JP2016080430A - Photoprobe and measuring apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

An optical probe capable of analyzing a liquid portion in a suspension and a measuring apparatus including the optical probe are provided.
In a measuring apparatus including an optical probe, a measuring object that is a target for emitting near-infrared light from a light source is staying in a measuring section that is partitioned by a filter section from the outside. It is characterized by being. Then, the analyzer 30 analyzes the scattered light or transmitted light obtained by irradiating the near-infrared light to the measurement object O from which the solid content has been captured and removed by the filter unit 24, thereby measuring. Even if the object is a suspension, measurement of the liquid portion is preferably performed.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical probe and a measuring apparatus including the optical probe.

  For example, near infrared light is irradiated to a liquid sample containing an aggregate such as a suspension, and the near infrared light reflectance and transmittance of the aggregate (suspended material) in the measurement object are measured. Measuring apparatuses equipped with an optical probe for doing this are known (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP 2000-121557 A JP 2000-009638 A

  However, when the object of analysis is not an aggregate (suspension material) in the suspension but a liquid part in the suspension, it has been difficult to perform a suitable measurement with a conventional measuring apparatus.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide an optical probe capable of analyzing a liquid portion in a suspension and a measuring apparatus including the optical probe.

The present invention is
(1) a measurement unit capable of retaining a liquid part of the measurement object;
An irradiation unit that guides and emits near-infrared light from a light source, with respect to the measurement object that stays in the measurement unit,
An incident part that guides transmitted light or scattered light emitted from the measurement object by the emission of the near-infrared light from the irradiation part and guides it to the analyzer;
A housing part that houses an end part on the measurement part side in the irradiation part and the incident part,
A filter unit that partitions the measuring unit from the outside and allows the liquid part to pass through;
An optical probe comprising,
It is.

In addition, the present invention
(2) a light source that emits near-infrared light;
An optical probe that emits the near-infrared light from the light source to the measurement object and makes transmitted light or scattered light emitted from the measurement object by the emission of the near-infrared light enter;
An analyzer for analyzing the transmitted light or the scattered light incident on the optical probe;
A measuring device comprising:
The optical probe is
A measuring unit capable of retaining a liquid portion of the measurement object;
An irradiation unit that guides and emits the near-infrared light from the light source with respect to the measurement object staying in the measurement unit;
An incident part that makes the transmitted light or the scattered light emitted from the measurement object incident by the emission of the near-infrared light from the irradiation part, and guides it to the analyzer;
A housing part that houses an end part on the measurement part side in the irradiation part and the incident part,
A filter unit that partitions the measuring unit from the outside and allows the liquid part to pass through;
A measuring device comprising:
It is.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the optical probe which enables the analysis which made object the liquid part in suspension, and the measuring apparatus containing this optical probe are provided.

It is a figure explaining the outline | summary of the optical measuring device which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram of the optical measuring device which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic perspective view of the principal part of the optical probe which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram of the optical measuring device which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic perspective view of the principal part of the optical probe which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic perspective view of the principal part of the optical probe which concerns on 3rd Embodiment.

[Description of Embodiment of Present Invention]
First, embodiments of the present invention will be listed and described.

  The optical probe of the present invention is (1) guided near-infrared light from a light source to a measurement part in which a liquid part of a measurement object can stay and the measurement object staying in the measurement part. An irradiating unit that emits light, an incident unit that transmits transmitted light or scattered light emitted from the measurement object by emission of the near-infrared light from the irradiating unit, and guides it to an analyzer, and the irradiating unit and It is characterized by comprising a housing part that accommodates the measuring part side end part of the incident part, and a filter part that partitions the measuring part from the outside and allows the liquid part to pass through.

  According to the above optical probe, the measurement object that is the target for emitting near-infrared light stays in the measurement unit partitioned from the outside by the filter unit, and the solid content is captured by the filter unit. By analyzing the scattered light or transmitted light obtained by irradiating the removed measurement object with near-infrared light, it is preferable to measure the liquid portion even if the measurement object is a suspension. To be done.

  (2) The said incident part can be set as the aspect comprised including a quartz glass optical fiber.

  When the incident part is configured to include a silica glass optical fiber, it is possible to reduce a loss caused by guiding near infrared light.

  (3) The filter unit may include ceramics.

  By using the filter part including ceramics, deterioration can be suppressed even when immersed in a liquid measurement object for a long time.

  (4) The filter unit may be configured to capture 90% or more of particles having a diameter of 10 μm or more.

  (5) The filter portion may have a pore diameter of 1 μm or less.

  The measurement apparatus of the present invention includes (6) a light source that emits near-infrared light, and the near-infrared light from the light source is emitted to a measurement object, and the measurement is performed by emitting the near-infrared light. A measuring apparatus comprising: an optical probe for entering transmitted light or scattered light emitted from an object; and an analyzer for analyzing the transmitted light or scattered light incident on the optical probe, wherein the optical probe A measurement unit capable of retaining a liquid part of the measurement object, and an irradiation unit for guiding and emitting the near-infrared light from the light source to the measurement object remaining in the measurement unit; , An incident part for making the transmitted light or the scattered light emitted from the measurement object incident by the emission of the near infrared light from the irradiation part and guiding it to the analyzer, and the irradiation part and the incident Housing the end of the measuring part side A housing portion, the liquid portion while partitioning the measuring unit from the outside, characterized in that it comprises a filter unit can pass.

  According to the above measurement apparatus, the measurement object to be emitted from near infrared light stays in the measurement section partitioned by the filter section from the outside, and the solid content is captured by the filter section. By analyzing the scattered light or transmitted light obtained by irradiating the removed measurement object with near-infrared light, it is preferable to measure the liquid portion even if the measurement object is a suspension. To be done.

(7) The incident portion includes an optical fiber, and the analyzer includes a spectroscopic portion that splits the transmitted light or scattered light guided through the optical fiber according to a wavelength, and a plurality of one-dimensionally arranged plurality. And a sensor unit that receives light dispersed by the spectroscopic unit. By having the sensor unit composed of the one-dimensionally arranged light receiving sensors, it is possible to perform measurement related to the liquid component with higher accuracy.

(8) The incident unit includes an optical fiber, and the analyzer includes a spectroscopic unit that splits the transmitted light or scattered light guided through the optical fiber according to a wavelength, and a plurality of two-dimensionally arranged light sources. And a sensor unit that receives light separated by the spectroscopic unit. In this case, it is possible to acquire measurement information at different positions by increasing the dimension by one compared to the one-dimensional sensor, and by performing averaging, the measurement range is effectively expanded, and noise is reduced. It is possible to reduce and to greatly improve the measurement accuracy.

[Details of the embodiment of the present invention]
Specific examples of the optical probe and the measuring apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited to these illustrations, is shown by the claim, and intends that all the changes within the meaning and range equivalent to the claim are included.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a schematic configuration and main usage of the measuring apparatus according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the measuring apparatus 1 includes a light source 10, an optical probe 20, and an analyzer 30. An object to be measured O by the measuring apparatus 1 is a liquid, and can be used particularly for a suspension containing suspended substances such as aggregates. Examples of such a suspension include a fermentation liquid in a process for producing ethanol from sugarcane juice. The measuring apparatus 1 is used for the purpose of analyzing a liquid portion, not a suspended substance contained in the measuring object O.

  The light source 10 emits near-infrared light that irradiates the liquid measurement object. The near-infrared light used in the measuring apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment refers to light in a wavelength band of 700 nm to 2500 nm. The light source 10 is not particularly limited as long as it can emit near infrared light, and may be configured to emit pulsed light, for example.

  The optical probe 20 is connected to the light source 10 by a connector or the like, guides near-infrared light from the light source 10, emits near-infrared light to the liquid of the measurement object, and also emits near-infrared light. The transmitted light or scattered light from the measurement object irradiated with the light is incident and guided to the analyzer 30. As shown in FIG. 1, the optical probe 20 is measured by introducing its tip into the measurement object O. In the optical probe 20, light is guided by an optical fiber, and a specific configuration thereof will be described later.

  The analyzer 30 has a function of receiving light from the optical probe 20 and performing measurement. The analyzer 30 includes a spectroscopic unit that splits the transmitted light or scattered light guided through the optical fiber of the optical probe 20 according to the wavelength, and a plurality of two-dimensionally arranged light receiving sensors. And a sensor unit that receives light.

  Next, the optical probe 20 and the analyzer 30 in the measuring apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the configuration of each part of the measuring apparatus 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of the distal end portion of the optical probe 20.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the optical probe 20 has a first optical fiber 21 (irradiation unit) connected to one end 21 a of the light source 10 and one end 22 a of the analyzer 30. The second optical fiber 22 (incident part) to be connected, the end part 21b of the first optical fiber 21 opposite to the light source 10 side, and the end part 22b of the second optical fiber 22 opposite to the analyzer 30 side are provided. The housing 23 is configured to be accommodated. The first optical fiber 21 and the second optical fiber 22 extend in substantially the same direction at the end on the side of the housing part 23, and the housing part 23 has a substantially cylindrical shape extending along the optical axis direction of the two optical fibers. There is no. The first optical fiber 21 and the second optical fiber 22 may include a quartz glass optical fiber. In this case, it is possible to reduce a loss caused by guiding near infrared light emitted from the light source 10.

