OPTICAL IMMERSION REFRACTOMETER PROBE

Abstract

The present invention provides a reusable probe for use with a device for measuring the absolute value of the refractive index of a liquid by immersion uses the optical properties of a cylindrical waveguide with a solid core and normal angle of incidence of the light source.

Claims

1. An optical refractometer probe for measuring the refractive index of a liquid comprising: a measuring tube comprising a first end and a second end, the measuring tube comprising a material that is impervious to the liquid and that has a refractive index that is much greater than the refractive index of the liquid; a light source configured to produce light with an illumination wavelength satisfying the conditions required of the measured liquid situated at the first end of the measuring tube; a light detector configured to produce a signal responsive to the intensity of light at the illumination wavelength situated at the second end of the measuring tube, an illumination fiber bundle comprising one or more optical fibers, said illumination fiber bundle being mounted with the light source such that light from the light source is communicated through the illumination fiber bundle; and a detection fiber bundle comprising one or more optical fibers, said detection fiber bundle being mounted such that the mounted such that light is communicated through the detection fiber bundle to the light detector.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a temperature sensing element mounted with device such that the temperature sensing element is responsive to a liquid in contact with the measuring tube and wherein the electrical connections are configured to convey a signal corresponding to the sensed temperature.

3. An optical refractometer probe for measuring the refractive index of a liquid comprising: a measuring tube comprising a first end and a second end, the measuring tube comprising a material that is impervious to the liquid and that has a refractive index that is much greater than the refractive index of the liquid; a light source configured to produce light with an illumination wavelength satisfying the conditions required of the measured liquid situated at the first end of the measuring tube; a light detector configured to produce a signal responsive to the intensity of light at the illumination wavelength situated at the first end of the measuring tube; and electrical connections operable to convey power to the light source and signal from the photodetector.

4. The device of claim 3 further comprising a core material disposed within the measuring tube wherein the refractive index of the core material is equal to or exceeds the upper limit of the refractive index range of the liquid.

5. The device of claim 3, further comprising a temperature sensing element mounted with device such that the temperature sensing element is responsive to a liquid in contact with the measuring tube and wherein the electrical connections are configured to convey a signal corresponding to the sensed temperature.

6. The device of claim 3, further comprising a light baffle mounted within the measuring tube such that light from the light source is discouraged from communicating directly with the light detector.

7. The device of claim 3 wherein the core material and the measuring tube material are the same material.

8. An optical refractometer probe for measuring the refractive index of a liquid comprising: a light source configured to produce light with an illumination wavelength satisfying the conditions required of the measured liquid situated at the first end of the measuring tube; a light detector configured to produce a signal responsive to the intensity of light at the illumination wavelength, a measuring tube comprising a first end and a second end, the measuring tube comprising a material that is impervious to the liquid and that has a refractive index that is much greater than the refractive index of the liquid; a core material disposed in the measuring tube that is a transparent to light at the illumination wavelength and has a refractive index approximately equal to or greater than the refractive index of the liquid; an illumination fiber bundle comprising one or more optical fibers, said illumination fiber bundle being mounted with the light source such that light from the light source is communicated through the illumination fiber bundle and into the core material. a reflective device fixed to the second end of the measuring tube; and a detection fiber bundle comprising one or more optical fibers, said detection fiber bundle being mounted such that the mounted such that light reflected from the reflective devices through the core material is communicated through the detection fiber bundle to the light detector; and electrical connections operable to convey power to the light source and signal from the photodetector.

9. The device of claim 8, further comprising a temperature sensing element mounted with device such that the temperature sensing element is responsive to a liquid in contact with the portion of the measuring tube containing core material and wherein the electrical connections are configured to convey a signal corresponding to the sensed temperature.

11. The device of claim 8, further comprising a light baffle mounted with the measuring tube such that light from the light source is discouraged from communicating directly with the light detector.

12. The device of claim 8 wherein the core material and the measuring tube material are the same material.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] FIG. 1 is a graph of the response of the device as a function of the core index and surrounding liquid refractive index.

[0017] FIG. 2 is an illustration of calibration of an example embodiment.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of an analysis system.

