Remote reading spectrophotometer.

0001This invention relates to a remote reading spectrophotometer for conveniently and accurately measuring the spectral characteristics of a sample at relatively long distances. A spectrophotometer corresponding to the preamble of claim 1 is known from EP-A-0 081 702.

0002Spectrophotometers are widely used in many settings to determine spectral reflectance. As an industrial quality control tool, spectrophotometers are used to determine whether goods in production are of consistently acceptable appearance. In short, the object is to ensure that the spectral reflectance of the production material is consistent throughout its length and width so that the ultimate goods will be of the highest possible quality.

0003By way of example, textile manufacturers use spectrophotometers during continuous production to monitor the consistency and effectiveness of their dying processes.

0004Ideally, the textile manufacturers would place a spectrophotometer on every final inspection rack to ensure consistent quality of each roll of material at the final production stage prior to shipping. As discussed below, however, limitations of prior spectrophotometers make it impractical to mount a spectrophotometer on every inspection rack.

0005First, previously known spectrophotometers must be mounted in close proximity to the sample being measured, typically within 2,5 cm of the production line, in order to eliminate interference from ambient light and obtain a sufficiently intense reflection from the sample. In order to mount prior art spectrophotmeters in such close proximity to the production material, it has been necessary to build expensive bridge mountings which must be custom-designed for each application.

0006Secondly, it is often necessary for the spectrophotometer to be able to scan the continuous production sheet. But prior spectrophotometers must be physically transported across the sample in a spatial scan in order to maintain the spectrophotometer in close proximity to the sample.

0007This type of spatial scanning adds considerably to the cost of the bridge mounts since not only must the spectrophotometer be mounted close to the sample, it must be mounted so that it can move across the sample while maintaining its close position. Needless to say that acceptable tolerances for such a scan are difficult to attain in industrial settings.

0008With respect to the textile industry, textile inspection racks are too numerous for installation of a spectrophotometer on each final inspection rack to be economically feasible. Consequently, textile manufacturers have mounted spectrophotometers only on their dying ranges which are less numerous than the inspection racks.

0009Measurements made at the dying ranges are, however, a less reliable indication of final product quality than measurements taken at the final production stage, so accuracy is plainly sacrified in order to obtain affordability.

0010Moreover, the need to movably mount prior spectrophotometers close to the sample and the consequent expense of providing custom bridge mountings have prevented the use of spectrophotometers as a quality control tool in some industries. Indeed, many industries have found installing spectrophotometers too costly due to the cost of the bridge mounts to warrant their use. In addition, the requirement that prior spectrophotometers be situated close to the production line has prevented the use of spectrophotometers where the sample environment is simply too harsh for the spectrophotometer or where there is simply insufficient room to install a custom bridge mounting.

0011In other situations, the specialized nature of the application makes installation of prior spectrophotometers prohibitive. For example, the food industry has not adopted spectrophotometers as a color measurement tool in part because the bridge mountings would have to be constructed from stainless steel in order to satisfy health standards. The high cost of such mounting structures has to date outweighed the advantages of using spectrophotometers in this industry.

0012As yet a further drawback, prior spectrophotometers positioned close to the sample surface simply cannot accurately measure some surfaces. Prior spectrophotometers include an illumination source which emits light in many directions from a point source and a detector which receives and detects the light reflected from the surface being measured. This arrangement provides an adequate measurement for most continuous flat surfaces when the light source and detector are placed close to the sample, but it is unreliable when surfaces having a relief profile are spatially scanned. By way of example, the manufacture of sculptured carpets is one application where accurate spectral measurements would be desirable but have, heretobefore, been unattainable. The said carpets have an uneven surface and a traditional spectrophotometer placed close to such a carpet will not give accurate spectral reflectance measurements since each area of the sculptured carpet reflects light in different directions at varying intensities. Consequently, the light reflected to the detector differs widely from area to area as a result of the carpet contour and a scan of this surface with a traditional spectrophotometer will yield erratic and unrealiable results.

