HIGHLY COMPACT MULTI-OPTICAL-JUNCTION OPTICAL FLOWCELL AND FLEXIBLY DEPLOYABLE OPTICAL SENSING ASSEMBLIES AND SYSTEMS FOR IN-SITU REAL-TIME SPECTROSCOPIC MEASUREMENTS
First Claim
1. An optical flowcell assembly comprising:
- a housing having an axial extent, a transverse extent, a periphery, and an internal channel having a length extending along a portion of the housing'"'"'s axial extent, parallel to an optical signal detection axis of the flowcell assembly;
at least one fluid inlet configured for fluid communication with the internal channel;
at least one fluid outlet configured for fluid communication with the internal channel;
a plurality of transverse optical junctions configured for directing optical signals into the internal channel along an optical signal propagation path that is offset from the flowcell assembly'"'"'s optical signal detection axis; and
at least one axial optical junction configured for receiving optical signals propagating from the internal channel to the at least one axial optical junction.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A highly compact multi-optical-junction optical flowcell includes a housing having an internal channel, to which a plurality of source optical signal modules can be coupled, e.g., in a peripheral manner. The source optical signal modules can include a set of LEDs and/or semiconductor lasers, and can be coupled to the flowcell by way of a standard optical coupling such as an SMA-type optical connector. An excitation detection apparatus or subsystem can also be coupled to the flowcell to facilitate multiple types of optical measurements, including fluorescence spectroscopy, absorption spectroscopy, and turbidity measurements. A sensing apparatus or system that includes a multi-optical-junction optical flowcell, a plurality of source optical signal modules, and an excitation detection apparatus can be carried by or deployed on a wide variety of platforms, such as Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASVs), buoys, or other platforms, in a space efficient and power efficient manner.
13 Citations
32 Claims
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1. An optical flowcell assembly comprising:
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a housing having an axial extent, a transverse extent, a periphery, and an internal channel having a length extending along a portion of the housing'"'"'s axial extent, parallel to an optical signal detection axis of the flowcell assembly; at least one fluid inlet configured for fluid communication with the internal channel; at least one fluid outlet configured for fluid communication with the internal channel; a plurality of transverse optical junctions configured for directing optical signals into the internal channel along an optical signal propagation path that is offset from the flowcell assembly'"'"'s optical signal detection axis; and at least one axial optical junction configured for receiving optical signals propagating from the internal channel to the at least one axial optical junction. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A source optical signal module optically couplable to an optical flowcell of an optical spectroscopy system, the source optical signal module having an optical axis and comprising:
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a first portion of an optical connector aligned relative to the optical axis of the source optical signal module and configured for mating engagement with a corresponding second portion of an optical connector separate from the source optical signal module; a housing having an axial extent, an outer cross-sectional area, and an inner cross-sectional area; a set of optical signal sources comprising one of an LED and a semiconductor laser carried internal to the housing, the set of optical signal sources configured to direct optical signals along the optical axis of the source optical signal module; and a set of optical path tuning elements carried internal to the housing and disposed between an optical signal source within the set of optical signal sources and the first portion of the optical connector, the set of optical path tuning elements comprising at least one of a set of lens elements and a set of spacer elements, each optical path tuning element within the set of optical path tuning elements having a cross-sectional area that is transverse to the optical axis of the source optical signal module, each optical path tuning element within the set of optical path tuning elements configured for selective adjustment of an optical path length corresponding to the set of optical signal sources relative to an optical spectroscopy measurement location within the optical flowcell. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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21. A spectroscopy system comprising:
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a flowcell assembly having an axial extent, the flowcell assembly comprising; a fluid inlet structure configured for receiving a fluid; a fluid outlet structure configured for outputting a fluid; a channel internal to the flowcell, the channel having a longitudinal extent configured for providing a spectroscopy measurement region along a fluid communication path between the fluid inlet structure and the fluid outlet structure; a set of transverse optical junctions configured for directing optical signals into the channel substantially transverse to the longitudinal extent of the channel; and an axial optical junction configured for receiving optical signals propagating away from the spectroscopy measurement region in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal extent of the channel; a set of source optical signal modules physically and optically coupled to the flowcell assembly by way of a set of miniature optical connectors; an emission collection assembly comprising a set of optical fibers optically coupled to the flowcell assembly; and a miniature spectrophotometer optically coupled to the emission collection assembly. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A method for performing optical spectroscopy measurements by way of a substantially self-contained optical spectroscopy system configured for in-situ real-time optical spectroscopy measurements, the method comprising:
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deploying at least a portion of the substantially self-contained spectroscopy system in-situ within a fluid environment; receiving a fluid sample within an internal channel of an optical flowcell assembly of the spectroscopy system; and performing excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy measurements by way of; energizing one of a set of LEDs and a set of semiconductor lasers carried by the spectroscopy system to generate a plurality optical excitation signals, each optical excitation signal within the plurality of optical excitation signals having a distinct optical center wavelength; directing the plurality of optical excitation signals into the internal channel of the flowcell assembly; detecting a set of optical emission signals corresponding to the plurality optical excitation signals directed into the internal channel of the flowcell; and performing a set of fluorescence spectroscopy measurements. - View Dependent Claims (32)
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Specification