SBIR Phase I: Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) Mounted Sensor for Benthic Studies

9860528 这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将开发一种叶绿素荧光传感器，用于部署在远程操作车辆（REACH）或拖曳雪橇平台上。 传感器将针对蓝色激发和红色荧光发射波长处的光束衰减校正测量的荧光信号。 该传感器包含一个参考通道，用于在这些波长处原位测量总光束衰减系数。 该传感器的一个独特功能是RF调制的蓝色发光二极管（LED）激发源，与频域检测电子设备相结合。 这将允许利用光学测距技术精确确定光学测量路径长度。 测量的路径长度和衰减系数然后提供总的激发和荧光光束衰减。 除了能够在广泛的水光学条件下确定校正的荧光强度外，传感器还将测量叶绿素荧光寿命。 这个特征是关键的，因为它将解决困扰用于确定生物量的简单叶绿素荧光强度测量的最基本的问题，即，叶绿素荧光强度不能与微藻生物量直接相关，因为体内叶绿素的荧光量子产率变化很大。 预计将应用于生物海洋学研究和海洋环境监测的传感器。 除海洋应用外，其他潜在市场包括农业、水产养殖、养鱼、植物基因工程、生物反应器中的在线过程分析和林业。

9860528 This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop a chlorophyll fluorescence sensor for deployment on a remote operating vehicle (ROV) or towed sled platform. The sensor will correct the measured fluorescence signal for beam attenuation at the blue excitation and the red fluorescence emission wavelengths. The sensor contains a reference channel to measure in situ the total beam attenuation coefficients at these wavelengths. A unique feature of the sensor is a RF modulated blue light-emitting diode (LED) excitation source, coupled with frequency-domain detection electronics. This will permit accurate determination of the optical measurement pathlength with an optical ranging technique. Measured pathlength and the attenuation coefficients then provide total excitation and fluorescence beam attenuation. In addition to being able to determine the corrected fluorescence intensity over a wide range of water optical conditions, the sensor will measure chlorophyll fluorescence lifetime. This feature is critical because it will solve the most fundamental problem that plagues simple chlorophyll fluorescence intensity measurements for determination of biomass, i.e., that chlorophyll fluorescence intensity cannot be directly correlated to microalgal biomass because the fluorescence quantum yield of chlorophyll in vivo is highly variable. Applications are expected in sensors for biological oceanography research and for marine environmental monitoring. In addition to marine application, other potential markets include agriculture, aquaculture, fish farming, plant genetic engineering, on-line process-analysis in bioreactors, and forestry.