Apparatus for measuring concentration of a specific ingredient in-situ

• US 20030105392A1
• Filed: 04/16/2002
• Published: 06/05/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Wei-Kung Wang
• Original Assignee: Wei-Kung Wang
• Inventors: Wang, Wei-Kung
• Application Number:
  US10/123,124
• Publication Number:
  US 20030105392A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/345
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/22 Arrangements for supervision, monitoring or testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1215 where a cable TV network is used as an access to the PSTN/ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1255 where the switching fabric and the switching logic are decomposed such as in Media Gateway Control

Abstract

Disclosed is an apparatus for measuring the concentration of a specific ingredient in a solution. According to one embodiment of the present invention, said apparatus comprises: a signal collector for collecting a plurality of signals emitted from a target in a selected volume of the solution, and one of the signals being corresponding to the selected volume; detectors for detecting the signals; and beam splitters for splitting said signals and transmitting the signals to the detectors. The present invention provides an apparatus for effectively measuring concentration in-situ without the need of extracting the solution out of its original container.

Claims

1. An apparatus for measuring the concentrations of (N−

1) ingredients in a solution in-situ, wherein N is a natural number and N≧

2,

said apparatus comprising;

a signal collector for collecting N signals from a target in a selected volume of the solution, one of said N signals being corresponding to said selected volume;

means for detecting said N signals; and

means for separating said N signals and transmitting said N separated signals to said detecting means.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said N signals comprise at least one induced signal from said selected volume in response to an input signal.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said input signal is in the form of electromagnetic wave.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said signal collector comprises a plurality of cones for collecting said signals and/or for accommodating the transmission of said signals to said detecting means.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said detecting means comprises a plurality of detectors respectively located at the tips of said plurality of cones.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said separating means comprises a dichronic beam splitter.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said separating means comprises N−

1 beam splitters for separating said N signals.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said signal collector comprises N cones for collecting said N signals.

9. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein each of said plurality of cones comprises a lens for focusing the signal toward the corresponding detector.

10. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said plurality of cones comprise a highly reflective surface.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said target comprises human tissue.

12. The apparatus according to claimed in claim 11, wherein said human tissue comprises a finger.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said signal collector comprises an adapter located at the nail side of said finger for collecting said signals.

14. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a signal guide for directing said input signal into said target.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said signal guide directs said input signal into said target in said selected volume V at time t, and then said signal collector collects said signals from another selected volume V′

, which V′

is the distribution of said target at time t=t+Δ

t.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said target moves with a velocity V*, and said V′

is a linear transition from V to V+V*t.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein both said signal guide and signal collector respectively comprise a switch.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the switch of said signal collector is open after a predetermined period of time when the switch of said signal guide is closed.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said switches are changed between open and close for a plurality of times.

20. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said target comprises human tissue.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said human tissue comprises a finger.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said signal guide is at the inner surface of said finger.

23. The apparatus according to claim 22, further comprising an envelope for securing said finger.

24. The apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising an envelope for securing said finger.

25. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said signal corresponding to said selected volume is a signal corresponding to the solvent of said solution.

26. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said signal corresponding to said selected volume is a signal corresponding to a marker with known concentration.

27. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said solvent comprises water.

28. A spectrophotometer, comprising:

N cones for respectively collecting N signals;

N detectors for respectively detecting wave lengths of said N signals; and

N−

1 dichronic beam splitters for respectively separating the spectrum of said N signals,

wherein, N is a natural number and N≧

2.

29. The spectrophotometer according to claim 28, wherein said N detectors are respectively located at the tips of said N cones.

30. The spectrophotometer according to claim 28, further comprises a lens.

31. The spectrophotometer according to claim 28, wherein said N cones respectively comprise a highly reflective surface.

32. The spectrophotometer according to claim 28, further comprising a monochrometer for selecting the wave lengths.

33. A finger adapter for spectroscopic studying, comprising a collector for collecting a light emitted from a specific volume of a finger of a human body, and for directing said light toward a spectrophotometer.

34. The finger adapter according to claim 33, further comprising a guide at the inner surface of said finger, for guiding the light toward a definite volume of said finger.

35. The finger adapter according to claim 34, further comprising an envelope for securing said finger.

36. The finger adapter according to claim 35, wherein both said collector and guide respectively comprise a switch.

37. The finger adapter according to claim 36, wherein the switch of said collector is open after a predetermined period of time when the switch of said guide is closed.

38. The apparatus according to claim 37, wherein said switches are changed between open and close for a plurality of times.

39. The finger adapter according to claim 37, wherein said specific volume is at a distance of Δ

x=V*Δ

t from said definite volume, in which V* is the velocity of blood flow in said finger.