Sensor that Compensates for Deterioration of a Luminescable Medium

• US 20080085217A1
• Filed: 10/02/2007
• Published: 04/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RIC INVESTMENTS LLC (Respironics Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: RIC INVESTMENTS LLC (Respironics Incorporated)
• Inventors: Mueller, Cord
• Granted Patent: US 8,021,615 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 422/83
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0833 Measuring rate of oxygen consumption
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 2/64 Addition to a carbon atom of a six-membered aromatic ring
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 6/12 of exclusively hydrocarbons containing a six-membered aromatic ring
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/643 non-biological material

Abstract

A sensor that generates an output signal in response to a stimulus, wherein the output signal is generated with a predetermined relationship to one or more properties of the stimulus such that the one or more properties of the stimulus can be determined as a function of the output signal. In one embodiment the sensor comprises a component, a sensor processor, and a transmitter. The component deteriorates, thereby causing predictable fluctuations in the predetermined relationship between the output signal and the one or more properties of the stimulus. The sensor processor provides information related to the deterioration of the component. The transmitter wirelessly transmits the information provided by the processor.

Claims

1. A sensor configured to determine information related to one or more gaseous analytes in a body of gas, the sensor comprising:

(a) a first sensor section that comprises an emitter, the emitter configured to emit electromagnetic radiation; and

(b) a second sensor section configured to removably couple to the first sensor section, the second sensor section comprising;

(1) a luminescable medium in operative communication with the body of gas and arranged to receive electromagnetic radiation from the emitter if the second sensor section is removably coupled to the first sensor section, wherein the luminescable medium emits luminescent radiation in response to the electromagnetic radiation it receives from the emitter, wherein information related to the one or more gaseous analytes in the body of gas can be determined as a function of one or more properties of the luminescent radiation,

(2) a storage module that stores information related to a deterioration of the luminescable medium, wherein the deterioration of the luminescable medium impacts the emission of the luminescent radiation by the luminescable medium, and

(3) a transmitter that transmits the information related to the deterioration of the luminescable medium.

2. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the second sensor section further comprises a compensation module that determines the information related to deterioration of the luminescable medium.

3. The sensor of claim 2, wherein the compensation module determines information related to the deterioration of the luminescable medium caused by the presence of radicals in the luminescable medium.

4. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the information related to the deterioration of the luminescable medium includes a total amount of time that the luminescable medium has received electromagnetic radiation from the emitter.

5. The sensor of claim 2, wherein the information related to the deterioration of the luminescable medium includes a compensation factor that is determined by the compensation module as a function of a total amount of time that the luminescable medium has received electromagnetic radiation from the emitter.

6. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the first sensor section further comprises a receiver, and wherein the transmitter wirelessly transmits the information related to the deterioration of the luminescable medium to the receiver.

7. The sensor of claim 6, wherein the receiver provides the information related to the deterioration of the luminescable medium to a processor that implements the information to adjust a determination of information related to one or more gaseous analytes in a body of gas.

8. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the second sensor section further comprises an RFID transponder that provides the storage module and the transmitter.

9. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the information related to the deterioration of the luminescable medium is stored to the storage module when the luminescable medium is disposed within the second sensor section, and wherein the information related to the deterioration of the luminescable medium is stored statically by the storage module.

10. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the transmitter wirelessly transmits the information related to the deterioration of the luminescable medium.

11. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the one or more gaseous analytes comprises oxygen.

12. A system configured to determine information related to one or more gaseous analytes in a body of gas, the system comprising:

(a) a processor; and

(b) a sensor, the sensor comprising;

(1) a first sensor section that comprises;

(i) an emitter configured to emit amplitude modulated electromagnetic radiation, and

(ii) a photosensitive detector configured to receive electromagnetic radiation and generate one or more output signals in response to the received electromagnetic radiation, the output signals indicating an amplitude of the received electromagnetic radiation; and

(2) a second sensor section configured to removably couple to the first sensor section, the second sensor section comprising;

