Analysis system

Abstract

An analysis system 1 comprises: an analysis device 10 that outputs white light; and a probe head 30 that outputs the white light to an object of measurement and outputs reflected light resulting from white light reflecting off the surface of the object of measurement to the analysis device, wherein the probe head 30 comprises a reflective part 32 with a white opening / closing structure to reflect the white light on the optical paths of the white light and the reflected light.

Description

Analysis System

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an analysis system.

[0002] There is a technique for measuring the Raman scattering spectrum of a measurement object (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] JP 2013-064711 A

[0004] However, they only measured the Raman scattering spectrum.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a technology capable of accurately measuring the absorption spectrum of absorption by a measurement object.

[0006] An analysis system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes an analysis device that outputs white light, and a probe head that outputs the white light to a measurement object and outputs reflected light that is reflected by the white light on the surface of the measurement object to the analysis device, and the probe head includes a white reflecting section with an opening / closing structure that reflects the white light onto the optical path of the white light and the reflected light.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a technique that can accurately measure the absorption spectrum of a measurement object.

[0008] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an analysis system according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a multi-core optical fiber. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the operation of the analysis system. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the operation of the analysis system. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the operation of the analysis system. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the operation of the analysis system. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which a white plate is arranged. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the white plate. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a state in which the white plate and a three-dimensional structure are arranged. Fig. 10 is a perspective view and a side cross-sectional view of the three-dimensional structure. Fig. 11 is a front view of the three-dimensional structure.

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0010] [Summary of the Disclosure] A possible method for accurately measuring the absorption spectrum of a measurement object is to replace the measurement object with a white plate, measure white reflected light, and correct the reflected light from the measurement object using the white reflected light.

[0011] In particular, when measurements are made using a resin optical fiber, the light absorption in the optical fiber cannot be ignored, and this correction is important.

[0012] However, manually replacing the object to be measured with the white plate is time-consuming, and if the white plate is unintentionally soiled in the process, the absorption spectrum measurement results may be inaccurate.

[0013] Therefore, the present disclosure provides a reflecting section with an open / close structure on the optical paths of the white light and the reflected light, which blocks and reflects the white light when closed, and passes the white light and returns the light reflected from the object when open.

[0014] This allows the measured absorption spectrum to be corrected accurately and simply, thereby enabling the absorption spectrum of the object to be measured accurately.

[0015] 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an analysis system according to this embodiment. The analysis system 1 includes an analysis device 10, a multi-core optical fiber 20, and a probe head 30.

[0016] (Configuration of the Analysis Device) The analysis device 10 is a device that outputs white light to a multi-core optical fiber 20, inputs reflected light from the multi-core optical fiber 20, and measures the absorption spectrum absorbed by the measurement object 100 using the reflected light.

[0017] For example, the analysis device 10 includes a white light source 11 , a spectrometer 12 , a detector 13 , a computer 14 , and a control unit 15 .

[0018] The white light source 11 is a device that outputs white light to the multi-core optical fiber 20 .

[0019] The spectrometer 12 is a device that receives reflected light from the multi-core optical fiber 20 and separates the reflected light. The detector 13 is a device that detects the spectrum of the reflected light after separation. The reflected light here refers to light reflected from the surface of the measurement object 100, and is white reflected light reflected from the reflecting portion 32 of the probe head 30.

[0020] The calculator 14 is a computer that measures the absorption spectrum of the object 100 from the detected spectrum. That is, the calculator 14 calculates the absorption spectrum of the object 100 by, for example, comparing two types of reflected light: the light reflected on the surface of the object 100 and the white reflected light reflected on the reflecting portion 32 of the probe head 30.

[0021] Specifically, the calculator 14 measures the absorption spectrum absorbed by the object to be measured 100 using the spectrum of the reflected light reflected on the surface of the object to be measured 100, and corrects the absorption spectrum with the spectrum of the white reflected light reflected on the reflecting portion 32 of the probe head 30.

[0022] The calculator 14 also executes the correction at any timing, and changes the frequency of the correction depending on the amount of change in the spectral value of the white reflected light.

[0023] The control unit 15 is a device, a computer, etc. that controls the white light source 11, the spectrometer 12, the detector 13, and the calculator 14.

[0024] (Configuration of multi-core optical fiber) The multi-core optical fiber 20 is an optical fiber that connects the analysis device 10 and the probe head 30, and has an optical transmission path that bundles two types of cores: a first core that transmits white light from the analysis device 10 and a second core that transmits reflected light from the probe head 30.

