spectrometer apparatus using at least one LED may also be configured to apply a continuous wave (CW) mode and / or preferably at least one modulation drive scheme to improve the accuracy and reliability of the measurement. For example, at least one drive unit may be configured to apply a modulation drive scheme to the LED, and the evaluation apparatus may be configured to take the modulation drive scheme into consideration when deriving at least one spectroscopic piece of information from at least one detector signal. For example, means well known to those skilled in the art, such as lock-in techniques and filter techniques, may be applied.

[0125] Therefore, the spectrometer can also be configured to apply a modulation drive method to the LED in order to compensate for the DC background of the detector or to reduce detector noise. For example, it is possible to remove the DC component by applying a bandpass filter to the detector signal.

[0126] Illumination light generated by a light source, particularly a phosphor LED, may be guided to illuminate the sample. Optionally, one or more mirrors may be used to guide the illumination light. Detection light (e.g., reflected light) from the object may be guided to a detector. Optionally, one or more optical components may be used in this process. For example, one or more wavelength-selective elements (e.g., dispersion elements) may be used to split the detection light into its spectral components.

[0127] The detector may record one or more detection signals using, for example, a readout electronic circuit incorporated into a spectrometer, and specifically, using one or both of the detector and / or evaluation device. The readout electronic circuit may also include, for example, one or more signal processing devices. Thus, as described above, a "raw" detector signal may be used for evaluation by the evaluation device, or one or more secondary detector signals (e.g., one or more filtered detector signals) derived therefrom. Furthermore, at least one detector signal (primary or secondary) may be combined with wavelength information (e.g., derived from the number of photosensitive elements in the array of photosensitive elements from which the detector signal was derived), where this wavelength is known to have been exposed to a specific wavelength within a particular wavelength range. In the context of the present invention, particularly in the context of evaluation of the detection signal by an evaluation unit of the detection signal, the option of evaluating the raw detection signal and / or the secondary detection signal (e.g., a pre-processed detection signal, a processed detection signal, or a combined detection signal) is feasible. However, the present invention is particularly useful for correcting the "raw" detection signal, which indicates the signal intensity relative to the detection wavelength. Other options are also possible.

[0128] For example, the detector signal (e.g., from the detector itself and / or the evaluation unit) may be processed or preprocessed into a secondary detector signal by applying one or more Fourier transforms. For example, a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) may be applied. From the processed secondary detector signal, at least one spectroscopic piece of information may be derived by software running on the evaluation unit. For example, the Fourier transform of the detector signal may be read out by software of a spectrometer, particularly an evaluation device, and post-processed into spectroscopic information of the object.

[0129] As described above, LEDs and phosphor LEDs can also provide modulable, efficient light sources for implementing specific evaluation methods and reducing noise and artifacts. Temperature fluctuations, particularly within the light source and especially within the LED, can be fully or partially compensated for by using at least one piece of information regarding the operating parameters as a correction or calibration parameter. Thus, in the case of typical LEDs used herein, when the LED operates at the maximum voltage and current it can withstand, the temperatures of various components of the light source, particularly the LED, can vary over a wide temperature range. For example, typical operating currents are in the range of 2 mA to 1000 mA, usually 10 mA to 300 mA. For example, the positive voltage is in the range of 1.5 V to 3.5 V, usually 2.25 V to 3 V. Thus, for example, under maximum operating conditions, the temperature of the light-emitting element junction can reach 135 °C. The operating case temperature may vary in the range of -40 °C to 135 °C, and the emitter storage temperature may vary in the range of -40 °C to 125 °C. The ESD sensitivity of the LED is 250 V, according to the standard ANSI / ESDA / JEDEC JS-001-2012. These typical parameters represent a wide range of temperature variations, which can affect the spectral information obtained from the object by the spectrometer. Other parameters and parameter ranges are also possible.

[0130] It is generally known that phosphor LEDs produce different spectra when the composition of the luminescent material differs, for example, when the composition of the phosphor differs. Typically, each phosphor LED has multiple peaks in its spectrum, and its spectrum extends over a wide wavelength range. However, even when the same current is applied to a phosphor LED, the spectral characteristics and the spectrum itself can change with temperature. These changes include shifts in emission peaks, broadening or narrowing of the spectrum, and increases or decreases in emission intensity. In many cases, emission at a particular wavelength is more affected than emission at other wavelengths. Therefore, typically, there is a specific central wavelength in the spectrum where power (especially power spectral density) is not affected by temperature changes. Each wavelength has its own temperature coefficient for increasing or decreasing power. Consequently, the shape of the spectrum changes with temperature. By using operating parameters as correction parameters, individual temperature corrections can be performed on spectra at different wavelengths. Therefore, as described above, the evaluation unit can also be configured to individually correct the detector signals in different spectral ranges and derive spectral information by combining the individually corrected detector signals. More specifically, as described above, this individual correction can be carried out using an array of photosensitive elements, each of which may be configured to generate at least one detection signal, each of which can be individually corrected using an operating parameter as a correction parameter. Finally, the corrected detection signals can be combined to derive spectral information.

[0131] By using operating parameters as correction parameters, temperature changes and the individual characteristics of phosphor LEDs can be corrected. For example, when the same current is applied to an LED, the positive voltage of the LED usually decreases with increasing temperature. Each type of LED has its own positive voltage-to-temperature characteristic curve. Typically, the positive voltage of an LED decreases linearly with increasing temperature, for example, between 1 and 10°C. -4 ~1.10 -3 This shows the gradient within the V / K range.

[0132] Furthermore, the spectrometer apparatus and method may also take into account the properties of the light-emitting material used as the light source. Therefore, as described above, a delay occurs between the absorption of at least one primary photon by the light-emitting material and the emission of at least one secondary photon by the light-emitting material. This delay is represented by the so-called "characteristic time constant" τ, also referred to as the "time constant," "decay time," or "saturation time." As is well known to those skilled in the art, the term "time constant" in this specification is a broad term, used in the sense ordinarily understood by those skilled in the art, and is not limited to any special or customized meaning. In a process, if the rate or probability of a process, such as photon emission, is proportional to the distribution of one or more states or process states, the distribution usually changes exponentially. The time constant τ in these processes can determine the 1 / e time of the process. In light-emitting materials or converters, particularly phosphors, two different time constants may exist. First, the first time constant may describe the typical time until the emission of converted light reaches saturation. Second, the second time constant may describe the typical time of the afterglow of the light-emitting material or converter.

[0133] The typical time constant of a phosphor converter is in the range of 0.1 ms to <10 ms. The time constant usually differs between different phosphor LEDs or between different types of phosphor materials or phosphors. Generally, phosphors emitting shorter wavelengths exhibit smaller time constants. Furthermore, the decay constant (τ) d ) and growth constant (τ g The time constant can be wavelength-dependent. The time constant is usually derived from the step response of the optical signal obtained by applying / cutting a positive current.

[0134] After interrupting the positive current, the signal or light emission typically decays according to equation (1):

number

number

[0135] A further characteristic of LEDs is their optical output power as a function of the positive current. Therefore, generally, increasing the input current increases the power the LED can handle. The shape of the optical output curve (e.g., the slope) is a characteristic specific to each individual LED.

[0136] As described above, efficient and reliable online correction or calibration can be achieved by using operating parameters as control or correction parameters for spectroscopic measurement purposes. This overcomes various challenges related to typical spectrometers and their calibration. Specifically, in a typical spectroscopic measurement process, the instrument response is calibrated by a reference measurement using the spectrometer, so the measurement results provide information only about the sample. However, if the optical components of the spectrometer are changed between the reference measurement and the sample measurement, the sample information may be affected by the system change, potentially distorting the information about the sample. In particular, the optical spectrum S of the light source Ls (λ) is the optical spectrum S of the light source at the time of reference measurement. LS,Ref (λ) and during actual sample measurement (optical spectrum S of the light source) LS,Sample When (λ) changes, the spectral information of the object or sample is distorted. This is because the ratio S of the two spectra is distorted. Ls (λ), S LS,Sample This is because the shift usually occurs at (λ). In the case of phosphor LEDs, the situation is even more complex. This is because the spectrum of a phosphor LED is a combination of the LED spectrum and the spectrum of the light-emitting material. The two components of a phosphor LED can be affected differently by temperature changes. Therefore, the spectrum of a phosphor LED is usually expressed by equation (3):

number

[0137] Here, S Ls (λ,T pn ,Tp ) is the wavelength λ and the pn junction temperature T of the LED. pn , and the temperature T of the phosphor p This represents the spectrum of the light source LS with parameter S. blue (λ,T pn ) represents the spectrum of an LED (e.g., a blue LED), and S phosphor (λ,T p ) represents the spectrum of a light-emitting material (e.g., phosphor).

[0138] The LED and the light-emitting material are two subcomponents that each exhibit separate temperature responses. Therefore, changes or shifts in system temperature, or changes or shifts in ambient temperature (especially between reference and sample measurements), commonly affect the spectrum by influencing both the LED junction and the light-emitting material.

