Miniaturized Raman Spectrometer Cylindrical Lens Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional Raman spectrometers are bulky, inconvenient to carry, and have low sensitivity due to their design, which includes spherical objective lenses that can detonate explosives and waste light energy, and lack the ability to detect materials invisible to the human eye or present in small quantities.
Innovation Solution
A double-channel miniaturized Raman spectrometer with near-infrared or near-ultraviolet laser diodes, a collimated laser beam expander, beam splitters, a cylindrical objective lens, relay optical system, line-array or matrix-array detectors, GPS, and a data processing and wireless transceiver system, allowing for on-site measurement of residual substances with enhanced sensitivity and resolution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If traditional spherical objective lens is used, then focusing capability is achieved, but light energy is wasted and explosives may be detonated due to too small focus
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional spherical objective lens with a cylindrical lens. This curvature change from spherical to cylindrical geometry fundamentally alters the light focusing pattern, creating a line focus instead of a point focus. This resolves the contradiction by distributing light energy along a line (reducing concentration at any single point, preventing explosive detonation) while maintaining adequate focusing capability for Raman signal collection.
2Ease of operation
If optical fiber combined with slit is used for alignment, then alignment is achieved, but great loss of light energy occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the optical fiber from the optical path, eliminating it as a component. Instead of using optical fiber combined with slit for alignment, the system employs direct spatial alignment between the cylindrical lens and the slit. This extraction of the optical fiber eliminates the associated light energy losses while maintaining alignment functionality through simplified direct optical path geometry.
3Measurement precision
If large reflector C-T structure with F value of 4 is used, then spectral dispersion is achieved, but luminous flux becomes very small
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the F value parameter of the reflector from 4 to 2. This parameter change fundamentally alters the optical path geometry, allowing for a more compact design with shorter focal length. The reduced F value increases the luminous flux by reducing the optical path length and improving light collection efficiency, while the spectral resolution is maintained through optimized grating parameters and detector positioning.
4Productivity
If linear CCDs or COMSs are used as detector, then detection is achieved, but light energy vertical to slit direction is wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a linear detector array to a two-dimensional matrix array detector. This dimensional change allows the detector to capture light energy in both horizontal and vertical directions simultaneously. The matrix array utilizes the full two-dimensional light distribution from the cylindrical lens, eliminating the waste of vertical light energy that occurs with linear detectors and maximizing the utilization of collected Raman signal.
5Ease of operation
If power-hungry touch screen or large-sized notebook is adopted, then display functionality is achieved, but convenience for carrying and usage is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/electronic display system (touch screen or notebook) with a wireless communication system. Instead of using a power-hungry local display device, the system transmits spectral data wirelessly to remote devices for display and analysis. This substitution eliminates the need for large, power-consuming display hardware within the portable instrument, dramatically improving portability and reducing power consumption while maintaining full display and analysis functionality through network connectivity.
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
The miniaturized Raman spectrometer achieves higher sensitivity and resolution, enabling detection of materials at the milligram level and beyond, including those invisible to the human eye, while being compact enough to be carried like a business card and providing results accessible anywhere with internet connectivity.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of sequentially-connected near-infrared laser diodes or near-ultraviolet laser emitters
Implementation Method 2
Raman spectra are one kind of scattering spectra... when the light passes through a transparent medium, the frequency of the light scattered by molecules changes
Implementation Method 3
a relay optical system, for imaging the laser light and the Raman light scattered from illumination points on a target onto the slit
Implementation Method 4
two spectral lens, a plurality of line-array or matrix-array CCD or CMOS detectors
Data Source
AI summary
A double-channel miniaturized Raman spectrometer includes a sequentially-connected near-infrared laser diode or near-ultraviolet laser emitter, a collimated laser beam expander, a first beam splitter that retards laser light but penetrates laser light and Raman light, a cylindrical or spherical objective lens with or without zooming, a second beam splitter that retards laser light but penetrates Raman light, a relay optical system, a slit, two spectral lens, a plurality of line-array or matrix-array CCD or CMOS detectors, a GPS, and a data processing and wireless transceiver system. After the laser channel photographing a target and aligning an optical axis and a Raman channel to measure the sample, the data is wirelessly sent to a cell phone and a cloud computer for spectrum separation, peak search, spectral library establishment, material identification and the like in order to obtain a quick conclusion.