Systems and methods for sensing using consumer electronic devices
Inventors
Swager, Timothy Manning • Cox, Jason R. • Deans, Robert
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-11662346-B2
Publication Date
2023-05-30
Expiration Date
Abstract
Embodiments described herein generally relate to: sensing and/or authentication using luminescence imaging; diagnostic assays, systems, and related methods; temporal thermal sensing and related methods; and/or to emissive species, such as those excitable by white light, and related systems and methods.
Core Innovation
The invention relates to luminescence imaging sensing and authentication using a consumer electronic device having a source of electromagnetic radiation and a sensor. An emissive species produces a detectable signal in the presence of electromagnetic radiation, and the detectable signal includes one or more detectable delayed emissions having an emission time period greater than or equal to 10 nanoseconds. The consumer electronic device is used to determine an identity or characteristic of a chemical/biological species and to generate a luminescence-based output from the delayed emission.
A single image is generated that includes a first portion of the detectable signal corresponding to a first portion of the emission time period, and a second portion of the detectable signal corresponding to a second portion of the emission time period different than the first portion. The image portions encode emission-time segmentation so that differences between the first and second portions can be used to determine emissive-species characteristics or identity, including chemical/biological species and temporal changes such as stimulus-induced change and temporal thermal history.
The document further describes using delayed emission to support sensing modalities that combine steady-state photon emission and non-steady-state photon emission events, including diagnostic assays and temporal thermal sensing. It also describes smartphone-excitable emissive materials and temporal separation of emissions for sensing, quenching-related behavior, and multi-emissive encoding using smartphone or rolling-shutter imaging.
Claims Coverage
Two independent claims are identified: a system claim and a method claim. Across these independent claims, the core coverage includes using a consumer electronic device to excite an emissive species with electromagnetic radiation and to generate a single image containing first and second portions corresponding to different delayed-emission time segments, with delayed emission having an emission time period of greater than or equal to 10 nanoseconds.
Consumer-electronics delayed-emission single-image time segmentation
A system comprising a source of electromagnetic radiation associated with a consumer electronic device; a sensor associated with the consumer electronic device; an emissive species which produces a detectable signal in the presence of electromagnetic radiation produced by the source, the detectable signal detectable by the sensor, the detectable signal having one or more detectable delayed emissions having an emission time period of greater than or equal to 10 nanoseconds; and electronic hardware configured to generate a single image, the single image comprising a first portion of the detectable signal corresponding to a first portion of the emission time period and a second portion of the detectable signal corresponding to a second portion of the emission time period different than the first portion.
Consumer-electronics identity/characteristic determination using delayed emissions in a single time-split image
A method using a consumer electronic device to determine an identity or characteristic of a chemical/biological species, the consumer electronic device comprising a source of a spectrum of electromagnetic radiation; exposing an emissive species to the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation such that the emissive species produces a detectable delayed emission having an emission time period of greater than or equal to 10 nanoseconds which corresponds to the identity or characteristic of the chemical/biological species and which is detectable by the consumer electronic device; and generating a single image comprising a first portion of the detectable signal corresponding to a first portion of the emission time period and a second portion of the detectable signal corresponding to a second portion of the emission time period different than the first portion.
The independent claims jointly cover consumer-electronics excitation and sensor detection of delayed emission with an emission time period of greater than or equal to 10 nanoseconds, together with generation of a single image that allocates different portions of the detectable signal to different emission-time segments for determining an identity or characteristic of a chemical/biological species.
Stated Advantages
Avoids reliance on multiple excitation sources and optical filters for different emissive species.
Enables use of unmodified consumer electronics, including a smartphone, for luminescence imaging sensing and authentication.
Enables determination of emissive-species identity or characteristics and temporal changes from differences between image portions corresponding to different emission-time segments.
Supports diagnostic assays combining steady-state and non-steady-state photon emission events.
Enables temporal thermal sensing using delayed-emission lifetime labels.
Documented Applications
Luminescence imaging sensing and authentication using a consumer electronic device, including smartphone-based sensing.
Diagnostic assays based on combining steady-state and non-steady-state photon emission events.
Temporal thermal sensing using delayed-emission lifetime labels, including sensing temporal thermal history.
Determining an identity or characteristic of a chemical/biological species using delayed emission detectable by the consumer electronic device.
Product authentication using smartphone-excitable emissive materials.
Environmental sensing including oxygen or moisture sensing.
Diagnostic assays including immunoassays and antibody or antigen detection.
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