Apparatus and methods for detecting explosives and other substances
US6967103B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 3, 2001 |
| Grant date | Nov 22, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 9, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T436/173845
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An explosive detector that utilizes an array of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) coated, bifurcated fiber optic cables to form an image of a target molecule source. Individual sensor fiber assemblies, each with a calibrated airflow, are used to expose the fibers to the target molecule. The detector energizes a dedicated excitation light source for each fiber, while simultaneously reading and processing the intensity of the resulting fluorescence that is indicative of the concentration of the target molecule. Processing electronics precisely controls the excitation current, and measures the detected signal from each narrow band pass filter and photodiode. A computer with display processes the data to form an image of the target molecule source that can be used to identify the source even when low level contamination of the same molecule is present. The detector can be used to detect multiple and/or non-explosive targets by varying the MIP coating.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.