US 12,461,013 B2
System and method for measuring low-noise vibrational spectra
Paul Reed Smith, Annapolis, MD (US); William G. Nelson, Cockeysville, MD (US); Shane G. W. Morris, Baltimore, MD (US); Sandor Szalay, Baltimore, MD (US); Jonathan B. Coulter, Baltimore, MD (US); Frederick M. Slay, Okatie, SC (US); and Eric K. Pritchard, Berkeley Springs, WV (US)
Assigned to Digital Harmonic LLC, Ellicott City, MD (US)
Filed by Digital Harmonic LLC, Ellicott City, MD (US)
Filed on Apr. 1, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/711,390.
Application 17/711,390 is a division of application No. 16/565,855, filed on Sep. 10, 2019, granted, now 11,293,853.
Application 16/565,855 is a continuation of application No. PCT/US2019/047880, filed on Aug. 23, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/722,302, filed on Aug. 24, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0228969 A1, Jul. 21, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G01N 33/48 (2006.01); G01N 15/14 (2006.01); G01N 33/50 (2006.01); G01R 23/02 (2006.01); G01R 23/16 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 15/1484 (2013.01) [G01N 15/1459 (2013.01); G01R 23/02 (2013.01); G01R 23/16 (2013.01); G01N 2015/1486 (2013.01); G01N 2015/1493 (2013.01); G06F 2218/10 (2023.01)] 23 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An optical device comprising:
a low-noise illumination source configured to generate a beam of radiation;
a support device configured to support an object and allow the beam of radiation to pass through the object, wherein the object directly blocks, absorbs, or deflects portions of the beam of radiation, thereby directly modulating the beam of radiation;
a low-noise detector configured to detect the modulated beam of radiation and to output an analog signal representative of vibrational spectra of the object, wherein the modulated beam of radiation is non-interferometric;
an analog-to-digital converter configured to convert the analog signal into a digital signal; and
a controller configured to generate a vibrational spectrum of the object from the digital signal represented as a range of events over a time period,
wherein the vibrational spectrum is in the sub-sonic frequency range.