Spectrometer

The spectrometer design with a sliding intermediate connecting member and guided adjustments addresses misalignment issues, ensuring precise alignment and accurate measurements by using separate coupling means.

WO2026154788A1PCT designated stage Publication Date: 2026-07-23KONICA MINOLTA INC
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Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
WO · WO
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
KONICA MINOLTA INC
Filing Date
2025-11-13
Publication Date
2026-07-23

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Conventional methods for fixing the spectral and light-detection components in spectrophotometers often result in misalignment due to gaps and eccentricity issues, leading to inaccurate measurements.

Method used

A spectrometer design that includes a spectrometer holding member, photodetector holding member, and an intermediate connecting member, allowing for precise adjustments in multiple directions using sliding and guided movements, with separate coupling means to prevent misalignment.

Benefits of technology

Enhances the precision of component alignment, preventing misalignment and maintaining accurate measurements by minimizing the influence of curing shrinkage and eccentricity during adhesive bonding.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

This spectrometer comprises: a spectroscopic unit (12) that spectrally separates incident light; a light detection unit (21) that detects the spectrally separated light; a spectroscopic-unit-holding member (1) that holds the spectroscopic unit; a light-detection-unit-holding member (2) that holds the light detection unit (12); and an intermediate connection member (3). The intermediate connection member (3) is in contact with the spectroscopic-unit-holding member (1) so as to be capable of sliding in a direction parallel to the light-receiving surface of the light detection unit (21), and the light-detection-unit-holding member (2) is configured to be capable of moving in the direction perpendicular to the light-receiving surface of the light detection unit (21) relative to the intermediate connection member (3). The intermediate connection member (3) is fixed to the spectroscopic-unit-holding member (1) by a first coupling means, and the light-detection-unit-holding member (2) is fixed to the intermediate connection member (3) by a second coupling means.
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Description

Spectrophotometer

[0001] This invention relates to a spectrophotometer used in a color measuring device or the like.

[0002] Such a spectrophotometer includes an incident part for incident light from the object to be measured, a spectral part such as a diffraction grating for splitting the light from the incident part, and a light detection part including a light receiving sensor for receiving the split light. The spectral part splits the incident light for each wavelength, and the light detection part receives the light for each split wavelength. Therefore, if a misalignment occurs between the spectral part and the light detection part, accurate measurement cannot be performed.

[0003] Generally, the spectral part holding member for holding the spectral part and the light detection part holding member for holding the light detection part are constituted by separate members. Therefore, when assembling the spectrophotometer, it is required to fix the spectral part holding member and the light detection part holding member so that no misalignment occurs between the spectral part and the light detection part.

[0004] As a method for fixing the light detection part holding member, Patent Document 1 discloses the following method. That is, while projecting two columnar protrusions on the light detector holding plate mounting surface of the case, two elliptical holes having the same interval as the set interval of the protrusions and having the long side direction as the minor diameter are formed on both sides in the long side direction of the light detector holding plate. The protrusions projected on the case are inserted into the elliptical holes formed in the light detector holding plate, and the tip parts of the protrusions are projected outward from the outer surface of the light detector holding plate. An adhesive is supplied to the portion including the tip part of the projected protrusion and the outer surface of the light detector holding plate, and the adhesive is cured by irradiating ultraviolet rays.

[0005] Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a mounting structure of a solid-state imaging device in an image reading device having a coupling part for fixing the solid-state imaging device fixing member on the imaging lens side and the solid-state imaging device holding member on the solid-state imaging device side after position adjustment. Specifically, the coupling part includes a protrusion provided on the solid-state imaging device fixing member and a hole provided on the solid-state imaging device holding member that loosely engages with the protrusion, and an adhesive through which the relative position between the protrusion and the hole can be adjusted is interposed between the protrusion and the hole.

[0006] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-257049, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-130536

[0007] However, the fixing method described in Patent Document 1 has the problem that the gap between the hole and the projection is large, making it impossible to control the curing shrinkage direction of the adhesive and thus impossible to maintain the adjusted position.

