Photonic device evaluation apparatus for non-contact gas sensor in greenhouse gas detection

Abstract

An evaluation device for a photoelectric element for a non-contact gas sensor for detecting greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide is provided. The evaluation device for the photoelectric element comprises: an infrared heat source; a gas cell comprising a housing having an inlet port and an outlet port and a cell reflection module disposed within the housing; a sensor mount on which the photoelectric element can be mounted; a first reflection module that reflects light emitted from the heat source one or more times to propagate toward the inlet port; and a second reflection module that reflects light emitted from the outlet port one or more times to propagate toward the sensor mount.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an evaluation device for a photoelectric element. More specifically, it relates to an evaluation device for a photoelectric element for a non-contact gas sensor for detecting greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. Background Technology

[0002] Various studies are being conducted to quantify greenhouse gases in response to global warming. While it is relatively easy to directly measure and quantify the amount of specific gases in confined spaces, such as indoors, using contact gas sensors with relatively high precision is beneficial, quantifying the amount or concentration of greenhouse gases in outdoor environments—where atmospheric movement and circulation are frequent—is challenging. This is because measurements taken at the local sensing surface of contact gas sensors do not represent the vastness of outdoor spaces. Consequently, non-contact gas detection methods are being attempted in outdoor environments.

[0003] Non-contact gas detection technologies can be classified according to their principles into absorption spectroscopy, scattering spectroscopy, photoacoustic spectroscopy, light detection and ranging (LIDAR), thermal mass flow methods, etc. Prior art literature

[0004] KR 10-2024-0079305 A (Patent Document 2) KR 10-2454223 B1 The problem to be solved

[0005] Among the various gas detection technologies mentioned above, absorption spectroscopy is a technique that primarily identifies the characteristics, composition, concentration, etc. of a substance by analyzing the degree to which a specific wavelength is absorbed when light passes through that substance.

[0006] Substances in the atmosphere absorb light of specific wavelengths, causing the energy of photons to be consumed and the intensity of light of that wavelength to decrease. Therefore, the composition and concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere can be measured by sensing light of a specific wavelength band emitted by sunlight that passes through an atmosphere containing greenhouse gases and reaches the ground. In this case, to increase detection reliability, it is of the utmost importance to precisely sense the intensity of the light reaching the ground in a specific wavelength band.

[0007] In this regard, various optical sensing devices, such as optoelectronic devices, are being developed as described in the aforementioned patent documents. These optoelectronic devices are required to obtain reliable detection data under various environmental conditions, and a method is needed to easily and accurately evaluate the optoelectronic devices by varying certain intended conditions while keeping all other environmental factors constant and limited.

[0008] Accordingly, the problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide an evaluation device for evaluating photoelectric devices.

[0009] Another problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide a method for evaluating photoelectric devices.

[0010] The problems of the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other unmentioned technical problems will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below. means of solving the problem

[0011] An optical device evaluation device according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problem comprises: an infrared heat source; a gas cell including a housing having an inlet port and an outlet port and a cell reflection module disposed within the housing; a sensor mount on which an optical device can be mounted; a first reflection module that reflects light emitted from the heat source one or more times to allow it to proceed toward the inlet port; and a second reflection module that reflects light emitted from the outlet port one or more times to allow it to proceed toward the sensor mount.

[0012] The cell reflection module described above includes a plurality of cell reflectors, wherein the plurality of cell reflectors may include one or more first cell reflectors that reflect and focus light, and one or more second cell reflectors that reflect and emit light.

[0013] The first cell reflector has a concave reflective surface, and one or more of the first cell reflectors direct the reflected light toward the second cell reflector, and the second cell reflector has a convex reflective surface, and one or more of the second cell reflectors direct the reflected light toward the first cell reflector.

[0014] In the light path formed by the plurality of cell reflectors, at least partially, the first cell reflector, the second cell reflector, and the first cell reflector may be sequentially arranged, and the second cell reflector, the first cell reflector, and the second cell reflector may be sequentially arranged.

[0015] Additionally, the cell reflection module includes a plurality of reflectors, and the gas cell includes a driving unit that varies the position or orientation of at least one of the reflectors, and the length of the optical path formed inside the housing can change according to the operation of the driving unit.

[0016] In some embodiments, the photoelectric element evaluation device may further include a gas flow unit for introducing gas into the enclosure and discharging gas from the enclosure; a temperature control unit for controlling the temperature inside the enclosure; a temperature measuring unit for measuring the temperature inside the enclosure; and a pressure measuring unit for measuring the pressure inside the enclosure.

[0017] The first reflection module includes a plurality of first reflectors, and the second reflection module may include a plurality of second reflectors.

[0018] And in some embodiments, the photoelectric device evaluation device may further include a first wavelength filter unit disposed on an optical path formed by the plurality of first reflectors; and a second wavelength filter unit disposed on an optical path formed by the plurality of second reflectors.

