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Apparatus for optical detection of bio-contaminants

  • US 10,048,203 B2
  • Filed: 08/09/2016
  • Issued: 08/14/2018
  • Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2013
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A soil detection system for detecting presence of soil on an article, the soil detection system comprising:

  • a scanning unit for scanning the article with a fluorescent agent bound to soil present on the article, the fluorescent agent emitting fluorescent light at a fluorescence wavelength, wherein the scanning unit is moved across a surface of the article, said scanning unit including;

    a light source for producing a laser light blinking at a modulation frequency to be incident on the article, wherein the modulation frequency is lower than a blinking frequency of an ambient lighting source,a light filter for filtering light emanating from said article at the fluorescence wavelength, said light emanating from said article including ambient light from the ambient lighting source reflected by the article and light emitted by exciting the fluorescent agent bound to the soil with the laser light, anda light detector for detecting the filtered light emanating from said article and generating light data corresponding thereto; and

    a control unit for receiving the light data generated by the light detector to determine the presence of soil on the article based upon detection of blinking features at the fluorescence wavelength determined to be blinking at the modulation frequency and indicative of soil, compared to detected features at the fluorescence wavelength that are non-blinking at the modulation frequency and identified as ambient light reflections, thereby discriminating between soil fluorescence and ambient light reflections.

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