[0008] Furthermore, in the fixing method described in Patent Document 2, depending on the adjustment position, the projection and the hole may be eccentric, so the adhesive filled in the hole will not be concentric, resulting in a difference in the stress around the axis as the adhesive hardens, which may cause a shift in the adjustment position before and after the adhesive hardens.

[0009] Thus, with conventional fixing methods, there was a risk of misalignment between the spectral section and the light-receiving sensor (which is the light-detecting section) when fixing the spectral section holding member and the light-detecting section holding member.

[0010] The object of this invention is to provide a spectrometer that can suppress the occurrence of misalignment between the spectroscopic section and the photodetector when fixing the spectroscopic section holding member and the photodetector holding member.

[0011] The above objective is achieved by the following means: (1) A spectrometer comprising a spectrometer that spectrally analyzes incident light, a photodetector that detects the spectrally analyzed light, a spectrometer holding member that holds the spectrometer, a photodetector holding member that holds the photodetector, and an intermediate connecting member, wherein the intermediate connecting member is in contact with the spectrometer holding member so as to be slidable in a direction parallel to the light-receiving surface of the photodetector, the photodetector holding member is configured to be movable relative to the intermediate connecting member in a direction perpendicular to the light-receiving surface of the photodetector, the intermediate connecting member is fixed to the spectrometer holding member by a first coupling means, and the photodetector holding member is fixed to the intermediate connecting member by a second coupling means. (2) The spectrometer according to item 1 above, wherein the intermediate connecting member and the spectrometer holding member are in contact with each other on their planes, the intermediate connecting member has a through hole, one of the openings of the through hole is closed by the plane of the spectrometer holding member, and the first coupling means is an adhesive filled in the through hole. (3) The spectrometer according to item 2, wherein the through hole of the intermediate connecting member is positioned at a substantially point-symmetric position with respect to the photodetector. (4) The spectrometer according to any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the photodetector holding member is configured to be movable relative to the intermediate connecting member in a direction perpendicular to the light-receiving surface of the photodetector, while being guided by a guide structure. (5) The spectrometer according to any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the photodetector holding member and the intermediate connecting member are engaged by a projection provided on the intermediate connecting member and a through hole provided on the photodetector holding member, a counterbore concentric with the through hole is formed at the opening of one end of the through hole, and the second coupling means is an adhesive filled in the concentric counterbore. (6) The spectrometer according to item 5, wherein the apex of the projection provided on the intermediate connecting member protrudes beyond the opening of the through hole after the position adjustment of the photodetector holding member is completed. (7) The spectrometer according to item 2 or 3, wherein the intermediate connecting member and the spectrometer holding member have a third bonding means on the contact surface, the third bonding means being a thermosetting adhesive. (8) The spectrometer according to item 5, wherein the detection holding member has a fourth bonding means in the counterbore, the fourth bonding means being a thermosetting adhesive. (9) The spectrometer according to any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the spectrometer has a means for sealing the gap between the light detection holding member and the intermediate connecting member.

[0012] The spectrometer according to this invention comprises three components: a spectrometer holding member that holds a spectrometer that spectrally analyzes incident light; a photodetector holding member that holds a photodetector that detects the spectrally analyzed light; and an intermediate connecting member. The intermediate connecting member is in contact with the spectrometer holding member so as to be slidable in a direction parallel to the light-receiving surface of the photodetector, and the intermediate connecting member is fixed to the spectrometer holding member by a first coupling means. The photodetector holding member is configured to be movable relative to the intermediate connecting member in a direction perpendicular to the light-receiving surface of the photodetector, and the photodetector holding member is fixed to the intermediate connecting member by a second coupling means.

[0013] Thus, the position of the photodetector in the direction parallel to the light-receiving surface is adjusted by the positional relationship between the intermediate connecting member and the spectrometer holding member, and the position of the photodetector in the direction perpendicular to the light-receiving surface is adjusted by the positional relationship between the photodetector holding member and the intermediate connecting member. For this reason, the position adjustment of the photodetector in the direction parallel to the light-receiving surface and the position perpendicular to the light-receiving surface can be performed with greater precision compared to when only the photodetector holding member and the spectrometer holding member are used, and misalignment between the photodetector and the spectrometer can be prevented. Moreover, since the coupling between the intermediate connecting member and the spectrometer holding member and the coupling between the photodetector holding member and the intermediate connecting member are performed by separate coupling means, the influence of one coupling on the other coupling is suppressed. For this reason, misalignment between the photodetector and the spectrometer can be further prevented.

[0014] This is an exploded perspective view of a spectrometer according to one embodiment of this invention. This is a perspective view showing the positional relationship between the spectrometer holding member and the light-receiving sensor, which is the light-detecting unit. This is a plan view showing the positional relationship between the spectrometer holding member and the light-receiving sensor, which is the light-detecting unit. This is a schematic perspective view showing how the light to be measured, incident on the spectrometer holding member, is spectrally separated and reaches the light-receiving sensor. This is a perspective view of the intermediate connecting member viewed from diagonally above. This is a perspective view of the intermediate connecting member viewed from diagonally below. This is a perspective view of the light-detecting unit holding member viewed from diagonally above. This is a perspective view of the light-detecting unit holding member viewed from diagonally below. This is a perspective view of the spectrometer before the spectrometer holding member, intermediate connecting member and light-detecting unit holding member are joined together. This is a plan view of the spectrometer after joining. This is a front view of the spectrometer showing the intermediate connecting member and light-detecting unit holding member in cross-section in the joined state.

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of this invention will be described based on the drawings.

[0016] Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a spectrometer according to one embodiment of the present invention. This spectrometer comprises a spectrometer holding member 1, a photodetector holding member 2, and an intermediate connecting member 3.

[0017] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the positional relationship between the spectral section holding member 1 and the light receiving sensor 21, which is the light detection unit, and Figure 3 is a plan view of the same. Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view showing how the light to be measured, incident on the spectral section holding member 1, is spectrally separated and reaches the light receiving sensor 21.

[0018] As shown in these figures, the spectrometer holding member 1 is composed of a case member having a slit member 11 on its upper surface, and holds the spectrometer 12 shown in Figure 4 inside. The slit member 11 has an incident slit 11a into which the light to be measured is incident. The spectrometer 12 consists of a diffraction grating or the like that spectrally separates the light to be measured incident from the incident slit 11a of the slit member 11 into wavelengths. The light 13 spectrally separated into wavelengths by the spectrometer 12 is received by a light receiving sensor 21. The light receiving sensor 21 is attached to the back surface (the surface on the spectrometer holding member 1 side) of the light receiving sensor mounting member 22.

[0019] The light receiving sensor 21 has multiple sensor cells (pixels) arranged in the direction (dispersion direction) in which the incident light is spectrally separated by the spectral section 12. The light 13 spectrally separated by the spectral section 12 is received by each sensor cell for each wavelength. Each sensor cell outputs according to the intensity of the spectrally separated light 13.

[0020] The light receiving sensor 21 is adjusted and fixed to an optically designed position and orientation based on the light 13 spectrally separated by the spectroscopic unit 12. In order to adjust the light receiving sensor 21 to the optically designed position / orientation, in this embodiment, the light receiving sensor 21 is held by the light detection unit holding member 2 via the light receiving sensor mounting member 22 and is configured to be freely movable together with the light detection unit holding member 2. The position adjustment of the light receiving sensor 21 is performed by movement in the dispersion direction, the non-dispersion direction (direction perpendicular to the dispersion direction), and the imaging direction. In the following description, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the dispersion direction is also called the Y direction, the non-dispersion direction is also called the X direction, and the imaging direction is also called the Z direction. The Z direction is perpendicular to both the X direction and the Y direction. Orientation adjustment is performed in the rotational direction (θz direction) centered on the imaging direction Z. The X direction, Y direction, and θz direction are parallel to the light receiving surface of the light receiving sensor 21, and the Z direction is perpendicular to the light receiving surface of the light receiving sensor 21.

[0021] The spectral section holding member 1 has a surface facing the light-receiving surface of the light-receiving sensor 21 that is formed as an inclined plane 14 parallel to the light-receiving surface. This plane 14 is the surface that contacts the back surface (the surface on the spectral section holding member 1 side) of the intermediate connecting member 3. A rectangular opening 15 is formed approximately in the center of this plane 14 to allow light 13 of each wavelength emitted from the spectral section 12 to pass through, and rectangular recessed areas 16 are formed on both sides of the opening 15 in the width direction. Adhesive is filled into the recesses 16 for joining with the intermediate connecting member 3.