  In addition, the end 21 b of the first optical fiber 21 faces the measuring unit 25 partitioned from the outside by the filter unit 24. Further, the end 22 b of the second optical fiber 22 faces the measuring unit 25 through the lens 26. The lens 26 is provided to allow light to enter the second optical fiber 22 appropriately and is not essential. Therefore, in FIG. 3, illustration is abbreviate | omitted in order to make a structure clearer.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the optical probe 20 according to the first embodiment, the measurement unit 25 is partitioned from the outside by a substantially cylindrical filter unit 24. Since the filter part 24 has a plurality of through holes, the liquid part A is movable between the measurement part 25 partitioned by the filter part 24 and the outside. However, a solid having a corresponding size included in the external measurement object is captured by the filter unit 24 and cannot enter the measurement unit 25.

  The filter part 24 is comprised from the material containing ceramics, for example. By using a material containing ceramics for the filter unit 24, for example, even when the optical probe 20 is immersed in the measurement object O for a long time, it is possible to prevent the filter unit 24 from deteriorating. (For the same reason, ceramics can also be used for the housing part 23. The housing part 23 may be made of a material such as stainless steel, aluminum, or resin.) Alternatively, the filter part 24 is mainly used. Consists of resin. By comprising mainly resin, an inexpensive construction can be realized. Furthermore, by adopting a resin that is resistant to sterilization treatment such as gamma rays and heat treatment, it can be utilized in the field of medicine and the like.

  The filter unit 24 preferably has an aspect capable of capturing 90% or more of particles having a diameter of 10 μm or more. Moreover, since the filter part 24 can remove most solids contained in a measuring object as the hole diameter is 1 micrometer or less, the measurement of the liquid part A in the measurement part 25 can be performed suitably. The filter unit 24 may include an osmotic membrane filter. In this case, since it is possible to remove small foreign matters or clusters of 0.1 μm or less, it is possible to measure a purer liquid.

  In order to maintain the shape of the filter part 24, a tip part 27 is provided on the opposite side of the housing part 23 with the filter part 24 interposed therebetween, and a part between the housing part 23 and the tip part 27 is formed in a columnar shape. It can be set as the aspect supported by a supporting member etc.

  Moreover, the filter part 24 can be made removable (separable) from the housing part 23 and the tip part 27. In this case, for example, the filter unit 24 can be removed and cleaned when not in use. Moreover, it can also be set as the structure which can open and close a part of filter part 24 so that the measurement part 25 can be accessed directly from the outside.

  The analyzer 30 includes a lens 31 that collimates the light emitted from the end portion 22a of the second optical fiber 22, a spectroscopic unit 32 that separates the light from the lens 31 for each wavelength, and light that has been separated by the spectroscopic unit 32. A plurality of light receiving sensors for receiving light are configured to include a sensor unit 33 arranged two-dimensionally. In addition, an adjustment lens or the like may be provided.

  In such a measuring apparatus 1, near infrared light from the light source 10 is introduced from the end 21 a into the first optical fiber 21 of the optical probe 20, propagates through the first optical fiber 21, and then the end 21 b. To the measurement unit 25. Since the liquid portion A that can pass through the filter unit 24 of the measurement object O of the optical probe 20 stays in the measurement unit 25, the near-infrared light from the light source 10 is measured in the measurement unit 25. Irradiated to O (liquid portion A).

  Scattered light emitted from the measurement object (liquid portion A) in the measurement unit 25 by irradiation with near-infrared light enters the end 22b of the second optical fiber 22 through the lens 26. The scattered light propagates in the second optical fiber 22 and enters the analyzer 30 from the end of the second optical fiber 22. Then, after collimating with the lens 31, the light of each component subjected to wavelength spectroscopy by the spectroscopic unit 32 and split is received by different sensors constituting the sensor unit 33. Thereafter, spectrum information based on the intensity of light for each wavelength received by the sensor unit 33 can be acquired.

  Here, in the optical probe 20 according to the present embodiment, the measurement unit 25 is partitioned from the outside by the filter unit 24. Therefore, even if the measurement object O is a suspension containing aggregates or the like, the liquid portion A that is captured by the filter unit 24 and can pass through the filter unit 24 is stored in the measurement unit 25. Therefore, the liquid part in the suspension is targeted by irradiating the near-infrared light to the measurement unit 25 and measuring the transmitted reflected light or scattered light from the measurement object in the measurement unit 25. This analysis can be suitably performed.

