Abstract: An apparatus and a method for the exchange of an optical component 20 is proposed in which a storage housing 1 exhibits a lower opening with a first gate means 21 adapted for sealing the lower opening. A second stopping means 6 attached to a driving means 5 and a first stop attached to the storage housing 1 are adapted to assume two states, a first state in which a optical component 20 is completely within the storage housing 1, and a second state in which an optical component 20 is completely removed from the storage housing 1. A pivoted mounting 4 of a lifting means 2 onto the driving means 5 in combination with a rotation of said driving means 5 allows for the force of gravity to guide the removal and introduction of the optical component 20 out of and into a spectrometer housing 24.

Abstract: An optical or Fourier infrared Fourier spectrometer with a two-beam interferometer with which the mirror drive is effected via two retroreflectors which are located on two 180.degree. displaced arms of a double pendulum. Deflecting mirrors are arranged between the beam splitter and the retroreflectors. The otherwise usual retroreflecting mirrors are not present. The beam splitter is displaced with respect to the plane of the pendulum. Thereby, a stable, easily aligned, and compact configuration is effected.

Abstract: An infrared Fourier transformation spectrometer comprising a non-linear analog-to-digital converter device having at least one amplifier and one sample and hold circuit connected downstream thereof, as well as an an analog-to-digital converter following the latter, wherein an input signal to be converted is to be supplied to one input of the amplifier and the gain of the input signal is a function of the magnitude fo the input signal, and wherein the output signal of the analog-to-digital converter is evaluated giving regard to the respective gain, is characterized by the fact that at least two analog-to-digital converters are provided whose outputs are connected to a first controllable switching arrangement for supplying selectively the output signals of one of the said analog-to-digital converters to another evaulation means and that the input signal is supplied to each of the said analog-to-digital converters amplified by a different amplification factor.

Abstract: A sample holder for placing a sample substance for transmission measurements with optical radiation into a spectrometer, in particular, a FTIR spectrometer which is at least partially made from a material transparent to the optical radiation in a intermeshing wavelength region and which exhibits an index of refraction in excess of 1 is configured as a converging lens with a concave surface (11) and a convex surface (12). To take an absorption spectrum of a powder and/or fluid dissolved or suspended sample substance, the sample substance is brought onto the concave surface (11) of the sample holder before the measurement where it, in consequence of the curvature and in contrast to a flat surface, is concentrated in a substantially smaller surface region. The configuration of the sample holder as a converging lens increases the yield of the radiation penetrating through the sample substance onto the detector of the spectrometer configuration.

Abstract: An interferogram is formed as in the prior art by dividing a beam of radiation from the source into two beams and interfering these beams so as to form an interferogram on the detector. A Fourier transform is then made of this interferogram. This transform has a signal spectrum above the cutoff frequency of the detector; and because of non-linearities in the detector and in the electronic signal processing circuitry, this transform also has a spectrum below the cutoff frequency of the detector. In accordance with the invention, two correction factors are calculated from this Fourier transform and these correction factors are then used to calculate a corrected interferogram. The first correction factor is evaluated by determining from the portion of the spectrum below the cutoff frequency a valve for the spectral signal at zero frequency.

Abstract: As a means for connecting a gas chromatograph and an IR-spectrometer, devices are used which include a cooled carrier which allows to condensate the substances supplied by the gas chromatograph on its surface where they may be examined by spectroscopy. The examination of a new sample makes necessary the evaporation of the substances condensated on this surface before. Up to now, the heating and the cooling of the carrier which was necessary to this end, took a rather long time. Further, the heating of the carrier was limited to a temperature at which not all substances could be completely eliminated from the surface of the carrier. Now, the invention provides for a thermal decoupling of the carrier from the cooling device. Such decoupling allows to heat the carrier to higher tempreatures and to reduce the time needed for performing a measuring cycle, since as a result of the decoupling the cooling device is not heated but the heating is limited to the small mass of the carrier.

Abstract: In an IR-FR- spectrometer, a light beam (10) is guided from a source to a detector (31) and is passed, in a first mode of operation, by means of first optical means (12, 19, 20) through a sample to be measured (28) and, in a second mode of operation, by second optical means (12, 22, 21) through a reference sample (32). The first and second optical means comprise a common mirror element (12) having at least first and second mirror surfaces (13, 14, 15, 16) which are inclined relative to each other. The mirror surfaces abut in at least one point. There is provided means for moving the mirror element (12) relative to the light beam so that during such relative movement the impinging point of the light beam (10) is displace from the first mirror surface (13), over onto the second mirror surface (14).

Abstract: An infrared spectrometer comprises first optical means for focussing a beam of light in a point-shaped area of a sample (19), second optical means for focussing upon a detector (26) the light emitted by the sample, and third optical means permitting the visual observation of the point-shaped area (19). The second optical means of this arrangement are so designed that they pick up the light reflected by the point-shaped area (19). The arrangement of the invention permits measurements to be performed on extremely small areas and even on samples which are not or hardly pervious to light in the infrared range.