[0019] FIG. 4 shows an example embodiment comprising a single pass device for the quantitative measurement of the refractive index of a liquid.

[0020] FIG. 5 shows an example embodiment comprising a single pass with a solid core device for the quantitative measurement of the refractive index of a liquid.

[0021] FIG. 6 shows an example embodiment comprising a double pass device with a solid core for the quantitative measurement of the refractive index of a liquid.

[0022] FIG. 7 shows an example embodiment comprising a double pass device with replaceable probe for the quantitative measurement of the refractive index of a liquid.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] FIG. 1 is a graph of the response of the device as a function of the core index and surrounding liquid refractive index. This graph illustrates a general trend of performance and the requirement to tune the refractive index of the core for compatibility of the liquid indices to be measured. This figure represents phenomenological results supporting this invention.

[0024] An example configuration of the invention for the measurement of the refractive index of a liquid by immersion comprise: [0025] (a) Light source such as a LED or laser; [0026] (b) An optional fiber optic means of conveying the light source to the active material; [0027] (c) A tube impervious to the surrounding liquid whose optical properties do not impact the basic operating principle of the device; [0028] (d) An active length and diameter of the tube filled with a transparent material of appropriate index referred to as the core or a solid tube of appropriate index; [0029] (e) An optional end-mirror to reflect the light back toward the input increasing the effective length of the device; [0030] (f) An optional fiber optic means of conveying the reflected light to a conventional photodetector; [0031] (g) An optional thermistor or similar device embedded therein to sense the temperature of the liquid; [0032] (h) A photodetector to convert the reflected light to an electrical signal; and [0033] (i) An analysis system to convert said electrical signals into refractive index.

[0034] The performance of this device in terms of the signal loss during propagation is a function of tube material, core material, liquid index, core diameter, core length, wavelength of the incident light and the numerical aperture of the input source. As the surrounding liquid changes its refractive index the amount of power transmitted through the device changes accordingly thus illustrating the basic principle of operation. Although a tube may be of variable length, it is the length of the core material within the tube that is important.

[0035] The choice of the tube material is dependent on 3 properties: imperviousness to the surrounding liquid, the transparency of good quality glass, and of refractive index such that the tube does not impact the basic performance expressed by Eq. 1. This latter property is achieved by choosing a refractive index that is much greater than the core index such as glass, pyrex or preferably quartz with index 1.54 at 590 nm. With a tube material refraction index much greater than the core index the conditions for confined rays expressed by Eq. 1 are violated and the tube becomes totally transparent in a waveguide sense relying only on the liquid index to determine the propagation characteristics.

[0036] The choice of core length and core diameter depends on the tolerable signal loss. Longer cores yield more loss because the incident light undergoes more reflections as the light propagates within the core. The preferred embodiment yields an effective core length of approximately 1. Length acts in consonance with core diameter to yield the actual loss as a function of the surrounding liquid index.

[0037] The choice of tube diameter and hence core diameter is a function of the numerical aperture of the tube input fiber combination. In the configuration above the core region will only propagate light that enters the tube within a certain cone known as the acceptance angle. Eq. 1 can be re-expressed as

n sin .sub.max={square root over (n.sub.co.sup.2n.sub.cl.sup.2))}Equation #2

where n is the refractive index of the entry medium, n.sub.co is the refractive index of the core, and n.sub.cl is the refractive index of the cladding as before.

[0038] Light entering the core at angles greater than .sub.max will not undergo total reflection and thus those rays will not be transmitted through the core of the device. In this form, the quantity n sin .sub.max is defined as the numerical aperture (NA) of the system. The number of reflections that a ray undergoes as it traverses the core is a function of the core diameter. It is to be understood that in the case of fill material within the tube, the tube inner diameter is equivalent to the core diameter. For a given NA of the entry fibers, larger diameter cores yield fewer reflections and less loss during propagation.

