Patent ID: 6876448

Claim:
A spectral characteristic measuring apparatus comprising: an illuminator for illuminating a sample to be measured; an illuminator controller for controlling the illuminator to emit light from a light source; a light separator for separating rays of the light from the sample according to wavelengths; a light receiver including an array of photoelectric conversion elements arrayed at a certain interval in a wavelength diffusing direction of the light separator to receive rays of light in the different wavelengths so as to output a light receiving signal corresponding to a received light intensity, the light receiver outputting a spectral profile being formed by a plurality of light receiving signals; a spectral sensitivity storage unit for storing spectral sensitivities of the photoelectric conversion elements; a spectral characteristic calculator for calculating a spectral characteristic of the sample in a predetermined wavelength band for measurement with use of the spectral profile and the spectral sensitivities of the photoelectric conversion elements; a reference spectral profile group storage unit for storing a reference spectral profile group including a spectral profile in a specific wavelength band including at least a specific wavelength which is output from the light receiver when the light receiver receives light from a the light source having a light intensity peak at the specific wavelength in an initial state of the apparatus, and a plurality of spectral profiles in the specific wavelength band to be output from the light receiver at each displaced position when the light receiver is displaced relative to the light separator in the wavelength diffusing direction at a certain pitch stepwise; a correction controller for controlling the light source to emit light in a calibratable state of the apparatus, after the initial state thereof; and a correction amount calculator for comparing a spectral profile for correction which is output from the light receiver when the light source is caused to emit light, and each spectral profile stored in the reference spectral profile group storage unit in the specific wavelength band, and which sets a shift amount corresponding to the spectral profile which is stored in the reference spectral profile group storage unit and is most approximate to the corrective spectral profile as a wavelength shift correction amount to correct the relative displacement of the light receiver after the initial state of the apparatus.