0013This limitation is largely responsible for the carpet industry's wholesale refusal to use spectrophotometers since carpet manufacturers are reluctant to adopt a quality control tool which can be used on some but not all of their products.

0014Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a spectrophotometer which may provide highly accurate spectral measurements when operated from relatively great distances to the subject.

0015It is a further object of the invention to provide a spectrophotometer which may be operated at relatively great distances from the subject to obtain an accurate measurement without interference from ambient lighting conditions.

0016It is a further object to provide a spectrophotometer which may be operated at relatively great distances from the subject or sample without any need for complex bridge mount construction.

0017It is yet another object of the invention to provide a spectrophotometer which may be operated from a stationary point at relatively great distance to the subject which provides an accurate scan of the subject.

0018It is still another object of the present invention to provide a spectrophotometer which may be operated at relatively great distance to the subject without any need to realign or refocus it, should the distance between the spectrophotometer and the subject change.

0019It is yet another object of the invention to provide a spectrophotometer which may be operated at relatively great distance to the sample, with the illumination source and the detector arrangement adjacent to one another, as in a single housing.

0020The remote reading spectrophotometer of the present invention comprises a high intensity broadband illumination means for illuminating a sample, reference beam means for obtaining an illumination reference beam and an illumination reference measuring system for measuring the intensity of the light emitted by said illumination means in a plurality of spectral bands, a sample reflectance measuring system for measuring the reflected light reflected by the sample in a plurality of spectral bands, polychromator means, computing means and analyzing means connected to said polychromator means for normalizing said reflectance measurements, and for analyzing said reference beam and said reflected sample image over a range of wavelengths to determine the spectral characteristics of said illuminated sample, and is characterized in that it comprises first optical means comprising condenser lens means for receiving the illumination from said illumination source and transmitting said illumination, aperture defining means in the optical path of said illumination transmitted by said condenser lens means, illumination lens means for uniformly illuminating an area of a distant sample by projecting an image of said illumination from said aperture defining means onto said sample area;    second optical means comprising image directing optical means for sequentially directing said reference beam and a reflected image of a substantial portion of said illuminated sample area towards said polychromator; said first optical means and said second optical means are arranged remote from said sample, such that the angle between said illumination directed toward said sample and said reflected sample image is relatively small, said relatively large illuminated sample area and reflected image area providing a large depth of field; and image focusing optical means disposed in the optical path between said image directing optical means and said polychromator means for focusing light directed from said second optical means onto said polychromator means.

0021The spectrophotometer of the invention comprises polychromator means arranged for receiving said reflected sample image and reference beam detector means, both connected to said analyzing means.

0022In another embodiment, the spectrophotometer comprises polychromator means connected to said analyzing means, optical beam switching means for sequentially directing said reference beam and said reflected sample image towards said polychromator means, and optical means disposed in the optical path between said beam switching means and said polychromator means to focus the light onto said polychromator means.

0023With the spectrophotometer of the invention, accurate spectral measurements at substantial distances between subject or sample and spectrophotometer as well as scanning capability are provided. In a preferred embodiment, a pulsed Xenon lamp is provided as the illumination source. an illuminating focusing lens focuses a magnified image of the source or, alternatively, projects a collimated beam from the source onto an area of the sample to be measured. One end of at least one reference fiber optic member is positioned in the path of the illumination to obtain a reference beam for comparison purposes.

0024The other end of the fiber optic member is butted against a bandpass filter adjacent to a reference detector.

0025A sample imaging lens is aligned to view a portion of the illuminated sample area and focuses the image onto a polychromator positioned so that the light reflected from the sample is separated into its component wavelengths for separate detection by an array of detectors. The detected sample illumination and reference beams are amplified and converted into digital signals for processing by a microprocessor. The microprocessor determines the spectral reflectance of the sample using the reference beam information as a basis for determining the characteristics of the sample illumination. Advantageously, the reflected sample illumination is averaged over a relatively large sample area.