[0019] A method for evaluating a photoelectric element according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned other problems comprises forming the inside of a gas cell into a predetermined gas atmosphere; heating a heat source to a predetermined temperature; collecting a detection value detected from the photoelectric element; and comparing the detection value with a reference value.

[0020] In some embodiments, the method may further include adjusting the position or orientation of a reflector inside the gas cell; collecting a changed detection value detected by the photoelectric element; and comparing the detection value with the changed detection value.

[0021] The collection of the above detection values ​​can be performed in each of the first state in which a first wavelength selection filter is placed on the path where light emitted from the heat source heads toward the gas cell, and the second state in which a second wavelength selection filter is placed on the path where light emitted from the gas cell heads toward the photoelectric element.

[0022] Specific details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description. Effects of the invention

[0023] According to embodiments of the present invention, a gas atmosphere under desired conditions is formed inside the housing of a gas cell and light is passed through, and then light with a specific wavelength absorbed reaches a sensor, such as a photoelectric element, and the characteristics of the photoelectric element can be evaluated by comparing this with a reference value.

[0024] In addition, despite the limited size of the gas cell housing, it provides a sufficient optical path length and allows light to pass through the gas atmosphere. In particular, regarding the optical path inside the gas cell, instead of simply using collimated light, it repeats the process of focusing or dispersing so that photons come into contact with or collide with more gas molecules, thereby enabling more accurate detection values ​​to be obtained.

[0025] The effects according to the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to those exemplified above, and a wider variety of effects are included in this specification. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0026] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a photoelectric device evaluation apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the evaluation device of Figure 1. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the optical path from the heat source of Figure 1 to the gas cell. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the optical path from the gas cell of Figure 1 to the photovoltaic element. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing the optical path inside the gas cell of Figure 1. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the optical path inside the gas cell of a photovoltaic device evaluation device according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing the changed state of the optical path inside the gas cell of Figure 6. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method for evaluating a photoelectric device according to one embodiment of the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0027] The advantages and features of the present invention and the methods for achieving them will become clear by referring to the embodiments described below in detail together with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below but can be implemented in various different forms. The embodiments are provided merely to ensure that the disclosure of the present invention is complete and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the invention, and the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims.

[0028] Furthermore, the scope of patent claims is not a matter describing the technical content that constitutes the substance of the invention, but rather a matter indicating what scope is claimed as a right based on the technical configuration disclosed in the detailed description of the invention. Therefore, it is somewhat inevitable that the scope of patent claims is composed of abstract higher-level concepts that include the technology disclosed in the detailed description of the invention, and if a person skilled in the art can understand the technical configuration, combination, and functional effects belonging to the scope of patent claims through the entire specification, then the scope of patent claims should be considered to be supported by the detailed description of the invention.

[0029] That is, various modifications may be made to the embodiments presented in the present invention. The embodiments described below are not intended to limit the forms of practice and should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions thereof.

[0030] If any term described in this specification is to be used with a specific meaning, such meaning may be defined and used, and it should be interpreted accordingly. Unless otherwise defined, all terms used in this specification (including technical and scientific terms) may be used in a meaning that is commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Furthermore, terms defined in commonly used dictionaries are not to be interpreted ideally or excessively unless explicitly and specifically defined otherwise.

[0031] In this specification, "and / or" includes each of the mentioned items and all combinations of one or more. Also, the singular form includes the plural form unless specifically stated otherwise in the text. As used in this specification, "comprises" and / or "comprising" do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components in addition to the mentioned components. A numerical range indicated by "to" indicates a numerical range that includes the values ​​listed before and after it as a lower and upper limit, respectively. "Approximately" or "about" means a value or numerical range within 20% of the value or numerical range listed after it.

[0032] In this specification, ordinal modifiers such as 'first component,' 'second component,' and 'first-1 component' are used merely to distinguish one component from another when referring to components. Accordingly, the first component referred to below may be referred to as the second component within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention. For example, what is referred to as the first component in one embodiment may be referred to as the second component in another embodiment. Furthermore, it goes without saying that what is referred to as the first component in the description of the invention may be referred to as the second component in the claims.

[0033] The size, thickness, width, length, etc., of the components depicted in the drawings may be exaggerated or reduced for convenience and clarity of explanation, so the present invention is not limited to the depicted form.

[0034] Light quantity, luminous flux, luminous intensity, light energy, radiant intensity, and irradiance do not represent exactly the same concept but are concepts expressing different physical properties; however, they are closely related and can be derived from one another, and assuming other conditions are equal, they can be proportional to one another. Therefore, unless specifically defined otherwise, even if they are used interchangeably, they should not be limited to the academic meaning of the terms but should be interpreted reasonably within the technical spirit of the present invention.

[0035] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0036] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a photovoltaic device evaluation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the evaluation apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the optical path from the heat source to the gas cell of FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the optical path from the gas cell to the photovoltaic device of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the optical path inside the gas cell of FIG. 1.