[0139] In summary, and without prejudice to further possible embodiments, the following embodiments are conceivable.

[0140] Embodiment 1 A method for operating a spectrometer apparatus to acquire spectral information of at least one object, comprising the following steps: i. A step of illuminating an object with illumination light generated by at least one light source of a spectrometer, wherein the light source includes at least one light-emitting diode and at least one light-emitting material for photoconverting the primary light generated by the light-emitting diode; ii. A step of determining at least one measured value of at least one operating parameter of a spectrometer using at least one drive unit of the spectrometer, wherein the drive unit is configured to electrically drive a light source; iii. The step of detecting detection light from an object using at least one detector of a spectrometer and generating at least one detection signal; and iv. A step of evaluating the detector signal and deriving spectral information of the object using at least one evaluation unit of the spectrometer, wherein the evaluation unit is configured to select at least one correction information item from a predetermined set of correction information items in accordance with the actual value of at least one operating parameter, and to reflect the selected correction information item in the derivation of spectral information. A method that includes this.

[0141] Embodiment 2 The set of correction information items is at least the following: - Individual spectrometer devices; or - Multiple spectrometer devices, The method according to Embodiment 1, wherein the set of correction information items is specific to at least one of the spectrometers, and in particular, is assigned to each spectrometer by the serial number of the spectrometer.

[0142] Embodiment 3 The method according to Embodiment 1 or 2, wherein the detector provides at least one raw detector signal in step iii, and the evaluation unit corrects the raw detector signal to at least one corrected detector signal using at least one selected correction information item in step iv.

[0143] Embodiment 4 The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 3, wherein the evaluation unit includes a database storing at least one correction information item depending on the value of at least one different operating parameter.

[0144] Embodiment 5 The method according to Embodiment 4, wherein the database includes at least one lookup table specifically configured to provide a plurality of correction information items that the evaluation unit considers in order to derive spectral information.

[0145] Embodiment 6 The method according to embodiment 4 or 5, wherein at least one operating parameter includes a set of at least two operating parameters.

[0146] Embodiment 7 The method according to Embodiment 6, wherein at least two operating parameters are independently selected from the following group: electrical input current applied to the light-emitting diode; voltage applied to the light-emitting diode; electrical output applied to the light-emitting diode; forward voltage of the light-emitting diode; forward current of the light-emitting diode; ambient temperature; temperature inside the spectrometer apparatus, specifically temperature within at least one of the following: light source, drive unit, detector or evaluation unit; operating method parameters, specifically the number and / or sequence of measurements, measurement time, duty cycle, parameters related to the operating method of the light source, parameters related to the operating parameters of the detector.

[0147] Embodiment 8 The method according to Embodiment 6 or 7, wherein at least two operating parameters include at least one temperature (specifically, at least one of ambient temperature and temperature inside the spectrometer apparatus) and at least one of an electrical operating parameter of the spectrometer apparatus and an optical operating parameter of the spectrometer apparatus.

[0148] Embodiment 9 The method according to Embodiment 8, wherein at least two operating parameters further include at least one operating method parameter.

[0149] Embodiment 10 The method according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 9, wherein at least part of the method is performed by a computer.

[0150] Embodiment 11 A calibration method for assembling a set of correction information used in any of the methods of Embodiments 1 to 10, comprising the following steps: I. Perform multiple calibration measurements under different operating conditions of the spectrometer, measure the system response of the spectrometer under controlled conditions in each calibration measurement, and the system response includes spectral information; II. A step of recording at least one value of at least one operating parameter in each calibration measurement; III. Steps to assemble a set of correction information by comparing spectral information from each calibration measurement with at least one recorded value of at least one operating parameter, A calibration method that includes this.

[0151] Embodiment 12 The calibration method according to Embodiment 11, comprising the step of performing a calibration measurement under predetermined controlled environmental conditions.

[0152] Embodiment 13 Step III is the calibration method according to Embodiment 11 or 12, which includes storing at least one of an emission spectrum, a correction function for an emission spectrum, or a correction factor for an emission spectrum in a lookup table.

[0153] Embodiment 14 A calibration method according to any one of embodiments 11 to 13, wherein the calibration measurement is performed under different ambient temperatures.

[0154] Embodiment 15 A calibration method according to any one of embodiments 11 to 14, wherein an external detector is used in step I, and specifically, at least one of an external spectrometer or an external power meter is used.

[0155] Embodiment 16 The calibration method according to Embodiment 15, wherein the calibration method includes using an external power meter having at least one wavelength-selective element, specifically at least one of an optical filter, a dispersion element, or a diffraction element.

[0156] Embodiment 17 A calibration method according to any one of Examples 11 to 16, wherein step I. uses a light source of a spectrometer, uses at least one calibration target, specifically at least one diffuse reflectance calibration target having known reflectance spectral characteristics, and step I. further includes performing a plurality of spectral measurements using a light-emitting diode of the light source at a predetermined repetition rate, specifically 0.1 Hz, 0.5 Hz, 1 Hz, 2 Hz, 5 Hz, or 10 Hz.

[0157] Embodiment 18 Step II includes recording at least two, specifically at least three, and more specifically all, operating parameters from the list of operating parameters, including the electrical input current applied to the light-emitting diode, the voltage applied to the light-emitting diode, the forward voltage of the light-emitting diode, the forward current of the light-emitting diode, the operating method parameters (specifically the number and / or order of measurements), the measurement time, parameters related to the operating method of the light source, and parameters related to the operating parameters of the detector; and the calibration method further includes recording at least one optical signal, wherein the at least one optical signal includes at least one of the detector signal of the spectrometer apparatus and a signal provided from an external detector (specifically an external power meter); and Step III includes deriving correction information taking the optical signal into consideration, the calibration method according to any one of Examples 11 to 17.

[0158] Embodiment 19 A calibration method according to any one of Examples 11 to 18, comprising determining additional correction information using an external measuring device to correct at least one determined measured value corrected by at least one operating parameter determined by a drive unit, and taking such additional correction information into consideration when assembling a set of correction information in step III.

[0159] Embodiment 20 A calibration method according to any one of Examples 11 to 19, wherein the light source is driven by a predetermined control method to set the temperature of the light source to a predetermined value, in particular taking into consideration additional correction information and / or the heat capacity of the light source.

[0160] Embodiment 21 Performing multiple calibration measurements under different operating conditions of the spectrometer in Step I is at least as follows: - Using an external light source, particularly one with a known emission spectrum, to identify at least one performance parameter, especially one related to the detector; or - Use an external detector, especially one with a known spectral efficiency, to identify at least one performance parameter related to the detector; The calibration method described in any one of Examples 11 to 20 is carried out by determining at least one performance parameter by any one of the following, wherein at least one performance parameter is considered when assembling the set of correction information in step III.

[0161] Embodiment 22 A calibration method described in any one of Examples 11 to 21, wherein the calibration method is repeatedly performed on further light sources of the same type to assemble a further set of correction information specific to those further light sources.

[0162] Embodiment 23 A spectrometer device for acquiring spectral information of at least one object, A. At least one light source for generating illumination light to illuminate an object, the light source comprising at least one light-emitting diode and at least one light-emitting material for converting primary light generated by the light-emitting diode into light; B. At least one drive unit for driving a light source, the drive unit configured to determine at least one measured value of at least one operating parameter of a spectrometer device; C. At least one detector that detects light from an object and generates at least one detection signal; and D. At least one evaluation unit for evaluating a detector signal and deriving spectral information of an object from the detector signal, At least one evaluation unit having a configuration for selecting at least one correction information item from a predetermined set of correction information items in accordance with the actual value of at least one operating parameter, and for reflecting the selected correction information item in the derivation of spectral information, A spectrometer device, including a spectrometer.

[0163] Embodiment 24 The spectrometer apparatus according to Example 23, wherein the light source includes a phosphor light-emitting diode.

[0164] Embodiment 25 The main emission wavelength range of the light-emitting diode is at least partially located within the spectral range of 420 nm to 460 nm, more specifically at least partially located within the range of 440 nm to 455 nm, and even more specifically at 440 nm. The spectrometer apparatus as described in Example 23 or 24.

[0165] Embodiment 26 A spectrometer apparatus according to any one of Examples 23 to 25, wherein at least a portion of the illumination light is located within the near-infrared spectral range, and more specifically, this range is 1 μm to 3 μm, preferably 1.3 μm to 2.5 μm, and even more preferably 1.5 μm to 2.2 μm.

[0166] Embodiment 27 A computer program that, when executed by a spectrometer apparatus described in any one of embodiments 23 to 26, includes a command to cause the spectrometer apparatus to perform the operating method of the spectrometer apparatus described in any one of embodiments 1 to 10.

[0167] Embodiment 28 A computer-readable storage medium wherein a program recorded on the storage medium includes a command to cause the spectrometer apparatus described in any one of embodiments 23 to 26 to perform a method of operating the spectrometer apparatus in accordance with the method of operating the spectrometer apparatus described in any one of embodiments 1 to 10, when the program is executed by the spectrometer apparatus described in any one of embodiments 23 to 26.

[0168] Embodiment 29 A non-temporary computer-readable medium containing, when performed by one or more processors of the evaluation unit of the spectrometer apparatus described in any one of Embodiments 23 to 26, a command to cause one or more processors to perform the operating method of the spectrometer apparatus described in any one of Embodiments 1 to 10. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0169] Furthermore, optional functions and embodiments are disclosed in detail in the following description of embodiments, preferably in conjunction with dependent claims. In these, each optional function may be implemented independently or in any feasible combination, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. The scope of the invention is not limited by the preferred embodiments. Embodiments are schematically shown in the drawings. In these drawings, the same reference numerals represent the same or functionally equivalent elements. [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the spectrometer apparatus. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the light source. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows a schematic flowchart illustrating the generation and processing of the detector signal. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows a superposition of infrared emission spectra of phosphor LEDs at various temperatures. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows the change in emission output as a function of temperature at a selected number of wavelengths. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows the graph of the positive voltage against temperature at the selected current. [Figure 7] Figures 7A and 7B show the spectra of two different phosphor LEDs. [Figure 8] Figures 8A and 8B show the attenuation constant (Figure 8A) and growth constant (Figure 8B) of a phosphor LED emitting light in the wavelength range of 1.3 μm to 2 μm, as wavelength functions. [Figure 9] Figures 9A and 9B show the attenuation constant (Figure 9A) and growth constant (Figure 9B) of a phosphor LED emitting light in the wavelength range of 1.6 μm to 2.1 μm, as functions of wavelength. [Figure 10] Figure 10 shows the optical output normalized as a function of the positive current. [Figure 11] Figure 11 shows how to operate a spectrometer device for acquiring spectral information of at least one object. [Figure 12] Figure 12 shows a calibration method for assembling a set of correction information. [Figure 13] Figure 13 shows an example of a calibration setup. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0170] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a spectrometer apparatus 110 for acquiring spectral information of at least one object 112. The spectrometer apparatus 110 may include multiple components, as shown in Figure 1. The possible components of the spectrometer apparatus 110 and their interactions will be described below with particular reference to Figure 1. The spectrometer apparatus 110 includes at least one light source 114 that generates illumination light 116 for illuminating the object 112. The light source 114 may be a tunable light source, a light source having at least one fixed emission wavelength, or a broadband light source, or a combination thereof. In particular, the light source 114 may be at least one electric light source, or include one. The light source 114 includes at least one light-emitting diode 118 and at least one light-emitting material 120 that converts the primary light generated by the light-emitting diode 118 into light. For example, the light-emitting diode 118 may include one or more of the following: a light-emitting diode (LED) based on spontaneous emission, a light-emitting diode based on superluminescence (sLED), or a laser diode (LLED).

[0171] The LED 118 may include at least two semiconductor material layers 121, where light may be generated at the interface of the at least two semiconductor material layers 121, particularly by the recombination of positive and negative electrical charges. The at least two semiconductor material layers 121 (for example, at least one layer being n-type doped semiconductor material 121 and at least one layer being p-type doped semiconductor material 121) may have different electrical properties. Thus, for example, the LED 118 may include at least one pn junction and / or at least one pin configuration. However, other device structures are also possible.

[0172] The light-emitting diode 118 may generate primary light, which may also be called "pump light." The primary light may then be converted into "secondary light" by photoconversion, for example, through one or more light-emitting materials 120 (e.g., phosphor materials). Thus, at least one light-emitting material 120 forms at least one converter (also called an optical converter) that converts the primary light into secondary light having different spectral characteristics from the primary light. Specifically, the spectral width of the secondary light may be wider than that of the primary light, and / or the center wavelength of the secondary light may be shifted (particularly redshifted) relative to the primary light. Specifically, at least one light-emitting material 120 may also have absorption in the ultraviolet and / or blue spectral region and emission in the near-infrared and / or infrared spectral region. The illumination light 116 may be a mixture of primary light or a portion thereof, secondary light or a portion thereof, or both, or may include them.

[0173] As shown in Figure 1, the light source 114 may specifically include a phosphor light-emitting diode 122 (also referred to as a phosphor LED 122). The phosphor LED 122 may be a combination of at least one light-emitting diode 118 configured to generate primary light or pump light, and at least one light-emitting material 120 (phosphor) configured to convert the primary light generated by the light-emitting diode 118 into light. The phosphor LED 122 may form a packaged LED light source including, for example, an LED die 124 that emits blue pump light with a blue LED, and the phosphor may include, for example, an LED 118 that completely or partially coats the LED 118 and is configured to convert, for example, the primary light or blue light into light having different spectral characteristics, specifically near-infrared light. Figure 2 shows a detailed view of the light source 114 realized as a phosphor LED 122.

[0174] In general, the light source 114 can be implemented in various forms. For example, as shown in Figure 1, the light source 114 can be configured as part of the spectrometer apparatus 110, which is located inside the housing 126 of the spectrometer apparatus 110. However, at least one light source 114 may be located outside the housing 126, for example, as a separate light source 114 not shown. The light source 114 is located at a distance from the object 110 and can illuminate the object 110 (see Figure 1).

[0175] The illumination light 116 generated by the light source 114 can propagate from the light source 114 to the object 112. In Figure 1, the illumination light 116 generated by the light source 114 and propagating to the object 112 is indicated by an arrow. The object 112 may, in particular, include at least one sample that can be analyzed completely or partially by spectroscopy.

[0176] As is clear from Figure 1, the spectrometer apparatus 110 further comprises at least one detector 128 for detecting detection light 130 detected from the object 112. The light propagating from the light source 114 to the object 112 may be referred to as "illumination light 116," while the light propagating from the object 112 to the detector 128 may be referred to as "detection light 130." In Figure 1, the detection light 130 is indicated by an arrow. The detection light 130 may include illumination light 116 reflected by the object 112, illumination light 116 scattered by the object 112, illumination light 116 transmitted by the object 112, and emission light generated by the object 112, for example, fluorescence light or at least one of fluorescence light generated by the object 112 after the object 112 has been optically, electrically, or acoustically stimulated by illumination light 116 or similar light. Therefore, the detection light 130 may be generated directly or indirectly by illuminating the object 112 with the illumination light 116.

[0177] The detector 128 may be at least one optical detector 132, or may include at least one optical detector 132. The optical detector 132 may also be configured to measure at least one optical parameter, such as the intensity and / or power of light irradiated onto at least one photosensitive area of ​​the detector 132. More specifically, the optical detector 132 may also include at least one photosensitive element and / or at least one optical sensor, such as at least one of a photodiode, photocell, photosensitive resistor, phototransistor, thermophilic sensor, photoacoustic sensor, pyroelectric sensor, photomultiplier, or bolometer. The detector 128 may be configured to generate at least one detection signal, more specifically at least one electrical detection signal, in the sense described above, providing information about the power and / or intensity of light irradiated onto the detector 128 or the photosensitive area of ​​the detector 128.

[0178] The detector 128 may include a single photosensitive element or region, or multiple photosensitive elements or regions. As shown in Figure 1, the detector 130 may include at least one detector array, more specifically an array of photosensitive elements 134. Each photosensitive element 134 may be configured to generate at least one detector signal. In particular, each photosensitive element 134 may include at least one photosensitive region adapted to generate an electrical signal in response to the intensity of incident light, which can be provided to the evaluation unit 136 of the spectrometer, which will be described in detail below.

[0179] If the detector 128 includes an array of photosensitive elements 134, the detector 128 may be selected from, for example, known pixel sensors, and in particular from CCD chips or CMOS chips. Alternatively, the detector 128 may generally be, or include, photoconductors, particularly inorganic photoconductors (e.g., PbS, PbSe, Ge, InGaAs, InSb, or HgCdTe). Further alternatives may include at least one of pyroelectric, bolometer, or thermopile detector elements.

[0180] The spectrometer apparatus 110 includes at least one evaluation unit 136 that evaluates at least one detector signal generated by the detector 128 and derives spectral information of the object 112 from the detector signal. The detector 128 may also provide the detector signal directly or indirectly to the evaluation unit 136. Thus, the detector 128 and the evaluation unit 136 may be connected directly or indirectly, as shown by the arrows in Figure 1. The detector signal may be used as a “raw” detector signal, or it may be processed or preprocessed before further use, including, for example, filtering. Thus, the detector 128 may also include at least one processing unit and / or at least one preprocessing unit (e.g., an amplifier, an analog-to-digital converter, an electrical filter, a Fourier transform, etc.).

[0181] At least one evaluation unit 136 is configured to evaluate the detector signal and derive spectral information about the object. The evaluation unit 136 is further configured to select at least one correction information from a predetermined set of correction information depending on the actual value of at least one operating parameter, and to reflect the selected correction information in the derivation of spectral information.

