Patent US5489988A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5489988A
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US
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Environmental sensor and method therefor
Assignee: NXP USA Inc
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Filing: 1995-01-03
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Granted: 1996-02-06
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Expires: 2015-01-03
Abstract
Abstract A sensor (10,30,40,50,70) for detecting chemicals and changes in the surrounding environment utilizes a sol-gel sensor element (14,16,17,54,56,57) containing a chemical indicator. Grooves (12,13,24,52,53) are formed in a substrate (11,51). The grooves are filled with a sol-gel material having a chemical indicator, and the sol-gel is cured to adhere to the substrate (11,51). The grooves (12,13,24,52,53) are formed to facilitate optically coupling a fiber optic cable (46) to the sol-gel sensor element. Light is coupled from the fiber optic cable (46) to the sol-gel sensor element (14,16,17,54,56,57).
Inventors
- 👤 Donald E. Ackley
- 👤 Michael Krihak
- 👤 Chan-Long Shieh
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 00:49
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01N; G01N21/00; G01N21/75; G01N21/77; G01N21/78; G01N21/783; G02; G02B; G02B6/00; G02B6/10; G02B6/12; G02B6/13; G02B6/24; G02B6/26; G02B6/262; G02B6/30; G02B6/42; G02B6/4201; G02B6/4204; G02B6/4214
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 31
Claim 1
Independent Claim
31 words
An environmental sensor comprising: a substrate having a surface; a plurality of parallel grooves on the surface; and a sol-gel sensor element in each groove of the plurality of parallel grooves.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
31 words
An environmental sensor comprising: a substrate having a surface; a plurality of parallel grooves on the surface; and a sol-gel sensor element in each groove of the plurality of parallel grooves.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
The sensor of claim 1 further including at least one sol-gel sensor element having a chemical indicator.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
The sensor of claim 2 wherein the chemical indicator is one of fluorescein, bromocresol green, bromocresol purple, Ru(pby) 2+ , or Ru(Ph 2 phen) 3 2+ .
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
15 words
The sensor of claim 2 wherein each sol-gel sensor element has a different chemical indicator.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
35 words
The sensor of claim 1 further including an optical device optically coupled to a first end of each sol-gel sensor element of the sol-gel sensor element in each groove of the plurality of parallel grooves.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
35 words
The sensor of claim 5 further including an optical device optically coupled to a second end of each sol-gel sensor element of the sol-gel sensor element in each groove of the plurality of parallel grooves.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
31 words
The sensor of claim 5 further including a plurality of bonding pads on the surface for interconnecting to the optical device coupled to the first end of each sol-gel sensor element.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
42 words
The sensor of claim 1 further including a fiber ribbon cable having a plurality of optical fibers aligned to the plurality of parallel grooves so that an end of each sol-gel sensor element is optically coupled to the plurality of optical fibers.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
35 words
The sensor of claim 1 further including a plurality of alignment grooves and a locating pin within each alignment groove, the locating pin having a length that is greater than a length of the substrate.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
51 words
The sensor of claim 9 further including a connector body housing a fiber ribbon cable having a plurality of optical fibers, the connector body having an alignment opening aligned to the locating pin so that an end of each sol-gel sensor element is optically coupled to the plurality of optical fibers.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
26 words
The sensor of claim 1 wherein the substrate is a molded plastic material and the plurality of parallel grooves are molded into the molded plastic material.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
67 words
The sensor of claim 11 further including a prism molded into the substrate near a first end of each sensor element, the prism optically coupled to the first end of each sensor element for receiving light from a first sol-gel sensor element of the sol-gel sensor element in each groove and reflecting light into a second sol-gel sensor element of the sol-gel sensor element in each groove.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
14 words
The sensor of claim 1 wherein each sol-gel sensor element has a chemical indicator.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
44 words
An environmental sensor comprising: a silicon substrate having a surface; a plurality of parallel V-shaped grooves on the surface; and a sol-gel sensor element in each groove of the plurality of parallel V-shaped grooves, at least one sol-gel sensor element having a chemical indicator.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
44 words
An environmental sensor comprising: a silicon substrate having a surface; a plurality of parallel V-shaped grooves on the surface; and a sol-gel sensor element in each groove of the plurality of parallel V-shaped grooves, at least one sol-gel sensor element having a chemical indicator.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
34 words
The sensor of claim 14 further including an alignment V-groove and a locating pin within the alignment V-groove, the locating pin having a length that is greater than a length of the silicon substrate.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
27 words
The sensor of claim 14 wherein the chemical indicator is one of fluorescein, bromocresol green, bromocresol purple, Ru(pby) 2+ , or Ru(Ph 2 phen) 3 2+ .
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
15 words
The sensor of claim 16 wherein each sol-gel sensor element has a different chemical indicator.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
27 words
The sensor of claim 14 wherein the plurality of parallel V-shaped grooves have a width of approximately 10 to 50 microns at a top of each groove.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
21 words
The sensor of claim 14 further including an optical device optically coupled to a first end of each sol-gel sensor element.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
30 words
The sensor of claim 19 wherein the optical device is an optical emitter, and further including an optical detector optically coupled to a second end of each sol-gel sensor element.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
19 words
The sensor of claim 20 wherein the optical emitter and the optical detector are formed in the silicon substrate.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
22 words
The sensor of claim 20 wherein the optical emitter and the optical detector are attached to the surface of the silicon substrate.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
34 words
The sensor of claim 19 wherein an end of a groove of the plurality of V-shape grooves functions as a mirror for reflecting light for optically coupling the optical device to the first end.
Claim 26
Independent Claim
45 words
A method of forming a sensor comprising: forming a substrate having a plurality of grooves in a surface of the substrate; and forming a sol-gel sensor element within each groove of the plurality of grooves, at least one sol-gel sensor element having a chemical indicator.
Claim 27
Independent Claim
45 words
A method of forming a sensor comprising: forming a substrate having a plurality of grooves in a surface of the substrate; and forming a sol-gel sensor element within each groove of the plurality of grooves, at least one sol-gel sensor element having a chemical indicator.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 24 further including forming alignment grooves parallel to the plurality of grooves and positioning a locating pin within each alignment groove.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 24 wherein forming the sol-gel sensor element within each groove includes spinning a hydrolyzed sol-gel material containing the chemical indicator into each groove then curing the hydrolyzed sol-gel material.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of claim 24 wherein forming the sol-gel sensor element within each groove includes forming a multi-layer sol-gel sensor element by successive application and curing of a sol-gel material.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 27 wherein the chemical indicator resides only in a single layer of the multi-layer sol-gel sensor element.
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) | 1999-02-05 | 1999-08-07 | 2000-02-06 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2003-02-05 | 2003-08-07 | 2004-02-06 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2007-02-05 | 2007-08-07 | 2008-02-06 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |