Optical sensor
First Claim
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1. An optical sensor assembly for sensing the presence of analyte in a fluid, comprising:
- a surface plasmon resonance-sensitive structure for reflecting light, said structure responding to exposure to an analyte so as to alter an intensity of the reflecting light;
means for producing light focussed on said surface plasmon resonance sensitive structure;
a light detecting means positioned to receive a portion of the light reflected from the surface plasmon resonance-sensitive structure and for producing an output signal in response to the received portion of the reflected light indicative of the presence of, or representative of the concentration or a concentration range of, the analyte in the fluid;
control means for controlling the portion of the reflected light which reaches the light detecting means; and
indicating means for receiving the output signal and in response thereto indicating the presence, concentration or concentration range of the analyte in the fluid.
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Abstract
An optical sensor assembly includes a light source, a surface plasmon-sensitive structure for reflecting light, a light detector, and a signal indicator. The light detector receives light that is reflected from the surface plasmon-sensitive structure at an angle which is sensitive to surface plasmon absorption.
4 Citations
34 Claims
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1. An optical sensor assembly for sensing the presence of analyte in a fluid, comprising:
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a surface plasmon resonance-sensitive structure for reflecting light, said structure responding to exposure to an analyte so as to alter an intensity of the reflecting light; means for producing light focussed on said surface plasmon resonance sensitive structure; a light detecting means positioned to receive a portion of the light reflected from the surface plasmon resonance-sensitive structure and for producing an output signal in response to the received portion of the reflected light indicative of the presence of, or representative of the concentration or a concentration range of, the analyte in the fluid; control means for controlling the portion of the reflected light which reaches the light detecting means; and indicating means for receiving the output signal and in response thereto indicating the presence, concentration or concentration range of the analyte in the fluid. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A hand held optical sensor for sensing the presence of analyte in a fluid, comprising:
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a light source; a surface plasmon resonance-sensitive device; means for focusing light from the light source onto the plasmon resonance-sensitive surface of the device which, in use, reflects the focused light from the light source in the form of a diverging reflected light beam and, on exposure to analyte, responds so as to alter the intensity of the light which is reflected; a light detecting means for receiving light reflected from the device; control means for allowing only a portion of that part of the diverging reflected light beam that has been influenced by the surface plasmon resonance effect to reach the light detecting means wherein the light detecting means receives only the influenced portion of the diverging reflected light beam and produces in response to the received portion of the diverging reflected light beam an output signal indicative of the presence of, or representative of the concentration or a concentration range of, the analyte in the fluid; and indicating means for receiving the signal and in response thereto indicating the presence, concentration or concentration range of the analyte in the fluid.
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Specification