Optical sensing of measurands
AssigneeOptomed PLC
InventorsDag R. Hjelme, Arne Berg, Reinold Ellingsen, Berit Falch, Astrid Bjorkoy, Dan Ostling
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Abstract
A chemical sensing probe comprises an optical fiber or may be mounted on an optical fiber. The probe has a chemically sensitive measuring material which exhibits a change in volume and/or a change in refractive index in the presence of a given chemical. The change in volume and/or refractive index gives a change in an optical path length through the probe which can be measured interferometrically.
Claims51
An interferometric chemical sensing probe comprising or for mounting to an optical fiber, and a chemically responsive measuring material adapted to exhibit a change in volume and/or refractive index in the presence of a given chemical so as to produce a change in at least one optical path length through the probe.
An interferometric sensing probe comprising or for mounting to an optical fiber, and a measuring material comprising a cross-linked polymer adapted to exhibit a change in volume and/or refractive index in response to a given measurand so as to produce a change in at least one optical path length through the probe.
An optical sensing probe comprising:
- a measuring material said measuring material undergoing a change in volume in response to a given measurand;
- and
- a reflector coupled to the measuring material so as to be moved by the measuring material as the measuring material changes in volume, thereby changing the length of a light path through the apparatus.
An interferometric chemical sensing probe comprising or for mounting to an optical fiber, a first chemically responsive measuring material adapted to exhibit a change in volume and/or refractive index in the presence of a given chemical so as to produce a change in at least a first optical path length through the probe;
- and a second chemically responsive measuring material adapted to exhibit a change in volume and/or refractive index in the presence of a given environmental paramter so as to produce a change in a second optical path length through the probe;
- wherein said first and second measuring materials are substantially the same and wherein said probe is arranged such that in use said secnd measuring material does not come into contact with a target analyte.
A probe as claimed in clam 33 comprising an intermediate lens between said substrate and said fiber.
An apparatus for sensing a chemical interferometrically comprising a substrate bearing a chemically responsive measuring material adapted to exhibit a change in volume and/or refractive index in the presence of a given chemical so as to produce a change in at least one optical path length through the apparatus, and at least one lens through which in use light traversing said optical path passes.
A method of sensing a chemical comprising providing a probe including a measuring material that changes in volume and/or refractive index in the presence of said chemical, exposing said measuring material to said chemical and measuring interferometrically the resulting change in an optical path length through the probe.
A method of forming a gel on the end of an optical fiber comprising immobilising a pre-gel material on said fiber end, covering said pre-gel material with a lid, performing a gelation of the pre-gel material to form a gel and removing said lid.
A method of measuring a measurand comprising using a probe as a or part of a laser cavity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.