Low-cost, compact bathyphotometer
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A submersible bioluminescence detector system comprising:
- a) a housing having an inlet port and an outlet port, the inlet and outlet ports defining a passage, and the housing enclosing at least the following items;
b) a baffleless grid disposed at the inlet port in the path of water entering the inlet port to excite organisms in the water to exhibit bioluminescence, the passage being pump free such that water is drawn into the inlet port and through the passage by motion of the detector system through the water;
c) a first photodiode disposed in an hermetically sealed optically clear envelope facing the grid for detecting the bioluminescence and generating a first bioluminescence electrical signal in response thereto;
d) a digital circuit proximate to and coupled with the photodiode, the circuit configured to sample, integrate and amplify the electrical signal underwater when the detector system is underwater and to transmit the integrated and amplified electrical signal to a remote non-submersed computer for processing; and
e) a power supply positioned within the housing, the photodiode and the digital circuit being powered entirely by the power supply, the power supply supplying a voltage of less than about 10 V and having a maximum power output of less than about 100 mW.
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Abstract
A bathyphotometer system is described for detecting photoluminescent signals excited by a grid disposed in a marine vehicle. The system uses photodiodes to convert the optical signals into electrical signals which are sampled, integrated and coupled to output terminals for transmission to a surface host vehicle. In one embodiment the signals are digitized and encoded as FSK tones for transmission to the surface host vehicle.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. A submersible bioluminescence detector system comprising:
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a) a housing having an inlet port and an outlet port, the inlet and outlet ports defining a passage, and the housing enclosing at least the following items;
b) a baffleless grid disposed at the inlet port in the path of water entering the inlet port to excite organisms in the water to exhibit bioluminescence, the passage being pump free such that water is drawn into the inlet port and through the passage by motion of the detector system through the water;
c) a first photodiode disposed in an hermetically sealed optically clear envelope facing the grid for detecting the bioluminescence and generating a first bioluminescence electrical signal in response thereto;
d) a digital circuit proximate to and coupled with the photodiode, the circuit configured to sample, integrate and amplify the electrical signal underwater when the detector system is underwater and to transmit the integrated and amplified electrical signal to a remote non-submersed computer for processing; and
e) a power supply positioned within the housing, the photodiode and the digital circuit being powered entirely by the power supply, the power supply supplying a voltage of less than about 10 V and having a maximum power output of less than about 100 mW. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A submersible bioluminescence detector system comprising:
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a) a housing having an inlet port and an outlet port, the inlet and outlet ports defining a passage, and the housing enclosing at least the following items;
b) a baffleless grid disposed at the inlet port in the path of water entering the inlet port to excite organisms in the water to exhibit bioluminescence, the passage being pump free such that water is drawn into the inlet port and through the passage by motion of the detector system through the water;
c) a first photodiode disposed in an hermetically sealed optically clear envelope facing the grid for detecting the bioluminescence and generating a first bioluminescence electrical signal in response thereto;
d) a second photodiode disposed in an hermetically sealed optically clear envelope facing the first photodiode for detecting the bioluminescence and generating a second bioluminescence electrical signal in response thereto;
e) an electrical digital circuit proximate to and coupled with the photodiodes, the circuit configured to sample, integrate and amplify the electrical signal underwater when the detector system is underwater and to transmit the integrated and amplified electrical signal to a remote non-submersed computer for processing; and
f) a power supply positioned within the housing, the photodiode and the digital circuit being powered entirely by the power supply, the power supply supplying a voltage of less than about 10 V and having a maximum power output of less than about 100 mW. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A method of detecting bioluminescence in water comprising the steps of:
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a) disposing a baffleless grid at one end of a housing submerged in the water such that organisms in the water are excited and produce luminescence, the housing provided with a passage extending from the one end with the grid to an opposite end, the passage being pump-free such that water is drawn into the one end and through the passage by motion of the housing through the water;
b) detecting the luminescence with a photodiode enclosed within the housing to generate a first analog electrical signal proportional thereto;
c) converting the analog signal to a digital signal by sampling, integrating and digitizing the signal under water for transmission to a surface host system with a digital circuit enclosed within the housing; and
d) powering the photodiode and the digital circuit entirely with an power supply enclosed within the housing, the power supply supplying a voltage of less than about 10 V and having a maximum power output of less than about 100 mW. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28)
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29. A submersible bioluminescence detector system comprising:
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a) a housing having an inlet port and an outlet port, wherein the inlet port and outlet port define a passage through the housing, the housing enclosing at least the following items;
b) a baffleless grid disposed at the inlet port in the path of water entering the inlet port to excite organisms in the water to exhibit bioluminescence, the passage being pump-free such that water is drawn into the inlet port and through the passage by motion of the detector system through the water;
c) a first photodiode disposed in an hermetically sealed optically clear envelope facing the grid for detecting the bioluminescence and generating a first bioluminescence electrical signal in response thereto, wherein the passage has a diameter that is at least about twice the diameter of the photodiode envelope;
d) a digital circuit proximate to and coupled with the photodiode, the circuit configured to sample, integrate and amplify the electrical signal underwater when the detector system is underwater and to transmit the integrated and amplified electrical signal to a remote non-submersed computer for processing; and
e) a power supply positioned within the housing, the photodiode and the digital circuit being powered entirely by the power supply, the power supply supplying a voltage of less than about 10 V and having a maximum power output of less than about 100 mW. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A submersible bioluminescence detector system, comprising:
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a) a housing having an inlet port and an outlet port, the inlet port and the outlet port defining a passage through the housing, the housing enclosing at least the following items;
b) a baffleless grid disposed at the inlet port in the path of water entering the inlet port to excite organisms in the water to exhibit bioluminescence, the passage being pump-free such that water is drawn into the inlet port and through the passage by motion of the detector system through the water;
c) a first photodiode disposed in a first hermetically sealed optically clear envelope facing the grid for detecting the bioluminescence and generating a first bioluminescence electrical signal in response thereto;
d) a second photodiode disposed in a second hermetically sealed optically clear envelope facing the first photodiode for detecting the bioluminescence and generating a second bioluminescence electrical signal in response thereto, each of the envelopes of the first and the second photodiodes having a diameter that is less than about one-half the diameter of the passage, the passage having a length to diameter ratio of less than about five for providing a sufficient flush rate through the passage;
e) a digital circuit proximate to and coupled to the first and second photodiodes, the circuit configured to sample, integrate, and amplify the first and second electrical signals underwater when the detector system is underwater and to transmit the integrated and amplified electrical signal to a remote non-submersed computer for processing; and
f) a power supply positioned within the housing, the first and second photodiodes and the digital circuit being powered entirely by the power supply, the power supply supplying a voltage of less than about 10 volts and having a maximum power output of less than about 100 mW.
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Specification