[0025] 2 , the multi-core optical fiber 20 is a Y-branch optical fiber in which a central core 21 and a plurality of peripheral cores 22 are branched midway in the longitudinal direction. The multi-core optical fiber 20 transmits white light from the analyzing device 10 to the probe head 30 via the central core 21, and transmits reflected light reflected on the surface of the measurement object 100 and white reflected light reflected on the reflecting portion 32 of the probe head 30 to the analyzing device 10 via the peripheral cores 22.

[0026] (Configuration of Probe Head) The probe head 30 is a device that outputs white light transmitted through the multi-core optical fiber 20 to the object to be measured 100, and outputs reflected light that is reflected by the white light on the surface of the object to be measured 100 to the multi-core optical fiber 20.

[0027] The probe head 30 includes an optical system 31 , a reflecting unit 32 , and a control unit 33 .

[0028] The optical system 31 includes a first optical system 311 and a second optical system 312 .

[0029] The first optical system 311 is an optical system that includes a collimator lens and a condenser lens (not shown in FIG. 1), and converts white light into parallel rays using the collimator lens, condenses the parallel rays using the condenser lens, and outputs them to the object to be measured 100.

[0030] The second optical system 312 is an optical system that includes a collimator lens (not shown in FIG. 1 ) and converts the reflected light from the surface of the object to be measured 100 using white light into parallel rays using the collimator lens and outputs the parallel rays to the multi-core optical fiber 20.

[0031] The reflecting section 32 is disposed on the optical paths of the white light and the reflected light, and has an opening / closing structure that is mechanically controlled to open and close by the control section 33. The reflecting section 32 can also be described as a high-reflectance shutter with an aperture structure. The reflecting section 32 is made using a material that can reflect almost all light over a wide wavelength band. A white substance that has no absorption over the entire wavelength band (if it has absorption, it has very little absorption and no absorption in a specific wavelength range) may be applied to the entire surface of the reflecting section 32, including the opening / closing structure.

[0032] For example, the reflecting unit 32 is a white plate (reflecting plate) with an opening / closing door, or a three-dimensional structure (structure) with an openable / closable uneven white surface. When closed, the reflecting unit 32 totally reflects the white light before irradiating the measurement object 100, and guides the totally reflected white reflected light to the surrounding cores 22 of the multi-core optical fiber 20. When open, the reflecting unit 32 transmits the white light to the measurement object 100 and the reflected light from the measurement object 100.

[0033] The control unit 33 is a device, a circuit, a computer, etc. that controls the optical system 31 and the reflecting unit 32 .

[0034] (Supplementary Note) The analyzing device 10 can also control the control unit 33 of the probe head 30. The analyzing device 10 can control the opening and closing operation of the reflecting unit 32 via the control unit 33, and can also acquire the reflected light from the measurement object 100 and the white reflected light from the reflecting unit 32 at any timing.

[0035] [Spectrum Measurement Method] (Absorption Spectrum Measurement Method) As shown in FIG. 3 , white light emitted from a white light source 11 is focused by a condenser lens 41 and made incident on the central core 21 of the multi-core optical fiber 20 .

[0036] Next, as shown in Figure 4, the white light emitted from the opposite side of the central core 21 is converted into parallel rays by the collimator lens 311a in the first optical system 311 of the probe head 30, and the control unit 33 controls the position of the condenser lens 311b in the first optical system 311 to move back and forth in the z-axis direction so that the parallel rays are focused on the object to be measured 100.

[0037] Next, as shown in FIG. 5 , the reflected light from the measurement object 100 is collimated by a collimator lens 312 a in the second optical system 312 of the probe head 30, and the collimated light is input to the multiple peripheral cores 22 of the multi-core optical fiber 20.

[0038] Next, as shown in Figure 6, the reflected light emitted from each of the multiple peripheral cores 22 is converted into parallel rays by multiple collimator lenses 42, and each parallel beam is focused by a focusing lens 43 and guided to a spectrometer 12, where the spectrum is detected by a detector 13.

[0039] Thereafter, the calculator 14 measures the absorption spectrum of the object 100 by using the spectrum of the light reflected from the surface of the object 100 .

[0040] (Method of Correcting Absorption Spectrum) The calculator 14 corrects the measured absorption spectrum of the measurement target 100 using the white reflected light reflected by the reflecting portion 32 of the probe head 30. Hereinafter, a white plate 32a equipped with an opening / closing door will be used as an example of the reflecting portion 32.

[0041] 7, the white plate 32a is disposed on the optical paths of the white light and the reflected light, and perpendicular to the optical paths. When the door is open, the white plate 32a has an open structure that allows both the white light and the reflected light to pass through. When the door is closed, the white plate 32a has a closed structure that blocks the white light.

