Plant Leaf Imaging for Non-Invasive TCE Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for detecting trichloroethylene (TCE) in soil or groundwater are time-consuming and costly, and existing plant-based detection methods are invasive, labor-intensive, and expensive, with risks of damaging plants and introducing infections.
Innovation Solution
A non-invasive system that uses in-situ imaging of plant leaves to detect exposure to TCE by illuminating the leaves with white light and analyzing the spectral bands of reflected light using a detector and processor to compare with reference data, providing indications of TCE exposure without harming the plant.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional monitoring well drilling and water sampling methods are used to detect TCE, then detection accuracy is improved, but time consumption and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical drilling and laboratory analysis with optical imaging technology. The system uses a digital imaging device to capture images of plant leaves, which are then processed to detect TCE exposure indicators, eliminating the need for physical well drilling and complex lab procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates an optical copy of the plant leaf information through imaging. Instead of physically extracting and analyzing plant materials, the system captures visual information from intact leaves and processes this optical data to detect TCE exposure, providing accurate results without physical disturbance.
2Measurement precision
If traditional monitoring well drilling and water sampling methods are used to detect TCE, then detection accuracy is improved, but cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive mechanical drilling equipment and laboratory analysis infrastructure with affordable digital imaging devices and computational processing. This substitution dramatically reduces the cost of TCE detection while maintaining or improving accuracy through image-based plant response analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses inexpensive digital imaging technology and software processing instead of expensive, long-lived monitoring infrastructure. The system can be deployed as needed without requiring permanent wells or continuous laboratory operations, reducing overall detection costs.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If tree core sampling is used to detect TCE in plants, then detection capability is improved, but plant damage and infection risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical core sampling with optical imaging. The digital imaging device captures light reflected from or transmitted through intact leaves, eliminating the need to physically remove core samples and thereby preventing plant damage and potential infections.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates optical copies of leaf information through imaging rather than physically extracting material. This copying approach allows comprehensive detection of TCE exposure indicators while leaving the plant completely intact and undamaged.
4Measurement precision
If leaf harvesting and laboratory analysis is used to detect TCAA, then detection precision is improved, but labor intensity and plant damage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual leaf harvesting and complex laboratory derivatization procedures with automated optical imaging and digital image processing. The system captures images and uses computational algorithms to detect TCE exposure indicators, eliminating labor-intensive manual operations while maintaining detection precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses optical copying through imaging to capture leaf information without physical removal or handling. This approach eliminates the labor-intensive steps of harvesting, packing, shipping, and laboratory processing while preserving detection capability through non-contact optical analysis.
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 system allows for rapid, cost-effective, and non-destructive detection of TCE exposure in plants, indicating the presence of TCE in soil or groundwater, reducing the costs associated with traditional monitoring and cleanup efforts.
Implementation Method 1
A source causes white light to impinge upon a plant's leaf for interaction therewith where the interaction produces interacted light
Implementation Method 2
A light detector is positioned to detect at least one spectral band of the interacted light
Data Source
AI summary
A system detects a plant's exposure to trichloroethylene (TCE) through plant leaf imaging. White light impinging upon a plant's leaf interacts therewith to produce interacted light. A detector is positioned to detect at least one spectral band of the interacted light. A processor coupled to the detector performs comparisons between photonic energy of the interacted light at the one or more spectral bands thereof and reference data defining spectral responses indicative of leaf exposure to TCE. An output device coupled to the processor provides indications of the comparisons.