[0182] As shown in Figure 1, the spectrometer apparatus 110 further comprises at least one drive unit 138 for electrically driving the light source 114. The spectrometer apparatus 110 includes at least one measuring unit 139. The measuring unit 139 is configured to generate at least one piece of information relating to an operating parameter, in particular to the positive voltage required to drive the light-emitting diode 118. The measuring unit 139 may also be an element of the drive unit 138, as shown in Figure 1. In particular, the drive unit 138 may be configured to supply an electrical current to the LED 118, and in particular to control the electrical current passing through the LED 118. In this case, for example, the drive unit 138 may be configured to adjust and measure the voltage supplied to the LED 118, the voltage required to achieve a specific electrical current passing through the LED 118. The drive unit 138 may specifically include one or more of the following: a current source 140, a voltage source, a current measuring device (e.g., an ampere meter), a voltage measuring device 142 (e.g., a voltmeter), and a power measuring device. Specifically, the drive unit 138 may also include at least one current source 140 for supplying at least one predetermined current to the LED 118, where the current source 140 may specifically be configured to generate the predetermined current by adjusting or controlling the voltage applied to the LED 118. The drive unit 138 may also include one or more electrical components, such as an integrated circuit for driving the light source 114. The drive unit 138 may be configured to be fully or partially integrated with the light source 114, or to be separated from the light source 114, the latter configuration being shown in Figure 1.

[0183] As described above, the drive unit 138 is configured to generate at least one piece of information relating to the positive voltage, in particular, at least one piece of information relating to the positive voltage, which is necessary for driving the light-emitting diode 118. The positive voltage may be applied to the LED from the positive direction, i.e., applied so that the positive terminal of the voltage or current source 140 is connected to the p-layer and the negative terminal to the n-layer of the LED 118, thereby causing a predetermined electrical current to flow through the LED 118. For example, the predetermined current that defines the positive voltage is a current known to produce a predetermined light output of the light source 114 and / or the light-emitting diode 118.

[0184] To provide at least one piece of information relating to at least one operating parameter necessary to drive the LED 118, particularly to generate a positive voltage, for example, to drive the LED 118 in the positive direction with a predetermined electrical current, the measurement unit 139 may include one or more measuring devices or elements, such as one or more voltage measuring devices 142. The at least one piece of information relating to at least one operating parameter may be provided by the measurement unit 139 as at least one electrical signal and / or electrical information, for example, encompassing one or both of an analog signal and a digital signal. The electrical signal containing the at least one piece of information relating to at least one operating parameter may be provided directly or indirectly to the evaluation unit 136. The electrical signal may be time-dependent or static.

[0185] As described above, as shown in Figure 1, the spectrometer apparatus 110 includes at least one evaluation unit 136 that evaluates at least one detector signal generated by the detector 128 and derives spectral information of the object 112 from the detector signal. The evaluation unit 136 is configured to consider information about at least one operating parameter when deriving spectral information from the detector signal. Specifically, the evaluation unit 136 may also be configured to process at least one input signal and generate at least one output signal. The at least one input signal may include, for example, at least one detector signal provided directly or indirectly from at least one detector 128, and further may include at least one signal provided directly or indirectly from the measurement unit 139, the signal which may include at least one piece of information about at least one operating parameter. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the arrow between the drive unit 138 including the measurement unit 139 and the evaluation unit 136 in Figure 1 indicates the provision of a signal containing at least one piece of information about at least one operating parameter to the evaluation unit 136 and / or the acquisition of such signal by the evaluation unit 136.

[0186] The evaluation unit 136 may be one or more integrated circuits (e.g., one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), or may include them, and / or may include one or more data processing devices 144 (e.g., one or more computers, digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), preferably one or more microcomputers and / or microcontrollers). Additional components may be included, for example, one or more preprocessing devices 146 and / or data acquisition devices (e.g., one or more devices for receiving and / or preprocessing detector signals, e.g., one or more analog-to-digital converters (AD converters) and / or one or more filters). Furthermore, the evaluation unit may also include one or more data storage devices 148, as shown in Figure 1. Furthermore, the evaluation unit 136 may also include one or more interfaces, e.g., one or more wireless interfaces and / or one or more wired interfaces.

[0187] Specifically, the evaluation unit 136 may be configured to determine, for example by software programming, at least one correction from information on at least one operating parameter, which is a correction based on a model that describes the spectral characteristics of the light source 114 as a function of at least one operating parameter. The evaluation unit 136 may further be configured to use the correction to correct at least one detector signal. The correction may specifically involve multiplying at least one detector signal by at least one correction coefficient, as described in detail above and further illustrated below. The evaluation unit 136 is configured to derive spectral information using the corrected detector signal.

[0188] As described in detail above, the detector 128 may specifically include an array of photosensitive elements 134. Each photosensitive element may also be configured to generate at least one detector signal. The evaluation unit 136 may also be configured to individually correct each detector signal and combine the detector signals to derive spectral information. The spectrometer apparatus 110 may be configured such that the photosensitive elements of the detector 128 are sensitive to different spectral ranges of light from the object 112. In particular, the detector 128 may be configured to generate detector signals corresponding to at least two different spectral ranges of light from the object (specifically, sequentially or simultaneously). The spectrometer 110 may also be configured to include at least one filter element 150 positioned in the optical path of the light from the object 112. The filter element 150 may specifically be configured such that each photosensitive element is exposed to individual spectral ranges of light from the object 112.

[0189] The spectrometer apparatus 110 may further include one or more optical components 151 (e.g., one or more of at least one mirror, at least one lens, at least one aperture, and at least one wavelength-selective element 152). Specifically, one or more optical components 151 may be located in at least one of the optical paths of the illumination light 116 or the detection light 130. The spectrometer apparatus 110 may, in particular, include at least one wavelength-selective element 152. The wavelength-selective element 152 may be selected from a group of adjustable wavelength-selective elements 152 and wavelength-selective elements 152 having a fixed transmission spectrum. For example, when using an adjustable wavelength-selective element 152, it is possible to sequentially select different wavelength ranges. On the other hand, when using a wavelength-selective element 152 having a fixed transmission spectrum, the selection of the wavelength range is fixed, but may depend, for example, on the position of the detector. The wavelength-selective element 152 may be used to separate incident light into the spectrum of constituent wavelength signals and measure the intensity of each wavelength signal using a detector (e.g., detector 128 of the spectrometer 110). The detector 128 may include an array of photosensitive elements 134. At least one wavelength-selective element 152 may also include, for example, at least one of a filter, a diffraction grating, or a prism. The wavelength-selective element 152 may, in particular, include at least one wavelength-selective element 152 located in the optical path of the illumination light 116 and at least one wavelength-selective element 152 located in the optical path of the detection light 130. Figure 1 shows one embodiment of a spectrometer 110 in which one wavelength-selective element 152 is located in the optical path of the illumination light 116 and one wavelength-selective element 152 is located in the optical path of the detection light 130.

[0190] The spectrometer apparatus 110, schematically shown in Figure 1, is configured to acquire spectral information relating to at least one object 112. In particular, the spectrometer apparatus may also be configured to acquire information relating to, for example, at least one object and / or radiation emitted from at least one object, i.e., information characterizing at least one optical property of the object, and more specifically, information characterizing at least one of the transmission, absorption, reflection, or emission of at least one object, for example, to be evaluated qualitatively or quantitatively. For example, at least one spectral piece of information may include at least one intensity piece of information, which is, for example, information relating to the intensity of light transmitted, absorbed, reflected, or emitted by the object, which is expressed, for example, as a function of wavelength or one or more wavelengths in a wavelength subrange, for example, in a wavelength range. Thus, the spectrometer apparatus 110 may also be configured to acquire at least one spectrum or at least a portion of a spectrum of detected light 130 propagating from the object 112 to the detector 128. The spectrum may describe the radiative measurement unit of the spectral flux, for example, expressed in watts per nanometer (W / nm), or it may be expressed in other units, for example, as a wavelength function of the detected light. Thus, the spectrum may describe the optical power of light in a specific wavelength band within the near-infrared (NIR) spectral range, for example. The spectrum may include one or more optical variables as a wavelength function, such as power spectral density, electrical signals derived from optical measurements, etc. Examples of spectra are shown, for example, in Figures 4, 7A and 7B. The spectrometer 110 may be a portable spectrometer 110, which may be used particularly in the field.

[0191] Figure 2 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the light source 114. At least one light source 114 of the spectrometer apparatus 110 may also be configured to generate or supply electromagnetic waves in one or more of the infrared, visible light, or ultraviolet spectral ranges. Since the material properties or chemical compositional properties of many objects 112 are derived from the near-infrared spectral region, the light used in typical applications of the present invention may be light in the infrared (IR) spectral region, and particularly preferably light in the near-infrared (NIR) and / or mid-infrared (MidIR) spectral region, which is light with a wavelength of 1 μm to 5 μm, preferably 1 μm to 3 μm. The light source 114 includes at least one light-emitting diode 118 for photoconversion of primary light generated by the light-emitting diode 118, and at least one light-emitting material 120. The LED 118 and the light-emitting material 120 may together constitute a phosphor LED 122 as described above.

