Method for biologically monitoring the environment (variants) and a system for carrying out said method

• US 20110028849A1
• Filed: 06/15/2007
• Published: 02/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alekesi Valentinovich Ivanov, Anton Sergeevich Kurakin, Evgeny-Leonidovich Kornienko, Sergei Viktorovich Kholodkevich
• Original Assignee: Alekesi Valentinovich Ivanov, Anton Sergeevich Kurakin, Evgeny-Leonidovich Kornienko, Sergei Viktorovich Kholodkevich
• Inventors: Ivanov, Alekesi Valentinovich, Kurakin, Anton Sergeevich, Kholodkevich, Sergei Viktorovich, Kornienko, Evgeny-Leonidovich
• Granted Patent: US 8,442,809 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/473
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/359 using near infrared light
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/186 using one or more living organisms, e.g. a fish

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of environment conservation, in particular, to methods and means of ecological environment monitoring with the help of a non-invasive control of functional state of native animals. The invention can predominantly be used for automatic on-line estimation of environment quality on the basis of remote real-time registration of cardiac activity in invertebrates with a hard outer covering.

The method includes placing the test invertebrate in the environment under investigation, exposing it to IR optical radiation with the help of a transmitting optical fibre with the output end placed on its hard outer covering within its heart area and an optical radiation source being in optical contact with the input end of the transmitting optical fibre; receiving the reflected optical radiation with the help of the receiving optical fibre with its input end placed on the test invertebrate'"'"'s hard outer covering within its heart area; converting it to an electrical signal with the help of the optical radiation receiver being in optical contact with the output end of the receiving optical fibre; amplifying the signal obtained; converting its instantaneous values to digital codes; entering them to the computer; making digital filtration of digital codes which is matched to the signal'"'"'s shape and frequency; determining and memorizing the sample of values of the electrical signal period; determining a sample dispersion or arithmetical mean of difference moduli for each two, closest by the time of obtaining, sample values of the electrical signal period; and forming an ecological danger signal when the threshold value exceeds the sample dispersion of values of the electrical signal period or arithmetical mean of difference moduli for each two, closest by the time of obtaining, sample values of the electrical signal period.

The system contains a computer and at least one shaper of the digital signal of cardiac activity in the form of series-connected cardiac activity sensor including a casing with an element for installing on the test invertebrate'"'"'s body with a hard outer covering, a transmitting optical fibre and receiving optical fibre, an optical radiation source and optical radiation receiver; an amplifier and analog-to-digital converter whose output is connected to the computer input. The input end of the transmitting optical fibre and output end of the receiving optical fibre are secured so that they can have optical contact with, respectively, the optical radiation source and optical radiation receiver, and the output end of the transmitting optical fibre and input end of the receiving optical fibre face one side and are positioned in the casing at a distance satisfying the inequality

(πd²P)^0.07−2.2(1/(πd²P))^0.02≦R≦(πd²P)^0.07+2.2(1/(πd²P))^0.02,

where R—distance between the output end of the transmitting optical fibre and input end of the receiving optical fibre, mm; P—output power of the optical radiation source, mW; d—diameter of the transmitting optical fibre or receiving optical fibre, μm.

The invention provides a higher reliability of environment monitoring, widening of functional potentials, as well as lower cost and simpler operation of the system for biological environment monitoring.

Claims

1. A method of biological environment monitoring including:

placing a test invertebrate with a hard outer covering in the environment under investigation;

exposing the test invertebrate'"'"'s heart area to optical radiation of IR spectral range;

receiving and converting the optical radiation reflected by the test invertebrate'"'"'s heat to an electrical signal;

amplifying the electrical signal obtained;

converting its instantaneous values to digital codes;

entering the digital codes obtained to a computer;

determining and memorizing with the help of the computer a preset-volume sample of values of the period of the electrical signal;

determining with the help of the computer a statistical characteristic of the sample of values of the electrical signal period;