[0042] By providing this opening and closing structure, when the opening and closing door is closed, white reflected light is returned from the opening and closing door, and when the opening and closing door is open, reflected light that has been partially absorbed by the measurement object 100 is returned. The difference between the two is the accurate absorption spectrum of the measurement object 100.

[0043] The opening and closing operation of the door is performed automatically by the control unit 33 using a software program, or it may be performed manually by the user. For example, the white plate 32a equipped with such an opening and closing door may be a shutter of an aperture mechanism built into a camera, or a shutter structure may be used.

[0044] 8 is a perspective view of the white plate 32a. The white plate 32a includes, for example, five valves 51. Each valve 51 has an equilateral triangular shape formed by two convexly curved convex sides and one concavely curved concave side. By combining the five valves 51 so that one convex side and one concave side of two adjacent valves 51 are adjacent to each other, a single opening / closing door 52 is formed as a whole.

[0045] The opening / closing door 52 is surrounded by a ring 53 whose diameter is larger than the door itself. A first shaft 54 ​​is attached to one vertex of each valve 51. A second shaft 55 is attached to the other vertex. The second shaft 55 is also attached to an opening / closing operation rod 56 attached to the ring 53.

[0046] When the ring 53 is rotated in a predetermined direction around the opening / closing door 52, the five opening / closing operation rods 56 attached at equal intervals to the ring 53 are each pulled in the same rotational direction, and the second shaft 55 is pulled around the first shaft 54, causing the five valves 51 to deploy outward while their convex and concave sides rub against each other. When the ring 53 is rotated in the opposite direction, the five valves 51 return to their original position as a single opening / closing door 52.

[0047] The detector 13 detects the spectrum of the reflected light reflected on the surface of the object to be measured 100 when the opening / closing door 52 of the white plate 32a is open, and detects the spectrum of the white reflected light reflected on the white plate 32a when the opening / closing door 52 of the white plate 32a is closed.

[0048] The calculator 14 calculates the difference between the spectrum of the reflected light reflected on the surface of the object 100 (the spectrum of the reflected light in which part of the white light has been absorbed by the object 100) and the spectrum of the white reflected light as the absorption spectrum of the object 100.

[0049] The computer 14 measures the reflected white light at a predetermined frequency, and if the change in the spectral shape or spectral value of the reflected white light between measurements is smaller than a predetermined value, the computer 14 reduces the frequency of measuring the reflected white light and reduces the frequency of the difference calculation (correction). Conversely, the computer 14 may increase the frequency of measuring the reflected white light and increase the frequency of the difference calculation (correction). This allows the correction to be performed at a desired frequency.

[0050] (Another example of the reflecting section) Up to this point, the white plate 32a equipped with an opening / closing door has been described as an example of the reflecting section 32. Hereinafter, as another example of the reflecting section 32, a three-dimensional structure equipped with a white surface (reflective surface) shaped to reflect a high proportion of white light will be used in order to reflect white light with high efficiency.

[0051] As shown in Fig. 9, a white three-dimensional structure 32b having an uneven white surface is formed on the surface of the white plate 32a facing the multi-core optical fiber 20. The side shape of the three-dimensional structure 32b is a rectangular parallelepiped, but in Fig. 9, it is expressed as a cross-sectional shape so that the unevenness of the white surface can be easily visualized.

[0052] The three-dimensional structure 32b has a white surface on the multi-core optical fiber 20 side, which is formed by combining the front side of a cone and the back side of a cone in an uneven manner, and has an opening / closing structure that divides itself to open and close in conjunction with the opening and closing of the white plate 32a. The three-dimensional structure 32b is formed, for example, by overlapping a small cone and a large cone concentrically in opposite directions.

[0053] More specifically, as shown in Figure 10(a), the three-dimensional structure 32b is formed by stacking a cone 61 and a mortar 62 that is larger than the cone 61 concentrically in opposite directions, and has a white surface formed by combining the front side of the side of the smaller cone 61 and the side of the mortar 62 in an uneven manner.

[0054] As shown in Figure 10 (b) , the white light is reflected twice, once on the surface of the cone body 61 and once on the front side of the mortar body 62, so that the white light is reflected in the opposite direction, and the reflected white reflected light is guided to the surrounding cores 22 of the multi-core optical fiber 20.

