Chemical sensor array
First Claim
1. A sensor array for detecting chemical substances, comprising:
- a plurality of chemical detection sensors;
a plurality of driver circuits for driving said plurality of detection sensors, respectively;
a power multiplexer electrically coupled to said plurality of driver circuits, said power multiplexer receiving power from a power supply; and
a signal processing unit (SPU) electrically coupled to said plurality of driver circuits and to said multiplexer, said multiplexer responsive to said SPU to electrically couple said plurality of driver circuits to the power supply according to a predetermined timing pattern such that less than all of said detection sensors are powered at any instant in time to substantially eliminate cross talk between adjacent driver circuits.
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Abstract
A device for detecting chemical substances includes a plurality of sensors arranged in an array. The sensors are connected to respective oscillator circuits which drive the sensors, and the oscillator circuits are coupled to a power multiplexer which provides the circuits with power according to a timing pattern such that not all of the oscillator circuits are activated at any one time. Preferably, only one oscillator circuit is activated at any given time. This multiplexing arrangement saves power and substantially eliminates cross talk between the oscillator circuits. The oscillator circuits are preferably application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and the sensors are preferably surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices. In use, the SAW sensors are exposed to a gas, such as air, containing the chemical substance to be detected. Signals from the SAW sensors are analyzed to identify the chemical substance.
79 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A sensor array for detecting chemical substances, comprising:
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a plurality of chemical detection sensors;
a plurality of driver circuits for driving said plurality of detection sensors, respectively;
a power multiplexer electrically coupled to said plurality of driver circuits, said power multiplexer receiving power from a power supply; and
a signal processing unit (SPU) electrically coupled to said plurality of driver circuits and to said multiplexer, said multiplexer responsive to said SPU to electrically couple said plurality of driver circuits to the power supply according to a predetermined timing pattern such that less than all of said detection sensors are powered at any instant in time to substantially eliminate cross talk between adjacent driver circuits. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
wherein said reference sensor and said detection sensors comprise respective SAW devices.
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6. The sensor array of claim 5, wherein each of said integrated circuits comprises an ASIC.
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7. The sensor array of claim 6, wherein each of said ASICs is a separate, individual chip.
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8. The sensor array of claim 6, wherein all of said ASICs are integrated on a single chip.
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9. The sensor array of claim 1, further comprising a power supply comprising one or more storage batteries.
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10. The sensor array of claim 9, wherein said one or more storage batteries comprises at least one lithium battery.
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11. The sensor array of claim 1, wherein said detection sensors are mounted on one side of a circuit board, said plurality of driver circuits comprise at least one integrated circuit disposed on an opposite side of said board, and said detection sensors are electrically coupled to a plurality of respective driver circuits by respective electrical paths.
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12. The sensor array of claim 11, wherein said electrical paths extend through said board.
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13. The sensor array of claim 11, wherein said electrical paths are no longer than one inch.
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14. The sensor array of claim 11, wherein said electrical paths are no longer than one half inch.
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15. The sensor array of claim 11, wherein said electrical paths are no longer than one quarter inch.
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16. A method of operating a sensor array to sense a chemical substance, said method comprising:
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exposing a plurality of SAW sensors to a gas which may contain the chemical substance;
using a plurality of oscillating circuits to drive the plurality of SAW sensors, respectively;
providing electrical power to only one of the plurality of oscillating circuits at a time to substantially eliminate cross talk between adjacent oscillating circuits; and
processing signals from the sensors to detect the chemical substance. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification