Two-dimensional spectral imaging system

• Main Authors: EMPEDOCLES, STEPHEN A, WATSON, ANDREW R
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 09.03.2011
• Subjects: ADHESIVES; CALCULATING; CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL LABORATORY APPARATUS FOR GENERAL USE; CHEMISTRY; COLORIMETRY; COMBINATORIAL CHEMISTRY; COMPUTING; COUNTING; DYES; ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS; INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; LIBRARIES, e.g. CHEMICAL LIBRARIES, IN SILICOLIBRARIES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT THEREOF; MATERIALS FOR MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS, NOT PROVIDED FORELSEWHERE; MEASUREMENT OF INTENSITY, VELOCITY, SPECTRAL CONTENT,POLARISATION, PHASE OR PULSE CHARACTERISTICS OF INFRA-RED,VISIBLE OR ULTRA-VIOLET LIGHT; MEASURING; METALLURGY; MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS OF MATERIALS; MISCELLANEOUS COMPOSITIONS; NANOSTRUCTURES FORMED BY MANIPULATION OF INDIVIDUAL ATOMS,MOLECULES, OR LIMITED COLLECTIONS OF ATOMS OR MOLECULES ASDISCRETE UNITS; NANOTECHNOLOGY; NATURAL RESINS; PAINTS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; PHYSICS; POLISHES; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RADIATION PYROMETRY; RECOGNITION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; TESTING; TRANSPORTING

Improved devices, systems (14), and methods for sensing and/or identifying signals from within a signal detection region are well-suited for identification of spectral codes. Large numbers of independently identifiable spectral codes can be generated by quite small bodies (12a, 12b), and a plurality of such bodies or probes (12a, 12b) may be present within a detection region. Simultaneously imaging of identifiable spectra (60) from throughout the detection region allows the probes (12a, 12b) to be identified. As the identifiable spectra can be treated as being generated from a point source within a much larger detection field, a prism, diffractive grading, holographic transmissive grading, or the like (56) can spectrally disperse the images of the labels across a sensor surface. A CCD (18) can identify the relative wavelengths of signals making up the spectra. Absolute signal wavelengths may be determined by determining positions of the labels, by an interval wavelength reference within the spectra (60), or the like.