US4596697A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Chemical sensor matrix
Assignee: United States Department of the Army
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Filing: 1984-09-04
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Granted: 1986-06-24
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Expires: 2004-09-04
Abstract
Abstract A chemical sensor matrix is provided for sensing the presence of chemical agents by chemo-electronic means. The chemical sensor matrix is comprised of a plurality of resonators embedded in a single monolithic piece of piezoelectric crystal. The resonators are arranged in rectangular row and column configuration including m rows and n columns, each of the resonators being separated from its neighboring resonators by distances such that the resonant energies do not overlap. Each of the resonators is coated with a different chemical substance to be sensitive to a chemical agent to be detected so that when the chemical substance reacts with the chemical agent, the frequency f mn changes. Each of the rows of resonators bears a metallic electrode stripe for that row, and each of said columns of resonators bears a metallic stripe for that column. The electrode row stripes are positioned on the top surface of the crystal, and the electrode column stripes are positioned on the bottom surface of the crystal. The areas of overlap of said row and column stripes are registered with the central portions of the embedded resonators. Two diode arrays are positioned on the periphery of the crystal for addressing the individual row electrode stripes and the individual column electrode stripes so that the desired resonator can be activated by connecting the stripe corresponding to its row address and the stripe corresponding to its column address to suitable active oscillator circuitry and signal processing means. The resonators f mn can then be interrogated sequentially and frequency change registered.
Inventors
- 👤 Arthur Ballato
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 06:21
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01N; G01N29/00; G01N29/02; G01N29/036; G01N33/00; G01N33/0004; G01N33/0009; G01N33/0027; G01N33/0031; G01N2291/00; G01N2291/02; G01N2291/025; G01N2291/0256
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
250 words
A chemical sensor matrix for sensing the presence of chemical agents by chemo-electronic means, said chemical sensor matrix comprising a plurality of resonators embedded in a single monolithic piece of piezoelectric quartz crystal, said resonators being arranged in rectangular row and column configuration including m rows and n columns, each of said resonators being separated from its neighboring resonators by distances such that the resonant energies do not overlap, each of said resonators being coated with a different chemical substance to be sensitive to a chemical agent to be detected so that when the chemical agent reacts with the chemical substance so that the frequency f mn changes, each of said rows bearing a metallic electrode stripe for that row and each of said columns of resonators bearing a metallic electrode stripe for that column, said electrode row stripes being positioned on the top surface of the crystal, said electrode column stripes being positioned on the bottom surface of the crystal, and wherein the areas of overlap of said row and column stripes are registered with the central portions of the embedded resonators, two diode arrays positioned on the periphery of the crystal for addressing the individual row-electrode stripes and the individual column electrode stripes so that the desired resonator can be activated by connecting the stripe corresponding to its row address and the stripe corresponding to its column address to suitable active oscillator circuitry and signal processing means and the resonators (mn) then interrogated sequentially and frequency change registered.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
250 words
A chemical sensor matrix for sensing the presence of chemical agents by chemo-electronic means, said chemical sensor matrix comprising a plurality of resonators embedded in a single monolithic piece of piezoelectric quartz crystal, said resonators being arranged in rectangular row and column configuration including m rows and n columns, each of said resonators being separated from its neighboring resonators by distances such that the resonant energies do not overlap, each of said resonators being coated with a different chemical substance to be sensitive to a chemical agent to be detected so that when the chemical agent reacts with the chemical substance so that the frequency f mn changes, each of said rows bearing a metallic electrode stripe for that row and each of said columns of resonators bearing a metallic electrode stripe for that column, said electrode row stripes being positioned on the top surface of the crystal, said electrode column stripes being positioned on the bottom surface of the crystal, and wherein the areas of overlap of said row and column stripes are registered with the central portions of the embedded resonators, two diode arrays positioned on the periphery of the crystal for addressing the individual row-electrode stripes and the individual column electrode stripes so that the desired resonator can be activated by connecting the stripe corresponding to its row address and the stripe corresponding to its column address to suitable active oscillator circuitry and signal processing means and the resonators (mn) then interrogated sequentially and frequency change registered.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
280 words
A chemical sensor matrix for sensing the presence of chemical agents by chemo-electronic means, said chemical sensor matrix comprising a plurality of resonators embedded in a single monolithic piece of piezoelectric quartz crystal, said resonators being arranged in rectangular row and column configuration including m rows and n columns, each of said resonators being separated from its neighboring resonators by distances such that the resonant energies do not overlap, each of said resonators being coated with a different chemical substance to be sensitive to a chemical agent to be detected so that when the chemical agent reacts with the chemical substance the frequency f mn changes, each of said rows of resonators bearing a metallic electrode stripe for that row and each of said columns of resonators bearing a metallic electrode stripe for that column, said electrode row stripes being positioned on the top surface of the crystal, said electrode column stripes being positioned on the bottom surface of the crystal, and wherein the areas of overlap of said row and column stripes are registered with the central portions of the embedded resonators, two diode arrays positioned on the periphery of the crystal for addressing the individual row electrode stripes and the individual column electrode stripes so that the desired resonator can be activated by connecting the stripe corresponding to its row address and the stripe corresponding to its column address to suitable active oscillator circuitry and signal processing means and the resonators (mn) then interrogated sequentially and frequency change registered and a comparison made with the f mn starting frequencies stored in a read only memory (ROM) device, determining which chemical agents are present, as well as the amount.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
280 words
A chemical sensor matrix for sensing the presence of chemical agents by chemo-electronic means, said chemical sensor matrix comprising a plurality of resonators embedded in a single monolithic piece of piezoelectric quartz crystal, said resonators being arranged in rectangular row and column configuration including m rows and n columns, each of said resonators being separated from its neighboring resonators by distances such that the resonant energies do not overlap, each of said resonators being coated with a different chemical substance to be sensitive to a chemical agent to be detected so that when the chemical agent reacts with the chemical substance the frequency f mn changes, each of said rows of resonators bearing a metallic electrode stripe for that row and each of said columns of resonators bearing a metallic electrode stripe for that column, said electrode row stripes being positioned on the top surface of the crystal, said electrode column stripes being positioned on the bottom surface of the crystal, and wherein the areas of overlap of said row and column stripes are registered with the central portions of the embedded resonators, two diode arrays positioned on the periphery of the crystal for addressing the individual row electrode stripes and the individual column electrode stripes so that the desired resonator can be activated by connecting the stripe corresponding to its row address and the stripe corresponding to its column address to suitable active oscillator circuitry and signal processing means and the resonators (mn) then interrogated sequentially and frequency change registered and a comparison made with the f mn starting frequencies stored in a read only memory (ROM) device, determining which chemical agents are present, as well as the amount.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
15 words
A chemical sensor matrix according to claim 1 wherein the resonators have the same frequency.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
14 words
A chemical sensor matrix according to claim 1 wherein the resonators differ in frequency.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1989-06-23 | 1989-12-23 | 1990-06-24 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1993-06-23 | 1993-12-23 | 1994-06-24 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1997-06-23 | 1997-12-23 | 1998-06-24 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |