Photoluminescent pressure probe

• US 9,188,536 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2010
• Issued: 11/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Luxcel Biosciences Ltd. (Ametek Incorporated)
• Inventors: Papkovsky, Dmitri Boris, Fernandes, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Alexander, Lyle
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gerido, Dwan A
• Application Number:
  US13/521,253
• Publication Number:
  US 20120295364A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,120 Days
• Field of Search: 436/136, 422/401
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/24 by measuring variations of optical properties of material when it is stressed, e.g. by photoelastic stress analysis using infrared, visible light, ultraviolet
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 11/02 by optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/226 for containers, e.g. radiators
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/38 by using light G01M3/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6408 with measurement of decay time, time resolved fluorescence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/207497 Molecular oxygen

Abstract

A self-contained, remotely interrogatable, autonomously positionable, pressure probe and methods of manufacturing and using. The probe (10) includes (i) a hermetically sealed, flexible, gas impermeable sachet (50) capable of equilibriating to a surrounding pressure, (ii) an optically-active, target-analyte partial pressure sensitive material (20) within the sachet, and (iii) a gaseous headspace (58) within the sachet containing a known concentration of the target-analyte (A).

Claims

1. An article of commerce, comprising a hermetically sealed package containing (a) a product, (b) a package gaseous headspace within the package, and (c) a self-contained, remotely interrogatable, autonomously positionable, pressure probe within the package, the probe comprising at least (i) a hermetically sealed, flexible, gas impermeable sachet having a sachet gaseous headspace containing a known nonzero concentration of target-analyte capable of equilibriating to a surrounding pressure, and (ii) an optically-active, target-analyte partial pressure sensitive material within the sachet headspace.

2. The article of claim 1 wherein the headspace is filled with air.

3. The article of claim 1 wherein the optically active material is a photoluminescent material sensitive to the partial pressure of oxygen.

4. The article of claim 1 wherein the product is subject to gas generative deterioration or spoilage.

5. The article of claim 1 wherein the product is subject to gas consuming deterioration or spoilage.

6. The article of claim 1 wherein a pressure increase within the packaging after the packaging is sealed is desired and expected.

7. The article of claim 1 wherein a pressure decrease within the packaging after the packaging is sealed is desired and expected.

8. The article of claim 1 wherein the optically active material can be optically interrogated through both the sachet and the packaging.

9. The article of claim 1 wherein the optically active material is sensitive to the partial pressure of oxygen.

10. The article of claim 9 wherein the sachet headspace is filled with air.

11. The article of claim 9 wherein the sachet headspace is filled with a gas containing between 3 and 6% oxygen.

12. The article of claim 1 wherein the optically active material is sensitive to the partial pressure of carbon dioxide.

13. The article of claim 12 wherein the sachet is constructed of a carbon dioxide impermeable film.

14. The article of claim 13 wherein the sachet headspace is filled with air.

15. A method of determining the pressure within a hermetically sealed package, comprising the steps of:

(a) obtaining a hermetically sealed package according to claim 1,

(b) allowing the pressure within the sachet to equilibriate to the pressure within the package,

(c) obtaining an analytical instrument capable of reading the optical activity of the pressure probe,

(d) taking a reading from the probe with the analytical instrument,

(e) correlating the value of the reading to a total pressure value within the sachet, and

(f) reporting the total pressure value as the pressure within the packaging.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein readings and correlations are based upon photoluminescence lifetime of the probe.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising the steps of comparing the total pressure value to a predetermined threshold value and signaling when the total pressure value exceeds the threshold value, indicating that the product should not be sold for human consumption.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising the steps of comparing the total pressure value to a predetermined threshold value and signaling when the total pressure value is less than the threshold value, indicating that the product should not be sold for human consumption.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the optically active material is optically interrogated by the analytical instrument in a contactless nondestructive manner through the sachet and the package.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein the pressure probe contained within the hermetically sealed package has been calibrated with at least one known pressure value at the known concentration of the target-analyte before the package is obtained.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the at least one known pressure value is ambient pressure.

22. The method of claim 15 wherein the optically active material is sensitive to the partial pressure of oxygen.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the sachet headspace is filled with air.