0026In one embodiment, a Kohler type illumination optics system similar to the illumination systems used in film projectors is provided. In this embodiment, the illumination from the preferred pulsed Xenon lamp is incident upon a condenser lens and passes through an aperture to an objective lens. The objective lens focuses an image of the aperture onto an area of the sample to provide uniform sample illumination. In a preferred embodiment, a beamsplitter is placed between the condenser lens and the objective lens to obtain an illumination reference beam. The reference beam is focused onto the distant wall of an integrating sphere coated on its inner surface with a uniform white coating to produce an integrated diffuse reference source.

0027In this embodiment, the optical path from the illuminated area of the sample to the sample imaging lens passes through or alongside the integrating sphere. A beamswitch is provided which sequentially directs the integrated reference beam, as imaged on the inner surface of the integrated sphere, and the reflected sample image onto the polychromator during two sequential flashes of the preferred pulsed Xenon lamp. One or more discrete wavelength detectors, preferably consisting of an optical fiber connected to a bandpass filter and a reference detector, are associated with the integrating sphere to monitor the spectral characteristics of the illumination source during both the reference and sample flashes.

0028In this embodiment, the microprocessor normalizes the illumination source between the two flashes utilizing the information obtained from the discrete wavelength detectors and then compares the sample and reference measurements on the basis of the normalized illumination. From this comparison the spectral reflectance characteristics of the sample are determined.

0029Advantageously, the illumination and sample fields of view overlap to provide a relatively long depth of view once the system is aligned. Since the sample illumination is very uniform, this system is able to provide accurate spectral reflectance measurements over a long depth of field without realignment or recalibration. By sampling a relatively large, uniformly illuminated surface area the present invention provides accurate spectral reflectance measurements which are less dependent upon surface vibrations than prior spectrophotometers.

0030Alternative configurations of the invention are provided. In one such configuration, a second polychromator is provided to receive and comprehensively analyze the spectral characteristics from the discrete wavelength detectors. In a further variation involving dual polychromators, the reference beam is focused directly onto a second polychromator without any integrating sphere.

0031In another configuration, the reference beam is projected onto a diffuser by a conjugate objective lens and the beamswitch alternately directs the diffuse reference illumination from the diffuser or the reflected sample image to the polychromator. In this configuration, the discrete wavelength detectors for providing a normalization reference preferably constitute fibers disposed in the path of the diffuse illumination.

0032Other variations include an integrating rod as part of the illumination optics and a flyback scanning mirror to provide an angular and/or raster scanning spectrophotometer.

0033Thus, as an advantage of the invention, a spectrophotometer is provided which remarkably permits the spectral reflectance of the sample to be measured at a relatively great distance to the sample. Advantageously, this permits the spectrophotometer according to the invention to be mounted away from the sample without any need for expensive bridge mounting.

0034It will also be apparent that the ability of the spectrophotometer of this invention to measure spectral reflectance at a distance to the sample allows the spectrophotometer to be removed from the immediate industrial processing environment of the sample, as by placing the spectrophotometer behind a clear glass barrier away from the production line.

0035As a further advantage of the invention, the spectrophotometer is able to accurately average the measurement of a uniformly illuminated sample area to advantageously reduce inaccuracies which might otherwise result from measuring a localized area of an irregularly contoured surface.

0036As yet a further advantage of the invention remarkably accurate measurement of the spectral reflectance of a sample is provided using a dual beam comparison technique.

0037As a still further advantage of the invention, accurate angular scanning is remarkably obtained from a stationary point of view at a distance to the sample.

0038The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constituting part hereof, illustrate preferred embodiments of the product of this invention.

0039Fig. 1 is a plan view of a first suitable polychromator and analysis circuit in accordance with the invention .

