Monochromator wavelength drives

Abstract

Abstract A STEPPING-MOTOR (OF THE TYPE WHICH MOVES IN A SERIES OF DISCRETE SMALL INCREMENTS) DRIVES THE DISPERSIVE ELEMENT OF AN OPTICAL MONOCHROMATOR, FOR EXAMPLE, THROUGH A VARIABLE GEAR REDUCTION TRANSMISSION ROTATING A CAMWHICH IN TURN ANGULARLY MOVES A LEVER ARM RIGIDLY CONNECTED TO, SAY, A DIFFRACTION GRATING. THE STEPPING-MOTOR MAY BE MOVED AT VARIOUS CONTINUOUS RATES BY SUPPLYING A SERIES OF EVENLY SPACED (IN TIME) PULSES AT ANY PARTICULAR DESIRED RATE. ALTERNATELY, BY PROVIDING A "BURST" OR "TRAIN" OF A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF CLOSELY SPACED PULSES, THE STEPPING-MOTOR (AND THE ELEMENTS DRIVEN THEREBY) MAY BE RAPIDLY INDEXED TO A DESIRED SPECIFIC POSITION. ANOTHER INSTRUMENT OR COMPONENT OF THE SAME INSTRUMENT, SUCH AS THE CHART RECORDER OR OTHER READOUT MAY BE READILY SYCHRONIZED WITH THE MONOCHROMATOR STEPPING-MOTOR, BY UTILIZING AS ITS DRIVE A SECOND STEPPING-MOTOR, FED FROM THE SAME PULSE SOURCE.

Inventors

• 👤 Charles C Helms

Bibliographic Details