[0037] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, the evaluation device (11) of a photoelectric element according to the present embodiment may include a light source (100), an input light reflection module (200) (or input light reflection part, or first reflection module) including one or more input light reflectors, a gas cell (300), an output light reflection module (400) (or output light reflection part, or second reflection module) including one or more output light reflectors, and a sensor module to be evaluated.

[0038] First, the light source (100) may be an infrared light source that emits light in at least an infrared wavelength band. For example, the light source (100) may include a black body and, as it is heated to a predetermined temperature, emit radiant light in an infrared wavelength band. The heating temperature of the light source (100), etc., may be controlled by a processor (910), but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0039] Light (L11) in the infrared wavelength band emitted by the light source (100) is reflected one or more times by the light input reflection module (200) and can proceed to the light input port (305a) of the gas cell (300). FIG. 3 illustrates a case where the light input reflection module (200) includes or is composed of a first light input reflector (210a) (or first-1 reflector), a second light input reflector (210b) (or first-2 reflector), a third light input reflector (210c) (or first-3 reflector) and a fourth light input reflector (210d) (or first-4 reflector) to guide light to the light input port (305a) of the gas cell (300) through four reflections.

[0040] The light input reflector (200) modulates the light path and, in addition to merely modulating the light path, can focus the light. More specifically, the luminous flux density of the final reflected light (L15) traveling to the light input sphere (305a) may be greater than the luminous flux density of the emitted light (L11) emitted by the light source (100). In other words, the focusability of the final reflected light (L15) may be greater than the focusability of the emitted light (L11). To this end, one or more or all of the first light input reflectors (210a) to the fourth light input reflectors (210d) may have a concave reflective surface.

[0041] The photoelectric device evaluation device (11) according to the present embodiment can increase the light flux density or focusing power of the light emitted by the black body light source (100) before introducing light into the gas cell (300) so that the light has high collimation, and introduce light into the gas atmosphere to be evaluated using the light having high collimation.

[0042] Light incident into the interior of the housing (305) of the gas cell (300) through the light inlet port (305a) of the gas cell (300) undergoes one or more reflection processes and can be emitted outside the housing (305) through the light outlet port (305b). The gas cell (300) will be described in detail later.

[0043] Light (L21) emitted from the light outlet (305b) of the gas cell (300) is reflected one or more times by the light-emitting reflection module (400) and can proceed to the sensor unit (500) to be evaluated. FIG. 4 illustrates a case where the light-emitting reflection module (400) includes or is composed of a first light-emitting reflector (410a) (or a second-1 reflector) and a second light-emitting reflector (410b) (or a second-2 reflector) to guide light to the sensor unit (500) through two reflections.

[0044] The light emission reflection module (400) modulates the light path and, in addition to merely modulating the light path, can focus the light. More specifically, the light flux density or focus of the final reflected light (L23) traveling to the sensor unit (500) may be greater than the light flux density or focus of the emitted light (L21) emitted from the gas cell (300). To this end, one or more or all of the first light emission reflector (410a) and the second light emission reflector (410b) may have a concave reflective surface.

[0045] The sensor module subject to evaluation may include a sensor mount (not shown) and / or a sensor unit (500) mounted on the sensor mount. The sensor unit (500) may include a sensor substrate (510) and a sensor element (520) disposed on the sensor substrate (510). The sensor substrate (510) may have electrical circuits printed thereon to detect the magnitude of the current flowing along the sensor element (520), the resistance of the sensor element (520), etc. The sensor element (520) may be electrically connected to a pad of the sensor substrate (510). In an exemplary embodiment, the sensor element (520) may be a photonic device. A photonic device refers to a device in which a change in an electrical signal occurs depending on the light being exposed. As a more specific example, the sensor element (520) may be a photoresistor, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The above-mentioned photoresistive element is a material whose electrical resistance changes depending on the intensity of light, radiation intensity, radiant irradiance, etc., for example, the resistance may decrease as the intensity of light increases. The photoresistive element may include cadmium sulfide (CdS) or selenium (Se), or may include a composite of cellulose nanofibers and carbon nanotubes.

[0046] That is, the evaluation device (11) according to the present embodiment includes a sensor mount on which a sensor unit to be evaluated is placed, and after installing a sensor unit (500) on which a sensor element (520), such as a photoelectric element to be evaluated, is placed in the sensor mount, the sensor element (520) can be evaluated by detecting the magnitude of the current, changes in resistance, etc., that the sensor element (520) exhibits under specific conditions through a method to be described later.

[0047] In some embodiments, a first wavelength filter unit (711) may be disposed on the light path formed by the incoming light reflection module (200), and a second wavelength filter unit (712) may be disposed on the light path formed by the outgoing light reflection module (400). The first wavelength filter unit (711) and the second wavelength filter unit (712) each include a filter mount and may further include a wavelength filter installed on the filter mount as needed. Here, the wavelength filter may be a wavelength selective filter. That is, the wavelength filter may be a filter that selectively transmits only light of a desired wavelength band and blocks the transmission of light of the remaining wavelength bands.