[0039] The number of modes N supported by a cylindrical waveguide or optical fiber is proportional to the diameter D of the fiber and given as

[00002]$N=\frac{.Math.D}{}.Math.\sqrt{n_{c.Math.o}^2-n_{c.Math.l}^2}$

[00003]$\begin{array}{cc}N=\frac{.Math..Math.D}{}.Math.\left(n_{\mathrm{co}}^2-n_{\mathrm{cl}}^2\right)& \mathrm{Equation}.Math..Math.\#.Math..Math.3\end{array}$

where is the wavelength of light

[0040] The more modes a waveguide is capable of supporting the more power is transported from a multi-mode source.

[0041] For a given index of core material, the tube length and diameter work in consonance to yield a certain loss per unit length. There are no reliable analytical predictions of this relationship however in the preferred embodiment of this device with a core material index of 1.38, a tube length of 25 mm and a core diameter of 2 mm yields excellent performance over a liquid index range of 1.36 to 1.38 typical for lead-acid battery electrolytes ranging from zero to full charge.

[0042] An analysis system includes a model relating a signal from the detector to the index of refraction of the liquid as shown in FIG. 3.

[0043] The device may be calibrated as shown in FIG. 2 in terms absolute value of the refractive index or other engineering units related to refractive index by using a series of standard calibration solutions and a curve fitting algorithm such as a polynomial fit to yield accurate values of the units as a function of the output voltage of the photodetector. This technique circumvents such problems as dispersion effects due to the use of differing light source wavelengths.

[0044] Example Embodiment 1. A single pass device for the quantitative measurement of the refractive index of a liquid shown in FIG. 4 and comprising: [0045] (a) a light source 1 configured to produce light with an illumination wavelength supported by commercial glass or plastic optical components of wavelength ranging from approximately 400 nm to approximately 1300 nm; [0046] (b) an illumination fiber optic bundle 2 comprising a single or plurality of optical fibers, said illumination fiber bundle having first and second ends, such that light from the light source is communicated to the first end of the illumination fiber bundle; said fiber bundle then communicating light to the first end of the core material [0047] (c) a measuring tube 3 having first and second ends, comprising a material that is impervious to the liquid to be measured with a refractive index that is much greater than the core material; [0048] (e) a core material 4 comprising the core and active region of the measuring tube that is transparent to light at the illumination wavelength; with a refractive index approximately equal to the largest refractive index expected of the liquid to be measured and disposed within the measuring tube; [0049] (f) a detection fiber bundle 5, having first and second ends, comprising a single or a plurality of optical fibers, mounted within the measuring tube such that light is communicated between the second end of the core material and the first end of the detection fiber bundle; said fiber bundle then communicating the light to the light detector. [0050] (g) a light detector 6 configured to produce an electrical signal responsive to the intensity of light at the illumination wavelength, mounted with the detection fiber bundle such that light is communicated from the second end of the detection fiber bundle to the light detector.

[0051] In the example embodiment, the light detector signal can comprise an electrical signal, and wherein the device further comprises a temperature sensor configured to determine the temperature of the liquid.

[0052] In the example embodiment, an analysis system shown in FIG. 3 can be configured to determine the refractive index of the liquid to be measured consisting of a model relating the intensity of light detected and the liquid temperature to the refractive index of the liquid to be measured.

[0053] Example embodiment 2. A single pass device for the quantitative measurement of the refractive index of a liquid as shown in FIG. 5 and comprising: [0054] (a) a light source 7 configured to produce light with an illumination wavelength supported by commercial glass or plastic optical components of wavelength ranging from approximately 400 nm to approximately 1300 nm mounted within the first end of the measuring tube and in contact with the core material. [0055] (b) a measuring tube 8 having first and second ends, comprising a material that is impervious to the liquid to be measured that has a refractive index that is much greater than the core material; [0056] (c) a core material 9 comprising the core of the measuring tube having first and second ends that is transparent to light at the illumination wavelength and has a refractive index approximately equal to the largest refractive index expected of the liquid to be measured disposed within the measuring tube; [0057] (d) said material may be identical to the tube material in certain circumstances rendering a solid core; and [0058] (e) A light detector 10 configured to produce an electrical signal responsive to the intensity of light at the illumination wavelength mounted within the first end of the transparent tube and in contact with the second end of the core material.

[0059] In the example embodiment 2, the light detector signal can comprise an electrical signal, and wherein the device further comprises a temperature sensor configured to determine the temperature of the liquid and corresponding core.