[0022] Figure 5 is a perspective view of the intermediate connecting member 3 from diagonally above, and Figure 6 is a perspective view from diagonally below. The intermediate connecting member 3 consists of a substantially rectangular plate-like member having an arc-shaped projection 31 on one end in the longitudinal direction. The size of the intermediate connecting member 3 is formed to be such that, when in contact with the plane 14 of the spectral section holding member 1, it can close the opening 15 and the recess 16 for resin filling formed in the spectral section holding member 1.

[0023] The back surface of the intermediate connecting member 3 is formed as a flat surface. Furthermore, the four corners of the intermediate connecting member 3 are formed with reduced thickness on the side facing the light detection unit holding member 2, and a total of four through holes 32 are formed that penetrate each thinned portion in the thickness direction. These four through holes 32 are formed in positions that are approximately point-symmetric with respect to the position of the light receiving sensor 21 in the light detection unit holding member 2 that is connected to the intermediate connecting member 3.

[0024] Furthermore, four cylindrical first protrusions 33 are formed on the inside of each of the four through holes 32, projecting toward the light detection unit holding member 2. In addition, three cylindrical second protrusions 34 are formed near the arc-shaped protrusion 31 and the through hole 32 at the end opposite to the arc-shaped protrusion 31. In this embodiment, the protruding length of the first protrusions 33 is set to be longer than the protruding length of the second protrusions 34.

[0025] A rectangular opening 35 is formed in the center of the intermediate connecting member 3 to allow light 13 of each wavelength emitted from the spectral section 12 to pass through, and a recessed groove 36 is formed around the outer periphery of the opening 35, with the thickness reduced in a frame shape along the shape of the opening 35.

[0026] Figure 7 is a perspective view of the light detection unit holding member 2 from diagonally above, and Figure 8 is a perspective view from diagonally below. The light detection unit holding member 2 is made of a plate-shaped member having almost the same shape as the intermediate connecting member 3, but the parts corresponding to the four corners of the intermediate connecting member 3 are missing. The light detection unit holding member 2 has a housing section 23 (clearly shown in Figure 1) in its approximate center for housing the light receiving sensor mounting member 22, and the light receiving sensor mounting member 22 is housed and held in this housing section 23. The light receiving sensor 21 attached to the light receiving sensor mounting member 22 receives light 13 of each wavelength from the intermediate connecting member 3 side through the opening 23a of the housing section 23. The periphery of the light receiving sensor mounting member 22 is supported by a frame-shaped edge member 24.

[0027] In the photodetector holding member 2, first guide holes 25 are formed at positions corresponding to the four first protrusions 33 of the intermediate connecting member 3, respectively, penetrating the photodetector holding member 2 in the thickness direction. Similarly, second guide holes 26 are formed at positions corresponding to the three second protrusions 34 of the intermediate connecting member 3, also penetrating the photodetector holding member 2 in the thickness direction. The diameter of the first guide holes 25 is approximately the same as or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the first protrusions 33, and the diameter of the second guide holes 26 is approximately the same as or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the second protrusions 34. This allows the first and second protrusions 33 and 34 to be inserted and engaged with the first and second guide holes 25 and 26, respectively. Then, while guiding the first and second protrusions 33 and 34 by the first and second guide holes 25 and 26, the photodetector holding member 2 and the intermediate connecting member 3 can be moved in a direction perpendicular to the light-receiving surface of the light-receiving sensor 21 (imaging direction Z).

[0028] Furthermore, counterbores 25a and 26a are formed in the openings on the surface side of each first guide hole 25 and second guide hole 26, respectively, and consist of recesses concentric with the respective guide holes. These counterbores 25a and 26a are filled with adhesive for joining the light detection unit holding member 2 and the intermediate connecting member 3 with the first and second protrusions 33 and 34 inserted through them. The protrusion length of the first protrusion 33 is set so that, when the light receiving sensor 21 is positioned, the tip of the first protrusion 33 inserted through the first guide hole 25 protrudes from the end face of the first guide hole 25. The protrusion length of the second protrusion 34 is set so that, when the light receiving sensor 21 is positioned, the tip of the second protrusion 34 inserted through the second guide hole 26 protrudes approximately the same length as or slightly from the end face of the second guide hole 26.

