Low Thermal Mass Fluorometer
First Claim
1. A low thermal mass fluorometer, the fluorometer comprising:
- a reaction chamber;
an infrared radiant heater positioned to supply radiant heat to the reaction chamber;
an infrared thermometer positioned to monitor the radiant heat supplied to the reaction chamber by the infrared radiant heater;
a temperature feedback controller coupled to the infrared radiant heater and the infrared thermometer, the temperature feedback controller coupled to the infrared radiant heater to adjust the supply of radiant heat as monitored by the infrared thermometer;
a light emitting diode positioned to supply fluorescence excitation to the reaction chamber; and
an integrating photodetector positioned to detect fluorescence emission from the reaction chamber, the photodetector positioned geometrically orthogonal to the light emitting diode.
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Abstract
The present invention provides core technologies necessary for a portable, low cost, thermal-regulating LED-based handheld fluorometer. The regulated fluorometer is based on a low thermal mass infrared heater, and an orthogonal geometry LED based filter fluorometer. Power is supplied through an external power supply and data is collected in real-time through standard serial interfaces of personal computers or personal digital assistants. Thermal regulation is automatically maintained using temperature sensor feedback control. Optical excitation relies on LED light source(s) and optical detection is through an adjustable integrating photodetector. Such a handheld system can allow applications requiring temperature sensitive photometric measurements for real time analyte detection to be performed in the field.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A low thermal mass fluorometer, the fluorometer comprising:
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a reaction chamber;
an infrared radiant heater positioned to supply radiant heat to the reaction chamber;
an infrared thermometer positioned to monitor the radiant heat supplied to the reaction chamber by the infrared radiant heater;
a temperature feedback controller coupled to the infrared radiant heater and the infrared thermometer, the temperature feedback controller coupled to the infrared radiant heater to adjust the supply of radiant heat as monitored by the infrared thermometer;
a light emitting diode positioned to supply fluorescence excitation to the reaction chamber; and
an integrating photodetector positioned to detect fluorescence emission from the reaction chamber, the photodetector positioned geometrically orthogonal to the light emitting diode. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification