Patent ID: 9528927
Filing Date: 2016-12-27
CPC Classification: G01N

Claim Text:
1. An apparatus for artificially weathering or testing the lightfastness of samples, comprising: a weathering chamber, configured to house at least one sample and a plurality of radiation sources, which are operable independently of one another, the radiation sources being operable in temporal succession and/or at least partially simultaneously, and each of the radiation sources being provided with an electronic circuit, used for identification of the radiation source, wherein the operating hours provided and/or a residual life of the radiation source is determinable and storable on the electronic circuit; a user interface by means of which a user can input a desired total radiated power to be achieved additively by the plurality of radiation sources; a control device, which is configured to generate control signals for actuating the radiation sources, the control device being connected with the user interface; and a plurality of sensors, wherein each of the sensors is assigned to one of the radiation sources and is arranged in such a way that it measures the radiated power of the assigned radiation source, and an output of each of the sensors is connected to an input of the control device for transferring a power signal representing the measured radiated power, wherein the control device is configured to read the electronic circuit of each one of the radiation sources, and the control device is configured to determine the electrical power to be supplied to the radiation sources in dependence on the power signals delivered by the sensors and in dependence on the values of the operating hours provided and/or the residual life stored in the electrical circuits, so that the total radiated power corresponds to the desired total radiated power input by the user, and to incorporate the determined electrical power into the control signals for actuating the radiation sources.