0040Fig. 2 is a plan view of a second suitable polychromator and analysis circuit including fiber optic reference beam leads connected directly to the polychromator.

0041Fig. 3 is a plan view of a remote reading spectrophotometer in accordance with the invention.

0042Fig. 4A is a partial plan view of the spectrophotometer of the invention illustrating an alternative integrating sphere configuration.

0043Fig. 4B is a side view of the alternative integrating sphere configuration of Fig. 4A, taken along line 4B-4B.

0044Fig. 4C is a partial plan view of the spectrophotometer of the invention illustrating a first alternative reference beam optical configuration.

0045Fig. 5 is a partial plan view of the spectrophotometer of the invention including dual polychromators.

0046Fig. 6 is a plan view of the spectrophotometer of the invention including dual polychromators and illustrating a second alternative reference beam optical configuration.

0047Fig. 7 is a plan view of the spectrophotometer of the invention illustrating a third alternative optical configuration including conjugate reference beam optics.

0048Fig. 8A is a partial plan view of the spectrophotometer of the invention illustrating a fourth alternative optical configuration including an integrating rod as part of the illumination optics.

0049Fig. 8B is a partial plan view of the spectrophotometer illustrating a fifth alternative optical configuration including a split integrating rod as part of the illumination optics.

0050Fig. 9 is a plan view of the of the invention illustrating the overlapping illumination and measurement fields of view.

0051Fig. 10 is a plan view of the of the invention including a scanning apparatus.

0052Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a commercial application of the scanning spectrophotometer of Fig. 10.

0053A suitable polychromator arrangement is shown in Fig. 1.

0054Polychromator 22 includes a narrow slit 23 Placed at the focal point of lens 30, a collimating lens 34, a dispersive element 36 such as a diffraction grating or a prism which receives the collimated beam from collimating lens 34 and separates the beam into its component wavelengths, and a focusing lens 38 which focuses the separated light from the dispersive element 36 onto a detector array 32. Detector array 32 includes detectors positioned to receive incident light corresponding to each wavelength region, thereby providing a multiple channel detection system. For convenience, detector array 32 is shown as an array of ten detectors to provide a ten channel system. It is preferred, however, to provide a twenty or forty channel system to detect light at twenty or ten nanometer intervals, respectively, throughout the visible spectrum. It is also contemplated that the present spectrophotometer might find application in non-visible regions of the spectrum. A polychromator arrangement as described herein is shown and described in US-A 4,076,421.

0055Processing circuitry 46 receives the signals from each detector of array 32 for processing in an appropriate manner. This processing may involve amplification and integration of the signals for transmission to microprocessor 40. Needless to say, an analog-to-digital converter must be included, preferably within the microprocessor 40, in order for the microprocessor to receive and understand the amplified analog detector signals.

0056Figure 2 shows an alternative arrangement for polychromator 22. There, fiber optic members 28 are led directly into the polychromator where dedicated filters 29 and reference detectors 18 are provided. It is contemplated that reference detectors 18 may simply be an extension of detector array 32.

0057Although the polychromator arrangements described above and shown in Figs. 1 and 2 are preferred, other polychromator arrangements may be suitable. Thus, the individual wavelengths of the reflected sample illumination to be measured may be sequentially directed to a single detector by adjusting the color separation device. As in the preferred polychromator arrangement, the single detector signal would then be relayed to the amplifying and microprocessing circuitry.

0058Preferably, the analog-to-digital converter is included within the microprocessor 40, which receives and stores the data from the reference detectors and the sample detector array 32, The reference detector data is used to normalize the sample illumination to account for any shifts which may have occurred since the instrument was calibrated, and the sample measurement is then processed to calculate the spectral characteristics of the sample. The microprocessor may then provide a display of sample's spectral characteristics, i.e., the degree of reflectance of the sample at each measured wavelength, and/or automatically make process control adjustments based upon the sample measurements.

