Patent ID: 11953476
Assignee: POLYMER CHARACTERIZATION, S.A.
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 0:
1. A deflection-type refractometer with extended measurement range for obtaining a refractive index measure of a flowing sample liquid, comprising:
means for generating a beam of light, said means comprising a light source;
a measuring cell comprising a sample chamber with inlet and outlet ports for receiving a flowing sample liquid, the measuring cell arranged such that the beam of light from the light source impinges on the sample chamber and is deflected after traversing two non-parallel faces of the sample chamber;
an optical sensor mounted on a movable platform for detecting the deflected beam of light, wherein the optical sensor is a position sensing detector configured to output a signal indicating a relative position of the deflected beam of light with respect to the sensing area;
a driving unit configured to move the platform;
a distance measurement unit configured to measure the displacement of the platform to obtain a platform position; and
a control unit comprising a data processing unit configured to:
continuously calculate the deflection of the beam of light from the platform position combined with the relative position of the deflected beam of light on the optical sensor; and
obtain a refractive index signal over time of the sample liquid using the calculated deflection.