Optical Analyte Sensor with Integrated Telecentric Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automated blood analyzers face challenges in acquiring high-quality and consistent imagery for analyte detection due to manufacturing differences in test cartridges and inhomogeneous illumination, leading to inconsistent analyte testing results.
Innovation Solution
The system employs a telecentric imaging module with a bent light pipe conduit for consistent illumination and a single structure housing the container, lens, and optical detector, ensuring constant magnification and focus, and using LEDs of different colors to minimize chromatic differences.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a conventional imaging module is used without a single structure housing, then the device complexity is reduced, but the manufacturing precision and image consistency deteriorate due to relative positioning differences between test cartridges
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the container, optical aperture, lens, and optical detector into a single integrated structure housing. This integration ensures that the relative positioning between these components remains constant across different test cartridges, eliminating image consistency issues caused by manufacturing variations while avoiding the need for complex separate alignment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The single structure housing serves multiple functions simultaneously: it contains the biochemical sample, defines the optical aperture, supports the lens, and houses the optical detector. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate structural elements and simplifies the overall device design while maintaining manufacturing precision.
2Illumination intensity
If multiple light sources are used for illumination, then the illumination intensity is improved, but the inhomogeneous illumination and chromatic differences worsen the measurement precision
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a light conduit as an intermediary element between the light source and the sample container. This light conduit uniformly distributes light from multiple LED sources across the sample area, eliminating inhomogeneous illumination patterns and chromatic differences that would otherwise degrade measurement precision.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a bent light pipe conduit is used for light delivery, then the illumination homogeneity is improved, but the device complexity increases due to the non-linear optical path
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a bent light pipe conduit with a curved non-linear optical path instead of a straight light delivery mechanism. This curvature allows the light pipe to uniformly distribute illumination across the sample area while the integrated structure housing absorbs the geometric complexity, preventing it from increasing overall device complexity.
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 approach ensures consistent and accurate analyte detection across different test cartridges, reducing the need for complex image processing and calibration, while maintaining low costs through injection molding and affordable materials.
Implementation Method 1
The light conduit supports total internal reflection of light received from the light source at a first end of the light conduit and can deliver reflected light to the container at a second end of the conduit
Data Source
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Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
Technology described in this document can be embodied in a system for detecting analytes in a biochemical sample. The system includes a container configured to contain the biochemical sample. The system also includes a light source, an optical detector, a lens, and an optical aperture. The lens is disposed between the container and the optical detector, and the optical aperture is disposed between the lens and the optical detector. The system further includes a structure configured to house the container, the optical aperture, the lens, and the optical detector.