System and method for optical sensing utilizing a portable, detachable sensor cartridge

• US 6,326,612 B1
• Filed: 10/12/1999
• Issued: 12/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Elkind, Jerome L., Carr, Richard A., Melendez, Jose L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, John R.
• Application Number:
  US09/416,560
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 250/239, 250/227.11, 250/227.14, 250/227.24, 250/227.25, 250/573, 250/574, 250/575, 250/576, 250/577, 422/91, 422/82.05, 422/82.06, 422/82.07, 422/82.08, 422/82.09, 422/82.11, 422/82.12, 422/58, 436/165, 356/73, 356/39, 356/40, 356/41, 356/42, 600/308, 204/411, 205/782
• US Class Current: 250/239
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/05 Flow-through cuvettes G01N21/09 takes precedence; handling fluid samples G01N1/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/43 by measuring critical angle
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/553 and using surface plasmons fluorescence excitation G01N21/648; enhanced Raman G01N21/658
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/645 Specially adapted constructive features of fluorimeters

Abstract

Disclosed is a sensing system and method utilizing a sensor cartridge (10) for making analytical measurements regarding one or more samples (50) of interest, the cartridge (10) comprising an opaque housing (12) having an opening (32), the opening (32) allowing access to one or more electrically conductive contacts (34) and one or more fluidic connectors (36) disposed within the housing (12) and mechanically aligned to the electrically conductive contacts (34), a flow cell (56) having one or more channels connected to the one or more fluidic connectors (36), and a fixed optic sensor (68, 58, 72, 74) disposed within said housing (12) and aligned to a sensing surface on the flow cell. The fixed optic sensor may be, for example, a surface plasmon resonance sensor, a critical angle sensor, or a fluorescence-based sensor. In one embodiment of the present invention, the one or more electrically conductive contacts (32) comprise card-edge contacts (34). In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the one or more electrically conductive contacts comprise conductive pins (124) intended to be inserted into a socket (128) of a reporter unit (130). Because the optic sensor is pre-aligned, e.g., a sensing surface portion of the optic sensor is mounted on the flow cell, and at least one of the fluid connectors is aligned to the electrical contacts, the cartridge can be easily replaced on a host unit to allow, e.g., field analysis of multiple fluids.

Claims

1. A portable, replaceable sensor cartridge for use with analytical measurements regarding one or more fluidic samples of interest, comprising:

a housing having an opening, said opening allowing access to one or more electrically conductive contacts and one or more fluidic connectors disposed within said housing;

a flow cell disposed within said housing and having one or more channels connected to said one or more fluidic connectors; and

a fixed optic sensor disposed within said housing and having one or more optical components pre-positioned within said housing with respect to said flow cell, whereby the cartridge may be used with a portable host unit and may be replaced to permit field analysis of said one or more fluidic samples.

2. The cartridge as recited in claim 1 wherein said one or more electrically conductive contacts and one or more fluidic connectors are affixed to a platform.

3. The cartridge as recited in claim 2 wherein said one or more electrically conductive contacts are substantially flat contacts affixed to an edge of said platform.

4. The cartridge as recited in claim 2 wherein said one or more electrically conductive contacts are pins affixed to said platform.

5. The cartridge as recited in claim 2 wherein said platform is a printed circuit board recessed from said opening.

6. The cartridge as recited in claim 2 further comprising a temperature sensor coupled to said platform.

7. The cartridge as recited in claim 2 further comprising a thermal heating device coupled to said platform.

8. The cartridge as recited in claim 1 wherein said housing has one or more walls having a substantially rectangular shape.

9. The cartridge as recited in claim 1 wherein said housing has one or more walls having a substantially trapezoidal shape.

10. The cartridge as recited in claim 1 wherein said housing is opaque.

11. The cartridge as recited in claim 1 wherein said one or more electrically conductive contacts and said one or more fluidic connectors are substantially parallel.

12. The cartridge as recited in claim 1 wherein said fixed optic sensor comprises:

a light source;

a sensing surface mounted on a portion of said flow cell and in contact with one of said fluidic samples of interest and disposed at an angle to receive light transmitted from said light source; and

a photodetector array for measuring intensity of a reflected component of said light.

13. The cartridge as recited in claim 1 wherein said fixed optic sensor is selected from the group consisting of, a surface plasmon resonance sensor, a critical angle sensor, and a fluorescence-based sensor.

14. The cartridge as recited in claim 1 wherein one or more external surfaces of said housing is textured with one or more contours.

15. The cartridge as recited in claim 1 wherein said one or more fluidic connectors is composed of teflon.

16. The cartridge as recited in claim 1 further comprising a receptacle connected to said one or more fluidic connectors, said receptacle containing therein one or more reagents for reacting with said one or more samples of interest.

17. The cartridge as recited in claim 1 further comprising one or more materials for calibration within said housing.

18. The cartridge as recited in claim 1 further comprising a digital signal processing unit within said housing and electrically connected to at least one of said one or more electrically conductive contacts.

19. The cartridge as recited in claim 1 further comprising a lid removably attached to said housing.

20. The cartridge as recited in claim 1 further comprising a waste unit within said housing and connected to said one or more fluidic connectors.

21. A portable, replaceable sensor cartridge for use with analytical measurements regarding one or more samples of interest, comprising:

a housing having an opening, said opening allowing access to one or more electrically conductive contacts within said housing and at least one fluidic connector within said housing, with said contacts and at least one fluidic connector affixed to a printed circuit board within said housing and;

a flow cell within said housing and having one or more channels connected to said one or more fluidic connectors;

a fixed optic sensor within said housing mechanically aligned to said flow cell;

a thermal heating device within said housing and electrically connected to said printed circuit board;

a temperature sensor within said housing and electrically connected to said printed circuit board;

a digital signal processing unit within said housing and electrically connected to at least one of said one or more electrically conductive contacts; and

a waste unit within said housing and connected to said one or more fluidic connectors.

22. A method of optical sensing for use with analytical measurements regarding one or more samples of interest, said method comprising:

aligning a first set of at least two electrically conductive contacts and a first suction fluidic connector within a first housing;

connecting said first housing to a host analytical unit by establishing electrical connection between said first set of at least two electrically conductive contacts and said host analytical unit, and establishing fluidic connection between said first suction fluidic connector and said host analytical unit;

passing a fluid through a first intake fluidic connector into a first flow cell disposed within said housing;

sensing a fluid property with a first fixed optic sensor disposed within said housing;

removing said first housing together with said first set of electrically conductive contacts and said first suction and intake fluidic connectors, and said first flow cell, and said first fixed optic sensor disposed within said first housing; and

replacing said first housing with a second housing, said second housing containing a second set of at least two electrically conductive contacts and second first suction and intake fluidic connectors, and a second flow cell, and a second fixed optic sensor.