[0048] The evaluation device (11) according to the present embodiment may place a filter mount of a first wavelength filter unit (711) and a filter mount of a second wavelength filter unit (712) respectively on the light path before being incident on the gas cell (300) in which a desired gas atmosphere is formed and on the light path after being emitted from the gas cell (300), and may install a wavelength selection filter in either one according to the evaluator's choice or according to the method described later. For example, the evaluation may be performed by placing a first wavelength filter that transmits a more specific narrow-band infrared wavelength light among the infrared wavelength bands in the first wavelength filter unit (711), but without placing a second wavelength filter in the second wavelength filter unit (712). As another example, the evaluation may be performed by placing a second wavelength filter that transmits a narrow-band infrared wavelength light in the second wavelength filter unit (712), but without placing a first wavelength filter in the first wavelength filter unit (711). Although the present invention is not limited thereto, the wavelength filters installed in the wavelength filter units (710) may transmit only light in the wavelength band of about 1600±100nm, or about 1600±70nm, or about 1600±50nm, or about 1600±30nm, or about 1600±10nm, or about 1600±5nm, and block the transmission of all light in other wavelength bands. Although the present invention is not limited thereto, in some embodiments, the arrangement of the wavelength filters of each of the wavelength filter units (710), etc., may be controlled or changed by the processor (910).

[0049] Additionally, a light absorption filter (730), such as an attenuation filter, may be placed near the light inlet port (305a) of the gas cell (300), specifically along the path where the final reflected light (L15) is directed toward the light inlet port (305a) of the gas cell (300). The light absorption filter (730) may be implemented as a neutral density filter. The light absorption filter (730) does not selectively block light transmission according to the wavelength of the light, but transmits all wavelengths of the passing light while uniformly reducing the intensity of the light across all wavelength bands. That is, the light absorption filter (730) can artificially reduce only the intensity of the light without modulating the focusing power (or light flux density) or wavelength of the light incident on the gas cell (300). Although the present invention is not limited thereto, in some embodiments, the type of the light absorption filter (730) (i.e., filters with different degrees of light intensity reduction), or the location, etc., may be controlled or changed by the processor (910).

[0050] The gas cell (300) may include a housing (305) (or chamber). The housing (305) may have the aforementioned light inlet port (305a) and light outlet port (305b). A gas atmosphere to be simulated may be formed inside the gas cell (300). To this end, the evaluation device (11) may further include a gas flow unit (650). For example, the gas flow unit (650) may include a tank in which gas is stored, flow pipes fluidly connecting the tank and the housing (305), and a valve controlling the flow of gas through the flow pipes. The gas flow unit (650) is fluidly connected to a gas inlet port (305c) and a gas outlet port (305d) formed in the housing (305), thereby allowing a predetermined gas to be circulated inside the housing (305). Examples of the gas may include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O).

[0051] Meanwhile, unlike what is depicted in FIG. 1, the gas flow unit (650) includes multiple gas tanks that store multiple types of gases, and these can be combined and introduced into the enclosure (305). To this end, multiple flow pipes that fluidly connect the gas inlet (305c) of the enclosure (305) to the multiple gas tanks, and valves that control the flow of multiple gases, etc., may be provided. The gas flow unit (650) can inject and circulate multiple types of gases into the enclosure (305) to form a mixed gas atmosphere in which carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide are mixed in a desired ratio. Control of the gas flow unit (650), such as the mixing of multiple types of gases and / or the control of valves for controlling the amount of gas flow, etc., may be performed by a processor (910), but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0052] The internal temperature of the gas cell (300), that is, the internal temperature of the housing (305), can be controlled by a temperature control unit (600) (or heater). The temperature control unit (600) can be positioned to surround the housing (305) to control the internal temperature of the housing (305). The heating temperature of the temperature control unit (600), etc., can be controlled by a processor (910), but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0053] Additionally, the evaluation device (11) may further include a temperature measuring unit (810) and / or a pressure measuring unit (820). FIG. 1 illustrates a case where the temperature measuring unit (810) is placed in a flow path pipe connected to the inlet (305c) and the pressure measuring unit (820) is placed in a flow path pipe connected to the outlet (305d), but the present invention is not limited thereto. The temperature measuring unit (810) and / or the pressure measuring unit (820) may also be placed inside the enclosure (305).

[0054] Meanwhile, although not depicted in the drawing, the evaluation device (11) may further include a dust measuring unit (830). The dust measuring unit (830) may also be placed inside the enclosure (305) or within a flow path piping through which gas circulating along the inside of the enclosure (305) flows. As a non-limiting example, the dust measuring unit (830) may detect the amount of floating dust, etc., using a light scattering method or a light absorption method.

[0055] The gas cell (300) may further include a cell reflection module (or cell reflection part, or third reflection module) disposed within the housing (305). Light entering through the light inlet (305a) may be reflected one or more times by the cell reflection module and proceed to the light outlet (305b). The cell reflection module may include several or more, dozens or hundreds or more reflectors. This allows for a very long light path length relative to the length of the housing (305). As a non-limiting example, the length of the housing (305) (vertical length in FIG. 5) may be about 60 cm to 80 cm, and the path length of the light proceeding by the cell reflection module may be about 15 m or more, or about 20 m or more, or about 25 m or more, or about 30 m or more.

[0056] In an exemplary embodiment, the cell reflection module may include a plurality of first cell reflectors (310) (or concave cell reflectors, or third-1 reflectors) and a plurality of second cell reflectors (320) (or convex cell reflectors, or third-2 reflectors). The first cell reflector (310) refers to a reflector having a concave reflective surface, and the second cell reflector (320) refers to a reflector having a convex reflective surface. The first cell reflector (310) may reflect and focus light by having a concave reflective surface, and the second cell reflector (320) may reflect and diverge light by having a convex reflective surface. That is, the light flux density or focusing power of the reflected light may increase compared to the light incident on the first cell reflector (310). Also, the light flux density or focusing power of the reflected light may decrease compared to the light incident on the second cell reflector (320).

[0057] The cell reflection module of the gas cell (300) according to the present embodiment includes one or more or a plurality of first cell reflectors (310) and one or more or a plurality of second cell reflectors (320), and by mixing them, light (or a bundle of photons) traveling inside the gas cell (300) can be repeatedly focused and diverged (or dispersed). By doing so, the photons of the traveling light can collide or come into contact with gas molecules inside the housing (305) more frequently, thereby inducing the absorption of light in a more significant specific wavelength band, and consequently, by simulating a situation closer to the actual or theoretical value, the evaluation precision of the sensor element (520) can be increased.

[0058] In an exemplary embodiment, reflected light reflected by a first cell reflector (310) having a concave reflective surface may be directed toward a second cell reflector (320) having a convex reflective surface. FIG. 5 illustrates a case where reflected light from a first-1 cell reflector (310a) is directed toward a second-1 cell reflector (320a).

[0059] Additionally, reflected light reflected by a second cell reflector (320) having a convex reflective surface may be directed toward a first cell reflector (310) having a concave reflective surface. FIG. 5 illustrates a case where reflected light from a second-2 cell reflector (320b) is directed toward a first-2 cell reflector (310b).

[0060] That is, in a light path that passes through a housing (305) and is reflected multiple times by a cell reflection module, at least partially, a first cell reflector (310) (e.g., a first-1 cell reflector (310a)), a second cell reflector (320) (e.g., a second-1 cell reflector (320a)), and a first cell reflector (310) (e.g., a first-2 cell reflector (310b)) may be positioned sequentially. Likewise, in a light path passing through a housing (305), at least partially, a second cell reflector (320), a first cell reflector (310), and a second cell reflector (320) may be positioned sequentially.

[0061] Meanwhile, FIG. 5 illustrates a case in which the second cell reflectors (320) are arranged closest to each other along the light path, such as light reflected by the second-1 cell reflector (320a) directed toward the second-2 cell reflector (320b), and similarly, the first cell reflectors (310) are arranged closest to each other along the light path, such as light reflected by one first cell reflector (310) directed toward another first cell reflector (310), but the present invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the first cell reflectors (310) and the second cell reflectors (320) may be arranged alternately in a completely one-to-one ratio. Also, FIG. 5 illustrates a case where the first-1 cell reflector (310a) is positioned at the forefront of the cell reflection module and light entering through the light inlet (305a) is immediately reflected by the first-1 cell reflector (310a), but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0062] In measuring the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere using the absorption spectroscopy described above, the degree to which light of a specific wavelength band is absorbed while passing through the atmosphere is related to the path length of the light. Therefore, for more accurate detection and evaluation of the sensor element for this purpose, it may be important to evaluate at a light path length as long as possible. To this end, the gas cell (300) according to the present embodiment may include a cell reflection module to provide a sufficient light path length through reflection. Furthermore, not only that, but increasing the frequency with which light photons come into contact with gas molecules can result in a value that is closer to the actual or theoretical value. The evaluation device (11) according to the present embodiment may not merely place a reflector within the gas cell (300), but may alternately place a first cell reflector (310) and a second cell reflector (320) and repeat the process of the reflected light being focused or emitted to increase the precision of the evaluation.