  The optical probe 20 according to the present embodiment has a configuration in which light is guided to the analyzer 30 by the single second optical fiber 22 and then dispersed by the spectroscopic unit 32 and received by the sensor unit 33. A configuration may be adopted in which a plurality of optical fibers are used as the second optical fiber 22 and light emitted from the respective optical fibers is incident on the spectroscopic unit 32 in parallel and then coupled to different positions of the sensor.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, the measuring apparatus 2 according to the second embodiment will be described. The measuring apparatus 2 according to the second embodiment has a configuration in which the analyzer 30 can receive and analyze not only scattered light but also transmitted light from the measurement object O irradiated with near infrared light. And As shown in FIG. 4, the measuring apparatus 2 includes a light source 10, an optical probe 20A, and an analyzer 30A.

  In the optical probe 20A, the number of optical fibers accommodated in the housing part 23 increases. That is, in the optical probe 20A, the first optical fiber 21 that guides near-infrared light from the light source 10 and emits it to the measurement unit 25 has the same function as the optical probe 20 of the first embodiment. The optical probe 20 </ b> A includes a third optical fiber 220 and a fourth optical fiber 221 that are two optical fibers instead of the second optical fiber 22.

  Among these, the third optical fiber 220 has a function of making the scattered light from the measurement object O of the measurement unit 25 incident and guided therefor, and outputting it to the analyzer 30, similarly to the second optical fiber 22. . On the other hand, the fourth optical fiber 221 has a function of making the transmitted light from the measuring object O of the measuring unit 25 incident and guiding it, and outputting it to the analyzer 30. For this reason, the shape of the optical probe 20A is also different from that of the optical probe 20 of the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the optical probe 20 </ b> A is configured such that the measurement unit 25 is not along the entire circumference of the optical probe 20 </ b> A, but a part of the housing part 23 is cut away. And the filter part 24 which divides the measurement part 25 and the exterior is not cylindrical, but is formed in a strip shape along the outer diameter of the housing part 23. Even with such a configuration, like the optical probe 20, the measurement object O can be moved through the filter unit 24, and in particular, the liquid portion A can be stored in the measurement unit 25.

  Further, the end 221 b of the fourth optical fiber 221 is disposed on substantially the same plane as the end 21 b of the first optical fiber 21 and the end 220 b of the third optical fiber 220. A waveguide optical system is prepared at the distal end portion 27 so that the transmitted light that has passed through the measurement unit 25 enters the end portion 221b of the fourth optical fiber 221. That is, the transmitted light is incident on the distal end portion 27 from the end surface on the measurement unit 25 side, and two reflecting mirrors 29 are arranged to change the path of the transmitted light L incident on the distal end portion 27. Thus, the transmitted light L is incident on the end portion 221b of the fourth optical fiber 221 after the transmitted light L is guided to the tip portion 27 where the measurement unit 25 is not formed.

  As described above, in the optical probe 20A according to the second embodiment, the tip portion 27 functions as a waveguide optical system. Therefore, the tip portion 27 is free from optical axis deviation caused by external factors such as environmental changes and vibrations. For example, in addition to stainless steel or aluminum, it is preferable to be made of a material such as quartz glass or resin having the above characteristics.

  Note that the third optical fiber 220 and the fourth optical fiber 221 are connected to the analyzer 30A at the end 220a and the end 221a, respectively, and the light guided through the third optical fiber 220 and the fourth optical fiber 221. Is detected by the analyzer 30A. In the analyzer 30 </ b> A, a wavelength tunable filter 34 is provided in front of the sensor unit 33 instead of the spectroscopic unit 32 of the analyzer 30. In this way, the configuration of the analyzer can be changed as appropriate.

  In the optical probe 20 </ b> A of the measuring apparatus 2 according to the second embodiment, the third optical fiber 220 is configured to detect diffusely reflected light from the measurement object O in the same manner as the second optical fiber 22. Further, the optical probe 20A is configured to detect the transmitted light from the measurement object O by the waveguide optical system formed in the fourth optical fiber 221 and the tip portion 27. Therefore, the liquid portion A of the measuring object O can be measured with higher accuracy. In particular, since the pore diameter of the filter part 24 is not sufficiently small, transmitted light and scattered light (diffuse reflected light) even when the measurement object O staying in the measurement part 25 contains a minute solid. By configuring the analyzer 30 to acquire information relating to both of the above, analysis based on changes in diffuse reflected light derived from a solid can be performed, and measurement with higher accuracy is possible.