[0055] 11 is a front view of the three-dimensional structure 32b. The three-dimensional structure 32b is divided. That is, the cone 61 and the mortar 62, which are stacked together to form a single unit, are divided into five substructures 63, with the apex of the smaller cone 61 at the center. Each substructure 63, like the valve 51 of the white plate 32a, has an equilateral triangular shape formed by two convexly curved sides and one concavely curved side.

[0056] The first shaft 54 ​​and second shaft 55 that were attached to the white plate 32a are attached to the two vertices of each partial structure 63. Therefore, the three-dimensional structure 32b separates in conjunction with the opening and closing of the white plate 32a. When the ring 53 of the white plate 32a is rotated in a predetermined direction, the five partial structures 63 also unfold outward, and when rotated in the opposite direction, they return to their original integrated structure.

[0057] In this way, the three-dimensional structure 32b with the uneven white surface that can be divided and opened and closed is provided on the optical paths of the white light and the reflected light, so that the uneven white surface can reflect the white light with high efficiency, and the measured absorption spectrum can be corrected more accurately, thereby enabling the absorption spectrum of the measurement object 100 to be measured more accurately.

[0058] Each substructure 63 of the three-dimensional structure 32b may be formed directly and continuously on the surface of each valve 51 of the white plate 32a. The white plate 32a and the three-dimensional structure 32b may both be used, or only one of them may be used. When both the white plate 32a and the three-dimensional structure 32b are used, it is preferable to form the reflective surface (white surface) from the same material. This allows light to be more reliably returned to the analysis device 10 without absorption over a sufficiently wide wavelength range.

[0059] [Effects] According to this embodiment, the probe head 30 includes a white plate 32a with a white door that reflects the white light on the optical paths of the white light and the reflected light. When closed, the white light is blocked and reflected, returning the white reflected light, and when open, the white light is passed through and returning the reflected light from the measurement object 100. This makes it possible to accurately and easily correct the absorption spectrum of the measurement object 100. As a result, the absorption spectrum of the measurement object 100 can be accurately measured.

[0060] According to this embodiment, the probe head 30 includes a three-dimensional structure 32b with a concave-convex white surface that can be divided and opened and closed on the optical paths of the white light and the reflected light. This not only allows the white light to pass through or be blocked, but also allows the white light to be reflected with high efficiency by the concave-convex white surface. This allows for more accurate correction of the absorption spectrum of the measurement object 100. As a result, the absorption spectrum of the measurement object 100 can be measured more accurately.

[0061] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Analysis system 10 Analysis device 11 White light source 12 Spectrometer 13 Detector 14 Calculator 15 Control unit 20 Multi-core optical fiber 21 Central core, first core 22 Peripheral core, second core 30 Probe head 31 Optical system 311 First optical system 311a Collimator lens 311b Collector lens 312 Second optical system 312a Collimator lens 312b Collector lens 32 Reflector 32a White plate 32b Three-dimensional structure 33 Control unit 41 Collector lens 42 Collimator lens 43 Collector lens 51 Valve 52 Opening and closing door 53 Ring 54 First shaft 55 Second shaft 56 Opening and closing operation rod 61 Cone 62 Mortar 63 Partial structure 100 Measurement object

Claims

1. An analysis system comprising: an analysis device that outputs white light; and a probe head that outputs the white light to a measurement object and outputs reflected light that is reflected by the white light on the surface of the measurement object to the analysis device, wherein the probe head has a white reflecting section with an open / close structure that reflects the white light onto the optical path of the white light and the reflected light.

2. The analysis system according to claim 1, wherein the reflecting portion is a white plate equipped with an opening and closing door.

3. The analysis system according to claim 1, wherein the reflecting part is a structure that can be opened and closed by dividing it into two parts and that has a white surface on the analysis device side that is made by combining the front and back sides of a cone in an uneven pattern.

4. The analysis system described in claim 1, wherein the reflecting section comprises a white plate equipped with an opening / closing door, and a structure on the analysis device side that has a white surface that is an uneven combination of the front side of a cone and the back side of a cone, and that can be divided to open and close, the structure being positioned on the analysis device side of the white plate and dividing in conjunction with the opening and closing of the opening / closing door of the white plate.

5. The analysis system according to claim 1, wherein the analysis device measures the absorption spectrum absorbed by the object to be measured using the reflected light, and corrects the absorption spectrum with the spectrum of white reflected light reflected by the reflecting portion.

6. The analysis system according to claim 5, wherein the analysis device changes the frequency of the correction in accordance with changes in the spectral value of the white reflected light.

7. An analysis system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a multi-core optical fiber connected between the analysis device and the probe head, which transmits the white light to the probe head through a first core and transmits the reflected light to the analysis device through a second core.

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