[0063] Meanwhile, the cell reflection module may further include a third cell reflector (330). The third cell reflector (330) refers to a reflector having a substantially flat reflective surface. FIG. 5 illustrates a case where the third cell reflector (330) includes a third-1 cell reflector (330a), a third-2 cell reflector (330b), and a third-3 cell reflector (330c), but the third cell reflector (330) may be provided in a larger number or a smaller number. FIG. 5 also illustrates a case where the third-3 cell reflector (330c) is placed last in the cell reflection module and light reflected by the third-3 cell reflector (330c) is emitted through the light-emitting port (305b), but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0064] The evaluation method of the photoelectric element, i.e., the sensor element (520), to be described later may be performed by the processor (910) or may not be performed. The processor (910) may implement operations and / or functions related to the method according to the present invention based on instructions according to software that implements the control method according to the present invention loaded in memory (920). That is, the processor (910) may be understood as an entity that performs or executes a program. For example, it may execute software to control hardware components and / or software components connected to the processor (910) and perform data processing or calculations. That is, the processor (910) may store commands or data received from other components in memory (920) as part of data processing or calculations, process commands or data stored in memory (920), or store result data in memory (920).

[0065] The processor (910) may be any known one, but may be implemented by one or more of, for example, an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), DSPs (Digital Signal Processors), DSPDs (Digital Signal Processing Devices), PLDs (Programmable Logic Devices), FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), a processor, a controller, a microcontroller, a microprocessor, or a dedicated hardware chipset for artificial intelligence. Additionally, the processor may include a main processor, such as a central processing unit, and an auxiliary processor capable of operating independently thereof.

[0066] Software or a program residing in memory (920) or stored in storage may be a computer program recorded on a recording medium to execute the control method described later. The computer program may be a program that is readable and can be executed in combination with a computer, stored on a storage medium.

[0067] The memory (920) can store various data used in at least one component. The data may include input data or output data for software and related commands. The memory (920) may be implemented through Read-Only Memory (ROM), Random Access Memory (RAM), flash memory, memory card, storage medium and / or other storage device.

[0068] The memory (920) can load the computer program from the storage. The storage can store an application programming interface (API), a library, a resource file, etc., necessary for the execution of software in which the control method according to the present invention is implemented. In addition, it can store software and a database in which the method is implemented. It will be understood that the contents of various databases required to perform operations and / or functions related to the method according to the present invention, which will be described later, are available.

[0069] Hereinafter, other embodiments of the present invention will be described. However, descriptions of configurations that are substantially identical or extremely similar to the aforementioned embodiments will be omitted, as they will be understood by those skilled in the art from the accompanying drawings.

[0070] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the optical path inside a gas cell of a photovoltaic device evaluation device according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the optical path inside the gas cell of FIG. 6 has been changed.

[0071] Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the photoelectric device evaluation device (12) according to the present embodiment is different from the previously described embodiment in that it includes an infrared light source (not shown), an incoming light reflection module (not shown) that guides the radiant light of the light source to the incoming light port (305a) of the gas cell (302), a gas cell (302), an outgoing light reflection module (not shown) that guides the light emitted from the outgoing light port (305b) of the gas cell (302) to the evaluation target sensor module, and an evaluation target sensor module including an evaluation target sensor element, and further includes a cell reflector control unit (or reflector driving unit) that controls the position and / or orientation (angle, etc.) of one or more of the reflectors of the cell reflection module of the gas cell (302).

[0072] As described above, the gas cell (302) includes a cell reflection module, wherein the cell reflection module includes a first cell reflector (310) having a concave reflective surface, a second cell reflector (320) having a convex reflective surface, and may further include a third cell reflector (340) having a flat reflective surface. As described above, the reliability of the evaluation can be increased by repeatedly focusing and diverging light passing through the gas cell (302) through the alternating arrangement / arrangement of the first cell reflector (310) and the second cell reflector (320).

[0073] The reflector control unit may include an actuator to control the position and / or orientation of one or more of the plurality of reflectors. The reflector control unit may or may not be controlled by a processor. In this regard, FIG. 7 illustrates a case where the position, etc. of the 3-1 cell reflector (340a) and the 3-4 cell reflector (340d) is controlled by the reflector control unit.

[0074] That is, the evaluation device (12) according to the present embodiment can vary the path length of light passing through the gas cell (302) by changing the position of a reflector, etc., using a reflector control unit. For example, in the state of FIG. 6 (e.g., the first state), light incident on the light inlet (305a) is reflected by a predetermined first cell reflector (310) and a second cell reflector (320), then reflected by a third-1 cell reflector (340a) and a third-4 cell reflector (340d), then reflected again by the first cell reflectors (310) and the second cell reflectors (320), and then reflected by a third-5 cell reflector (340e) and emitted outside the gas cell (302), and the light path at this time may be the first length. In the first state, the reflectors referred to as the first-3 cell reflector (310c), the second-3 cell reflector (320c), the third-2 cell reflector (340b), and the third-3 cell reflector (340c) may not contribute to the formation of an optical path.