comparing with the help of the computer the obtained statistical characteristic with the threshold value set for it; and

forming an ecological danger signal on the basis of comparison results, differing in that

the test invertebrate is exposed to optical radiation of IR spectral range with the help of a transmitting optical fibre with its output end placed on the test invertebrate'"'"'s hard outer covering within its heart area and an optical radiation source mounted so that it can have optical contact with the input end of the transmitting optical fibre;

the optical radiation reflected by the test invertebrate'"'"'s heart is received by a receiving optical fibre with its input end located on the test invertebrate'"'"'s hard outer covering within its heart area;

the optical radiation reflected by the test invertebrate'"'"'s heart is converted to an electrical signal with the help of the optical radiation receiver mounted so that can have optical contact with the output end of the receiving optical fibre;

before determining a sample of values of the period of electrical signal, digital filtration of digital codes which is matched to the shape and frequency of the electrical signal is made by the computer;

a sample dispersion is determined as a statistical characteristic for the sample of values of the electrical signal period, and

an ecological danger signal is formed, should the threshold value exceed the obtained sample dispersion of values of the electrical signal period.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the test invertebrate is exposed to optical radiation and the optical radiation reflected by the test invertebrate'"'"'s heart is received with the help of the transmitting and receiving optical fibres with, respectively, their output end and input end facing one side and positioned relative to each other at a distance satisfying the inequality

(π

d²P)^0.07−

2.2(1/(π

d²P))^0.02≦

R≦

(π

d²P)^0.07+2.2(1/(π

d²P))^0.02,

where R—

distance between the output end of the transmitting optical fibre and input end of the receiving optical fibre, mm;

P—

output power of the optical radiation source, mW;

d—

diameter of the transmitting optical fibre or receiving optical fibre, μ

m.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein during digital filtration of digital codes the estimates of digital codes are determined which correspond to instantaneous values of an electrical signal with zero constant component at the instants of time t_n=nΔ

t (n=m, m+1, m+2, . . . ), according to the expression

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein a sample mean value is determined as a statistical characteristic of the sample of values of the electrical signal period.

5. A method according to claim 1 or 4, wherein an ecological danger signal is formed if the threshold value exceeds the product of sample mean by sample dispersion of values of the electrical signal period.

6. A method according to claim 1, 3 or 4, wherein the expected heartbeat frequency f₀ in the test invertebrate is determined as a value inverse to the sample mean value of the electrical signal period.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the volume of the selection of values of the electrical signal period is set within the limits of 30 to 1000.

8. A method of biological environment monitoring including:

placing the test invertebrate with a hard outer covering in the environment under investigation;

exposing the test invertebrate'"'"'s heart area to optical radiation of IR spectral range;

receiving and converting the optical radiation reflected by the test invertebrate'"'"'s heart to an electrical signal;

amplifying the electrical signal obtained;

converting its instantaneous values to digital codes;

entering the obtained digital codes to a computer;

determining and memorizing with the help of the computer the preset-volume sample of values of the period of the electrical signal;

determining with the help of the computer a statistical characteristic of the sample of values of the electrical signal period;

comparing with the help of the computer the obtained statistical characteristic with the threshold value set for it; and

forming an ecological danger signal on the basis of comparison results, differing in that

the test invertebrate is exposed to optical radiation of IR spectral range with the help of the transmitting optical fibre with its output end placed on the test invertebrate'"'"'s hard outer covering within its heart area and the optical radiation source mounted so that it can have optical contact with the input end of the transmitting optical fibre;

the optical radiation reflected by the test invertebrate'"'"'s heart is received with the help of the receiving optical radiation fibre with its input end placed on the test invertebrate'"'"'s hard outer covering within its heart area;

the optical radiation reflected by the test invertebrate'"'"'s heart is converted to an electrical signal with the help of the optical radiation receiver mounted so that it can have optical contact with the output end of the receiving optical fibre;

