Use of two or more sensors to detect different nuclear quadrupole resonance signals of a target compound

• US 20050206382A1
• Filed: 02/04/2005
• Published: 09/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (Corteva, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (Corteva, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wilker, Charles, Laubacher, Daniel B., McCambridge, James D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,355,401 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/318
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 24/084 Detection of potentially hazardous samples, e.g. toxic samples, explosives, drugs, firearms, weapons
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/441 Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance [NQR] Spectroscopy and Imaging

Abstract

The use of two or more sensors tuned to at least two different nuclear quadrupole resonance frequencies of a target compound to detect the different nuclear quadrupole resonance signals greatly reduces the chance of misidentification, and thereby improves nuclear quadrupole resonance detection system performance.

Claims

1. A method of detecting nuclear quadrupole resonance in a target compound comprising applying a radio frequency magnetic field to the target compound, and providing two or more sensors tuned to at least two different nuclear quadrupole resonance frequencies of the target compound to detect the different nuclear quadrupole resonance signals thereof.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each sensor is a high temperature superconductor self-resonant planar coil, and wherein each sensor solely detects nuclear quadrupole resonance signals.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each sensor is comprised of two or more coupled high temperature superconductor self-resonant planar coils, and wherein each sensor solely detects nuclear quadrupole resonance signals.

4. The method of claim 2 or 3, further comprising providing one or more shielded-loop resonator coils to apply the RF magnetic field to the target compound to produce at least two different nuclear quadrupole resonance signals.

11. The method of claim 1 or 6 wherein the target compound comprises explosives, drugs or other contraband.

5. The method of claim 5, wherein the high temperature superconductor self-resonant planar coils are YBa₂Cu₃O₇ or Tl₂Ba₂CaCu₂O₈ self-resonant planar coils, and wherein each shielded-loop resonator coil is a copper shielded-loop resonator coil.

6. A method of detecting nuclear quadrupole resonance in a target compound comprising applying a radio frequency magnetic field to the target compound, and providing N sensors tuned to M different nuclear quadrupole resonance frequencies of the target compound to detect the M different nuclear quadrupole resonance signals thereof, wherein N≧

2 and 2≦

M≦

N.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each sensor is a high temperature superconductor self-resonant planar coil, and wherein each sensor solely detects nuclear quadrupole resonance signals.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein each sensor is comprised of two or more coupled high temperature superconductor self-resonant planar coils, and wherein each sensor solely detects nuclear quadrupole resonance signals.

9. The method of claim 7 or 8, further comprising providing one or more shielded-loop resonator coils to apply the RF magnetic field to the target compound to produce at least M nuclear quadrupole resonance signals.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the high temperature superconductor self-resonant planar coils are YBa₂Cu₃O₇ or Tl₂Ba₂CaCu₂O₈ self-resonant planar coils, and wherein each shielded-loop resonator coil is a copper shielded-loop resonator coil.

12. A nuclear quadrupole resonance detection system, comprising two or more sensors tuned to at least two different nuclear quadrupole resonance frequencies of a target compound, wherein the sensors detect the different nuclear quadrupole resonance signals characteristic of the target compound.

13. The detection system of claim 12, wherein each sensor is a high temperature superconductor self-resonant planar coil, and wherein each sensor detects nuclear quadrupole resonance signals.

14. The detection system of claim 12, wherein each sensor is comprised of two or more coupled high temperature superconductor self-resonant planar coils, and wherein each sensor solely detects nuclear quadrupole resonance signals.

15. The detection system of claim 13 or 14, further comprising one or more shielded-loop resonator coils to apply a radio frequency magnetic field to the target compound to produce at least two different nuclear quadrupole resonance signals.

16. The detection system of claim 15, wherein the high temperature superconductor self-resonant planar coils are YBa₂Cu₃O₇ or Tl₂Ba₂CaCu₂O₈ self-resonant planar coils, and wherein each shielded-loop resonator coil is a copper shielded-loop resonator coil.

22. The detection system of claim 12 or 17 wherein the target compound comprises explosives, drugs or other contraband.

17. A nuclear quadrupole resonance detection system, comprising N sensors tuned to M different nuclear quadrupole resonance frequencies of a target compound, wherein the N sensors detect the M different nuclear quadrupole resonance signals, and wherein N≧

2 and 2≦

M≦

N.

18. The detection system of claim 17, wherein each sensor is a high temperature superconductor self-resonant planar coil, and wherein each sensor solely detects nuclear quadrupole resonance signals.

19. The detection system of claim 17, wherein each sensor is comprised of two or more coupled high temperature superconductor self-resonant planar coils, and wherein each sensor solely detects nuclear quadrupole resonance signals.

20. The detection system of claim 18 or 19, further comprising one or more shielded-loop resonator coils to apply a radio frequency magnetic field to the target compound to produce at least M different nuclear quadrupole resonance signals.

21. The nuclear quadrupole resonance detection system of claim 20, wherein the high temperature superconductor self-resonant planar coils are YBa₂Cu₃O₇ or Tl₂Ba₂CaCu₂O₈ self-resonant planar coils, and wherein each shielded-loop resonator coil is a copper shielded-loop resonator coil.