[0029] Furthermore, on the back surface of the light detection unit holding member 2 (the surface facing the intermediate connecting member 3), a frame-shaped rib 27 is provided that surrounds the light receiving sensor mounting member 22 and corresponds to the frame-shaped groove 36 of the intermediate connecting member 3. When the light detection unit holding member 2 and the intermediate connecting member 3 are connected, the rib 27 of the light detection unit holding member 2 can be fitted into the groove 36 of the intermediate connecting member 3.

[0030] Next, the method for connecting and fixing the spectral section holding member 1, the intermediate connecting member 3, and the photodetector holding member 2 will be explained with reference to Figures 9 to 11.

[0031] Figure 9 is a perspective view of the spectrometer before the spectrometer section holder 1, intermediate connecting member 3, and photodetector section holder 2 are joined together. Figure 10 is a plan view of the spectrometer after joining. Figure 11 is a front view of the spectrometer showing the intermediate connecting member 3 and photodetector section holder 2 in cross-section in the joined state.

[0032] First, as shown in Figure 9, the first projection 33 and the second projection 34 of the intermediate connecting member 3 are inserted and engaged with the first guide hole 25 and the second guide hole 26 of the light detection unit holding member 2, respectively. In this state, the light detection unit holding member 2 and the intermediate connecting member 3 are brought closer together, and the rib 27 on the back surface of the light detection unit holding member 2 is fitted into the groove 36 of the intermediate connecting member 3.

[0033] Next, the flat back surface of the intermediate connecting member 3 and the plane 14 of the spectral section holding member 1 are brought into contact with each other. In this contact state, the intermediate connecting member 3 and the light detection section holding member 2 are slidable in the X, Y, and θz directions on the plane 14 of the spectral section holding member 1. Also, as mentioned above, the plane 14 is parallel to the light-receiving surface of the light-receiving sensor 21.

[0034] Therefore, while sliding the intermediate connecting member 3 on the plane 14, the amount of movement of the light detection unit holding member 2, which moves integrally with the intermediate connecting member 3, in the X, Y, and θz directions is adjusted to determine the position of the light receiving sensor 21 in the X, Y, and θz directions.

[0035] After determining the positions of the light-receiving sensor 21 in the X, Y, and θz directions, adhesive 51 is filled into the four corner through-holes 32 of the intermediate connecting member 3. Since the opening of the through-hole 32 on the side of the spectrometer holding member 1 is blocked by the plane 14 of the spectrometer holding member 1, the adhesive 51 does not flow out from this opening. The intermediate connecting member 3 and the spectrometer holding member 1 are bonded together by the curing of the adhesive 51. In other words, the adhesive 51 filled into the through-holes 32 functions as a first bonding means for bonding the intermediate connecting member 3 and the spectrometer holding member 1. In Figure 10, the adhesive is shown in black. As for the adhesive 51 to be filled into the through-holes 32, from the viewpoint of ease of bonding work, for example, an ultraviolet (UV) curing adhesive can be used. In addition, the four through-holes 32 are formed in positions that are approximately point-symmetric with respect to the position of the light-receiving sensor 21 on the light-detecting unit holding member 2. Therefore, it is effective in preventing positional displacement of the light-receiving sensor 21 in the X and Y directions due to curing shrinkage of the adhesive 51 filled into the through-holes 32.

[0036] Preferably, before the intermediate connecting member 3 contacts the spectrometer holding member 1, an adhesive (not shown) may be filled into a recess 16 formed in the flat surface 14 of the spectrometer holding member 1, and then the intermediate connecting member 3 may be brought into contact with the spectrometer holding member 1 to position the light receiving sensor 21. The intermediate connecting member 3 and the spectrometer holding member 1 are bonded together by the curing of the adhesive filled into the recess 16. In addition to the bonding by the adhesive 51 filled into the through hole 32, the bonding by the adhesive filled into the recess 16 reinforces the bonding strength between the intermediate connecting member 3 and the spectrometer holding member 1. The adhesive filled into the recess 16 functions as a third bonding means for bonding the intermediate connecting member 3 and the spectrometer holding member 1. A thermosetting adhesive with strong adhesive strength is preferable as the adhesive filled into the recess 16.

