Systems for analysis of fluids

• US 9,097,639 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2012
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Potyrailo, Radislav Alexandrovich, Lee, Yongjae, Cotero, Victoria Eugenia, Dieringer, Jon Albert
• Primary Examiner(s): Saint Surin, J M
• Application Number:
  US13/729,800
• Publication Number:
  US 20140182362A1
• Time in Patent Office: 949 Days
• Field of Search: 73/645.3, 735/79, 340/572.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/026 Dielectric impedance spectroscopy electrochemical impedance spectroscopy for measuring corrosion G01N17/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

A resonant sensor assembly includes a dielectric substrate having a sensing region. The sensor assembly further comprises a plurality of tuning elements operatively coupled to the sensing region, where the sensing region is coupled to the plurality of tuning elements to define a plurality of resonant circuits.

Claims

1. A resonant sensor assembly, comprising:

a dielectric substrate comprising a sensing region, wherein the sensing region comprises a plurality of electrode pairs having corresponding electrode gaps, and wherein at least one electrode pair of the plurality of electrode pairs comprises an electrode gap which is different from electrode gaps of other electrode pairs of the plurality of electrode pairs; and

a plurality of tuning elements operatively coupled to the sensing region, wherein the sensing region is coupled to the plurality of tuning elements to define a plurality of resonant circuits, and wherein each electrode pair of the plurality of electrode pairs forms a resonant circuit in combination with one or more tuning elements of the plurality of tuning elements.

2. The resonant sensor assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one of the electrodes of the plurality of electrode pairs comprises an inter-digital electrode.

3. The resonant sensor assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one electrode pair of the plurality of electrode pairs is disposed at a determined distance from a bulk of the dielectric substrate.

4. The resonant sensor assembly of claim 1, comprising a dielectric material disposed between the dielectric substrate and at least one electrode pair of the plurality of electrode pairs.

5. The resonant sensor assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of tuning elements are configured to provide a common resonant frequency for two or more electrode pairs of the plurality of electrode pairs.

6. The resonant sensor assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of tuning elements is configured to provide different resonant frequencies for two or more electrode pairs of the plurality of electrode pairs.

7. The resonant sensor assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrode pairs comprises a two electrode structure.

8. The resonant sensor assembly of claim 7, wherein the two electrode structure comprises a two inter-digital electrode structure.

9. The resonant sensor assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrode pairs comprises a four inter-digital electrode structure.

10. The resonant sensor assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrode pairs comprises a multiple electrode structure.

11. The resonant sensor assembly of claim 10, wherein at least one electrode of the multiple electrode structure comprises a size different from a size of other electrodes of the multiple electrode structure.

12. The resonant sensor assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one electrode of the plurality of electrode pairs is configured to act as a global electrode and other electrodes of the plurality of electrode pairs are configured to act as local electrodes.

13. The resonant sensor assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one electrode pair of the plurality of electrode pairs is disposed in a fluid, buffer solution, biologically relevant fluid, cell growth media, bodily fluid, or combinations thereof.

14. The resonant sensor assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one electrode of the plurality of electrode pairs comprises a protective material.

15. The resonant sensor assembly of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the sensing region comprises a protective layer.

16. The resonant sensor assembly of claim 15, wherein the protective layer comprises a biologically compatible layer.

17. The resonant sensor assembly of claim 1, wherein the dielectric substrate comprises a well plate.

18. The resonant sensor assembly of claim 1, further comprising an integrated circuit memory chip galvanically coupled to the resonant sensor assembly.

19. The resonant sensor assembly of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of tuning elements comprise capacitors, resistors, inductors, impedance transformers, or combinations thereof.

20. A system, comprising:

a resonant sensor assembly, comprising;

a dielectric substrate comprising a sensing region, wherein the sensing region comprises a plurality of electrode pairs having corresponding electrode gaps, and wherein at least one pair of the plurality of electrode pairs comprises an electrode gap which is different from electrode gaps of other electrode pairs of the plurality of electrode pairs;

a plurality of tuning elements operatively coupled to the sensing region wherein the sensing region is coupled to the plurality of tuning elements to define a plurality of resonant circuits, wherein each electrode pair of the plurality of electrode pairs forms a resonant circuit in combination with one or more tuning elements of the plurality of tuning elements; and

a reader in operative communication with the resonant sensor assembly, wherein the reader is configured to acquire responses at a plurality of frequencies.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the resonant sensor assembly is employed in a tomography system.

22. A resonant sensor assembly, comprising:

a dielectric substrate comprising a sensing region having at least four inter-digital electrode structure, wherein the four inter-digital electrode structure comprises one or more electrode pairs, and wherein at least one electrode pair of the four inter-digital electrode structure comprises an electrode gap which is different from electrode gaps of other electrode pairs of the four inter-digital electrode structure;

a plurality of tuning elements operatively coupled to the sensing region to define a plurality of resonant circuits, wherein one or more electrodes of the four inter-digital electrode structure form one or more resonant circuits in combination with one or more tuning elements of the plurality of tuning elements, and

wherein the plurality of tuning elements are configured to provide predetermined resonant frequencies associated with the one or more electrode pairs.