System and Method for Analysis of Cannabis

• US 20160139055A1
• Filed: 11/14/2014
• Published: 05/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lightwave Science, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lightwave Science, Inc.
• Inventors: Pierce, William Bryan III, Pierce, Jason D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,546,960 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0218 using optical fibers
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0264 Electrical interface; User interface
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0278 Control or determination of height or angle information for sensors or receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/2803 using photoelectric array detector
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/4742 comprising optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/8466 Investigation of vegetal material, e.g. leaves, plants, fruits
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/255 Details, e.g. use of specially adapted sources, lighting or optical systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/35 using infrared light G01N21/39 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/3563 for analysing solids; Preparation of samples therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/474 Details of optical heads therefor, e.g. using optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/84 Systems specially adapted for particular applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/0221 Portable; cableless; compact; hand-held
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/0692 Regulated sources; stabilised supply
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/0833 Fibre array at detector, resolving
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/129 Using chemometrical methods
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/948 Sedatives, e.g. cannabinoids, barbiturates opiates G01N33/9486

Abstract

A system including a light source, sampling tray, and at least three detectors mounted at angles with respect to each other receives light reflected from a sample of cannabis-based matter. Light from the three detectors is fed to a spectrometer which converts the reflected light into a fingerprint corresponding to the concentration of at least one substance in the sample. The fingerprint is processed by a statistical model to determine concentration level of the at least one substance in the sample and the concentration level is then displayed.

Claims

1. A portable cannabis sampling system comprising:

a portable enclosure;

a stabilized light source mounted in the portable enclosure for delivering light to a cannabis-based sample, the cannabis-based sample in communication with the stabilized light source and light from the stabilized light source diffuse scattering from the cannabis-based sample;

a plurality of sensors offset from each other by an angle, the sensors collect the diffused and scattered light from the cannabis-based sample;

a plurality of fiber optics, each fiber optic connected to a corresponding one of the sensors; and

a spectrometer receives the diffused and scattered light from the fiber optics and converts the diffused and scattered light into an array of numeric values that represents a fingerprint of substances within the cannabis-based sample.

2. The portable cannabis sampling system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors is three sensors and the angle is 120 degrees.

3. The portable cannabis sampling system of claim 1, further comprising a computer system, the computer system receives the numeric values that represent the fingerprint of the contents of the cannabis-based sample and the computer system processes the array of numeric values using one or more statistical models to determine a specific content value of each of one or more targeted substances, the one or more statistical models created using a plurality of previously captured fingerprints of known samples and analysis of the known samples.

4. The portable cannabis sampling system of claim 3, wherein the one or more targeted substances of the cannabis-based sample is selected from a set of substances comprising tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), cannabidiol (CBD), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), cannabinol (CBN), moisture, and mold.

5. The portable cannabis sampling system of claim 3, wherein the one or more targeted substances of the cannabis-based sample is selected from a set terpenes comprising Alpha-pinene, Myrcene, Limonene, Linalool, and Beta-caryophyllene.

6. The portable cannabis sampling system of claim 3, wherein the specific content value of at least one of the one or more targeted substances is displayed on a display, the display being interfaced to the computer system.

7. The portable cannabis sampling system of claim 1, wherein the stabilized light source emits light at wavelengths in the range of 900 to 2300 nanometers.

8. A method of measuring at least one substance in a cannabis-based sample, the method comprising:

for each sample of a plurality of historical cannabis-based samples;

collecting a fingerprint for the each sample by exposing the each sample to a source of light, gathering reflected light from at least three angles, the reflected light having been reflected from the each sample, transmitting the reflected light to a spectrometer, and generating the fingerprint from the reflected light by the spectrometer;

measuring the concentration of at least one substance within the each sample;

associating fingerprint with the concentration of the at least one substance in a database;

generating at least one statistical model based on the fingerprints and the concentration of at least one substance;

for each unknown sample of cannabis-based matter;

collecting a new fingerprint for the unknown sample of cannabis-based matter by exposing the unknown sample of cannabis-based matter to the source of light, gathering reflected light from at least three angles, the reflected light having been reflected from the unknown sample of cannabis-based matter, transmitting the reflected light to the spectrometer, and generating the new fingerprint from the reflected light by the spectrometer;

determining a concentration value for the at least one substance in the unknown sample of cannabis-based matter by running the at least one statistical model against the new fingerprint;

displaying the concentration value for the at least one substance in the cannabis-based sample.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one statistical model is a Partial Least Square (PLS) algorithm.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one substance in the cannabis-based sample is selected from a set of substances comprising tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), cannabidiol (CBD), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), cannabinol (CBN), moisture, and mold.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one substance in the cannabis-based sample is selected from available terpenes selected from the set of terpenes comprising Alpha-pinene, Myrcene, Limonene, Linalool, and Beta-caryophyllene.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the source of light emits light at wavelengths in the range of 900 to 2300 nanometers.

13. A portable cannabis sampling system comprising:

a portable enclosure;

a stabilized light source mounted in the portable enclosure for delivering light to a cannabis-based sample, the cannabis-based sample in communication with the stabilized light source and light from the stabilized light source diffuse scattering from the cannabis-based sample;

three sensors, each sensor is offset from each other by 120 degrees, each of the sensors collect the diffused and scattered light from the cannabis-based sample;

three fiber optics, each fiber optic connected to a corresponding one of the three sensors;

a spectrometer receives the diffused and scattered light from the three fiber optics and converts the diffused and scattered light into a fingerprint that represent concentrations of substances in the cannabis-based sample; and

the fingerprint is processed by a statistical model, the output of which is a numeric value representing a concentration of a targeted substance within the cannabis-based sample.

14. The portable cannabis sampling system of claim 13, wherein the sampling system further comprises a computer system, the computer system receives the fingerprint that represent concentrations of the substances of the cannabis-based sample and the computer system determines specific concentration of at least one targeted substance of the cannabis-based sample by processing the fingerprint with the statistical model.

15. The portable cannabis sampling system of claim 14, wherein the at least one targeted substance of the cannabis-based sample is selected from a set of available substances comprising tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), cannabidiol (CBD), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), cannabinol (CBN), moisture, and mold.

16. The portable cannabis sampling system of claim 14, wherein the at least one targeted substance of the cannabis-based sample is a terpenoid.

17. The portable cannabis sampling system of claim 16, wherein the terpenoid is selected from the set of terpenes comprising Alpha-pinene, Myrcene, Limonene, Linalool, and Beta-caryophyllene.

18. The portable cannabis sampling system of claim 14, wherein the specific concentration of the at least one targeted substance of the cannabis-based sample is displayed on a display interfaced to the computer system.

19. The portable cannabis sampling system of claim 13, wherein the stabilized light source emits light at wavelengths in the range of 900 to 2300 nanometers.