Optical: systems and elements – Light control by opaque element or medium movable in or... – Slit type
Reexamination Certificate
2002-04-15
2004-07-20
Evans, F. L. (Department: 2877)
Optical: systems and elements
Light control by opaque element or medium movable in or...
Slit type
C356S300000, C356S332000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06765707
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a variable slit width device to be applied to a spectroscope, particularly to an optical spectrum analyzer.
2. Related Art
A conventional variable slit width device for a spectroscope is now described with reference to FIGS.
4
(A),
4
(B),
4
(C), and FIG.
5
. In FIGS.
4
(A),
4
(B), and
4
(C), depicted by
1
is a fixed part of the variable slit width device for a spectroscope. The fixed part
1
is fixed to such as an dispersible monochromator optical spectrum analyzer and other optical devices. A housing part
8
is fixed to the fixed part
1
. The housing part
8
houses therein a slit part and a driving part for driving slits so as to open or close the slit part.
The slit part is now described. In FIGS.
4
(A),
4
(B),
4
(C), depicted by
2
are slit defining members, which are parallel with two opposite surfaces of the housing part
8
, and disposed in parallel with each other in a horizontal direction. Depicted by
24
is a blade face
24
of the slit defining members
2
which are parallel with two opposite faces of the housing part
8
.
25
is also a blade face of the slit defining members
2
which is also disposed in the same manner as the blade face
24
but inclined relative to the two opposite faces of the housing part
8
by an angle of &thgr;.
The slit defining members
2
are fixed to upper surfaces of a pair of slit holders
21
. A pair of linear guides
3
(
FIG. 5
) having guide parts extending horizontally to the right and left are fixed to the upper and lower portions of the slit holders
21
.
Referring to
FIG. 5
, a pair of guide shafts
37
engaging with the guide parts of the pair of linear guides
3
are perpendicularly fixed to two opposite surfaces of the housing part
8
. As shown in FIG.
4
(A), a switch
26
is provided for detecting open and close ends of the slit defining members
2
, and a detection piece which is detected by the switch
26
is fixed to one of the slit holders
21
.
A driving part for controlling and driving the slit part so as to close or open the slit part as set forth above will now be described. A pair of feed nuts
6
are disposed at the center between the pair of slit holders
21
. The pair of the feed nuts
6
are respectively screwed on a closing screw
64
. The closing screw
64
is fixedly attached to a single common shaft
65
. The common shaft
65
is rotatably supported by bearings
66
fixed to the two opposite surfaces of the housing part
8
.
Both the feed nuts
6
and the closing screw
64
are threaded respectively such that the feed nuts
6
are moved toward each other by the closing screw
64
when the common shaft
65
is rotated in one direction while the feed nuts
6
are moved away from each other by the closing screw
64
when the common shaft
65
is rotated in the other direction. Preload springs
63
are disposed between the two opposite surfaces of the housing part
8
and the feed nuts
6
for preloading the feed nuts
6
in a direction toward one another. The common shaft
65
is connected to the motor
7
via a coupling, and is driven by the motor
7
.
With the variable slit width device for a spectroscope of the invention, the closing screw
64
fixed to the common shaft
65
is rotatably driven when the common shaft
65
is rotatably driven by the motor
7
via the coupling. When the closing screw
64
is rotated, the pair of slit holders
21
to which the feed nuts
6
threaded with the closing screw
64
are fixed are driven so as to be moved toward each other or moved away from each other while guided by the linear guides
3
and the pair of guide shafts
37
. An interval between the slit defining members
2
is adjusted by adjusting the number of revolutions of the motor
7
.
Another conventional variable slit width device for a spectroscope is described next with reference to
FIGS. 6
(A),
6
(B) and FIG.
7
. The prior art in
FIGS. 6
(A) and
6
(B) relate to a slit width switching device for a spectroscope for selectively using slits from multiple fixed width slits depending on use conditions. A housing part a comprises a fixed part
1
, a pair of flat plates
11
which are fixed perpendicularly to the fixed part
1
and disposed in parallel with each other, and a support rod
12
. The housing part
8
houses therein slit parts set forth hereunder.
A shaft
9
is disposed on the pair of flat plates
11
, and the shaft
9
is supported by bearings
91
. A gear
92
is non-rotatably fixed to the shaft
9
, and a thin circular plate
93
is positioned axially on the gear
92
. A plurality of slits
2
having different widths are formed in the plane surface of the circular plate
93
on the same radius and regular angular intervals. A part of the gear
92
and a part of the circular plate
93
are arranged to protrude from the housing part
8
.
The motor
7
is arranged in parallel with the shaft
9
and fixed to one of the flat plates
11
, and a gear
92
A meshing with the gear
92
is fixed to one shaft of the motor
7
, while one revolution detection piece
74
which is detected by a switch
73
is fixed to the other shaft of the motor
7
.
However, there was a problem in the variable slit width device for a spectroscope shown in
FIG. 4
that it has not been used in a narrow space such as an optical path returning part such as a 2 path, 4 path, 8 path monochromator serving as an optical unit of the dispersible monochromator spectrum analyzer.
That is, even if the slits
2
are positioned in a narrow space such as an optical path returning part such as a 2 path, 4 path, 8 path monochromator, the entire variable slit width device for a spectroscope including the housing part
8
has to be carried in such a narrow space, which is however not practical. Further, there is another problem that the slit defining members
2
do not uniformly operate right and left, a width dimension and the central position in the width direction do not become in theoretical values owing to a manufacturing error of the right and left screws of the closing screw
64
, thereby causing error.
Further, in the variable slit width device for a spectroscope as illustrated in FIGS.
6
(A) and
6
(B), the slits
2
, which are formed in the circular plate
93
by disposing a part of the gear
92
and a part of the circular plate
93
so as to protrude from the housing part
8
, can be used in a narrow space such as an optical path folding part of double path monochromator serving as an optical unit of the dispersible monochromator spectrum analyzer.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a variable slit width device for a spectroscope which can be used in a narrow space such as an optical path folding part of a 2 path, 4 path, 8 path monochromator constituting a part of a dispersible monochromator spectrum analyzer, which is large in variable width with high accuracy.
To achieve the above object, the variable slit width device for a spectroscope of the invention comprises a fixed part fixed to an optical device, a pair of slit holders fixed to the fixed part, guide parts provided on the adjacent surfaces of the pair of slit holders and inclined by a given angle, slit defining members attached to the side surfaces of the pair of slit holders, linear guides having the guide parts provided at the lower surfaces thereof and extending vertically, the slit holders being fixed to the linear guides and guide rails being fitted to the guide parts of the linear guides, attachment plates for fixing the guide rails, springs for urging the pair of slit holders so as to be moved toward each other, and exclusive electrodes attached to the respective slit defining members for detecting the zero point of the interval between the slit defining members, the device additionally includes a pair of freely rotatable rotary parts for pressing inclined guide parts of the pair of slit holders, pressing parts for supporting the pair of rotary parts, linear guides having guide parts formed at the lower surfaces thereof and extending horizonta
Ando Hiroshi
Ishikawa Eiji
Ando Electric Co. Ltd.
Evans F. L.
Flynn ,Thiel, Boutell & Tanis, P.C.
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