0059The preferred illumination source is a high intensity pulsed Xenon lamp. Use of this readily available source with the dual beam measuring technique of this invention advantageously permits ambient room light to be ignored. Moreover, heretofore unknown accuracy is obtained since the characteristics of the incident as well as reflected illumination are measured by the present invention. Consequently, the spectrophotometer according to the invention can be used in room light at relatively long distances without any interference from ambient light. Indeed, the invention permits accurate spectral reflectance measurement at distances on the order of 122 cm to 610 cm. Of course, other sources than the preferred high intensity pulsed Xenon lamp may be used as, for example, a high intensity pulsed Krypton lamp or other pulsed noble gas lamp. It is also believed that a continuous source such as an arc lamp which provides high intensity illumination or a light source modulated to frequencies above room light could be used.

0060It has been found that the preferred Xenon illumination may vary over a small area of the illuminated spot depending upon the location of the lamp's "hot spots" in the image. Since lamp sources and, more particularly, the preferred Xenon lamp, often suffer from single beam rift or arc wander, the illumination at the sample would tend to vary even without adjustment of the optics or movement of the sample. The effects of variations in the illumination at the relatively small reference beam pick-ups 28 disposed in the illumination path can be even more pronounced.

0061Where, as here, it is desired to operate the system at various sample distances and in situations where the sample position might vary somewhat during measurement, inconsistent illumination can lead to inaccuracies and a lack of repeatability. The curved mirror 26 disposed behind light source 12 helps reducing the effects of beam drift and arc wander, but complete uniformity is not achieved with this improvement alone.

0062In Fig. 3, the embodiment of the invention including a Kohler type optical arrangement to assure uniform illumination at the sample is shown. In this embodiment, the preferred pulsed Xenon light source 12 is provided with a curved reflector 26 to maximize the illumination directed to a first illumination lens 48 and reduce the effects of beam drift. Aperture defining means 51, such as a plate, are provided adjacent to first lens 48 to define a distinct illumination aperture.

0063Lens 48 is preferably a condenser lens aligned to focus the illumination from light source 12 onto an objective lens 50, which focuses an image of the aperture onto the sample A resulting in a highly uniform illumination at the sample A. Advantageously, objective lens 50 compensates for any slight variations in light source 12 so that the illuminated area of sample A remains steady.

0064Thus, the illumination optics of the second preferred embodiment provides a uniformly illuminated spot on the sample A. This facilitates proper alignment of the illumination and detection optics to assure an overlapping field of view and, consequently, accurate detection of the reflected illumination.

0065In this embodiment, the reference beam is obtained by providing a beamsplitter 52 between first and second lens elements 48 and 50, respectively. Beamsplitter 52 reflects a portion of the sample illumination from first lens 48 to an integrating sphere 54 through a first integrating sphere aperture 56. Preferably, the reference beam is focused at a point on the far wall of the integrating sphere 54 from opening 56,and the inner walls of the integrating sphere 54 are coated with a uniform white coating so that the entire sphere becomes illuminated with a diffuse image of the reference beam. Integrating sphere 54 is also provided with second and third integrating sphere apertures 58 and 60, respectively. The reflected sample beam from a portion of the illuminated area of sample A passes through integrating sphere 54 along the chord defined by apertures 58 and 60 to sample focusing lens 30, which focuses the beam onto polychromator 22.

0066The sample beam is detected by detector array 32 (not shown), processed by amplifying and integrating circuitry 46, and sent to microprocessor 40 so that the information can be translated into useful numerical data corresponding to the spectral reflectance characteristics of sample A.

