Optical sensor with radioluminescent light source
First Claim
1. An optical sensor for detecting a selected substance, comprising:
- a radioluminescent light source, including;
a radioactive constituent,a phosphor constituent energized by radiation from said radioactive constituent to emit light;
a sensing matrix absorbing light from said radioluminescent light source to produce an optical characteristic, the optical characteristic changing upon exposure of said sensing matrix to the selected substance; and
a photodetector configured to detect the optical characteristic and provide a corresponding signal to indicate detection of the selected substance.
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Abstract
An optical sensor is disclosed which uses a radioluminescent light source to supply the incident radiation for detecting a selected substance in a test medium. The radioluminescent source includes a beta emitting radio isotope which energizes a co-immobilized luminophore to release light in a given wavelength for a chemical sensor operation. The radioluminescent source is coupled with a sensing matrix for detecting and quantifying the analyte of interest. The sensing matrix produces a characteristic signal based on either absorbance or fluorescence which varies according to the concentration of the selected analyte in the sample. A photodetector measures the resulting optical signal from which the analyte concentration is determined.
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Citations
33 Claims
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1. An optical sensor for detecting a selected substance, comprising:
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a radioluminescent light source, including; a radioactive constituent, a phosphor constituent energized by radiation from said radioactive constituent to emit light; a sensing matrix absorbing light from said radioluminescent light source to produce an optical characteristic, the optical characteristic changing upon exposure of said sensing matrix to the selected substance; and a photodetector configured to detect the optical characteristic and provide a corresponding signal to indicate detection of the selected substance. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 22)
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8. An optical sensing system for detecting concentration of a selected substance in a test medium, comprising:
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a radioluminescent source emitting light; a sensing matrix exposed to the test medium, said sensing matrix absorbing light from said radioluminescent source to produce an optical characteristic, the optical characteristic varying in accordance with concentration of the selected substance in the test medium; and a photodetector configured to detect the optical characteristic and provide a corresponding signal to indicate concentration of the selected substance in the test medium. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 23)
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16. An optical sensor for detecting a selected substance in a test medium, comprising:
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a radioluminescent source emitting light; a sensing matrix having a fluorophore portion, said sensing matrix being exposed to the test medium, said sensing matrix providing a fluorescent emission in response to absorption of light from said radioluminescent source; and a photodetector detecting a first intensity of the fluorescent emission when the test medium does not include the selected substance and said photodetector detecting a second intensity of the fluorescent emission when the test medium includes the selected substance, said second intensity differing from said first intensity. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 24)
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25. An optical sensing system for detecting a selected substance, comprising:
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a radioluminescent light source, including; a radioactive constituent, a phosphor constituent energized by radiation from said radioactive constituent to emit light; a sensing matrix absorbing light from said radioluminescent light source, said sensing matrix being defined separately from said radioluminescent light source to produce an optical characteristic, said optical characteristic changing upon exposure of said sensing matrix to the selected substance; and a photodetector configured to detect the optical characteristic and provide a corresponding signal to indicate detection of the selected substance. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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Specification