Infrared sensor for soil or water and method of operation thereof
AssigneeMax-IR Labs, LLC
InventorEcatherina Roodenko
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An infrared (IR) sensor and a method of detecting molecular species in a liquid. In one embodiment, the IR sensor includes: (1) an IR light source configured to emit IR light, (2) a sensing element configured to receive the IR light, the IR light generating an evanescent field about the sensing element as the IR light propagates therethrough, molecules in a subject liquid interacting with the evanescent field and affecting a characteristic of the IR light and (3) an IR light detector configured to receive the IR light from the sensing element and detect the characteristic.
Claims17
An infrared (IR) sensor, comprising:
- an IR light source configured to emit IR light;
- a sensing element configured to receive said IR light, said IR light generating an evanescent field about said sensing element as said IR light propagates therethrough, molecules in a subject liquid interacting with said evanescent field and affecting a characteristic of said IR light;
- an IR light detector configured to receive said IR light from said sensing element and detect said characteristic;
- and
- a selective ion-exchange (IX) medium configured to transport a molecular species in said subject liquid proximate said sensing element.
A method of detecting molecular species in a liquid, comprising:
- propagating IR light through a sensing element, said propagating generating an evanescent field about said sensing element, molecules in a subject liquid proximate said sensing element interacting with and affecting said evanescent field;
- detecting in an IR light detector a characteristic of said IR light affected by said evanescent field;
- and
- transporting a molecular species toward said sensing element with a selective ion-exchange (IX) medium.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.