Oxygen monitoring apparatus and methods of using the apparatus
First Claim
1. An oxygen concentration monitoring apparatus comprising:
- a sensor which includes a luminescable composition;
a light source which provides light of a first wavelength capable of exciting the composition into luminescence;
a flow component for so bringing a gas to be monitored into contact with the excited, luminescing composition that the luminescence is quenched in a manner reflecting the concentration of oxygen in the gas being monitored; and
a detector impinged upon by light of a second wavelength emitted by the excited, luminescing composition for producing a signal indicative of the concentration of oxygen in the gas;
the flow component having a near wall and a far wall bounding a sampling volume for the gas being monitored;
the oxygen sensing sensor being located at the near wall of the flow component; and
the light source and the detector being located outside of the sampling volume adjacent the near wall.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus or systems which employ luminescence quenching to produce an oxygen concentration indicative signal. Components of such systems include: (1) an airway adapter, sampling cell, or the like having a casing and a sensor which is excited into luminescence with the luminescence decaying in a manner reflecting the concentration of oxygen in gases flowing through the airway adapter or other flow device and is in intimate contact with a window in the casing; (2) a transducer with has a light source for exciting a luminescable composition in the sensor into luminescence, a light sensitive detector for converting energy emitted from the luminescing composition as that composition is quenched into an electrical signal indicative of oxygen concentration in the gases being monitored, and a casing which locates the light source and detector in close physical proximity to the window but on the side thereof opposite the sensor; and (3) subsystems for maintaining the sensor temperature constant and the temperature of the window above condensation temperature and for processing the signal generated by the light sensitive detector. Airway adapters, sampling cells, and transducers for such systems.
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Citations
48 Claims
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1. An oxygen concentration monitoring apparatus comprising:
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a sensor which includes a luminescable composition;
a light source which provides light of a first wavelength capable of exciting the composition into luminescence;
a flow component for so bringing a gas to be monitored into contact with the excited, luminescing composition that the luminescence is quenched in a manner reflecting the concentration of oxygen in the gas being monitored; and
a detector impinged upon by light of a second wavelength emitted by the excited, luminescing composition for producing a signal indicative of the concentration of oxygen in the gas;
the flow component having a near wall and a far wall bounding a sampling volume for the gas being monitored;
the oxygen sensing sensor being located at the near wall of the flow component; and
the light source and the detector being located outside of the sampling volume adjacent the near wall. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An oxygen concentration measuring apparatus which comprises:
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a sensor which includes a luminescable composition;
a source of light for exciting the composition into luminescence; and
a unitary airway adapter or sampling cell for so flowing a gas to be monitored in relation to the composition that the luminescence of the excited composition is quenched in a manner indicative of the concentration of oxygen in the gas; and
the airway adapter or sampling cell having a flow passage for the gas and a window opening onto the flow passage via which light from the source can reach the luminescable composition. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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20. An oxygen concentration monitoring apparatus which comprises:
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a sampling unit which has a wall bounding a sampling volume;
an optical window in the wall;
a sensor which comprises a luminescable composition distributed in a porous matrix, the sensor being supported in the sampling volume for contact by gas therein by the window;
a light source for transmitting through the window to the sensor energy of a wavelength capable of exciting the composition into luminescence; and
a detector for energy of excitation emitted by the sensor and transmitted through the window to the detector. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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31. An oxygen concentration monitoring apparatus which comprises:
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a sensor which comprises a luminescable composition dispersed in a porous matrix;
a light source for providing to the sensor light of a wavelength capable of exciting the composition into luminescence;
an arrangement for so bringing a gas to be monitored into contact with the sensor that the excited, luminescing composition is quenched in a manner reflecting the concentration of oxygen in the gas being monitored;
a detector for intercepting light emanating from the excited, luminescing sensor composition and for outputting a signal reflecting parameters of the intercepted light; and
a signal processor for making a phase-sensitive measurement of the signal, the signal being indicative of the concentration of oxygen in the gas being monitored. - View Dependent Claims (32)
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33. A sampling device for an oxygen concentration monitoring apparatus comprising:
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a casing defining a volume for a gas being monitored;
an optical window mounted in an aperture in the casing;
an oxygen sensor film comprising a compound which can be excited into luminescence by light transmitted through the window to the sensor film; and
a device for fixing the sensor film to the window, the device comprising;
a ring surrounding the window and mounting the window in the casing aperture; and
a mesh overlying the sensor film and pressing the sensor against and into intimate contact with the window. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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34. A replaceable airway adapter for oxygen concentration monitoring apparatus, the airway adapter comprising:
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a flow passage-defining casing;
a luminescable, oxygen quenchable sensor exposed to the flow passage; and
an optical window mounting the sensor to the casing.
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41. A sidestream sampling system for monitoring the concentration of gases flowing through the system, the sampling system comprising:
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a sampling cell comprising a sensor which has an oxygen sensitive, luminescable composition, the sampling cell being located in the system flow path;
a complementary transducer which includes casing which houses a light source for exciting the composition into luminescence and a detector for intercepting energy emitted by the excited, luminescing composition for producing a signal indicative of the concentration of oxygen in the gases; and
a pump for so effecting a flow of the gases being monitored through the sampling cell and into contact with the luminescing composition that the luminescence is quenched in a manner indicative of the concentration of oxygen in the gases;
the sampling cell including a windowed aperture;
the sensor being in intimate contact with a first side of a window in the aperture; and
the light emitter and the detector being located by the transducer casing on a second, opposite side of and in close physical proximity to the window. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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Specification