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US 11,940,454 B2Granted
Optical reader for analyte testing
AssigneeAspida Dx Inc.
InventorsAshutosh Shastry, David Piehler, Hardeep Sanghera, Michael Gluzczack, Pranav Chopra, Yun-Pei Chang, Ameya Kantak
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Analyte collection and testing systems and methods, and more particularly to disposable oral fluid collection and testing systems and methods. Described herein are methods and apparatuses to achieve significant improvements in the detection of fluorescence signals in the reader.
Claims13
A method of reading optical signals from a photonic chip of a removable cartridge in an optical reader, the method comprising:
- aligning a scan head of the optical reader with the chip so that a laser source, a plurality of fibers, and an optical sensor of the scan head are aligned along a polarization axis with the chip;
- maintaining a polarization of the polarization axis in a transverse-magnetic (TM) polarization;
- and
- emitting one or more beams of light from the laser source, through the plurality of fibers and into an edge of the photonic chip in the TM polarization;
- and
- detecting, in the optical sensor, TM polarized light from one or more waveguides within the chip when the one or more beams of light interact with an analyte molecule on the chip.
3 more elements
An optical reader device for reading a photonic chip of a removable cartridge, the device comprising:
- a scan head;
- a plurality of laser sources each configured to emit light having a transverse-magnetic (TM) polarization;
- a first plurality of optical fibers, wherein each laser source is coupled to one optical fiber of the first plurality of optical fibers, further wherein the first plurality of optical fibers are polarization maintaining single-mode fibers;
- a plurality of optical sensors;
- a second plurality of optical fibers, wherein each optical sensor is coupled to one optical fiber of the second plurality of optical fibers, further wherein the second plurality of optical fibers are multimode fibers;
- wherein each of the first plurality of optical fibers and the second plurality of optical fibers terminates on the scan head so that an end of each optical fiber of the first and second pluralities of optical fibers are arranged in a line facing a gap;
- and
- a cartridge holder configured to receive the removable cartridge so that the photonic chip is aligned with a polarization axis formed by the scan head so that an end of the photonic chip comprising a plurality of waveguides faces the gap, across from the scan head,
- wherein the device is configured to maintain the polarization of the polarization axis in a transverse-magnetic (TM) polarization.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.