[0075] On the other hand, in the state of FIG. 7 (e.g., the second state) in which the reflector control unit adjusts the position of the third-1 cell reflector (340a) and the third-4 cell reflector (340d), light incident on the light inlet (305a) is reflected by the first cell reflectors (310) and the second cell reflectors (320), which include the first-3 cell reflectors (310c) and the second-3 cell reflectors (320c), then reflected by the third-2 cell reflector (340b) and the third-3 cell reflector (340c), then reflected again by the first cell reflectors (310) and the second cell reflectors (320), and then reflected by the third-5 cell reflector (340e) and emitted outside the gas cell (302), and the light path at this time may be a second length greater than the first length. In the second state, the reflectors referred to as the first-3 cell reflector (310c), the second-3 cell reflector (320c), the third-2 cell reflector (340b), and the third-3 cell reflector (340c) contribute to the formation of an optical path, but unlike the first state, the third-1 cell reflector (340a) and the third-4 cell reflector (340d) may not contribute to the formation of an optical path.

[0076] That is, the reflector control unit can cause one or more reflectors that contribute to the formation of a light path in a first state, i.e., reflect light, to become a second state in which they do not contribute to the formation of a light path. The embodiments of FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate cases where the reflector control unit controls third reflectors (340) having flat reflective surfaces, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and in other embodiments, the reflector control unit may control first reflectors (310) and / or second reflectors (320).

[0077] According to the present embodiment, under the same conditions as the rest, the evaluation precision of the sensor element can be improved by comparing the intensity (or strength, or illuminance) of light absorbed through a first length optical path with the intensity of light absorbed through a second length optical path.

[0078] Hereinafter, a method for evaluating a sensor element, such as a photoelectric element, according to the present invention will be described.

[0079] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method for evaluating a photoelectric device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method illustrated in FIG. 8 may be a method using an evaluation device illustrated in any one or more of FIGs. 1 to 7.

[0080] Referring further to FIG. 8, the method for evaluating a photoelectric element according to the present embodiment is performed by a processor or by human intervention and includes a step of setting conditions (S100), a step of heating a light source to emit infrared light (S300), a step of collecting detection values ​​from a sensor element (S400), and a step of changing conditions (S500), and after the conditions are changed, a step of setting conditions again (S100) may be performed.

[0081] The conditions set in the condition setting step (S100) may include one or more of a gas atmosphere, gas cell internal temperature, wavelength filter unit, light absorption filter, and amount of suspended dust.

[0082] First, the conditions for the gas atmosphere may include the composition of the gas injected into and circulated into the gas cell (the type of gas in the case of a single gas, the mixing ratio of the same in the case of multiple types of gases, etc.), the flow rate, etc. The gas flow unit is controlled according to the set gas atmosphere conditions, and the set gas atmosphere can be formed inside the gas cell. As a non-limiting example, the initially set gas atmosphere condition may be a volume ratio of carbon dioxide:methane:nitrous oxide:air of 1:1:1:7, and the gas atmosphere condition changed after the condition change step (S500) may be a volume ratio of carbon dioxide:methane:nitrous oxide:air of 1.1:1:1:6.9, etc.

[0083] Additionally, the internal temperature of the gas cell may be a temperature heated by a temperature control unit. The temperature control unit may be controlled according to the set internal temperature of the gas cell. As a non-limiting example, the initially set temperature condition may be 23℃, and the temperature condition changed after the condition change step (S500) may be 23.5℃.

[0084] Conditions regarding the wavelength filter unit may include the presence or absence of a wavelength selection filter placed in the aforementioned first wavelength filter unit and / or second wavelength filter unit. The wavelength filter unit may be controlled according to the set wavelength filter unit conditions. As a non-limiting example, the wavelength filter unit condition initially set may be to install a wavelength filter only in the first wavelength filter unit and not in the second wavelength filter unit, and the condition set after the condition change step (S500) may be to install a wavelength filter only in the second wavelength filter unit and not in the first wavelength filter unit, etc.

[0085] Additionally, conditions regarding the light absorption filter may include the presence or absence of a light absorption filter placed near the gas cell light inlet, and the ratio at which the light absorption filter is attenuated if the filter is placed. As a non-limiting example, the light absorption filter condition initially set may be to place a filter that attenuates by 90%, and the condition set after the condition change step (S500) may be to place a filter that attenuates by 89%.

[0086] And the condition regarding the amount of suspended dust may be the amount of suspended fine dust, etc., introduced into the gas cell. The evaluation method using the evaluation device according to the present embodiment can evaluate the sensor element by using light that reflects the scattering of light by dust, by simulating an environment where suspended matter such as dust at a predetermined concentration exists, such as an actual atmospheric environment, rather than simply evaluating the absorption of light in the infrared wavelength band under ideal conditions, i.e., a clean gas atmosphere.

[0087] Then, according to the set conditions, the light source is heated (S300) to radiate infrared light, and detection data detected by the sensor module can be collected (S400). Then, the sensor element can be evaluated by comparing this with a reference value (e.g., a known theoretical value).

[0088] Next, as needed, the processor may change one or more of the aforementioned conditions according to an algorithm stored in memory (S500). For example, one of the conditions may be changed while keeping all other conditions the same. Through this, repetitive experiments can be clearly performed on various environmental conditions, and a database can be collected that can be utilized for non-contact gas sensors to detect greenhouse gas concentrations, etc., in actual atmospheric environments using sensor elements, as well as for evaluating sensor elements and verifying their reliability.

