Portable Fluorescence Spectrometer for Beverage Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge is to authenticate the content of alcoholic beverages, particularly premium wines and spirits, without opening the bottle, due to the difficulty in distinguishing authentic from counterfeit bottles, especially given the advancements in anti-counterfeiting technologies and the need for a portable, easy-to-use, and cost-effective solution that can be employed across the distribution chain.
Innovation Solution
A portable device that uses a monochromatic excitation light source, beam splitter, focusing lens, and spectrometry module to measure the fluorescence spectrum of the beverage, comparing it to a reference spectrum to determine authenticity, with features such as a positioning device for precise light focus and filtering to minimize interference from the container and water/ethanol molecules.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sophisticated anti-counterfeiting devices are produced in bottles, then authentication capability is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication function is extracted from the bottle itself and placed in a separate portable device. The bottle only needs to contain the beverage, while the portable device contains all authentication components (light source, spectrometer, sensors) that can be applied to any bottle externally.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary authentication device that interacts with the bottle through its wall without opening it. This mediator device contains the complex authentication technology while leaving the bottle simple, resolving the contradiction between authentication capability and bottle complexity.
2Ease of operation
If authentication devices are made portable and easy to use, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The portable device incorporates positioning mechanisms that dynamically adjust the distance and angle between the light source/focusing lens and the bottle during measurement. This dynamic adjustment ensures optimal focusing conditions are achieved automatically, maintaining measurement precision despite the portable form factor.
Solution Approach 2:
The device allows adjustment of key parameters such as the distance between the focusing lens and the bottle (controlled to be less than 1mm), and the angle of incidence (180 degrees between emitted beam and reflected fluorescence beam). These parameter optimizations maintain measurement precision in a portable device.
3Measurement precision
If the light beam is focused deep inside the container, then authentication accuracy is improved, but light attenuation and signal loss increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of focusing the light beam deep inside the container, the patent focuses it just below the surface (within less than 1mm from the inner wall). This partial penetration is sufficient to authenticate the beverage while minimizing light attenuation and energy loss through the bottle wall.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes fluorescence phenomenon where the excitation light causes molecules in the beverage to emit light at different wavelengths. This optical interaction provides strong authentication signals without requiring deep light penetration, thus reducing energy loss.
4Measurement precision
If multiple light sources and complex optical systems are used, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions into a single integrated portable device: the light source, beam splitter, focusing lens, spectrometer, and sensors are all merged into one handheld unit. This consolidation maintains measurement precision while reducing overall system complexity compared to multiple separate devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The portable device is designed with universal applicability to authenticate different types of beverages in various bottle shapes and sizes. The positioning device and optical system are configured to adapt to different containers, reducing the need for multiple specialized devices.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution allows for reliable and efficient authentication of alcoholic beverages by optimizing the fluorescence measurement process, reducing power consumption, and minimizing interference, enabling quick and accurate differentiation between authentic and counterfeit products.
Implementation Method 1
a single light source, emitting a monochromatic excitation light beam with a wavelength between 350 and 650 nanometers; a filtering device for filtering the fluorescence radiation captured by the focusing lens
Data Source
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Figure 4a~4b
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for testing an alcoholic beverage through a container that is at least partially transparent, the method comprising the steps of: - acquiring (80) a fluorescence spectrum of the beverage through the wall of the container; - normalizing the profile of the measured spectrum with respect to the maximum intensity of a reference spectrum; - calculating a similarity factor between the measured spectrum and the reference spectrum; - determining (86), based on the value of the similarity factor obtained, whether the beverage is authentic.