Data processing: measuring – calibrating – or testing – Measurement system in a specific environment – Chemical analysis
Reexamination Certificate
1997-10-29
2002-07-02
Wachsman, Hal (Department: 2857)
Data processing: measuring, calibrating, or testing
Measurement system in a specific environment
Chemical analysis
C702S022000, C702S030000, C702S032000, C356S445000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06415235
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates in general to the field of miniaturized optic sensors and more specifically to a software-based method and application for controlling sensor functions and analyzing sensor obtained data via an integrated graphical user interface.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Without limiting the scope of the invention, its background is described in connection with an integrated miniaturized sensor combining a plurality of light optics and electronic components on a single platform for use in a wide array of (bio)chemical sensing applications.
Optic-based sensor systems have been developed and used in the fields of chemical, biological or biomedical analysis, process control, pollution detection and control as well as others. A typical application involves the chemical coating of a thin film, cable or other article followed by excitation and measurement in the presence of a given sample of interest. Various sensor configurations have been developed including Surface Plasmon Resonance (“SPR”), light transmission and fluorescence-based.
An integrally formed version of an SPR sensor includes a light source and detector array coupled to a light absorbing platform which is itself disposed inside a light transmissive housing. The housing is made of a material which is transparent to the radiation produced by the light source. The light source produces radiation that passes through the housing and strikes an exterior surface of the housing on which a thin layer of SPR material has been deposited. The light reflected from the conducting layer is directed toward the detector which comprises a linear array of n×1 photocells. The detector cell having the minimum output level is associated with radiation rays from the source that have bounced off the thin conducting layer at the “resonance” angle which is a function of the refracted index of the material contacting the SPR layer.
Recent advances in miniaturized low powered light sources and detectors have allowed the design of other sensor platform configurations including critical angle, chemiluminescence, colorimetric, visible and infrared spectroscopy, absorption, phase, photometry and others. A main feature of these miniaturized sensors is the fixed positioning of the light source, sampling surface and detector elements within a rigid solid housing.
While sensor configurations have been developed and used, methods for controlling sensor functions and operation have not been standardized. Routines and data analysis tools for characterizing, reproducing, storing and manipulating the sample data produced by such sensors are not currently available.
What is needed is a sensor control and data,analysis system that runs on a stand alone system, such as a desktop computer or workstation, and is operably linked to one or more sensor(s) which are in contact with the sample substance of interest. A sensor control and analysis application program which provides the user with a plurality of data and file functions via an on-screen interface would fill a much needed niche.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
There are no readily available tools to control the function and operation of the miniaturized integrated sensor. A method and system of analyzing, manipulating and storing sensor obtained data is needed to facilitate the use of such sensors.
As such, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a method and program for operating an SPR-based sensor and analyzing the data for use in a wide array of miniaturized sensor applications.
Another object of the invention is to provide such a program that can be implemented and used in conjunction with other sensor platforms including but not limited to, critical angle sensors, light transmission sensors, fluorescence-based sensors and others.
Disclosed in one embodiment of the invention is a sensor control and data analysis system for detecting and analyzing various (bio)chemical properties of a given sample substance using a miniaturized integrated sensor. In one embodiment, raw sensor data from the sensor is transferred to a remote processing system, such as a desktop computer, having a display, keyboard, or other user control and data entry device, internal storage area, internal microprocessor and a wireless communications subsystem. The processing system runs a software application program that receives the raw sample data and performs qualitative and quantitative analysis to render meaningful information about the sample substance. The application program includes a plurality of information screen areas in the form of a graphical user interface having at least an analysis region, a plot region, a sensor setting region and a sensor status region among others.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5327225 (1994-07-01), Bender et al.
patent: 5468968 (1995-11-01), Bailey et al.
patent: 5808903 (1998-09-01), Schiltz et al.
Bartholomew Dwight U.
Carr Richard A.
Melendez Jose L.
Brady III Wade James
Telecky , Jr. Frederick J.
Texas Instruments Incorporated
Wachsman Hal
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