Variable fan for portable explosive or drug detection system
AssigneeChem Spectra, Inc.
InventorsJeffrey Haas, Douglas Haas
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems and methods are disclosed to automatically detect the presence of a substance on a test swipe by capturing a background image of the test swipe; applying one or more test chemicals to a test swipe; adjusting the temperature of the test swipe to a predetermined temperature range; controlling a variable speed fan to avoid fogging the camera's lens; capturing an in-situ image of the test swipe after the application of chemical at the predetermined temperature range; subtracting the background image from the in-situ image; generating a difference value from the two images; and searching a known database to identify the substance.
Claims21
A method to detect the presence of a substance on a test swipe, comprising:
- capturing a background image of the test swipe;
- applying one or more test chemicals to a test swipe to form sequences of color bar codes based on changing multiple sets of color bar codes generated for unique chemical reaction sequence for the substance;
- adjusting the temperature of the test swipe to a predetermined temperature range and hold times to during automated chemical deposition to provide chemical reactions to form new color bar codes for the substance;
- controlling a variable speed fan to avoid fogging the camera's lens;
- capturing multiple in-situ images of the test swipe after the application of chemical at the predetermined temperature range;
- subtracting the background image from the in-situ images;
- generating a difference value from any two images;
- and
- searching a known database to identify the substance based on changing multiple sets of color bar codes generated for unique chemical reaction sequence under specific time and temperature control.
An apparatus to analyze a test swipe to identify a chemical composition, comprising:
- a heater to warm the test swipe to various predetermined temperatures at various hold times;
- a clamp to secure the test swipe to the heater;
- one or more pumps to dispense one or more chemicals onto the test swipe from a disposable cartridge;
- a variable speed fan to remove chemical vapors rising a predetermined distance from the test swipe but leaving vapors immediately in contact with the swipe;
- a camera to capture an image of the test swipe for analysis and for real-time viewing by the operator to provide secondary level of assessment;
- and
- a processor and computer readable code coupled to the camera, the computer readable code includes capturing a background image of the test swipe;
- applying one or more test chemicals to a test swipe to form a color bar code based on changing multiple sets of color bar codes generated for unique chemical reaction sequence for the substance;
- adjusting the temperature of the test swipe to a predetermined temperature range;
- capturing an in-situ image of the test swipe after the application of chemical at the predetermined temperature range and hold times to during automated chemical deposition to provide chemical reactions to form new color bar codes for the substance;
- subtracting the background image from the in-situ image;
- generating a difference value from the two images;
- and searching a known database to identify the substance based on changing multiple sets of color bar codes generated for unique chemical reaction sequence under specific time and temperature control.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.