Universal optical imaging and processing system

• US 20050201898A1
• Filed: 05/12/2005
• Published: 09/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Detekt Biomedical, LLC
• Original Assignee: Detekt Biomedical, LLC
• Inventors: McAleer, Michael, Borich, Damon Vincent, Savoy, Steve, Milder, Andrew, Mitchell, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 7,803,322 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 422/82.50
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/78 producing a change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/81 Indicating humidity
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/0221 Portable; cableless; compact; hand-held
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/024 Modular construction

Abstract

The disclosure is directed to a test media reader module including a housing, a membrane, and an optical imager. The housing is configured to receive a test media adapter and has a barrier wall configured to separate the test media adapter from an interior of the housing. The barrier wall includes a window having an interior side and an exterior side. The membrane is transparent to a wavelength useful for imaging test media in the test media adapter. The membrane has a reactive region and overlies at least a portion of the exterior side of the window. The optical imager is located interior to the housing and is configured to image the test media located on the exterior side of the window along an optical path extending through the window and the membrane.

Claims

1. A test media reader module comprising:

a housing configured to receive a test media adapter, the housing having a barrier wall configured to separate the test media adapter from an interior of the housing, the barrier wall including a window having an interior side and an exterior side;

a membrane transparent to a wavelength useful for imaging test media in the test media adapter, the membrane having a reactive region, the membrane overlying at least a portion of the exterior side of the window; and

an optical imager located interior to the housing and configured to image the test media located on the exterior side of the window along an optical path extending through the window and the membrane.

2. The test media reader module of claim 1, wherein the reactive region lies within the optical path.

3. The test media reader module of claim 1, wherein the housing is configured to receive a handheld electronic device.

4. The test media reader module of claim 1, wherein the membrane is one membrane of a stack of membranes overlying the exterior side of the window.

5. The test media reader module of claim 1, wherein the reactive region is chemically adapted to respond to a proximate condition.

6. The test media reader module of claim 5, wherein the reactive region of the membrane is transparent to the wavelength prior to exposure to the proximate condition.

7. The test media reader module of claim 5, wherein the reactive region of the membrane is configured to change color, change transmissivity, or distort in response to the proximate condition.

8. The test media reader module of claim 5, wherein the proximate condition is selected from the group consisting of humidity, temperature, a concentration of air borne analytes, a concentration of volatile chemicals, and any combination thereof.

9. The test media reader module of claim 1, further comprising an antenna coupled to the housing.

10. The test media reader module of claim 9, wherein the antenna is configured to access a radio frequency identification tag of the test media.

11. The test media reader module of claim 9, wherein the antenna is configured to transmit and receive data to and from the test media.

12. An analysis membrane comprising:

a transparent film that is transparent at a wavelength of electromagnetic radiation useful for analyzing a test media; and

a reactive zone disposed on or within a portion of the transparent film.

13. The analysis membrane of claim 12, wherein the membrane is configured for placement in an optical path of a test media reader module such that the reactive zone is in the optical path.

14. The analysis membrane of claim 13, further comprising an identifier configured to lie in the optical path.

15. The analysis membrane of claim 12, wherein the reactive zone is chemically adapted to respond to a proximate condition.

16. The analysis membrane of claim 15, wherein the reactive zone is transparent to the wavelength of electromagnetic radiation useful for analyzing the test media prior to exposure to the proximate condition.

17. The analysis membrane of claim 15, wherein the reactive zone undergoes a response selected from the group consisting of changing color, changing transmissivity, deforming, and any combination thereof when exposed to the proximate condition.

18. The analysis membrane of claim 15, wherein the proximate condition is selected from the group consisting of humidity, temperature, a presence of a volatile chemical, and a presence of an air borne analyte vapor or aerosol.

19. The analysis membrane of claim 12, wherein the portion encompasses a major surface of the transparent film.

20. The analysis membrane of claim 12, wherein the wavelength is within a visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum.

21. A method of analyzing test media, the method comprising:

imaging the test media through a reactive region of a membrane to produce an image, the reactive region responsive to a proximate condition;

determining the proximate condition by evaluating the image; and

determining a test result indicated by the test media by evaluating the image.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein determining the test result includes determining the test result based on the proximate condition.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising determining a test media type of the test media.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein determining the test media type includes determining an identifier associated with the test media and accessing a database to determine the test media type based on the identifier.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein determining the identifier includes accessing a radio frequency identifier of the test media.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein determining the test result is based on the test media type.

27. The method of claim 21, further comprising determining a membrane type.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein determining the membrane type includes prompting a user via a user interface.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein determining the membrane type includes determining a membrane identifier based on imaging through the membrane.