Spectral photometer for medical use in determining skin coloration

Claim 1

A spectral photometer for use in evaluating the coloration of the human skin surface, of the type having a light source, light-conducting means and light-sensitive means for generating signals dependent upon intensity of the light received therein, in the combination comprising: the light conducting means, including flexible fiber optics members interspersed among one another, having one end and a second end: a support and spacing ring, said one end being positioned within said spacing ring to establish the correct spacing between said light-conducting means and the skin surface, said second end being divided into a first branch and into a second branch, said light source being arranged to emit light into said first branch, whereby the light is transmitted through said light-conducting means onto the skin surface, reflected from the latter, transmitted back through said light-conducting means and emitted from said second branch; monochromator means for receiving the light emitted from said second branch and spectrally projecting it onto said light-sensitive means, said monochromator means comprising means operative for projecting onto the light-sensitive means successive portions of the spectrum of the light received from the second branch in a progressive and periodic sequence; display means connected to receive signals generated by the light-sensitive means and produce a spectral display of the light reflected from the skin surface, said display means comprising an oscilloscope having an information-signal input connected to the light-sensitive means, and sychronizing means for synchronizing the sweep of the oscilloscope with the periodic operation of said monochromator means, said monochromator means comprising a rotating filter having angularly successive sections to transmit successive parts of the spectrum of the light received from said second branch onto said light-sensitive means.