Fluorescent Oxygen Probe for Sealed Container Measurement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for measuring oxygen concentration in hermetically sealed containers are labor-intensive and require dual devices, consuming samples and taking around 30 seconds per measurement, making it inefficient and inconvenient, especially for small containers.
Innovation Solution
A method using a fluorescent oxygen concentration meter with a hollow needle to pierce the container, allowing the probe to measure oxygen in the headspace and fluid without extracting samples, using the fluorescent light intensity and quenching time to calculate oxygen concentrations without consuming oxygen, and calculating headspace volume from pressure measurements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If electro-chemical oxygen concentration meters are used to measure oxygen content, then oxygen concentration can be detected, but the measurement process consumes oxygen and changes the conditions inside the container, making subsequent measurements inaccurate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the electro-chemical measurement system with an optical measurement system using fluorescent substances. The fluorescent substance emits light that is quenched by oxygen, allowing oxygen concentration measurement without consuming oxygen. This substitution of measurement principle eliminates the harmful side effect of oxygen consumption while maintaining measurement capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a fluorescent substance as an intermediary between the measurement system and the oxygen. The fluorescent substance interacts with oxygen through quenching of fluorescent light, providing a measurement mechanism that does not consume oxygen. This intermediary enables indirect measurement that preserves the original oxygen content in the container.
2Measurement precision
If samples are extracted from the container for measurement, then oxygen content can be analyzed, but the extraction process is labor-intensive and requires dual measuring devices for headspace and fluid
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal measurement system where the fluorescent probe can measure oxygen in both headspace gas and fluid phases without requiring separate extraction procedures or dual measuring devices. The probe directly contacts both phases and measures oxygen concentration in each, eliminating the need for sample extraction and simplifying the measurement process to a single operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts only the necessary measurement function from the complex sampling and dual-device system. By using a fluorescent probe that can directly measure oxygen in both headspace and fluid, the system eliminates the extraction of physical samples and the need for multiple measuring devices, retaining only the essential measurement capability.
3Measurement precision
If conventional measurement methods are used, then oxygen content can be measured, but the process takes around 30 seconds per measurement and is inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the slow electro-chemical measurement process with a rapid optical measurement process. The fluorescent measurement system provides immediate readings upon contact with the sample, eliminating the 30-second measurement time required by electro-chemical methods and significantly improving measurement productivity.
4Measurement precision
If sample extraction is performed for measurement, then oxygen concentration can be determined, but sufficient sample quantity may not be available in small containers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the sample extraction requirement with a direct in-situ measurement approach. The fluorescent probe measures oxygen concentration directly in the container without needing to extract samples, allowing accurate measurement even in small containers where insufficient sample quantity would prevent conventional extraction-based measurement.
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
Enables rapid, precise, and continuous measurement of oxygen in both headspace and fluid, reducing operator labor and equipment complexity, and allowing measurements in small containers without sample extraction or oxygen consumption.
Implementation Method 1
The latter concentration meter utilizes the phenomenon that the fluorescent energy that the fluorescent substance generates is consumed as the excitation energy of the ground state oxygen present around that fluorescent substance, thus quenching the fluorescent light, and the oxygen concentration is specified from the intensity and duration of the fluorescent light.
Implementation Method 2
piercing the container using a hollow needle in a state in which an interior space is sealed from the outside of the hollow needle except for a tip of the hollow needle and made continuous with the headspace within the container
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
An object is to offer a method that can efficiently measure the oxygen content of both the headspace and fluid within a hermetically sealed container by taking advantage of the characteristics of a fluorescent-type oxygen concentration meter. A container 2 is pierced using a hollow needle 28 with the interior space 28a sealed from the outside and the tip of said hollow needle 28 removed, and the interior space 28a is made continuous with the headspace within the container 2; a probe 11 of a fluorescent oxygen concentration meter 10 is inserted through the hollow needle 28 to the interior of the container 2; the fluorescent material of the probe 11 is positioned in the headspace 3 within the container 2, and the oxygen concentration of the headspace 3 is measured; and the probe 11 is inserted further so that the fluorescent material is submerged in the fluid 4 inside the container 2, and the dissolved oxygen concentration inside the fluid 4 is measured.