[0192] As shown in Figure 2, the phosphor LED 122 may also include one or more functional components. Specifically, the phosphor LED 122 may also include one or more substrates 154, in particular one or more electrically insulating substrates 154. In particular, the phosphor LED 122 may include one or more ceramic substrates 156, as shown in Figure 2. The substrate 154 may be configured to hold at least one LED die 124 and at least one light-emitting material 120. Furthermore, at least one substrate 154 may hold or include one or more contact pads 158 and / or one or more electrical connection components (e.g., one or more metal contacts and / or one or more metal leads), as shown in Figure 2. The substrate 154 may also be configured to function as a heat sink. Heat may be generated in the LED die 124 because the conversion from electrical energy to light energy is limited. Heat may also be generated in the light-emitting material 120, for example, during the conversion process. The heat can be dissipated to the substrate 154, such as a ceramic substrate.

[0193] As shown in Figure 2, the phosphor LED 122 may include a light-emitting diode 118. The light-emitting diode 118 may be configured to convert an electrical current into primary light (e.g., blue primary light) using at least one LED chip and / or at least one LED die 124, as shown in Figure 2. Specifically, a pn diode may be used. For example, one or more LEDs 118 selected from indium gallium nitride (InGaN) substrate LEDs 118, GaN substrate LEDs 118, InGaN / GaN alloy or a combination thereof substrate LEDs 118, and / or other LEDs 118 may be used. Additionally, or instead, a quantum well LED 118 may be used, for example, one or more quantum well LEDs 118 with indium gallium nitride (InGaN) substrates may be used. Additionally, or instead, a superluminescent LED (sLED) and / or a quantum cascade laser may be used. As is further evident from Figure 2, the phosphor LED may include at least one light-emitting material 120 configured to convert the primary light generated by the light-emitting diode 118 into light. In the context of the present invention, various types of conversion and / or emission are known and available. Specifically, the light-emitting material 120 may include at least one of the following: cerium-doped YAG (YAG:Ce3) + , or Y3Al5O 12 :Ce 3+ ); Rare earth-added sialon; copper and aluminum-added zinc sulfide (ZnS:Cu,Al).

[0194] Specifically, the light-emitting material 120 may form at least one layer. In general, various alternatives for arranging the light-emitting material 120 relative to the photo-emitting diode 118 can be realized individually or in combination. First, the light-emitting material 120 (e.g., at least one layer of the light-emitting material 120, e.g., a phosphor) can be directly arranged on the photo-emitting diode 118, and this direct arrangement may be, for example, a state in which there is no material between the LED 118 and the light-emitting material 120, or a state in which one or more transparent materials (e.g., one or more transparent materials arranged between the LED and the light-emitting material 120, particularly transparent to the principal light) are present. For example, a coating of the light-emitting material 120 can be directly or indirectly arranged on the LED 118 (not shown). Furthermore, or alternatively, the light-emitting material 120 may form, for example, at least one converter body 160 (at least one converter disk, etc.), which is also referred to as a converter platelet. The converter body 160 may be positioned above the LED 118, for example, by fixing the converter body 160 to the LED 118 with adhesive, as shown in Figure 2. Additionally, or alternatively, the light-emitting material 120 may be positioned remotely, so that the principal light emitted from the LED 118 passes through an intermediate optical path before reaching the light-emitting material 120 (not shown). For example, the remotely positioned light-emitting material can form a solid body such as a disk or a converter disk, or the converter body 160. The intermediate optical path may contain one or more optical elements, including lenses, prisms, gratings, mirrors, apertures, or combinations thereof. Specifically, an optical system with image-forming properties may be positioned in the intermediate optical path between the LED 118 and the light-emitting material 120. This allows, for example, the principal light to be focused or bundled onto the converter body 160.

[0195] In the light source 114, particularly the phosphor LED 122, at least one light-emitting material 120 may be positioned relative to the light-emitting diode 118 so that heat can be transferred from the light-emitting diode 118 to the light-emitting material 120. More specifically, the light-emitting material 120 may be positioned so that heat can be transferred by thermal radiation and / or thermal conduction, and more preferably so that heat can be transferred by thermal conduction. For example, as shown in Figure 2, the light-emitting material 120 may be positioned to have thermal contact and / or physical contact with the light-emitting diode 118. In this way, the temperature of the light-emitting material 120 and the temperature of the light-emitting diode 118 may generally be coupled.

[0196] As shown in Figure 2, the light source 114, particularly the phosphor LED 122, may include at least one side coating 162 covering at least one side (e.g., the top, bottom, and / or at least one side, e.g., the substrate 154, the contact pad 158, the light-emitting diode 118, and at least one side of the light-emitting material 120). Specifically, the side coating 162 may also cover gaps and / or voids that may exist in the layered structure of the light source 114, as shown in Figure 2. Other components of the light source 114, particularly those not shown in Figure 2, are possible. In general, the light source 114, particularly the phosphor LED 122, can be enclosed in a housing (enclosure) not shown in Figure 2, or can be configured as unenclosed. Thus, the LED 118 and at least one light-emitting material 120 for converting the primary light generated by the LED 118 into light may be housed in a common housing. However, as shown in Figure 2, LED 118 may be a bare LED 118 without a housing.

[0197] The schematic flowchart in Figure 3 illustrates the detector signal generation process and the detector signal processing process (e.g., generation of a correction signal). Specifically, Figure 3 shows hardware components 164 that may participate in the detector signal generation and / or preprocessing process, and software components 166 that may participate in the detector signal processing and / or correction process. Hardware component 164 (also simply referred to as "hardware" 164) may include, in particular, at least one light-emitting diode 118 (in particular a blue LED 118) of the spectrometer 110, which is configured to emit blue primary light. Hardware component 164 may further include a fluorescent material 120, also referred to as an LED phosphor, an object 112, and one or more optical components 151 (e.g., at least one wavelength-selective element 152), as well as a detector 128.

[0198] As part of the correction performed by the evaluation unit 136, corrections for temperature changes, including local temperature changes within the light source 114, may be performed, and these temperature changes may affect the light emission characteristics of the light source 114. Figure 3 shows the temperature of hardware component 164, as well as the temperature of selected components of hardware component 164. Hardware component 164 may have different or the same temperature depending on its arrangement, such as relative position or distance within the spectrometer 110. Specifically, as described above, the temperature of the light-emitting material 120 and the temperature of the light-emitting diode 118 may influence each other through heat transfer between the light-emitting diode 118 and the light-emitting material 120 by either thermal radiation or thermal conduction, or both. Therefore, in particular, the temperature of the light-emitting diode 118 (hereinafter referred to as "T") pn (Also referred to as "T") and the temperature of the light-emitting material 120 (hereinafter referred to as "T") Ph The temperature of the LED (also known as "...") may be similar or identical. In Figure 3, the temperature of the LED 118 is indicated by reference numeral 168, the temperature of the light-emitting material 120 is indicated by reference numeral 170, and the temperature of the detector 128 (T D (Also known as) is indicated by reference numeral 172.

[0199] LED 118 may emit primary light when an appropriate voltage is applied to the LED by the drive unit 138 and an electrical current passes through LED 118 to generate a specific electrical current (e.g., a predetermined electrical current). Reference numeral 174 in Figure 3 indicates a target signal S supplied to the drive unit 138, for example. tは LED 118 may be provided to drive the LED to emit blue primary light. Target signal S t 174 may be a predetermined current value supplied through LED 118, which can be generated, for example, by applying an appropriate voltage. The predetermined current value may be in the range of 10 mA to 500 mA, and more specifically in the range of 100 mA to 300 mA, for example, a current value of 50 mA. Thus, a predetermined current may be known in order to produce a predetermined light output (e.g., blue primary light) of LED 118. LED 118 is temperature "T" indicated by reference numeral 168. pn The blue principal light may be converted into secondary light (e.g., light in the infrared spectral range) by the light-emitting material 120. The light-emitting material 120 may be at a temperature of "T" indicated by reference numeral 170. ph The illumination light 116 generated by the light source 114 may include at least one of the principal light or a part thereof, the secondary light or a part thereof, or a mixture thereof, and may illuminate the object 112. One or more optical components 151 (e.g., one or more mirrors, lenses, wavelength-selective elements 152, or other optical components 151) may be used to guide the illumination light 116, which can be achieved, for example, by placing the optical components 151 in the optical path of the illumination light 116. The detection light (e.g., reflected light) from the object 112 may be guided to the detector 128. Optionally, one or more optical elements 151 may also be used in the optical path of the detection light 130. For example, one or more wavelength-selective elements 152 (e.g., dispersion elements) may be used to split the detection light 130 into its spectral components.

