Handheld Spectrometer Wavelength Multiplexing Portability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional spectrometers are too large and costly for consumer use, offering less than ideal resolution, sensitivity, and portability, and often fail to provide actionable attributes related to spectral data, such as the sweetness of an object like an apple.
Innovation Solution
A compact, handheld spectrometer system integrated with a mobile device that uses wavelength multiplexing to illuminate objects, coupled with a database for attribute determination, allowing users to input and receive data via a mobile communication device, and a cloud-based server for data analysis and sharing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional spectrometers are used to achieve high resolution and sensitivity, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and cost increase, making them too large for portable consumer use
Solution Approach 1:
The spectrometer is divided into separate functional modules: a light source module, a diffuser module, a filter array module, and a detector module. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and assembled in a compact configuration, achieving high spectral resolution without requiring a large monolithic instrument structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a nested arrangement where the filter array is positioned within the optical path between the diffuser and detector, and the light source is integrated into the same housing. This nesting of optical components maximizes space utilization and enables the compact handheld form factor while maintaining the optical path length necessary for high-resolution spectroscopy.
2Measurement precision
If conventional spectrometers are used to achieve accurate spectral measurement, then measurement precision is improved, but cost increases making them inaccessible to consumer market
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive, fragile optical components with more affordable alternatives. Specifically, it uses LED light sources instead of lasers, diffusers instead of precision mirrors, and filter arrays instead of grating monochromators. These components are cheaper to manufacture and assemble, significantly reducing the overall instrument cost while maintaining sufficient spectral measurement accuracy for consumer applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operating parameters of the optical system by using broadband LED illumination across multiple wavelengths simultaneously, rather than scanning through wavelengths with a monochromator. This parameter change enables parallel spectral measurement, reducing measurement time and allowing the use of simpler, less expensive optical components while maintaining spectral accuracy.
3Device complexity
If compact spectrometers are designed to reduce size, then device complexity is reduced for portability, but measurement precision and sensitivity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs time-division multiplexing where different wavelength filters in the array are illuminated sequentially by modulating the LED light source at different frequencies. This periodic action allows the compact detector to measure multiple wavelengths over time, achieving high spectral sensitivity and resolution despite the reduced optical path length inherent in the compact design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a single-wavelength measurement approach to a multi-wavelength simultaneous measurement by incorporating an array of wavelength-selective filters. This dimensional expansion from one wavelength channel to many enables the compact spectrometer to achieve high spectral sensitivity by collecting information across the entire spectrum in parallel, compensating for the reduced optical path length.
4Measurement precision
If spectral data is collected without attribute association, then measurement precision is maintained, but loss of information occurs as spectra are difficult to interpret for end users
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary processing layer that includes a database of reference spectral data and attribute information, along with processing electronics that compare measured spectra against the reference database. This intermediary system translates raw spectral data into meaningful attribute information such as sugar content, fat content, or material identification, preventing information loss by bridging the gap between spectral measurements and user-interpretable results.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where the measured spectral data is compared against reference spectra in the database, and the results are used to determine and display attribute information. This feedback loop ensures that the spectral measurements are accurately interpreted and converted into actionable intelligence, maintaining the precision of the original measurement while delivering meaningful information to the user.
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
Enables users to obtain actionable intelligence from spectral data, providing attribute information of objects, enhancing usability and accessibility while reducing size and cost, and facilitating data sharing among users.
Implementation Method 1
a hand held spectrometer with wavelength multiplexing in which a plurality of wavelengths are used to illuminate the object and measure the one or more spectra
Implementation Method 2
These instruments generally include some type of spectrally selective element to separate wavelengths of radiation received from the sample
Implementation Method 3
a first-stage optic, such as a lens, to focus or concentrate the radiation onto an imaging array
Data Source
AI summary
A hand held spectrometer is used to illuminate the object and measure the one or more spectra. The spectral data of the object can be used to determine one or more attributes of the object. In many embodiments, the spectrometer is coupled to a database of spectral information that can be used to determine the attributes of the object. The spectrometer system may comprise a hand held communication device coupled to a spectrometer, in which the user can input and receive data related to the measured object with the hand held communication device. The embodiments disclosed herein allow many users to share object data with many people, in order to provide many people with actionable intelligence in response to spectral data.