[0060] In the example embodiment 2, an analysis system as shown in FIG. 3; said system configured to determine the refractive index of the liquid to be measured; said system consisting of a model relating the intensity of light detected and said system optionally using the liquid temperature to determine the refractive index of the liquid to be measured.

[0061] Example embodiment 3. A double pass device for the quantitative measurement of the refractive index of a liquid as shown in FIG. 6 comprising: [0062] (a) a light source 11 configured to produce light with an illumination wavelength supported by commercial glass or plastic optical components of wavelength ranging from approximately 400 nm to approximately 1300 nm; [0063] (b) an illumination fiber bundle 12 having first and second ends, comprising a single or a plurality of optical fibers, mounted on the solid tube such that light is communicated between the light source and the first end of the solid tube; [0064] (d) said light source mounted at the first end of the illumination fiber bundle and in contact with the illumination fiber bundle; [0065] (e) a solid tube 13 having first and second ends, comprising a material that is transparent at the illumination wavelength; [0066] (f) said solid tube impervious to the liquid to be measured with a refractive index that is approximately equal to the largest refractive index expected of the liquid to be measured; [0067] (g) a detection fiber bundle 15 having first and second ends, comprising a single or a plurality of optical fibers, mounted on the first end of the solid tube such that light is communicated between the solid tube and the detector. (f) a light detector 14 configured to produce an electrical signal responsive to the intensity of light at the illumination wavelength; [0068] (g) said light detector mounted in contact with the second end of the detection fiber bundle; and [0069] (h) a mirror 16 mounted at the second end of the solid tube such that light propagating through the transparent tube to the second end thereof is reflected by the mirror into the transparent tube toward the first end thereof.
In the example embodiment, the light detector signal can comprise an electrical signal, and wherein the device further comprises a temperature sensor configured to determine the temperature of the liquid.

[0070] In the example embodiment 3, an analysis system as shown in FIG. 3; said system configured to determine the refractive index of the liquid to be measured; said system consisting of a model relating the intensity of light detected and said system optionally using the liquid temperature to determine the refractive index of the liquid to be measured.

[0071] An example embodiment can comprise a light baffle 17 between the light source and detector.

[0072] Example embodiment 4 shown in FIG. 7 teaches a double pass refractometer with a probe that is easily replaceable in that it may be used in a harsh environment where damage is likely. Embodiment 4 teaches that the replaceable refractometer probe, in operation, would be in communication with an appropriate analysis system for quantitatively measuring the refractive index of a liquid comprising: [0073] (a) a measuring tube 22 comprising a first end and a second end, the measuring tube 22 comprising a material that is impervious to the liquid and that has a refractive index that is much greater than the refractive index of the liquid; [0074] (b) a light source 18 configured to produce light with an illumination wavelength satisfying the conditions required of the measured liquid situated at the first end of the measuring tube 22; [0075] (c) a light detector 24 configured to produce a signal responsive to the intensity of light at the illumination wavelength situated at the second end of the measuring tube 22, [0076] (d) a core material 20 comprising the core of the measuring tube 22 that is transparent to light at the illumination wavelength and has a refractive index approximately equal to the largest refractive index expected of the liquid to be measured disposed within the measuring tube 22; an illumination fiber 19 bundle comprising one or more optical fibers, said illumination fiber bundle being mounted with the light source such that light from the light source is communicated through the illumination fiber bundle; [0077] (e) a detection fiber bundle 23 comprising one or more optical fibers, said detection fiber bundle being mounted such that the mounted such that light is communicated through the detection fiber bundle to the light detector; [0078] (f) electrical connections 27 operable to convey power to the light source and signal from the photodetector; [0079] (g) a printed circuit board (PCB) or equivalent to serve as a mounting plate for the light source, the detector and electrical connections and; [0080] (h) a housing 25 containing the PCB and associated components.

[0081] The present invention has been described as set forth herein in relation to various example embodiments and design considerations. It will be understood that the above description is merely illustrative of the applications of the principles of the present invention, the scope of which is to be determined by the claims viewed in light of the specification. Other variants and modifications of the invention will be apparent to those of skill in the art.