[0037] In this way, the positions of the light receiving sensor 21 in the X, Y, and θz directions are determined, and after connecting the intermediate connecting member 3 and the spectral section holding member 1, the position of the light receiving sensor 21 in the Z direction is determined. Specifically, the light detection section holding member 2 is moved in the direction away from or towards the intermediate connecting member 3, that is, in the Z direction. Since the first projection 33 and the second projection 34 of the intermediate connecting member 3 and the first guide hole 25 and the second guide hole 26 of the light detection section holding member 2 are engaged with each other, the light detection section holding member 2 moves only in the Z direction while being guided by the first projection 33 and the second projection 34.

[0038] Next, with the position of the light receiving sensor 21 in the Z direction determined, adhesive 52 is filled into the counterbore 25a of each first guide hole 25 and allowed to harden. A UV-curing adhesive or the like can be used as the adhesive. As the adhesive 52 hardens, the light detection unit holding member 2 and the first projection 33 are bonded together, and consequently the light detection unit holding member 2 and the intermediate connecting member 3 are joined. The adhesive 52 filled into the counterbore 25a of the first guide hole 25 functions as a second joining means. Since the counterbore 25a is formed concentrically with the first guide hole 25, the application area of ​​the adhesive 52 is coaxial with the axis of the first projection 33. Therefore, positional displacement in the X and Y directions due to curing shrinkage of the adhesive 52 can be prevented.

[0039] In this embodiment, with the light receiving sensor 21 positioned, the tip of the first projection 33 of the intermediate connecting member 3 protrudes beyond the opening surface of the first guide hole 25 of the light detection unit holding member 2. Therefore, the application area of ​​the adhesive 52 is limited to the area around the axis of the first projection 33. This prevents misalignment in the Z direction due to curing shrinkage of the adhesive 52.

[0040] Preferably, adhesive 53 is also filled into the counterbores 26a of each second guide hole 26 through which the second projection 34 of the intermediate connecting member 3 is inserted, thereby reinforcing the bonding strength between the light detection unit holding member 2 and the intermediate connecting member 3 by adhesive 52. As the adhesive 53 to be filled into the counterbores 26a of the second guide hole 26, a thermosetting resin with excellent adhesive strength can be used. The adhesive 53 filled into the counterbores 26a of the second guide hole 26 functions as a fourth bonding means.

[0041] By moving the light detection unit holding member 2 in the Z direction, depending on the position where the light receiving sensor 21 is positioned, a gap 4 may occur between the light detection unit holding member 2 and the intermediate connecting member 3, as shown in Figure 11. If a gap 4 occurs, dust and other debris may enter through the gap 4 and adhere to the light receiving surface of the light receiving sensor 21, potentially leading to a decrease in measurement accuracy. However, in this embodiment, a rib 27 is formed on the back surface of the light detection unit holding member 2 in a manner that surrounds the periphery of the light receiving sensor mounting member 22, and this rib 27 is fitted into a groove 36 of the intermediate connecting member 3. For this reason, the height of the rib 27 and the depth of the groove 36 are set so that the fitted state between the rib 27 and the groove 36 can be maintained even when the light receiving sensor 21 is positioned. As a result, as shown in Figure 11, the gap 4 between the light detection unit holding member 2 and the intermediate connecting member 3 is closed by the rib 27. As a result, dust that enters from the gap 4 is prevented from entering the light receiving sensor 21, thus preventing dust from adhering to the light receiving surface of the light receiving sensor 21 and preventing a decrease in measurement accuracy.