[0200] As described in detail above, the detector 128 may include, for example, an array of photosensitive elements 134. Specifically, the detector 128 may be, or include, a pixel sensor such as a CCD chip or CMOS chip in which multiple pixels are arranged on a chip. For example, each pixel may be configured to be sensitive to, for example, a spectral range corresponding to a predetermined spectral range. Thus, the detector 128 may produce a detection signal S including multiple detection signals, as shown by reference numeral 176 in Figure 3. px,i 176 may be generated. Thus, each of the multiple detector signals may correspond to an electronic signal generated by one of the multiple pixels of detector 128. Each detector signal may be given, for example, as a numerical value corresponding to the count of each pixel measured during a predetermined time interval. Thus, detector signal S px,i The index "px" indicates that 176 may be a function dependent on the wavelength of the detected light 130. Signal S px,i Furthermore, 176 may be a time function, for example, in the case of a time-dependent detector signal, as indicated by the index "i".

[0201] Detector signal S px,i The multiple signals included in 176 may be generated simultaneously or in a time-sequential manner. Detection signal S px,i 176 may be determined using the readout electronic circuit 178 as shown in Figure 3. Detection signal S px,i 176 can be processed, for example, as part of preprocessing or as part of a later processing step. For example, pixels included in detector 128 receive the electronic detection signal S px,i 176 may be an active pixel sensor adapted to amplify, for example, as part of a pre-processing process before further processing performed by one or more software components 166.

[0202] Signal S generated by detector 128 px,i 176 is also "frame signal S px,i It is also known as "176".

[0203] Figure 3 shows the signal S, as indicated by the arrow. px,i The process of providing 176 to one of the software components 166 is described. Specifically, the detector signal S px,i A software component 166 configured to process and / or correct the 176 may include at least one first software 180 (hereinafter also referred to as "software 1") and at least one second software 182 (hereinafter also referred to as "software 2"). The first software 180 processes the detector signal S px,i It is configured to perform at least one first processing step 184 (hereinafter also referred to as "process 1") on 176, which is, for example, on the detector signal S px,i This is achieved by applying at least one algorithm to 176. Specifically, the first processing step 184 may include at least one correction, including correction for transient or time-dependent effects. Thus, for example, the first processing step 184 may include one or more of the following: correction for dark current; correction for dark current drift; correction for variability effects; correction for the photodetector response at individual detector elements or individual time steps; correction for changes in the photodetector response due to environmental factors (e.g., temperature); extraction of information for subsequent processing; addition or multiplication with at least one operating parameter or a parameter generated from information about the device temperature. The first software 180 may also be configured to perform at least one additional step, including at least one fast Fourier transform 186 on the detector signal. Thus, the detector signal S px,i By applying the first processing step 184 and / or the Fast Fourier Transform 186 to 176, a time-independent signal S is obtained. px 188 (the so-called "pixel signal S") px 188") may be generated. Specifically, the frame signal S px,i The time dependency of 176 is eliminated by one or more steps that constitute the first software component 1, but the wavelength dependency is as indicated by the index "pn". 、 signal S pxIt may remain at 188. Figure 3 shows signal S as indicated by the arrow. px The process of providing 188 to the second software 182 is further described. The second software 182 receives the signal S px It is configured to perform at least one second processing step 190 (so-called "process 2") on 188, specifically, on signal S px Apply at least one algorithm to 188 and at least one correction signal S px, corr The second processing step 190 generates 191. Specifically, the second processing step 190 may include one or more of the following: correction of the dark current signal; correction of the drift of the dark current signal; correction of fluctuation effects; correction of the photodetector response at individual detection elements or individual time steps; correction of changes in the photodetector response due to environmental factors (e.g., temperature); extraction of information for subsequent processing; and operations including addition or multiplication with at least one parameter (e.g., at least one electrically measurable quantity, in particular a parameter generated from information about the positive voltage or device temperature). In particular, the corrected signal S px, corr 191 can also contain multiple corrected signals (e.g., multiple corrected electronic signals). Each of the multiple corrected signals specifically corresponds to the corrected count of the corresponding pixel.

[0204] The spectrometer apparatus 110 includes at least one evaluation unit 136 that evaluates at least one detector signal generated by the detector 128 and derives spectral information of the object 112 from the detector signal. The evaluation unit 136 is configured to consider information about at least one operating parameter when deriving spectral information from the detector signal. The evaluation unit 136 may also be configured by software programming to evaluate and / or process the detector signal, in particular as part of at least one first processing step 184 of at least one first software 180. The evaluation unit 136 may be configured to determine at least one correction from information about at least one operating parameter, and further to correct at least one detector signal using the correction. Thus, the evaluation unit 136 evaluates the signal S px 188 is processed and corrected to produce signal S px, i, corr Generate well 、 This signal may be further processed, for example, by applying the Fast Fourier Transform 186.

[0205] The light-emitting diode 118 and the light-emitting material 120 may be composed of different materials and / or different compositions of those materials, which can generally affect the spectrum 192 of the phosphor LED 122, as described in detail above. However, the spectrum 192 or spectral characteristics of a particular phosphor LED 122 may change with temperature, even when operating at a specific preset current. These changes may include shifts in the emission peak 193, broadening or narrowing of the spectrum 192, and increases or decreases in emission amount. In many cases, emission at a particular wavelength is more affected than emission at other wavelengths. This effect is illustrated in Figure 4, which shows the spectrum 192 of the infrared radiation of the phosphor LED 122 superimposed at various temperatures. Specifically, Figure 4 shows the wavelength 198 in nanometers on the x-axis 200 and the power spectral density (PDS) 194 in microwatts / nanometer (μW / nm) on the y-axis 196 as a function of wavelength 198. In the illustrated spectrum 192, the temperature of the phosphor LED 122 generating the illumination light 116 is in the range of 25°C to 50°C. Typically, there is a specific central wavelength within spectrum 192 that is independent of temperature changes. Therefore, each wavelength has its own temperature coefficient for increasing or decreasing the output. Thus, as is clear from Figure 4, the shape of spectrum 192 changes with temperature. To further visualize this effect, four specific wavelength ranges across spectrum 192 are shown in Figure 4, each centered around one of the four specific wavelengths. The wavelength ranges are separated by dashed lines. Specifically, the following four wavelengths and their corresponding intervals are marked with the following reference symbols: 1643 nm is shown as reference symbol 202, 1750 nm as reference symbol 204, 1802 nm as reference symbol 206, and 1950 nm as reference symbol 208. For each of these wavelengths, the normalized value of the change in luminous power relative to the change in luminous power at 25°C is shown in the figure in Figure 5 as a function of temperature in the temperature range from 25°C to 50°C.In Figure 5, the change in luminescence power at 25°C is shown as a percentage on the y-axis at 196 and is denoted by reference numeral 219, while the temperature (°C) is shown on the x-axis at 200 and is denoted by reference numeral 220. The line in Figure 5 represents the fitted curve 236. As is clear from Figure 5, the luminescence output at the central wavelength of 1802 nm hardly changes within the observed temperature range (i.e., the change in luminescence output is zero or close to zero), while the change in luminescence output can be significantly different at other wavelengths (e.g., 1643 nm and 1953 nm). When a positive voltage is applied to a light-emitting diode 118, for example, to allow a specific, predefined electrical current to flow, the appropriate positive voltage may be a function of the temperature of the light-emitting diode 118. Therefore, when the same current is applied to the light-emitting diode 118, the positive voltage of the LED 118 usually decreases with increasing temperature. Each type of LED 118 has its own positive voltage characteristic curve with respect to temperature. Typically, the positive voltage of the LED 118 decreases linearly with increasing temperature, for example, 1.10 -4 ~1.10 -3 It changes with a gradient in the V / K range. Figure 6 shows this relationship for a specific LED 118. In particular, Figure 6 shows the temperature of LED 118 on the horizontal axis and the positive voltage applied to LED 118 on the vertical axis when a DC current of 150 mA is passed through LED 118. The positive voltage (in volts) is represented by reference symbol 224 on the y axis 196. The temperature (in °C) is represented by reference symbol 220 on the x axis 200. As is clear from Figure 6, in this case the positive voltage decreases linearly with increasing temperature. The curve in Figure 5 can be expressed by the following equation:

number

[0206] Here, U frepresents the positive voltage, and T represents the temperature. In the illustration in Figure 6, the measurement point 221 is shown as a gray-filled circle, and a dashed line corresponds to the fitting curve 236 given above. Instead of the relationship between positive voltage and temperature described exemplified above, a relationship between temperature and other electrically measurable quantities necessary to drive the light source can also be used. These other electrically measurable quantities include, for example, input power, current, resistance, inductance, capacitance, etc.

[0207] In this way, by using at least one operating parameter as a correction parameter, individual temperature corrections can be performed on spectra 192 at different wavelengths. Specifically, the evaluation unit 136 、 Detection signal S px,i The system can also be configured to individually correct multiple detection signals and derive spectral information by combining the individually corrected detection signals. As described above, the individual corrections may be carried out using a photosensitive element array 134, each photosensitive element may be configured to generate at least one detection signal, and each detection signal is individually corrected using at least one operating parameter as a correction parameter. Finally, spectral information may be derived by combining the corrected detection signals.

