Temperature-Compensated Spectrometer Using Plastic Compensation Body
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Spectrometers face challenges in maintaining spectral resolution due to thermal expansion of materials used in their construction, leading to defocusing and reduced accuracy, especially in portable and mobile systems where complex and costly actuator-based solutions are impractical.
Innovation Solution
A spectrometer design utilizing a low-cost, lightweight optics base body made from materials with negligible thermal expansion, combined with a compensation body made of high-dimensional stability plastic, allows for passive correction of thermal expansion effects by adjusting the entrance focal length, maintaining focal position across a wide temperature range without active thermostatting or complex mechanical systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional materials with non-negligible thermal expansion coefficients are used in spectrometer construction, then manufacturing and processing become easier, but thermal expansion causes defocusing and reduced spectral resolution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies thermal expansion by incorporating a compensation body made of material with high thermal expansion coefficient that compensates for the thermal contraction of the optics base body, thereby maintaining the focal position stability across temperature variations without requiring the optics base body itself to have negligible thermal expansion
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite material approach by combining the optics base body made of conventional material (aluminum or magnesium alloy) with a compensation body made of plastic material, creating a composite structure that leverages the ease of processing of metals and the high thermal expansion coefficient of plastics to achieve thermal compensation
2Measurement precision
If active thermostatting or actuator-based correction systems are implemented, then spectral resolution is maintained across temperature ranges, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by designing a passive compensation system where the compensation body automatically adjusts the entrance focal length in response to temperature changes through its own thermal expansion, eliminating the need for external actuators, thermostats, or active control systems
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes thermal expansion of the compensation body material (plastic with high thermal expansion coefficient) to passively compensate for thermal effects on the optical system, replacing complex active correction mechanisms with a simple thermal compensation structure
3Measurement precision
If materials with negligible thermal expansion are used for the optics base body, then focal position stability is improved, but weight and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies thermal expansion by using a compensation body with high thermal expansion coefficient to counteract the thermal contraction of the optics base body, allowing the use of lightweight conventional materials for the base body while maintaining focal position stability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material strategy by combining conventional lightweight metals for the optics base body with plastic compensation bodies, achieving both weight reduction and thermal stability without requiring expensive specialized materials
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 design ensures consistent spectral resolution and accuracy across varying temperatures without the need for active corrections or thermostating, making it suitable for portable and cost-effective spectrometers.
Implementation Method 1
The compensation body (28) is made of a plastic material with a high coefficient of thermal expansion
Implementation Method 2
The light to be broken down either passes through a light guide or a light guide bundle from the place of plasma generation to the light entry opening
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a spectrometer (10), comprising a hollow main optical body (12) having at least one light channel (14), a light source (18), a diffraction grating (20) having a center grating point, a light inlet opening (24), and a detector unit (22), which are arranged in such a way that the focal curve of the spectrometer fills the back focus equation. In order to create a spectrometer having sufficient spectral resolution from a low-price, light, and easy-to-process material, said spectrometer being able to operate in a large temperature interval even without temperature stabilization, the light inlet opening (24) is arranged on a compensation body (28), the compensation body (28) is arranged in the light channel (14) and fastened to the main optical body (12) between the light source (18) and the diffraction grating (20), and the compensation body (28) is dimensioned in such a way that the compensation body changes the distance between the light inlet opening (24) and the center grating point when the main optical body (12) thermally expands.