[0042] As described above, in this embodiment, the position of the light receiving sensor 21 in the X, Y, and θz directions is adjusted by the positional relationship between the intermediate connecting member 3 and the spectral section holding member 1, and the position of the light receiving sensor 21 in the Z direction is adjusted by the positional relationship between the photodetector holding member 2 and the intermediate connecting member 3. Therefore, the position adjustment of the light receiving sensor 21 in the X, Y, θz directions and the Z direction can be performed with greater precision compared to when the adjustment is performed using only the two members, the photodetector holding member 2 and the spectral section holding member 1, and positional misalignment between the light receiving sensor 21 and the spectral section 12 can be prevented. Moreover, since the coupling between the intermediate connecting member 3 and the spectral section holding member 1 and the coupling between the photodetector holding member 2 and the intermediate connecting member 3 are performed by separate coupling means, the influence of one coupling on the other coupling is suppressed. Therefore, positional misalignment between the light receiving sensor 21 and the spectral section 12 can be further prevented.

[0043] In this way, the positions of the light-receiving sensor 21 in the X direction, Y direction, and θz direction, and the position of the light-receiving sensor 21 in the Z direction can be adjusted independently. Therefore, even when adhesives 51 to 53 are used as the coupling means for coupling the intermediate coupling member 3 with the spectroscopic unit holding member 1 and the light detection unit holding member 2 and the intermediate coupling member 3, respectively, as in this embodiment, the curing shrinkage of one adhesive is prevented from affecting the other coupling. As a result, the occurrence of misalignment between the light-receiving sensor 21 and the spectroscopic unit 12 can be further prevented.

[0044] This application claims the priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2025-005601 filed on January 15, 2025, and the disclosure content thereof constitutes a part of this application as it is.

[0045] This invention can be used as a spectroscope used in a color measuring device or the like.

[0046] 1 Spectroscopic unit holding member 2 Light detection unit holding member 3 Intermediate coupling member 4 Gap 11 Slit member 11a Incident slit 12 Spectroscopic unit 13 Spectroscopic light 14 Plane 16 Concave portion 21 Light-receiving sensor 22 Light-receiving sensor mounting member 25 First guide hole 25a Counter bore 26 Second guide hole 26a Counter bore 27 Rib 32 Through hole 33 First protrusion 34 Second protrusion 36 Concave groove 51 - 53 Adhesive

Claims

1. A spectrometer comprising: a spectrometer for spectrally analyzing incident light; a photodetector for detecting the spectrally analyzed light; a spectrometer holding member for holding the spectrometer; a photodetector holding member for holding the photodetector; and an intermediate connecting member, wherein the intermediate connecting member is in contact with the spectrometer holding member so as to be slidable in a direction parallel to the light-receiving surface of the photodetector; the photodetector holding member is configured to be movable relative to the intermediate connecting member in a direction perpendicular to the light-receiving surface of the photodetector; the intermediate connecting member is fixed to the spectrometer holding member by a first coupling means; and the photodetector holding member is fixed to the intermediate connecting member by a second coupling means.

2. The spectrometer according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate connecting member and the spectrometer holding member are in contact with each other on their planes, the intermediate connecting member has a through hole, one of the openings of the through hole is closed by the plane of the spectrometer holding member, and the first coupling means is an adhesive filled in the through hole.

3. The spectrometer according to claim 2, wherein the through-hole of the intermediate connecting member is arranged in a substantially point-symmetric position with respect to the light detection unit.

4. The spectrometer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the photodetector holding member is configured to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the light-receiving surface of the photodetector while being guided by a guide structure relative to the intermediate connecting member.

5. The spectrometer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the photodetector holding member and the intermediate connecting member are engaged by a projection provided on the intermediate connecting member and a through hole provided on the photodetector holding member, a counterbore concentric with the through hole is formed at the opening at one end of the through hole, and the second coupling means is an adhesive filled in the concentric counterbore.

6. The spectrometer according to claim 5, wherein the apex of the projection provided on the intermediate connecting member protrudes beyond the opening of the through hole after the position adjustment of the light detection unit holding member is completed.

7. The spectrometer according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the intermediate connecting member and the spectrometer holding member have a third bonding means at their contact surfaces, the third bonding means being a thermosetting adhesive.

8. The spectrometer according to claim 5, wherein the counterbore of the detection and holding member has a fourth bonding means, the fourth bonding means being a thermosetting adhesive.

9. A spectrometer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising means for sealing the gap between the photodetector holding member and the intermediate connecting member.