[0208] To derive spectral information, particularly the spectrum, of the object 112, the spectrometer device 110, and especially the evaluation unit 136, may take into special consideration the characteristics of the light-emitting material 120 used in the light source 114. As described in detail above, the light-emitting material 120 may be configured to absorb primary photons generated by the light-emitting diode 118 and, in response, emit secondary photons immediately, delayed, or after decay time. The signal or emission after the positive current of the phosphor LED 122 is turned off can be described using equations (1) and (2) described above.

[0209] Therefore, a particularly characteristic feature of the light-emitting material 120 is the decay constant τ, which represents the typical duration of the afterglow of the light-emitting material 120. d228 and the growth constant τ representing the typical time until the emission of the converted light reaches saturation g is. The time constant τ d and τ g usually differ between different phosphor LEDs 122 and / or between different types of phosphor materials 120. Further, the decay constant τ d and the growth constant τ g can depend on wavelength. These time constants are typically extracted from the step response of the optical signal by the application / blocking of the forward current. FIGS. 7A and 7B show the spectra 192 of two different phosphor LEDs 122 that emit light in the near-infrared region. Specifically, it is a graph showing the wavelength (nm) on the horizontal axis and the power spectral density on the vertical axis. As is clear from FIGS. 7A and 7B, the spectra 192 of the two different phosphor LEDs 122 are different. For example, the spectrum 192 shown in FIG. 7A shows high emission in the wavelength range of 1400 nm to 1600 nm, but in the phosphor LED 122 having the spectrum 192 shown in FIG. 7B, the emission in this region is negligible. The decay constant τ d and the growth constant τ g of the phosphor LED 122 having the spectrum shown in FIG. 7A are shown as functions of wavelength in FIGS. 8A and 8B, respectively. The decay constant τ d and the growth constant τ g of the phosphor LED 122 having the spectrum shown in FIG. 7B are shown as functions of wavelength in FIGS. 9A and 9B, respectively. Specifically, FIGS. 8A and 9A are plots of the decay constant τ d (ms) indicated by reference numeral 228 on the vertical axis 196 and the wavelength (nm) on the horizontal axis 200. In FIGS. 8B and 9B

[0210] , the growth constant τ g (in ms) is indicated by reference numeral 230 and made the y-axis 196, and the wavelength (in nm) is arranged on the x-axis 200 with respect thereto. The data points of different repeated measurements are marked with different shades of gray.

[0211] Another characteristic of the LED 118 is the characteristic of the optical output power with respect to the forward current. Generally, by increasing the forward current (especially the input current), the power emitted from the LED 118 increases. The curve (e.g., gradient) of the optical output as a function of the forward current is a characteristic specific to each individual LED 118. FIG. 10 shows an example of such a curve. Specifically, in the figure of FIG. 10, the normalized optical output 232 of the phosphor LED is shown as a function of the forward current 234 represented in amperes.

[0212] FIG. 11 shows an operating method 236 of a spectroscopic device 110 for acquiring spectroscopic information of at least one object 112. The method 236 includes the following method steps: i. Step 238: Illuminating the object with illumination light 116 generated by at least one light source 114 of the spectroscopic device 110, wherein the light source 114 includes at least one light-emitting diode 118 and at least one light-emitting material 120 that optically converts the primary light generated by the light-emitting diode 118; ii. Step 240: Determining at least one measured value of at least one operating parameter of the spectroscopic device 110 using at least one drive unit 138 of the spectroscopic device 110, wherein the drive unit 138 is configured to electrically drive the light source 114; iii. Step 242: Detecting the detection light from the object 112 using at least one detector 128 of the spectroscopic device 110 and generating at least one detector signal; and iv. Step 244: Evaluating the detector signal and deriving spectroscopic information of the object 112 using at least one evaluation unit 136 of the spectroscopic device 110, wherein the evaluation unit 136 selects at least one correction information item from a set of predefined correction information items according to the actual value of at least one operating parameter and is configured to reflect the selected correction information item in the derivation of the spectroscopic information.

[0213] The set of correction information items may be specific to an individual spectrometer 110; and / or specific to multiple spectrometer 110s; in particular, the set of correction information items is assigned to each spectrometer 110 based on the serial number of the spectrometer 110.

[0214] The detector 128 may provide at least one raw detector 128 signal in step iii, where the evaluation unit 136 may correct the raw detector 128 signal to at least one corrected detector 128 signal in step iv using at least one selected correction information item. The evaluation unit 136 may include a database containing a plurality of correction information items stored according to the value of at least one different operating parameter. The database may include at least one lookup table specifically configured to provide a plurality of correction information items that the evaluation unit 136 considers in order to derive spectral information.

[0215] At least one operating parameter includes at least two sets of operating parameters. At least two operating parameters may be independently selected from the following groups: electrical input current applied to the light-emitting diode 118; voltage applied to the light-emitting diode 118; electrical output applied to the light-emitting diode; positive voltage of the light-emitting diode 118; positive current of the light-emitting diode 118; ambient temperature; temperature inside the spectrometer apparatus 110, specifically the internal temperature of one or more of the light source 114, drive unit 138, detector 128, or evaluation unit 136; operating mode parameters, specifically the number of measurements and / or measurement sequence, measurement time, duty cycle, parameters related to the operating mode of the light source 114, and parameters related to the operating parameters of the detector 128.

[0216] At least two operating parameters include at least one temperature (specifically, at least one of the ambient temperature and the temperature inside the spectrometer apparatus 110) and at least one of the electrical operating parameters of the spectrometer apparatus 110 and the optical operating parameters of the spectrometer apparatus 110. The at least two operating parameters may also include at least one operating scheme parameter. The method is at least partially computer implementable, particularly in step iv.

[0217] Figure 12 shows a calibration method 246 for assembling a set of correction information for use in method 236 for operating the spectrometer apparatus 110. Calibration method 246 includes the following method steps: I. Step 248: A step of performing a plurality of calibration measurements under different operating conditions of the spectrometer 110, each calibration measurement comprising measuring the system response of the spectrometer 110 under a controlled environment, the system response including spectral information; II. Step 250: For each calibration measurement, record at least one value of at least one operating parameter; III. Step 252: Step of assembling a set of correction information by comparing the spectral information in each calibration measurement with at least one recorded value of at least one operating parameter.

[0218] Method 246 may also include performing calibration measurements under predetermined controlled environmental conditions. Step III may also include storing at least one of the emission spectrum, the emission spectrum correction function, or the emission spectrum correction factor in a lookup table. Calibration measurements may also be performed at different ambient temperatures.

[0219] In the exemplary calibration setup 266 shown in Figure 13, step I may include using at least one of an external detector 254, specifically an external spectrometer 268, or an external power meter 270. The calibration method may also include using an external power meter 270 equipped with at least one wavelength-selective element, specifically at least one of an optical filter, a dispersion element, or a diffraction element.

[0220] Step I may include using the light source 114 of the spectrometer apparatus 110 and using at least one calibration target 260, in particular, using at least one diffuse reflectance calibration target 260 having known reflectance spectral characteristics, wherein Step I may further include performing a plurality of spectral measurements at a predetermined repetition rate using the light-emitting diode 118 of the light source 114, specifically, the repetition rate being 0.1 Hz, 0.5 Hz, 1 Hz, 2 Hz, 5 Hz, or 10 Hz. At least one diffuse reflectance calibration target 260 for determining at least one performance parameter related to the detector 128 may be contained in an integrating sphere 272, which is configured to connect the spectrometer apparatus 110 to an external detector and / or external light source, for example, using at least one optical port.

[0221] Step II includes recording at least two, specifically at least three, and more specifically all of the following operating parameters: the electrical input current applied to the light-emitting diode 118, the voltage applied to the light-emitting diode 118, the forward voltage and forward current of the light-emitting diode 118, the operating method parameters (specifically the number and / or order of measurements), the measurement time, parameters related to the operating method of the light source 114, and parameters related to the operating parameters of the detector 128; and the calibration method may further include recording at least one optical signal, which may include at least one of the detector 128 signal of the detector 128 of the spectrometer device 110 and signals provided from an external detector 254 (specifically an external power meter), and Step III may include deriving correction information taking the optical signals into consideration.

[0222] Additional correction information for correcting at least one determined real value corrected by at least one operating parameter determined by the drive unit 138 may be determined using an external measuring device 262, and step III may include considering the additional correction information when assembling the set of correction information. As further shown in Figure 13, the external measuring device 262 may be electronically connected to the spectrometer device 110 using an electronic connection unit 264.

