Multiple sensing system and device

• US 20040181346A1
• Filed: 03/11/2004
• Published: 09/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smiths Detection (Smiths Group International Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Cyrano Sciences, Inc. (Smiths Detection-Watford Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sunshine, Steven A., Roy, Ajoy, Steinthal, M. Gregory
• Granted Patent: US 6,996,478 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/22
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 15/00 Nanotechnology for interacting, sensing or actuating, e.g. quantum dots as markers in protein assays or molecular motors
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/021 Correlating sampling sites with geographical information, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0215 Mixtures of three or more gases, e.g. air
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0217 Smoke, combustion gases
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0224 Mixtures of three or more liquids
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0226 Oils, e.g. engine oils
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0256 Adsorption, desorption, surface mass change, e.g. on biosensors
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/02827 Elastic parameters, strength or force
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0423 Surface waves, e.g. Rayleigh waves, Love waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0426 Bulk waves, e.g. quartz crystal microbalance, torsional waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/106 one or more transducer arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/022 Fluid sensors based on microsensors, e.g. quartz crystal-microbalance [QCM], surface acoustic wave [SAW] devices, tuning forks, cantilevers, flexural plate wave [FPW] devices microdevices per se B81B
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0032 using two or more different physical functioning modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The present invention provides a distributed sensing system in a networked environment for identifying an analyte, including a first sensor array connected to the network comprising sensors capable of producing a first response in the presence of a chemical stimulus; a second sensor array connected to the network comprising sensors capable of producing a second response in the presence of a physical stimulus; and a computer comprising a resident algorithm. The algorithm indicates or selects the most relevant sensor in the network to identify the analyte. The sensors can be separated over large spatial areas, wherein the sensor arrays are networked. Suitable networks include a computer local area network, an intranet or the Internet.

Claims

1. A distributed sensing system in a networked environment for identifying an analyte, said system comprising:

a first sensor array connected to said network comprising sensors capable of producing a first response in the presence of a chemical stimulus;

a second sensor array connected to said network comprising sensors capable of producing a second response in the presence of a physical stimulus; and

a computer connected to said network having an algorithm wherein said first response and said second response are processed to identify said analyte.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said algorithm selects the most relevant sensor modality in said first and said second array to identify said analyte.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein each sensor of said first sensor array is a member selected from the group consisting of a bulk conducting polymer film, a semiconducting polymer sensor, a surface acoustic wave device, a fiber optic micromirror, a quartz crystal microbalance, a conducting/nonconducting regions sensor, a dye impregnated polymeric coatings on optical fiber and combinations thereof.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein each sensor of said second sensor array is a member selected from the group consisting of an optical sensor, a mechanical sensor, a radiation sensor, a thermal sensor and combinations thereof.

5. The system according to claim 3, wherein each sensor of said first sensor array is a conducting/nonconducting regions sensor.

6. The system according to claim 4, wherein each sensor of said second sensor array is an optical sensor, a mechanical sensor, a radiation sensor, a thermal sensor and combinations thereof.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the transmission of said first response is conducted via wired communications.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the transmission of said first response is conducted via wireless communications.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein said wireless communications are implemented using communications technologies selected from a member of a group consisting of infrared technology, satellite technology, microwave technology and radio wave technology.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein said networked environment is a member selected from the group consisting of a worldwide computer network, an internet, the Internet, a wide area network, a local area network, an intranet and combinations thereof.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein said networked environment is the Internet.

20. The method according to claim 1, further comprising employing a sensor selection algorithm to determine sensors in said first array.

21. The method according to claim 1, wherein each sensor of said first sensor array is a member selected from the group consisting of a bulk conducting polymer film, a semiconducting polymer sensor, a surface acoustic wave device, a fiber optic micromirror, a quartz crystal microbalance, a conducting/nonconducting regions sensor, a dye impregnated polymeric coatings on optical fiber and combinations thereof.

22. The method according to claim 1, wherein each sensor of said second sensor array is a member selected from the group consisting of an optical sensor, a mechanical sensor, a radiation sensor, a thermal sensor and combinations thereof.

12. A device for monitoring an analyte in an environment, said device comprising:

at least one sensor array, wherein said at least one sensor array comprises at least two sensors capable of producing a first response in the presence of a chemical stimulus;

a second sensor which is capable of producing a second response in the presence of a physical stimulus;

a connector that connects said at least one sensor array and said second sensor to a central processing unit, said central processing unit collects and stores said first and second responses; and

an analyzer configured to analyze a plurality of responses wherein said analyzer monitors said analyte in said environment.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein said second sensor is an array of sensors.

14. The device according to claim 12, wherein said device is a handheld device.

15. The device according to claim 12, wherein each of said at least two sensors is a member selected from the group consisting of a bulk conducting polymer film, a semiconducting polymer sensor, a surface acoustic wave device, a fiber optic micromirror, a quartz crystal microbalance, a conducting/nonconducting regions sensor, a dye impregnated polymeric coatings on optical fiber and combinations thereof.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein each of said at least two sensors is a conducting/nonconducting regions sensor.

17. The device according to claim 13, wherein each sensor in said second sensor array is a member selected from the group consisting of an optical sensor, a mechanical sensor, a radiation sensor, a thermal sensor and combinations thereof.

18. The device according to claim 14, wherein said handheld device further comprises a communication interface coupled to the processing device and configured to communicate with a computer network.

19. A method for transferring a combination of chemical and physical data over a computer network for identification of an analyte, said method comprising:

transmitting sensory data from a first sensor array comprising sensors capable of producing a first response in the presence of a chemical stimulus to a remote location;

transmitting physical data from a second sensor array comprising sensors capable of producing a second response in the presence of a physical stimulus to a remote location; and

processing said sensory and physical data at said remote location for identification of an analyte.