  Note that, as a modification of the optical probe 20A according to the second embodiment, a configuration in which the third optical fiber 220 is not provided, that is, a configuration in which only transmitted light is detected can be employed. Even in this case, the measurement object O passing through the filter unit 24 and staying in the measurement unit 25 is configured to measure transmitted light when the near-infrared light is irradiated to the measurement object O. In particular, the measurement relating to the liquid part A can be suitably performed.

(Third embodiment)
Next, an optical probe according to the third embodiment will be described. In the optical probe according to the third embodiment, an optical fiber that emits near-infrared light from a light source and an optical fiber that enters transmitted light from a measurement object O irradiated with the near-infrared light constitute a measuring unit. It has the structure which arrange | positions on both sides.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the optical probe 20 </ b> B according to the third embodiment is connected to the first optical fiber 21 connected to the light source 10 and the analyzer 30, and is emitted from the first optical fiber 21. The second optical fiber 22 through which the light transmitted through the measurement object O is incident is disposed opposite to the measurement unit 25. The measuring unit 25 has a shape partitioned from the outside by the filter unit 24.

  Thus, the arrangement of the optical fiber (irradiation unit) on the side that emits near-infrared light and the optical fiber (incident unit) on the side that transmits transmitted light or scattered light can be changed as appropriate. Further, the shape of the housing portion can be changed as appropriate according to the shape of the measurement unit 25 and the like.

  The optical probe and the measurement apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention have been described above. However, the optical probe and the measurement apparatus according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made.

  That is, in the optical probe and the measurement apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, the measurement target object that emits near-infrared light stays in the measurement unit partitioned by the filter unit from the outside. Features. Then, by analyzing the scattered light or the transmitted light obtained by irradiating the near-infrared light to the measurement object from which the solid content has been captured and removed by the filter unit, the measurement object is suspended. Even so, the measurement of the liquid portion is preferably performed. If it has such a structure, shapes, such as a housing part, a measurement part, and a filter part, can be changed suitably.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the sensor part 33 in which the several light receiving sensor was arranged in two dimensions, the sensor part 33 in which the several light receiving sensor was arranged in one dimension may be sufficient. Even in this case, the measurement relating to the liquid component can be performed with higher accuracy.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,2 ... Measuring apparatus, 10 ... Light source, 20, 20A, 20B ... Optical probe, 30, 30A ... Analyzer, 21 ... 1st optical fiber, 22 ... 2nd optical fiber, 23 ... Housing part, 24 ... Filter part 25 ... Measurement unit.

Claims (8)

A measuring part in which the liquid part of the measurement object can stay,
An irradiation unit that guides and emits near-infrared light from a light source, with respect to the measurement object that stays in the measurement unit,
An incident part that guides transmitted light or scattered light emitted from the measurement object by the emission of the near-infrared light from the irradiation part and guides it to the analyzer;
A housing part that houses an end part on the measurement part side in the irradiation part and the incident part,
A filter unit that partitions the measuring unit from the outside and allows the liquid part to pass through;
An optical probe.   The optical probe according to claim 1, wherein the incident portion includes a quartz glass optical fiber.   The optical probe according to claim 1, wherein the filter unit includes ceramics.   The optical filter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the filter unit is capable of capturing 90% or more of particles having a diameter of 10 µm or more.   The optical probe according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the filter section has a hole diameter of 1 µm or less. A light source that emits near-infrared light;
An optical probe that emits the near-infrared light from the light source to the measurement object and makes transmitted light or scattered light emitted from the measurement object by the emission of the near-infrared light enter;
An analyzer for analyzing the transmitted light or the scattered light incident on the optical probe;
A measuring device comprising:
The optical probe is
A measuring unit capable of retaining a liquid portion of the measurement object;
An irradiation unit that guides and emits the near-infrared light from the light source with respect to the measurement object staying in the measurement unit;
An incident part that makes the transmitted light or the scattered light emitted from the measurement object incident by the emission of the near-infrared light from the irradiation part, and guides it to the analyzer;
A housing part that houses an end part on the measurement part side in the irradiation part and the incident part,
A filter unit that partitions the measuring unit from the outside and allows the liquid part to pass through;
A measuring apparatus comprising: The incident portion includes an optical fiber,
The analyzer is
A spectroscopic unit that splits the transmitted light or scattered light guided through the optical fiber according to a wavelength;
A plurality of light receiving sensors arranged one-dimensionally, and a sensor unit that receives light dispersed by the spectroscopic unit;
The measuring device according to claim 6. The incident portion includes an optical fiber,
The analyzer is
A spectroscopic unit that splits the transmitted light or scattered light guided through the optical fiber according to a wavelength;
A plurality of light receiving sensors arranged two-dimensionally, and a sensor unit that receives light dispersed by the spectroscopic unit;
The measuring device according to claim 6.

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