0067Advantageously, a beamswitch 64 is provided adjacent to third integrating sphere aperture 60. In one position, the beamswitch 64 permits unobstructed viewing of the sample beam by focusing lens 30, and in another position a reference beam from a portion of the white wall of integrating sphere 54 is directed to focusing lens 30 to the exclusion of the reflected sample image. In this manner, beamswitch 64 which may, for example, be a pivoting prism, permits either the integrated reference beam or the sample beam to be selectively viewed by sample focusing lens 30 and, consequently, polychromator 22. As a practical matter, when the preferred pulsed Xenon lamp is used as illumination source 12, two sequential pulsed flashes are provided. During one flash, beamswitch 64 directs the sample beam to focusing lens 30 to be detected by polychromator 22. The spectral information from the sample is detected during this flash and is stored by microprocessor 40. During the second flash, beamswitch 64 alters the line of sight of focusing lens 30 to a portion of the inside wall of integrating sphere 54 so that the integrated reference beam is focused onto polychromator 22. The spectral information from the reference flash is also stored by microprocessor 40. Thus, after both flashes are complete, microprocessor 40 has stored in it the full spectral characteristics of both the reference beam and the sample beam. Consequently, the date obtained from the sample beam can be analyzed relative to the reference beam data to determine the spectral characteristics of the sample A.

0068It has also been found desirable to provide one or more discrete reference beam optical pick-ups 128, such as optical fibers, within the integrating sphere 54 to monitor the illumination at one or more wavelengths during both flashes. Thus, two fiber optic pick-ups 128 are preferably led from integrating sphere 54 directly into polychromator 22, where they connect to bandpass filters 29 and dedicated reference detectors 18 (see Fig.2). It has been found that this type of measurement during both flashes at just two wavelengths, such as approximately 440 and 620 nanometers, can be correlated to give a reliable indication of shifts or failures in the illumination source. For more demanding applications, the measurements at these select wavelengths can be correlated to indicate changes at other wavelengths so that the reference and sample flashes can be mormalized to provide a more accurate comparison of the reference beam and sample image measurements.

0069It is also contemplated, of course, that the sample beam might not pass through integrating sphere 54. One suitable configuration of the spectrophotometer according to the invention in which the sample beam does not pass through the integrating sphere is shown in Figs. 4A and 4B.Fig.4A shows the reference beam from beamsplitter 52 reflected into integrating sphere 154 through aperture 156. In this arrangement, the sample beam passes alongside the integrating sphere adjacent to the reference aperture 156a. Figure 4B, taken along line 4B-4B of Fig. 4A, shows that beamswitch 164 alternates between the position shown wherein the reference beam from integrating sphere 154 is directed to focusing lens 30, and position 164a, shown in phantom, out of the path of the sample beam, such that the sample beam is directed to focusing lens 30 to the exclusion of the reference beam.

0070Consequently, polychromator 22 alternately receives and detects light from the reference and sample beams. As in the embodiment shown in Fig. 3, fiber optic pick-ups 128 provide a partial reference at select wavelengths during both flashes.

0071Alternatively, it is also contemplated that the integrating sphere might be replaced by another suitable optical arrangement which provides a uniform averaging of the reference beam. One such arrangement is shown in Fig. 4C. There, the reference beam from beamsplitter 52 is focused by a conjugate objective lens 150 similar to the sample illumination objective lens 50 onto a diffuser 70. Beamswitch 164 selectively directs either the sample beam (position 164a) or the diffuse reference beam (position 164) to focusing lens 30 and polychromator 22. In this configuration, fiber optic pick-ups 228 would be placed in the path of the reference beam illumination from diffuser 70. However, optical fibers 228 are not subject to the illumination variations experienced by fibers 28 since fibers 228 are disposed in the path of uniform diffuse illumination rather than the image of the lamp source 12.

0072It is also contemplated that a fiber optic pick-up 128 of the embodiment shown in Fig. 3 could be connected to a second polychromator 122, as shown in Fig. 5, in order to monitor the full reference beam over all pertinent wavelengths during both the reference and sample beam flashes. As shown in Fig. 5, both polychromators could be connected to similar analyzing circuitry. This particular arrangement is desirable since a complete evaluation of the illumination source 12 at all pertinent wavelengths would be obtained during both the reference and sample flashes. Thus, any shift in the illumination source 12 would be known from second polychromator 122 and could be used to correlate the reference and sample beams to give a very accurate indication of the spectral reflectance of the sample.