[0089] Meanwhile, in some embodiments, the method for evaluating a photoelectric device may further include the step (S200) of controlling a reflector control unit to change the position and / or orientation of one or more of the reflectors inside the gas cell. As previously described in conjunction with FIGS. 6 and 7, the path length of light passing through the gas cell can be controlled by changing the position or orientation of one or more of the reflectors using the reflector control unit.

[0090] That is, the evaluation method according to the present embodiment can improve measurement precision by collecting detection values ​​in a first state where the optical path length is relatively small under certain conditions, adjusting the reflector using a reflector control unit (S200), and then collecting the changed detection values ​​again in a second state where the optical path length is relatively long before changing the conditions (S500), and comparing them. As previously explained, absorption spectroscopy is affected by the optical path length; therefore, under conditions where all other conditions are the same, the amount of light (or light intensity, etc.) according to the optical path length, and the resulting change in resistance and / or current, etc., can be compared for the same sensor element, and weights, etc., can be applied or corrected when deriving the amount of light based on the detection data of the sensor element based on the comparison results.

[0091] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to embodiments, this is merely illustrative and does not limit the invention. Those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and applications not exemplified above are possible within the scope of the essential characteristics of the embodiments of the invention.

[0092] Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should be understood to include modifications, equivalents, or substitutions of the technical concept exemplified above. For example, each component specifically shown in the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented with modifications. Furthermore, differences related to such modifications and applications should be interpreted as being included within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims. Explanation of the symbols

[0093] 11: Photovoltaic device evaluation device 100: Infrared heat source 200: Light Intake Reflection Module 300: Gas cell 400: Light emission reflection module 500: Sensor unit

Claims

Claim 1 An infrared heat source; a gas cell comprising a housing having an inlet port and an outlet port and a cell reflection module disposed within the housing; a sensor mount on which a photoelectric element can be mounted; a first reflection module that reflects light emitted from the heat source one or more times to propagate toward the inlet port; and a second reflection module that reflects light emitted from the outlet port one or more times to propagate toward the sensor mount, wherein the cell reflection module comprises a plurality of cell reflectors, and the gas cell further comprises a driving unit that varies the position or orientation of at least one of the cell reflectors, and the length of the light path formed inside the housing changes according to the operation of the driving unit. Claim 2 A photoelectric device evaluation device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of cell reflectors comprises one or more first cell reflectors that reflect and focus light, and one or more second cell reflectors that reflect and emit light. Claim 3 A photoelectric device evaluation apparatus according to paragraph 2, wherein the first cell reflector has a concave reflective surface and at least one of the first cell reflectors directs reflected light toward the second cell reflector, and the second cell reflector has a convex reflective surface and at least one of the second cell reflectors directs reflected light toward the first cell reflector. Claim 4 A photoelectric device evaluation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein in the optical path formed by the plurality of cell reflectors, at least partially, the first cell reflector, the second cell reflector, and the first cell reflector are sequentially arranged, and the second cell reflector, the first cell reflector, and the second cell reflector are sequentially arranged. Claim 5 delete Claim 6 An infrared heat source; a gas cell comprising a housing having an inlet port and an outlet port and a cell reflection module disposed within the housing; a sensor mount on which a photoelectric element can be mounted; a first reflection module that reflects light emitted from the heat source one or more times to allow it to proceed to the inlet port; and a second reflection module that reflects light emitted from the outlet port one or more times to allow it to proceed to the sensor mount; a gas flow unit for introducing gas into the housing and discharging gas from the housing; a temperature control unit for controlling the temperature inside the housing; a temperature measuring unit for measuring the temperature inside the housing; and a pressure measuring unit for measuring the pressure inside the housing. Claim 7 A photoelectric device evaluation device according to claim 1, wherein the first reflection module comprises a plurality of incoming light reflectors and the second reflection module comprises a plurality of outgoing light reflectors. Claim 8 A photoelectric device evaluation device according to claim 7, further comprising: a first wavelength filter unit disposed on a light path formed by the plurality of incoming light reflectors; and a second wavelength filter unit disposed on a light path formed by the plurality of outgoing light reflectors. Claim 9 A method for evaluating a photoelectric element, comprising forming the inside of a gas cell into a predetermined gas atmosphere; heating a heat source to a predetermined temperature; collecting a detection value detected from a photoelectric element; and comparing the detection value with a reference value. Claim 10 A method for evaluating a photoelectric element according to claim 9, further comprising: adjusting the position or orientation of a reflector inside the gas cell; collecting a changed detection value detected by the photoelectric element; and comparing the detection value with the changed detection value. Claim 11 In claim 9, the collection of the detection values ​​is performed in each of a first state in which a first wavelength selection filter is placed on the path of light emitted from the heat source toward the gas cell and a second state in which a second wavelength selection filter is placed on the path of light emitted from the gas cell toward the photoelectric element.

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