Patent ID: 7569839
Filing Date: 2009-08-04
Classification: B82Y,G01N

Abstract:
1. A method for identification of a sample of a material, comprising: (a) illuminating a sample to be identified with excitation light at a plurality of excitation wavelengths; (b) measuring the intensity of light emitted, at a plurality of emission wavelengths, by said sample for excitation light at each of said plurality of excitation wavelengths to define a measured three-dimensional intensity contour; (c) locating the values of maxima in said three-dimensional intensity contour; (d) comparing said values of maxima to a library of values of known maxima associated with known species to obtain library maxima; (e) generating a model of a three-dimensional intensity contour based on values comprising values to library maxima from said library and values of said measured three-dimensional intensity contour; (f) comparing said model of a three-dimensional intensity contour to said measured three-dimensional contour to determine residual errors; (g) if residual errors are not low enough, determining corrections to said model of a three-dimensional intensity contour to generate a corrected model of a three-dimensional intensity contour, and returning to said comparison step (f) to test said corrected model; and (h) outputting said species associated with said maxima values used to generate said model as an indicator of species.