Diffractive Beam Splitter for Uniform Fluid Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fluid analysis methods are prone to measurement errors due to local contamination, scattering, and flow fluctuations in the flow cell, which can lead to uneven distribution of interference effects across different receiver elements, resulting in inaccurate gas concentration measurements.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves spatially mixing the optical signal using a diffractive optical element, such as a computer-generated hologram, to split the light into multiple sub-beams that are evenly influenced by the fluid sample, ensuring that all sub-beams are affected equally by any disturbances, thus allowing for accurate normalization and correction of measurement errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the measuring beam is divided into sub-beams using conventional beam splitters, then the measurement can be performed with multiple receiver elements, but local contamination or disturbances affect only specific sub-beams, leading to measurement errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple beam splitters into a single integrated beam splitter that divides the measuring beam into multiple sub-beams. This integrated design ensures that all sub-beams pass through the same flow cell and are equally affected by any local contamination or disturbances, allowing for accurate normalization across all receiver elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates equipotentiality in terms of disturbance exposure by designing the beam path so that all sub-beams traverse the same sample area. This ensures that any local contamination, scattering, or flow fluctuations affect all sub-beams uniformly, enabling accurate measurement and normalization across all receiver elements.
2Quantity of substance
If multiple beam splitters are used to divide the measuring beam, then more receiver elements can be utilized, but the device complexity and optical path length increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple beam splitting functions into a single integrated beam splitter component. This reduces the number of separate optical elements, simplifies the optical path, and decreases overall device complexity while still enabling division of the measuring beam into multiple sub-beams for use with multiple receiver elements.
3Loss of information
If the measuring beam is divided into sub-beams, then spatial information can be obtained, but the intensity of each sub-beam is reduced, increasing susceptibility to contamination effects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent ensures that all sub-beams are equally exposed to contamination and disturbances by designing them to traverse the same flow cell area. This equipotential exposure allows for uniform normalization across all sub-beams, compensating for the reduced intensity of individual sub-beams and maintaining measurement accuracy despite the presence of contamination.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables accurate and reliable fluid analysis by ensuring that all sub-beams are uniformly affected by disturbances, leading to consistent measurement results and reducing the complexity and loss associated with conventional beam splitting methods.
Implementation Method 1
The beam splitter and mixer optics (12) comprise a diffractive optical element (12a), in particular a computer-generated hologram (CGH), which is designed to spatially mix the optical signal and to perform a 1 to n beam split into n sub-beams
Data Source
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AI summary
Exemplary embodiments provide an arrangement and a method for analyzing a fluid. The arrangement (10) for analyzing a fluid comprises a beam splitter and mixer optic (12) configured to spatially mix an optical signal and divide it into at least two spatial sub-bundles, and a flow cell (14) configured to spectrally influence at least the two spatial sub-bundles (15a; 15b) by means of a sample of the fluid. The arrangement further comprises a measuring device (16) configured to measure the at least two spatially separated sub-bundles (15a; 15b).