Sensor instrument system including method for detecting analytes in fluids

• US 20090261987A1
• Filed: 07/02/2008
• Published: 10/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yizhong Sun
• Original Assignee: Yizhong Sun
• Inventors: Sun, Yizhong
• Granted Patent: US 8,449,824 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/870.70
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 15/00 Nanotechnology for interacting, sensing or actuating, e.g. quantum dots as markers in protein assays or molecular motors
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00831 identification of the sample, e.g. patient identity, place of sampling
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/126 comprising organic polymers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/3271 Amperometric enzyme electrodes for analytes in body fluids, e.g. glucose in blood amperometry per se G01N27/49; aspects concerning the enzyme reagent C12Q1/001
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/414 Ion-sensitive or chemical field-effect transistors, i.e. ISFETS or CHEMFETS
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0034 comprising neural networks or related mathematical techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0075 for multiple spatially distributed sensors, e.g. for environmental monitoring transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/54373 involving physiochemical end-point determination, e.g. wave-guides, FETS, gratings
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/5438 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00732 Identification of carriers, materials or components in automatic analysers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/11 Automated chemical analysis
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/25375 Liberation or purification of sample or separation of material from a sample [e.g., filtering, centrifuging, etc.]

Abstract

A sensor instrument system for detecting and identifying analytes in fluids of a region comprising a local sensor instrument and remote central station. The instrument is comprised of a core technology employing a single sensor having two electrodes operated by an electrical frequency sweeping to generate two sets of patterned electrical information from a single measurement, a data transmission module and a GPS receiver module. The central station connects to a network means connected to a plurality of local receiving sites equipped with including the respective transceivers, so that the local analyte electrical information and geographic position information transmitted by the instrument can be wirelessly and remotely received and processed by the central station. The core technology is further comprised of a reference sensor for eliminating background influence, a temperature programming to control adsorption and desorption of analytes, and usage of all kinds of adsorbent materials having chemical selectivity including the hydrogen selectivity to enhance detection and identification of analytes in fluids.

Claims

1. A sensor instrument system, comprising:

a central station remote to a sensor instrument, said instrument is comprised of at least one sensor containing a gaseous sample of an analyte in a fluid that is connected to a detection module, a transmission module and a global positioning system (GPS) receiver module, wherein;

a. said at least one sensor further comprises a single sensor having first and second electrodes that are in closely spaced apart relationship, means for positioning said gaseous sample between said first and second electrodes of said single sensor so that said fluid and said analyte simultaneously bridging said single sensor electrodes, wherein each of said at least one sensor providing a detectable information for said analyte in said fluid;

b. said detection module that connects to said at least one sensor comprising measurement of each of said detectable information;

c. said GPS receiver module is used to locate a geographic position of said analyte being detected;

d. said transmission module is in communication with said detection and GPS receiver modules for wirelessly transmitting data of said measured information and located geographic position to said central station; and

e. said central station comprising means for storing data and means for analyzing received data for identifying said analyte to thereby characterize said sample.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a. said detection module further comprising means of generating alternating current (AC) signals with various swept electrical frequencies;

b. means for applying various frequencies of AC signals to said fluid and said analyte bridging said single sensor electrodes, means for detecting AC related electrical properties of said single sensor according to said applied various frequencies of AC signals, wherein said electrical properties are detected at each of said applied frequencies, said detected AC related electrical properties according to a multiplicity of applied frequencies are used for identification of said analyte present in said fluid, wherein said AC related electrical properties include impedance, resistance, reactance, phase angle, voltage and current;

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said electrodes are made of electrically conductive materials.

4. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said single sensor that serves as an analytical sensor further comprising a layer of material that is positioned between said first and second electrodes, wherein said layer of material is selected from the group consisting of polymer, polymer inorganic material composite, molecular sieves, particles of silica gel, alumina, porous carbon, calcium carbonate and fluorocarbon, liquid organic salts, composite of one of platinum group metals composited by filler consisting of inorganic or organic materials, polymer modified porous ceramic particles including porous alumina, or polymer modified porous silica particles, polymer modified fluorocarbon particles and polymer modified porous glass beads.

5. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said liquid organic salts consisting of organoammonium or organophosphonium cations coupled with nucleophilic anions or inorganic anions, and said platinum group metals consisting of ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, and platinum.

6. The system as claimed in claim 4, further comprising another said single sensor having third and fourth electrodes that serves as a reference sensor for compensation of background including polymer film aging, humidity level and variations of electrical properties of said single sensor caused by temperature variations, wherein said reference sensor electrodes contacting only said fluid.

7. The system as claimed in claim 6, further comprising means for combining said electrical properties of said analytical and reference sensors to obtain electrical properties of said analyte, and said combined electrical properties are used for identification of said analyte.

8. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said analytical sensor and reference sensor are disposable.

9. The system as claimed in claim 6, further implementing means of temperature programing to said analytical and reference sensors.

10. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said electrodes of said single sensor of spatial, thick film and thin film electrodes, wherein said thick film electrodes are positioned onto a ceramic substrate and said thin film electrodes are positioned on a silicon substrate.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein surface of said solid support, said ceramic and silicon substrates are treated by surface treatment reagent consisting of dimethyldichlorosilane, hexamethyldisilazane, trimethylchlorosilane, octadecyldimethylchlorosilane, or any combination thereof.

12. The system as claimed in claim 6, further comprising means of electromagnetic shielding to said single sensor and reference sensor.

13. The system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said analyte in said fluid flows through said analytical sensor and said fluid flows through said reference sensors in a laminar flow fashion.

14. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor comprises a sensor selected from group consisting of metal oxide thin film resistor sensor, conductive polymer sensor, polymer coated quartz crystal microbalance sensor, polymer coated surface acoustic wave sensor, metal-oxide-silicon field-effect-transistor sensor, dye coated optical fiber sensor, dye-impregnated bread array, micromachined cantilver array, polymer carbon black chemiresistor sensor, electrically conductive sensor comprising alternating regions of a conductive material and a material compositionally different than the conductive material between two conductive leads wherein said sensor provides an electrical path through the regions of conductive material and the regions of the 10 compositionally different material, and any combination thereof.

15. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a local receiving site having means of wirelessly transmitting said data of measured information and located position of said analyte, said local receiving site is connected to said central station that connects to a network means comprising an Ethernet, an intranet, the internet, and the Internet linked by fiber-optical cables, metal wires, and wireless connection including electromagnetic waves.

16. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said detection module comprising an analog to digital converter, which converts each of said detectable information from analog form into digital form.

17. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sample is an environmental sample, comprising environmental air sample and head space of the respective environmental aqueous and solid samples.

18. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sample of said analyte present in said fluid is a biological sample, which is selected from the group consisting of a breath sample, a urine sample, a blood sample, a stool sample, a serum sample, a saliva sample, and a body odor sample.

19. The system as claimed in claim 18, wherein said analyte present in said fluid is a breath sample.

20. The system as claimed in claim 18, wherein said body odor sample is from including foot, armpit and crotch areas of a living body.

21. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sample is an anaesthetic sample.

22. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sample has an identity.

23. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising comparing said each of measured information of said analyte with information of the respective known analytes that have been of a database stored in said central station.

24. The system as claimed in claim 23, further comprising comparing a pattern of said measured information of said analyte with patterns of information of the respective known analytes that have been of said database stored in said central station.

25. The system as claimed in claim 24, further comprising application of a pattern recognition algorithm of principal component analysis to find said pattern of said analyte measured information.

26. The system as claimed in claim 25, further comprising application of additional analysis algorithms to analyze said measurable information of said analyte, wherein said additional analysis algorithms comprising soft independent modeling of class analogy, k nearest neighbor, hierarchical cluster analysis, canonical discriminant analysis, classical least squares, principal component regression, partial least squares regression, supervised and unsupervised learning neural network, fuzzy neural network techniques, and combination thereof.

27. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said analyte is selected from studies of materials containing illegal substances, environment concerns, medical interests including hospital concerns, scientific and research interests including space research interests, interests of industrial sectors including food, beverages, agricultural, chemical, petroleum, plastic, construction, pharmaceutical automobile, biochemical, and transportation, consumer interests including perfume, cosmetic, wine and flavor, and safety concerns including explosive, arson and road spill investigation.

28. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said AC signals are from monochromatic or polychromatic excitation.

29. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sensor instrument further comprising sample handling, heating and power modules respectively connected to a microcomputer module that connects to said detection, transmission and GPS receiver modules, wherein said heating module comprising an exterior heater attached to a sensor compartment of a sensor compartment module of said sensor instrument.

30. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sensor instrument providing selection of starting frequency, stopping frequency and magnitude of said AC excitation.

31. A sensor instrument system, comprising:

a central station remote to a sensor instrument for analyzing a gaseous sample of an analyte in a fluid, said instrument is comprised of at least one single sensor connected to a detection module, wherein said single sensor having first and second electrodes that are in closely spaced apart relationship and a layer of material is positioned between said first and second electrodes, a transmission module and a global positioning system (GPS) receiver module, wherein;

a. said detection module comprising means of generating alternating current (AC) signals with various swept electrical frequencies;

b. one of said single sensor serves as an analytical sensor, and another one serves as a reference sensor that contains additional layer of said materials positioned ahead of said first and second electrodes, means for flowing said gaseous sample through said analytical and reference sensors a short period of time, wherein said sample flow first through said additional layer of the material for said reference sensor, means for applying various frequencies of AC signals to the respective sensors thereby detecting the respective AC related electrical properties of the respective sensors, wherein said electrical properties are detected at each of said applied frequencies, means for combining said detected electrical properties of the respective sensors to obtained combined electrical properties for said analyte, said combined AC related electrical properties according to a multiplicity of applied frequencies are used for identification of said analyte present in said fluid, wherein said AC related electrical properties include impedance, resistance, reactance, phase angle, voltage and current;

c. said GPS receiver module is for locating a geographic position of said analyte being detected;

d. said transmission module, in communication with said detection and GPS receiver modules for wirelessly transmitting data of said combined electrical properties and located geographic position to said central station; and

e. said central station comprising means of storing data and means for analyzing received said data.

32. The system as claimed in claim 31, wherein said layer of material is selected from the group consisting of polymer, polymer inorganic material composite, molecular sieves, particles of silica gel, alumina, porous carbon, calcium carbonate and fluorocarbon, liquid organic salts, composite of one of platinum group metals composited by filler consisting of inorganic or organic materials, polymer modified porous ceramic particles including porous alumina, or polymer modified porous silica particles, polymer modified fluorocarbon particles and polymer modified porous glass beads.

33. A method for enhancing performance of a sensor instrument system, comprising:

providing a central station remote to a sensor instrument, said instrument is comprised of at least one sensor containing a gaseous sample of an analyte in a fluid that is connected to a detection module, a transmission module and a global positioning system (GPS) receiver module, wherein;

a. providing said at least one sensor that comprises a single sensor having first and second electrodes that are in closely spaced apart relationship, positioning said gaseous sample between said first and second electrodes of said single sensor so that said fluid and said analyte simultaneously bridging said single sensor electrodes, wherein each of said at least one sensor providing a detectable information for said analyte in said fluid;

b. providing said detection module that connects to said at least one sensor for measuring each of said detectable information;

c. providing said GPS receiver module for locating a geographic position of said analyte being detected;

d. providing said transmission module, in communication with said detection and GPS receiver modules for wirelessly transmitting data of said measured information and located geographic position to said central station; and

e. providing said central station comprising data storage and analysis algorithms to analyze received said data for identifying said analyte to thereby characterize said sample, wherein said identification of said analyte comprising finding a pattern of said analyte information by applying one of said algorithms, and comparing said pattern with patterns of measurable information of known analytes that have been of a database stored in said central station.