Portable Optical Analysis Accessory Using Plasmonic Nanostructures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for analyzing biological samples using electronic devices are limited in their ability to accurately and efficiently detect substances like viruses through spectral shifts, as they often require complex equipment and may not provide real-time, portable solutions.
Innovation Solution
A portable electronic device system with a removable accessory that includes a light source and a rear-facing camera, utilizing reactant-coated gold nanorods or other nanostructures on a transparent substrate to measure spectral shifts associated with reactions, allowing for the determination of sample composition by analyzing changes in plasmonic resonance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If complex equipment is used for analyzing biological samples, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the core measurement function from complex laboratory equipment and implements it in a portable device. The rear-facing camera and light source are separated from the test substrate, with only the simple substrate needing to be handled by the user. The complex spectral analysis is performed by the portable device's processor, not requiring complex physical equipment at the measurement point.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the rear-facing camera to capture optical signals that copy the spectral information from the nanostructures. Instead of requiring direct physical interaction with complex measurement equipment, the system creates an optical copy of the spectral shifts through camera imaging, enabling precise measurement through a simple interface.
2Ease of operation
If portable devices are used for sample analysis, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the operational parameters of the portable device to optimize for precision. The light source wavelength is carefully selected to match the plasmonic resonance of the nanostructures, and the camera exposure parameters are optimized to capture subtle spectral shifts. These parameter optimizations enable a portable device to achieve laboratory-grade measurement precision.
3Productivity
If real-time analysis is implemented, then productivity is improved, but use of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic illumination rather than continuous lighting. The light source is activated only when a sample is detected on the substrate, and the camera captures images at specific intervals during the reaction process. This periodic operation enables real-time monitoring capability while significantly reducing overall energy consumption compared to continuous operation.
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 efficient, portable, and accurate analysis of biological samples by measuring spectral shifts caused by reactions between substances and reactants on nanostructures, providing real-time data on sample composition using a user-friendly, cost-effective setup.
Implementation Method 1
The substrate may have patches of reactant-coated gold nanorods or other nanostructures that exhibit plasmonic resonances when illuminated by light
Implementation Method 2
The light passes through the transparent test slide to the patches of reactant-coated nanorods or other nanostructures and scatters from the nanostructures in a perpendicular direction through the lens towards the camera
Implementation Method 3
The portable device can measure spectral shifts associated with reactions between viruses and other substances in samples and reactant on the nanostructures
Data Source
AI summary
A test system may be used to measure biological samples and other samples. Samples may be placed on a test substrate such as a test slide or other transparent substrate. The substrate may have patches of reactant-coated gold nanorods or other nanostructures that exhibit plasmonic resonances. An accessory may be removably coupled to a portable electronic device such as a cellular telephone. The accessory may have a lens and a light source that emits light into an edge of the test slide. The light may scatter from the nanostructures in a perpendicular direction towards a camera in the portable electronic device so that the portable electronic device can gather images of the illuminated substrate and measure spectral shifts associated with reactions between the samples and the reactant, thereby helping to analyze the composition of the samples.