0073In a further extension of this dual polychromator configuration shown in Fig. 6, reference and sample beams could be measured simultaneously by two polychromators during a single flash of the preferred pulsed Xenon lamp.

0074As shown, the reference beam is reflected from beamsplitter 52 to a focusing lens 150 and is focused onto second polychromator 122 in order to simulate the sample illumination. As in the configuration shown in Fig. 5, the data from both polychromators, 22 and 122 could be processed by similar amplifying and integrating circuitry 46 and microprocessor 40. Of course, the disadvantage of the configuration shown in Fig. 6 is that the first and second polychromators 22, 122 should be accurately calibrated relative to one another so that differences between the detection characteristics of the polychromators do not skew the evaluation of the sample reflectance.

0075A further alternative configuration of the invention is shown in Fig. 7. Here, the reference beam is obtained by placing a beamsplitter 152 between light source 12 and first lens element 48. Beamsplitter 152 reflects some of the illumination from lamp 12 to a conjugate lens element 148 which focuses the illumination onto the far wall of integrating sphere 54 through aperture 56. As shown in Fig. 3, the sample beam passes through the integrating sphere 54 through second and third apertures 58, 60 and is focused onto polychromator 22 by focusing lens 30. Likewise, beamswitch 64 permits both the sample and reference beams to be measured and integrating sphere optical pick-ups 128 permit the illumination from both flashes to be monitored at select wavelengths.

0076Of course, the conjugate reference beam optical configuration shown in Fig. 7 could be combined with a dual polychromator system (Fig. 6) or with a diffuser type system (Fig. 4C) rather than an integrating sphere.

0077It is also contemplated that the first illumination optical arrangement 14 may include an integrating rod such as a fiber optic bundle. Such arrangements are shown in Figs. 8A and 8B. In Fig. 8A, an illumination system according to the invention including an integrating rod 68 is shown. The integrating rod 68 ensures that the illumination from first lens element 48 is accurately projected onto second lens element 50 to further assure uniform sample illumination. Beamsplitter 52 is positioned between integrating rod 68 and second lens element 50, as shown, to project the reference beam onto a conjugate second lens element 150 in a manner similar to the embodiment shown in Fig. 7. Lens element 50 could, of course, focus an image of the end of integrating rod 68 onto the sample or a Kohler optical arrangement could be provided in place of lens element 50 for even greater uniformity.

0078An alternative illumination optics arrangement including an integrating rod 168 is shown in Fig. 8B. Integrating rod 168 could be split to provide the sample and reference beams so that the illumination from lamp 12 enters integrating rod 168 from first lens element 48 and is split to provide both appropriate illumination of second lens element 50 and the reference beam. The reference beam from integrating rod 168 can, for example, be imaged through a conjugate objective lens 150 onto a second polychromator 122 in similar manner as described in connection with Fig. 6. Of course, the reference branch of the split integrating rod 168 could be coupled with other reference beam illumination systems shown herein.

0079It is readily apparent that this arrangement is particularly suited to fiber optics technology.

0080The spectrophotometer of the invention provides remarkably uniform illumination at the sample which is, for the most part, independent of the spectrophotometer to sample distance. As shown in Fig. 9, the illumination and measurement fields of view overlap for a relatively great distance to provide a very long depth of field. Thus, when spectrophotometer 10 is calibrated so that the optimum measurement distance corresponds to position A, the measurement field of view fully overlaps the projected illumination at positions B and C as well.

0081By way of example, if the present system in accordance with the invention is aligned for a sample distance of, approximately, 275 cm, the depth of view of the system is from, appr., 122 cm to infinity.

