Method of using a computer to collect chemical signals directly

• US 5,832,410 A
• Filed: 06/11/1997
• Issued: 11/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lin, Chih-I, Lin, Shengfu
• Original Assignee: Lin, Chih-I, Lin, Shengfu
• Inventors: Lin, Chih-I, Lin, Shengfu
• Primary Examiner(s): Voeltz, Emanuel Todd
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wachsman, Hal P.
• Application Number:
  US08/873,241
• Time in Patent Office: 510 Days
• Field of Search: 364/496-500, 364/550, 364/551.01, 364/509, 364/510, 364/528.01, 204/400, 204/401, 204/409, 204/405-407, 204/556, 204/403, 422/68.1, 422/81, 422/62, 422/119, 422/83, 422/98, 422/82.01, 422/82.02, 340/632, 324/464, 324/465, 324/468, 324/438, 324/450, 73/23.36, 382/313, 210/614, 702/22-25, 702/30-32
• US Class Current: 702/22
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/3273 Devices therefor, e.g. test element readers, circuitry details not specific to biochemical electrodes G01N33/4875

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of using a computer to collect chemical signals directly from a chemical sensor. This method first converts output signals received from the chemical sensor into digital signals by using a transforming circuit and an analog-to-digital converter in cooperation with a control computer program executed in the computer; transfers the digital signals to the computer and processes the digital signals in the computer in accordance with the type of the chemical sensor used.

Claims

1. A method of using a computer to collect chemical signals directly from a chemical sensor, in which said computer is provided with an Analog-to-Digital converter (ADC) and said chemical sensor is connected to said ADC with a transforming circuit, said method comprising the following steps:

converting output signals received from said chemical sensor into digital signals by using said transforming circuit and said ADC in cooperation with a control computer program executed in said computer;

transferring said digital signal from said ADC to said computer; and

processing said digital signals in said computer in accordance with the type of said chemical sensor;

wherein said chemical sensor is not a chemical sensor used in amperometry and conductometry,

wherein said transforming circuit is a voltage follower provided that the chemical sensor is a chemical sensor used in potentiometry, and

wherein said computer is further provided with a Digital-to-Analog converter (DAC), and said DAC is connected to said chemical sensor by a Galvanostat circuit, wherein a Galvanostatic current is received by said chemical sensor from said Galvanostat circuit in cooperation with said DAC and said control computer program executed by said computer so that a potentiometry under Galvanostatic condition is carried out.

2. A system for collecting chemical signals comprising:

a computer for executing a control computer program;

at least one chemical sensor for providing output signals;

at least one transforming circuit for transforming said output signals received from said at least one chemical sensor into desired electronic signals, one end of said transforming circuit being connected with said at least one chemical sensor;

one or more Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) interface cards for converting said desired electronic signals into digital signals and transferring said digital signals to said computer, said ADC interface cards connecting a second end of said at least one transforming circuit with the computer;

wherein said at least one transforming circuit includes a voltage follower provided that said at least one chemical sensor is a chemical sensor used in potentiometry;

or

said at least one transforming circuit is a current-potential converter provided that said at least one chemical sensor is a chemical sensor used in amperomtery or conductometry,

whereby said output signals from said at least one chemical sensor are converted into digital signals by using said at least one transforming circuit and said ADC in cooperation with said control computer program executed in said computer, and said digital signals are processed in said computer in accordance with the type of said chemical sensor, and

wherein said at least one chemical sensor is a chemical sensor used in potentiometry, said computer is further provided with a Digital-to-Analog converter (DAC), and said DAC is connected to said one or more chemical sensors with a Galvanostat circuit so that a Galvanostatic current can be received by said at least one chemical sensor from said Galvanostat circuit in cooperation with said DAC and said control computer program executed in said computer, and thus potentiometry under a Galvanostatic condition can be carried out.

3. A system for collecting chemical signals comprising:

a computer for executing a control computer program;

at least one chemical sensor for providing output signals;

at least one transforming circuit for transforming said output signals received from said at least one chemical sensor into desired electronic signals, one end of said transforming circuit being connected with said at least one chemical sensor;

one or more Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) interface cards for converting said desired electronic signals into digital signals and transferring said digital signals to said computer, said ADC interface cards connecting a second end of said at least one transforming circuit with the computer;

wherein said at least one transforming circuit includes a voltage follower provided that said at least one chemical sensor is a chemical sensor used in potentiometry;

or

said at least one transforming circuit is a current-potential converter provided that said at least one chemical sensor is a chemical sensor used in amperomtery or conductometry,

whereby said output signals from said at least one chemical sensor are converted into digital signals by using said at least one transforming circuit and said ADC in cooperation with said control computer program executed in said computer, and said digital signals are processed in said computer in accordance with the type of said chemical sensor, and

wherein said at least one chemical sensor is a chemical sensor used in amperometry, said computer is further provided with a Digital-to-Analog converter (DAC), and said DAC is connected to said at least one chemical sensor with a potentiostat circuit so that a current having a desired electric potential wave form or a potentiostatic current can be received by said at least one chemical sensors from said potentiostat circuit in cooperation with said DAC and said control computer program executed in said computer, and thus voltammetry or an amperometry under a potentiostatic condition can be carried out.