before determining the sample of values of the electrical signal period, digital filtration of digital codes which is matched to the electrical signal'"'"'s shape and frequency is made by the computer;

the arithmetical mean of difference moduli for each two sample values of the electrical signal period closest by the time of obtaining is determined as a statistical characteristic of the sample of values of the electrical signal period; and

an ecological danger signal is formed in case the threshold value exceeds the obtained arithmetical mean of difference moduli for each two sample values of the electrical signal period closest by the time of obtaining.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the test invertebrate is exposed to optical radiation and the optical radiation reflected by the test invertebrate'"'"'s heart is received with the help of the transmitting and receiving optical fibres with, respectively, their output end and input end facing one side and positioned relative to each other at a distance satisfying the inequality

(π

d²P)^0.07−

2.2(1/(π

d²P))^0.02≦

R≦

(π

d²P)^0.07+2.2(1/(π

d²P))^0.02,

where R—

distance between the output end of the transmitting optical fibre and input end of the receiving optical fibre, mm;

P—

output power of the optical radiation source, mW;

d—

diameter of the transmitting optical fibre or receiving optical fibre, μ

m.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein during digital filtration of digital codes the estimates of digital codes are determined which correspond to instantaneous values of the electrical signal with zero constant component at the instants of time t_n=nΔ

t (n=m, m+1, m+2, . . . ), according to the expression

11. A method according to claim 8, wherein a sample mean value is determined as a statistical characteristic of the sample of values of the electrical signal period.

12. A method according to claim 8 or 11, wherein an ecological danger signal is formed if the threshold value exceeds the product of sample mean by square arithmetical mean of difference moduli for each two sample values of the electrical signal period closest by the time of obtaining.

13. A method according to claim 8, 10 or 11, wherein the expected heartbeat frequency f₀ in the test invertebrate is determined as a value inverse to the sample mean value of the electrical signal period.

14. A method according to claim 8, wherein the volume of the sample of values of the electrical signal period is set within the limits of 30 to 1000.

15. A system for biological environment monitoring comprising a computer and at least one shaper of a digital signal of cardiac activity in the form of series-connected cardiac activity sensor including a casing with an element for installing on the body of the test invertebrate with a hard outer covering, an optical radiation source and optical radiation receiver;

amplifier whose input is connected to the optical radiation receiver output; and

an analog-to-digital converter whose output is connected to the computer input, differing in that its cardiac activity sensor is equipped with a transmitting optical fibre and receiving optical fibre, the input end of the transmitting optical fibre and output end of the receiving optical fibre being located so that they can have optical contact, respectively, with the optical radiation source and optical radiation receiver, while the output end of the transmitting optical fibre and input end of the receiving optical fibre face one side and are positioned within the casing at a distance satisfying the inequality

(π

d²P)^0.07−

2.2(1/(π

d²P))^0.02≦

R≦

(π

d²P)^0.07+2.2(1/(π

d²P))^0.02,

where R—

distance between the output end of the transmitting optical fibre and input end of the receiving optical fibre, mm;

P—

output power of the optical radiation source, mW;

d—

diameter of the transmitting optical fibre or receiving optical fibre, μ

m.

16. A system according to claim 15, wherein a semiconductor laser made with the possibility of emitting optical radiation of IR spectral range is used as an optical radiation source for the cardiac activity sensor.

17. A system according to claim 15, wherein a light-emitting diode made with the possibility to emit optical radiation of IR spectral range is used as an optical radiation source for the cardiac activity sensor.

18. A system according to claim 15, wherein a photodiode sensitive to optical radiation of IR spectral range is used as an optical radiation receiver for the cardiac activity sensor.

19. A system according to claim 15, wherein the casing of the cardiac activity sensor is made as a hollow cylinder, and the element for installing on the test invertebrate'"'"'s body is made as a hollow cylinder enclosing the casing and equipped with two lobes and a fixing screw.