Patent ID: 7483134

Claim:
An apparatus for high speed spectrescopic sample analysis, comprising: a sample tray for holding a sample in position for spectroscopic scanning; a light source for generating broadband light for use in illuminating said sample; a collimating entrance optic assembly in advance of said light source for collimating light therefrom; an entrance slit in advance of said entrance optic assembly; a shutter mechanism for selectively shuttering said entrance slit; an oscillating diffraction-grating mounted on a rotatable shaft for breaking said broadband light from the light source into spectrographic constituent wavelengths; a programmable stepper motor having a shaft connected directly to said diffraction grating for direct drive thereof, and controlled incremental rotation of said diffraction-grating over an angular range in order to scan each of said constituent wavelengths; an encoder mounted proximate said diffraction-grating for outputting pulses corresponding to an angular position of said diffraction-grating within said angular range; a processor in communication with said programmable stepper motor and said encoder for incremental control of the rotation of said stepper motor and diffraction-grating within said angular range in accordance with said encoder output pulses; an exit slit in an optical path of said diffraction grating; an exit optic assembly for directing light from said exit slit toward said sample tray; and an optical sensor for collecting said constituent wavelengths reflected by the sample in said sample tray.