Electronic nose for chemical sensing

• US 20060191319A1
• Filed: 12/16/2005
• Published: 08/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: University Of Massachusetts
• Original Assignee: University Of Massachusetts
• Inventors: Kurup, Pradeep U.
• Application Number:
  US11/305,303
• Publication Number:
  US 20060191319A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/23.34
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0001 by organoleptic means
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0034 comprising neural networks or related mathematical techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/02 Food
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/24 Earth materials G01N33/42 takes precedence

Abstract

An apparatus and method for detecting selected chemical compounds or elements is presented. A sensor array is exposed to one or more odors, for example. The outputs of the sensor constitute input to a pattern recognition system. Embodiments of the invention can also be trained for detecting odors in a soil column, for detecting odors associated with different varieties of food such as coffee beans, and for detecting odors associated with substantially any odorant.

Claims

1. An apparatus for detecting a subsurface substance comprising:

a probe housing;

a sensor array mounted on said housing, the array including a plurality of sensors that receive a fluid mixture, said sensor array producing a plurality of sensor output signals in response to said received fluid mixture; and

a pattern recognition system having an olfactory pattern response that receives said plurality of sensor output signals and that produces a set of outputs.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said probe housing is a module to be advanced through a soil column.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said module is deployed using a push rod.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said fluid mixture contains an odorant.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said sensor and neural network are connected to detect a volatile organic compound.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said volatile organic compound is a hydrocarbon selected from the group consisting of polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and chlorinated hydrocarbons.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said neural network is an artificial neural network.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said olfactory pattern response comprises a plurality of learned reference data that is compared with the sensor output.

9. An apparatus for detecting an odor comprising:

a sample chamber for retaining a sample from which an odor is obtained;

a sensor array communicatively coupled to said sample chamber for receiving said odor and for generating a plurality of output signals in response to said odor; and

a pattern recognition system that processes said output signals to classify said odor.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the pattern recognition system is a neural network.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said neural network is an artificial neural network.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein data received from a human coffee taster is used to facilitate training said artificial neural network.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said artificial neural network generates a result indicative of a coffee type.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said artificial neural network generates a result indicative of coffee quality.

10. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said sample comprises a coffee bean or product thereof.

16. A method for classifying an odor comprising:

receiving said odor at a subsurface sensor array, said sensor array producing an output signal in response to receiving said vapor; and

processing said output signal using a pattern recognition system, said pattern recognition system generating a result indicative of an odorant with which said odor is associated.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising sensing a volatile organic compound.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising sensing said volatile organic compound located in a soil column.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising providing said sensor array is in a probe deployed said soil column to exposed said sensor array to the volatile organic compound.

20. The method of claim 16 further comprising providing said pattern recognition system including a neural network.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising providing said neural network including an artificial neural network.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein said odorant is a soil contaminant.

23. The method of claim 19 further comprising providing a probe including a metal cone.

24. The method of claim 16 further comprising measuring temperature data, pressure data or conductivity data.