Patent ID: 7884940
Filing Date: 2011-02-08
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
1. A plasmon resonance sensor means comprising at least one arrangement of sensor spots which are arranged on or in a common substrate or held by a common substrate, wherein at least a first group of a plurality of sensor spots of the arrangement is configured as measurement spots which respond to at least one variable to be measured and based on which at least one measuring signal directly or indirectly representing the variable to be measured or a change in the variable to be measured is provideable by means of a measuring assembly, and at least a second group of a plurality of sensor spots of the arrangement, which are associated with the measurement spots, is configured as reference spots which do not respond or respond only insignificantly to the variable to be measured and based on which at least one reference signal is provideable by means of the measuring assembly, wherein a plasmon resonance is excitable in the substrate and the measuring signal and the reference signal are dependent on the excitation or non-excitation of a plasmon resonance or on the interaction of the excited plasmon with the environment in the region of a respective measurement spot or reference spot, the reference spots being configured relative to the associated measurement spots in such a way that the reference spots respond to at least one boundary condition variable to which the measurement spots also respond and which influences the at least one measuring signal such that the reference signal directly or indirectly represents the boundary condition variable or a change in the boundary condition variable, the sensor spots being arranged in a distributed manner such that both the reference spots and the measurement spots responding to the same variable to be measured are distributed over a common arrangement region such that such measurement spots are arranged between reference spots and reference spots are arranged between such measurement spots relative to at least one direction, wherein relative to the at least one direction for a plurality of measurement spots responding to the same variable to be measured and a plurality of reference spots or preferably for at least one of all measurement spots and all reference spots, at least one of the following arrangement provisions is met: i) relative to the at least one direction the measurement spots and the associated reference spots are arranged offset from one another in such a way that a respective measurement spot is arranged between two immediately adjacent reference spots; ii) relative to the at least one direction the measurement spots and the associated reference spots are arranged offset from one another in such a way that a respective reference spot is arranged between two immediately adjacent measurement spots, wherein the group of measurement spots comprises at least four measurement spots which respond to the same variable and are distributed with the associated reference spots over the common arrangement region in accordance with the arrangement provision such that such measurement spots are arranged between reference spots and reference spots are arranged between such measurement spots relative to the at least one direction, wherein at least one of the measuring assembly and an evaluation assembly associated therewith is configured to combine individual measuring signals of the measurement spots responding to the same variable to be measured and individual reference signals of the reference spots associated with the measurement spots or sequence signals or sequence data obtained therefrom to form combination signals or combination sequence signals or combination sequence data corresponding to summary or average measuring and reference signals or measuring and reference sequence signals or measuring and reference sequence data and differences or ratios between the optionally standardized measuring combination signals or measuring combination sequence signals or measuring combination sequence data, and the optionally standardized reference combination signals or reference combination sequence signals or reference combination sequence data, in order to obtain information about the variable to be measured or the change therein.