[0223] The light source 114 may be driven by a predetermined control method to set the temperature of the light source 114 to a predetermined value (in particular, the setting is set taking into account additional correction information and / or the heat capacity of the light source 114). Performing multiple calibration measurements under different operating conditions of the spectrometer 110 in step I may be done by determining at least one performance parameter by either: using an external light source 256 to determine at least one performance parameter, the external light source 256 having a particularly known emission spectrum and specialized for determining at least one performance parameter related to the detector 128; or using an external detector 254 having a particularly known spectral efficiency to identify at least one performance parameter related to the detector 128; where at least one performance parameter is taken into consideration when assembling a set of correction information in step III. In particular, the external light source 256 and / or the external detector 254 can be optically connected to the spectrometer 110, for example, via at least one fiber and / or multiple fibers (e.g., included in a bundle of fibers). The optical coupling 258 is specifically contained within the focusing sphere 272 via the diffuse reflectance calibration target 260. The optical coupling may be configured to propagate light in a first direction and / or in the direction opposite to the first direction. In particular, this allows light generated in the spectrometer 110 to propagate from the diffuse reflectance target to at least one of the following: the spectrometer 110, an external light source 256, or an external detector 254.

[0224] The performance parameters of the light source 114 are determined after the performance parameters of the detector 128 are determined, in particular to ensure that the detector 128 is not affected by the heat generated by the light source 114.

[0225] The calibration method may be repeatedly performed on another light source 114 of the same type, and an additional set of correction information specific to that light source 114 may be created. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0226] 110 Spectrometer equipment 112 Object 114 Light source 116 Illumination light 118 Light-emitting diode 120 Luminescent material 121 Semiconductor material 122 Phosphor light-emitting diode 124 LED die 126 Housing 128 Detector 130 Detection light 132 Optical detector 134 Array of photosensitive elements 136 Evaluation unit 138 Drive unit 139 Measurement unit 140 Current source 142 Voltage measuring device 144 Data processing device 146 Pretreatment device 148 Data storage device 150 Filter element 151 Optical component 152 Wavelength selection element 154 Substrate 156 Ceramic substrate 158 Contact pad 160 Converter body 162 Side coat (side coating) 164 Hardware component 166 Software component 168 Temperature of LED 170 Temperature of luminescent material 172 Temperature of detector 174 Target signal S t 176 Electronic detector signal S px ,i 178 Readout electronic circuit 180 Software 1 182 Software 2 184 First processing step 186 Fast Fourier transform 188 pixel signal S px 190 Second processing step 191 Signal S px, corr 192 Spectrum 193 Peak 194 Power spectral density per microwatt per nanometer 196 y-axis 198 Wavelength (nanometers) 200 x-axis 202 1643 nm 204 1750 nm 206 1802 nm 208 1950 nm 219 Change in emission output normalized to 25°C (expressed as a percentage) 220 Temperature (°C) 221 Measurement point 224 Forward voltage (V) 226 Signal count 228 Decay constant τ d (milliseconds) 230 Growth constant τ g (milliseconds) 232 Normalized optical output 234 Forward current (amps) 236 Method of operating a spectrometer device 238 Method step i.: Illumination of an object 240 Method step ii.: Determine the value of the operating parameter 242 Method step iii.: Detection of the detected light from the object 244 Method step IV: Evaluation of the detector signal 246 Method of assembling and calibrating a correction information set 248 Method step I.: Perform a plurality of calibration measurements 250 Method step II: Record the value of the operating parameter 25 Method step III: Assemble a set of correction information 254 External detector 256 External light source 258 Optical coupling; fiber 260 calibration targets 262 External measuring device 264 Electronic bond 266 Calibration Settings 268 External spectrometer 270 External power meter 272 Integrating sphere

Claims

1. A method for obtaining spectral information of at least one object (112) by operating a spectrometer device (236), comprising the following steps: i. A step of illuminating an object (238) with illumination light (116) generated by at least one light source (114) of a spectrometer apparatus (110), wherein the light source (114) includes at least one light-emitting diode (118) and at least one light-emitting material (120) that converts primary light generated by the light-emitting diode (118) into light; ii. A step of determining at least one measured value (240) of at least one operating parameter of the spectrometer (110) using at least one drive unit of the spectrometer (110), wherein the drive unit is configured to electrically drive a light source (114); iii. The step of detecting detection light (242) from an object (112) using at least one detector (128) of a spectrometer device (110) and generating at least one detector (128) signal; and iv. A step of evaluating the detector signal (244) and deriving spectral information of the object (112) using at least one evaluation unit (136) of the spectrometer (110), wherein the evaluation unit (136) is configured to select at least one correction information item from a predetermined set of correction information items according to the actual value of at least one operating parameter, and to reflect the selected correction information item in the derivation of spectral information, wherein at least one operating parameter includes a set of at least two operating parameters, wherein at least two operating parameters include at least one temperature and at least one of the electrical operating parameters of the spectrometer (110) or the optical operating parameters of the spectrometer (110). A method that includes this.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation unit (136) includes a database containing a plurality of correction information stored according to the value of at least one different operating parameter.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the database includes at least one lookup table.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least two operating parameters further include at least one operating method parameter.

5. A method for calibrating the assembly of a set of correction information items used in the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 (246), I. A step of performing multiple calibration measurements (248) under different operating conditions of a spectrometer (110), wherein each calibration measurement measures the system response of the spectrometer (110) in a controlled environment, and the system response includes spectral information; II. For each calibration measurement, record at least one value (250) of at least one operating parameter; III. A step of assembling a correction information set (252) by comparing spectral information in each calibration measurement with at least one recorded value of at least one operating parameter, wherein at least one operating parameter includes a set of at least two operating parameters, and at least two operating parameters include at least one temperature and at least one of the electrical operating parameters of the spectrometer (110) or the optical operating parameters of the spectrometer (110). Calibration methods including (246).

6. The calibration method (246) according to claim 5, wherein step I includes using a light source (114) of a spectrometer device (110) and using at least one calibration target, and step I further includes performing a plurality of spectroscopic measurements at a predetermined repetition rate using a light-emitting diode (118) of the light source (114).

7. Step II includes recording at least two of the following: an electrical input current applied to the light-emitting diode (118), a voltage applied to the light-emitting diode (118), the forward voltage and forward current of the light-emitting diode (118), operating mode parameters, measurement time, parameters related to the operating mode of the light source (114), and parameters related to the operating parameters of the detector (128); and the calibration method further includes recording at least one optical signal, the at least one optical signal including at least one of the detector (128) signal of the detector (128) of the spectrometer (110) and a signal provided from an external detector (254); and Step III includes deriving correction information taking the optical signals into consideration, the calibration method (246) according to claim 5 or 6.

8. Calibration method (246) according to any one of claims 5 to 7, comprising determining additional correction information using an external measuring device (262) to correct at least one determined real value by at least one operating parameter determined by a drive unit, and taking the additional correction information into consideration when assembling a set of correction information in step III.

9. Calibration method (246) according to any one of claims 5 to 8, comprising driving the light source (114) in a predetermined control manner to set the temperature of the light source (114) to a predetermined value.

10. In Step I, multiple calibration measurements are performed under different operating conditions of the spectrometer (110), as follows: - Using an external light source (256) to determine at least one performance parameter related to the detector (128); or - Use an external detector (254) to determine at least one performance parameter related to the detector (128); Calibration method according to any one of claims 5 to 9 (246), which is carried out by determining at least one performance parameter by at least one of the following, wherein at least one performance parameter is taken into consideration when assembling a set of correction information in step III.

11. A spectrometer device (110) for acquiring spectral information of at least one object (112), wherein the spectrometer device (110) is as follows: A. A light source (114) for generating illumination light (116) for illuminating an object (112), wherein the light source (114) comprises at least one light-emitting diode (118) and at least one light-emitting material (120) for converting primary light generated by the light-emitting diode (118) into light; B. At least one drive unit for driving a light source (114), the drive unit being configured to determine at least one measured value of at least one operating parameter of a spectrometer device (110); C. At least one detector (128) that detects light from the object (112) and generates at least one detector signal; and D. At least one evaluation unit (136) for evaluating the detector (128) signal and deriving spectral information of the object (112), wherein the evaluation unit (136) is configured to select at least one correction information item from a predetermined set of correction information items in accordance with the actual value of at least one operating parameter, and to reflect the selected correction information item in the derivation of spectral information, where at least one operating parameter includes a set of at least two operating parameters, where at least two operating parameters include at least one temperature and at least one of the electrical operating parameters and optical operating parameters of the spectrometer (110), A spectrometer apparatus (110) including a spectrometer.

12. A computer program, which, when executed by the spectrometer device (110) described in claim 11 relating to the spectrometer device (110), includes instructions to cause the spectrometer device (110) to perform a method of operating the spectrometer device (110) in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 4 relating to the method of operating the spectrometer device (110).

13. A computer-readable storage medium wherein a program includes, when executed by the spectrometer apparatus (110) described in claim 11, instructions for causing the spectrometer apparatus (110) to perform a method of operating the spectrometer apparatus (110) described in any one of claims 1 to 4.

14. A non-temporary computer-readable medium, which, when performed by one or more processors of an evaluation unit (136) of a spectrometer device (110) according to any one of the claims relating to a spectrometer device (110), includes instructions for causing one or more processors to perform a method of operating the spectrometer device (110) according to any one of the claims relating to a method of operating the spectrometer device (110).

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