4. A system for collecting chemical signals comprising:

a computer for executing a control computer program;

at least one chemical sensor for providing output signals;

at least one transforming circuit for transforming said output signals received from said at least one chemical sensor into desired electronic signals, one end of said transforming circuit being connected with said at least one chemical sensor;

one or more Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) interface cards for converting said desired electronic signals into digital signals and transferring said digital signals to said computer, said ADC interface cards connecting a second end of said at least one transforming circuit with the computer;

wherein said at least one transforming circuit includes a voltage follower provided that said at least one chemical sensor is a chemical sensor used in potentiometry;

or

said at least one transforming circuit is a current-potential converter provided that said at least one chemical sensor is a chemical sensor used in amperomtery or conductometry,

whereby said output signals from said at least one chemical sensor are converted into digital signals by using said at least one transforming circuit and said ADC in cooperation with said control computer program executed in said computer, and said digital signals are processed in said computer in accordance with the type of said chemical sensor, and

wherein said at least one chemical sensor is a chemical sensor used in conductometry, said computer is further provided with a Digital-to-Analog converter (DAC) which is connected to said at least one chemical sensor so that an alternating current can be received by said at least one chemical sensor from said DAC in cooperation with said control computer program executed in said computer, and thus conductometry can be carried out.

5. A system for collecting chemical signals comprising:

a computer for executing a control computer program;

at least one chemical sensor for providing output signals;

at least one transforming circuit for transforming said output signals received from said at least one chemical sensor into desired electronic signals, one end of said transforming circuit being connected with said at least one chemical sensor;

one or more Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) interface cards for converting said desired electronic signals into digital signals and transferring said digital signals to said computer, said ADC interface cards connecting a second end of said at least one transforming circuit with the computer;

wherein said at least one transforming circuit includes a voltage follower provided that said at least one chemical sensor is a chemical sensor used in potentiometry;

or

said at least one transforming circuit is a current-potential converter provided that said at least one chemical sensor is a chemical sensor used in amperomtery or conductometry,

whereby said output signals from said at least one chemical sensor are converted into digital signals by using said at least one transforming circuit and said ADC in cooperation with said control computer program executed in said computer, and said digital signals are processed in said computer in accordance with the type of said chemical sensor, and

wherein said at least one transforming circuit includes a voltage follower and a current-potential converter, and said at least one chemical sensor includes a chemical sensor used in potentiometry and a chemical sensor used in amperometry or conductometry;

wherein one end of said current-potential converter is connected with said chemical sensor used in amperometry or conductometry, and one end of said voltage follower is connected with said chemical sensor used in potentiometry.

6. The system according to claim 5, in which said computer is further provided with a Digital-to-Analog converter (DAC), and said DAC is connected to said chemical sensor used in potentiometry with a Galvanostat circuit so that a Galvanostatic current can be received by said chemical sensor used in potentiometry from said Galvanostat circuit in cooperation with said DAC and said control computer program executed in said computer, and thus a potentiometry under Galvanostatic condition can be carried out.

7. The system according to claim 6, in which said at least one chemical sensor includes a chemical sensor used in potentiometry and a chemical sensor used in amperometry, and said DAC is further connected to said chemical sensor used in amperometry with a potentiostat circuit so that a current having a desired electric potential wave form or a potentiostatic current can be received by said chemical sensor used in amperometry from said potentiostat circuit in cooperation with said DAC and said control computer program executed in said computer, and thus a voltammetry or an amperometry under potentiostatic condition can be carried out.

8. The system according to claim 6, in which said at least one chemical sensor includes a chemical sensor used in potentiometry and a chemical sensor used in conductometry, and said DAC is further connected to said chemical sensor used in conductometry so that an alternating current can be received by said chemical sensor used in conductometry from said DAC in cooperation with said control computer program executed in said computer, and thus a conductometry can be carried out.

9. The system according to claim 5, in which said at least one chemical sensor includes a chemical sensor used in potentiometry and a chemical sensor used in amperometry, and said computer is further provided with a Digital-to-Analog converter (DAC), wherein said DAC is connected to said chemical sensor used in amperometry with a potentiostat circuit so that a current having a desired electric potential wave form or a potentiostatic current can be received by said chemical sensor used in amperometry from said potentiostat circuit in cooperation with said DAC and said control computer program executed in said computer, and thus a voltammetry or an amperometry under potentiostatic condition can be carried out.

10. The system according to claim 5, in which said at least one chemical sensor includes a chemical sensor used in potentiometry and a chemical sensor used in conductometry, and said computer is further provided with a Digital-to-Analog converter (DAC) which is connected to said chemical sensor used in conductometry so that an alternating current can be received by said chemical sensor used in conductometry from said DAC in cooperation with said control computer program executed in said computer, and thus a conductometry can be carried out.