(i) a luminescable medium in operative communication with the body of gas and arranged to receive the amplitude modulated electromagnetic radiation from the emitter if the second sensor section is removably coupled to the first sensor section, wherein the luminescable medium emits luminescent radiation in response to the electromagnetic radiation it receives from the emitter, wherein information related to the one or more gaseous analytes in the body of gas can be determined as a function of one or more properties of the luminescent radiation, the luminescable medium further being arranged such that a portion of the luminescent radiation is directed to the photosensitive detector if the second sensor section is removably coupled to the first sensor section,

(ii) a storage module that stores information related to a deterioration of the luminescable medium, wherein the deterioration of the luminescable medium impacts the emission of the luminescent radiation by the luminescable medium, and

(iii) a transmitter that transmits the information related to the deterioration of the luminescable medium, wherein the processor (a) receives the output signal generated by the photosensitive detector, (b) receives the information related to the deterioration of the luminescable medium that is transmitted by the transmitter, and (c) determines the information related to the one or more gaseous analytes based on the output signal generated by the photosensitive detector and the information received from the transmitter.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the second sensor section further comprises a compensation module that determines the information related to deterioration of the luminescable medium.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the second sensor section further comprises an RFID transponder that provides the storage module and the transmitter.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the information related to the one or more gaseous analytes determined by the processor comprises information related to one or both of a concentration and partial pressure of oxygen.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the first sensor section further comprises a receiver in communication with the processor, and wherein the transmitter wirelessly transmits the information related to the deterioration of the luminescable medium to the receiver and the processor receives the information related to the deterioration of the luminescable medium from the receiver.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the information related to the deterioration of the luminescable medium is stored to the storage module when the luminescable medium is disposed within the second sensor section, and wherein the information related to the deterioration of the luminescable medium is stored statically by the storage module.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the transmitter wirelessly transmits the information related to the deterioration of the luminescable medium.

19. A sensor that generates an output signal in response to a stimulus, wherein the output signal is generated with a predetermined relationship to one or more properties of the stimulus such that the one or more properties of the stimulus can be determined as a function of the output signal, the sensor comprising:

a component that deteriorates, wherein the deterioration of the component causes predictable fluctuations in the predetermined relationship between the output signal and the one or more properties of the stimulus;

a sensor processor that provides information related to the deterioration of the component; and

a transmitter that wirelessly transmits the information provided by the processor.

20. The sensor of claim 19, wherein the component deteriorates at a rate that is substantially proportional to an amount of time, and wherein the sensor processor provides information related to the amount of time.

21. The sensor of claim 20, wherein the amount of time is a total amount of time that has elapsed since the sensor was last calibrated, and wherein calibrating the sensor includes determining the predetermined relationship between the output signal and the one or more properties of the stimulus that enables the one or more properties of the stimulus to be determined as a function of the output signal.

22. The sensor of claim 21, wherein the information related to the amount of time that is provided by the sensor processor includes the total amount of time that has elapsed since the sensor was last calibrated.

23. The sensor of claim 21, wherein the information related to the amount of time that is provided by the sensor processor includes a compensation factor that is determined by the sensor processor as a function of the total amount of time that has elapsed since the sensor was last calibrated.

24. The sensor of claim 20, wherein the amount of time is an amount of time the sensor has been in use since sensor was last calibrated, and wherein calibrating the sensor includes determining the predetermined relationship between the output signal and the one or more properties of the stimulus that enables the one or more properties of the stimulus to be determined as a function of the output signal

25. The sensor of claim 24, wherein the information related to the amount of time that is provided by the sensor processor includes the amount of time the sensor has been in use since the sensor was last calibrated.

26. The sensor of claim 24, wherein the information related to the related to the amount of time that is provided by the sensor processor includes a compensation factor that is determined by the sensor processor as a function of the time the sensor has been in use since the sensor was last calibrated.

27. The sensor of claim 19, further comprising an RFID transponder that provides the storage module and the transmitter.

28. The sensor of claim 19, further comprising:

a receiver that receives the information transmitted by the transmitter;

a first sensor section that carries the receiver, the first sensor section being in operative communication with a system processor such that the information received by the receiver is transferred to the system processor; and

a second sensor section that carries the component, the sensor processor, and the transmitter, wherein the second sensor section is configured to removably couple to the first sensor section, and wherein the system processor implements the information that is transferred from the receiver to adjust a determination of information related to one or more analytes being monitored by the sensor.