0082Since this system provides uniform illumination, the measurement variations experienced with the embodiment of the invention due to the various locations of lamp source "hot spots" in the illuminated area are minimized. Moreover, averaging over a portion of the illuminated area of the sample surface can be achieved with the result that the only distance limitation on the system according to the invention is the brightness level of the illumination source.

0083Furthermore, the relatively large sample area viewed by the system of the invention provides more accurate measurement of the spectral reflectance of the sample since the measurement constitutes an integration over the entire area within the sample field of view. Since sample surfaces actually vary from one area to another, this averaging effect contributes to the outstanding accuracy of the present system compared to prior close measurement spectrophotometers.

0084Indeed, the localized measurement used by prior spectrophotometers is partially responsible for the inability of traditional spectrophotometers to penetrate the market for measuring relief surfaces such as sculptured carpets.

0085With prior spectrophotometers, the contour variations in such carpets result in dramatic changes in the relative distance from the illumination and pick-up members to the sample. This causes wide detection variations. The invention, on the other hand, permits the spectral characteristics of irregular surfaces to be accurately measured from a distance by taking an overview of a relatively large sample area and averaging the results to accurately determine spectral response. Consequently, any variation in the relative distance from the illumination and detection members to the sample is minimal and any resulting measurement variations are inconsequential.

0086In sum, the invention advantageously combines the ability to measure spectral reflectance characteristics at a relatively long distance with a long depth of focus and large sample area averaging. This unique combination of features permits the spectrophotometer of the invention to be mounted away from the sample surface. Accordingly, the spectrophotometer of the invention is inexpensive to install compared to prior spectrophotometers since the need for expensive custom designed bridge mountings is eliminated. Indeed, by providing spectral measurement from a distance to the sample, spectrophotometers of the invention can be used in applications where prior art spectrophotometers cannot even be considered.

0087Furthermore, the unique features of the invention are particularly adapted for providing an inexpensive angular scanning system since the illumination and detection optical paths subtend a narrow angle. As a result, the respective optical apertures can be placed closely adjacent to one another.

0088As shown in Fig. 10, the spectrophotometer according to the invention as shown in Fig. 3 can be arranged in a scanning configuration by providing a scanning mirror 76 pivotally mounted at center point 78.

0089Preferably, scanning mirror 76 is driven in a "flyback" or "sawtooth" pattern to accomplish an angular scan across sample A. As shown, the illumination beam is reflected to sample A and the corresponding reflected sample beam remains within the measurement field of view. It is also contemplated that a raster scan could be provided either by pivoting scanning mirror 76 in two directions or by providing a second scanning mirror in a known manner.

0090A commercial application of the scanning spectrophotometer of Fig. 10 is shown in Fig. 11. Scanning spectrophotometer 10 is mounted high above the continuous production sheet material and performs an angular scan across the entire width of the continuous sheet during the pivoting movement of scanning mirror 76 (see Fig. 10). Advantageously, a calibrated measurement standard can be placed adjacent to the production sheet so that the standard is regularly included in the scanning sweep of spectrophotometer 10.

0091In use, the spectrophotometer of the invention is mounted at a fixed location away from the sample to be measured.

0092The illumination and measurement optics are aligned at an appropriate median sample distance and a known calibration standard is placed at the sample location. The spectrophotometer is then calibrated based on this standard and may thereafter be used to measure the spectral reflectance of a sample.

0093It is also contemplated that for the scanning spectrophotometer calibration standards corresponding to various points of scan, e.g., left, right and center, be provided to calibrate the scanning spectrophotometer to compensate for any angular color variations introduced by the different scan angles. Of course, the spectrophotometer should periodically be recalibrated using the known standard to ensure accuracy.

0094To the extent not already indicated, it will also be understood by those skilled in the art that any one of the various specific embodiments herein described and illustrated may be further modified to incorporate features shown in other of the specific embodiments, as desired. It will readily be appreciated, for example, that reflective optical elements could be substituted for one or more of the lenses described herein, particularly if non-visual sensing is to be accomplished.