Apparatus and methods are described for calibrating an optical system that is used for measuring optical properties of a portion of a subjects body. During a calibration stage, a front surface of a calibration object (300) is illuminated, light reflected from a plurality of points on the calibration object (300) is detected, and intensities of the light reflected from the plurality of points on the calibration object (300) are measured. During a measurement stage, the portion of the subjects body is illuminated, and light reflected from the portion of the subjects body is detected. Measurements performed upon the light that was reflected from the portion of the subjects body are calibrated, using the measured intensities of the light reflected from the plurality of points on the calibration object (300). Other applications are also described.

A system of measuring hemoglobin and bilirubin parameters in a whole blood sample using optical absorbance. The system includes an optical-sample module, a spectrometer module, an optical fiber module optically connecting the optical-sample module to the spectrometer module, and a processor module. The optical-sample module has a light-emitting module having a LED light source, a cuvette and a calibrating-light module. The processor module receives and processes an electrical signal from the spectrometer module and transforms the electrical signal into an output signal useable for displaying and reporting hemoglobin parameter values and/or total bilirubin parameter values for the whole blood sample.

A spectrophotometer includes: an infrared light source; an interferometer; a first detector; and a monitor unit. The monitor unit includes: a second detector; and a light amount control unit. The light amount control unit is operable to control the infrared light source such that the amount comes closer to a target light amount, based on the signal. The infrared light source emits light having a first wavelength range and light having a second wavelength range different from the first wavelength range. The second detector includes: a first light detection element; and a second light detection element. The first light detection element outputs to the light amount control unit a first voltage corresponding to the light having the first wavelength range. The second light detection element outputs to the light amount control unit a second voltage corresponding to the light having the second wavelength range.

Method of predicting a distribution of light in an illumination pupil of an illumination system includes identifying component(s) of the illumination system the adjustment of which affects this distribution and simulating the distribution based on a point spread function defined in part by the identified components. The point spread function has functional relationship with configurable setting of the illumination settings.

Disclosed are an apparatus and a method for removing strands of hair from a near-infrared spectroscopy. The apparatus for removing strands of hair from a near-infrared spectroscopy may comprise: an arch-shaped main body worn on the head of a user, having a plurality of protrusions formed at an inner side part of the arch-shaped main body, and configured to expose a portion of scalp by arranging the strands of hair; a probe configured to come into close contact with the scalp; and a sensor configured to be accommodated inside the probe and receive light.

A hyperspectral calibrator comprises a composite light source disposed within a housing and including an ultraviolet light emitting diode (UV LED) and a phosphor arranged such that a first beam generated by the UV LED is transmitted through the phosphor to produce and emit a calibration beam that is spectrally continuous over a wavelength range extending from 0.4 μm to 0.7 μm, the housing having an output opening and configured to direct the calibration beam emitted from the composite light source to the output opening to produce a calibration beam at the output opening.

Optical computing devices may include capacitance-based nanomaterial detectors. For example, an optical computing device may include a light source that emits electromagnetic radiation into an optical train extending from the light source to a capacitance-based nanomaterial detector; a material positioned in the optical train to optically interact with the electromagnetic radiation and produce optically interacted light; and the capacitance-based nanomaterial detector comprising one or more nano-sized materials configured to have a resonantly-tuned absorption spectrum and being configured to receive the optically interacted light, apply a vector related to the characteristic of interest to the optically interacted light using the resonantly-tuned absorption spectrum, and generate an output signal indicative of the characteristic of interest.

A broadband calibrator assembly is provided and includes a medium/long wave infrared (MW/LW IR) assembly and multiple ultraviolet (UV)/visible and near IR (VNIR)/short wave IR (SWIR) assemblies.

A filter for removing coherent radiation from a source in a field of view, substantially independent of the size of the source, comprises a first reticle 22 located in the path of received light 21, a first lens 23 producing an optical transform of the first reticle 22 at a second reticle 24 located in the image plane of the first lens 23, a second lens 25 producing an optical transform of the second reticle 24 and a third reticle 26 located in the image plane of the second lens 25. The arrangement is such that the spatial transmittance of the third reticle 26 is selected to block at least part of the diffracted image of the first reticle 22 produced in the image plane of the second lens 25 and characteristic of the coherent radiation. Preferably the optical transforms are Fourier Transforms. A monochromatic coherent source in the field of view produces a pattern of diffracted energy in the image plane of the second lens which is independent of the size of the source. Thus, by providing a suitable reticle 26 in the image plane of the second lens light from a coherent source in the field of view can be blocked while polychromatic light is transmitted. The first and second reticles may be periodic picket-fence reticles or different spatial frequencies may be used for the first and third reticles so as to vary the stop-band characteristics of the filter.

Devices and methods to perform Raman spectroscopy with a structured excitation profile to obtain a Raman excitation map. A device includes a broadband light source to emit a broadband light beam and excitation optics to disperse the broadband light beam to strike a sample as incident light according to a structured excitation profile. The device further includes analysis optics to collect scattered light scattered by the incident light striking the sample, block Rayleigh scatter from the collected scattered light in a manner complementary to the structured excitation profile, and direct Raman scatter from the collected scattered light to a sensor to generate a signal to form a Raman excitation map.