Patent ID: 6922576

Claim:
A sensor device for measuring a concentration of a substance within a sample comprising: a sensor comprising an optical transmission member having a first end and a second end, the second end having a tip portion, the tip portion comprising a tapered portion partially covered with an opaque material and having an active material on a non-coated distal end thereof, wherein a cross-section of said tapered portion reduces toward a minimum at said distal end, and wherein the tip portion is adapted to be inserted into a sample, the active material capable of interacting with a substance within said sample; a light source coupled to the first end of the sensor for emitting a beam of light into and through the sensor and into said sample, the emitted beam of light having a wavelength and the active material interacting with a substance within said sample to change the wavelength of the emitted beam of light to produce a reflected beam of light, and the sensor transmitting the reflected beam of light from the second end thereof to the first end, means for receiving the reflected beam of light from the second end of the sensor for producing a signal indicative of the reflected beam of light; and a processor for receiving the signal indicative of the reflected beam of light and for processing the signal to determine the concentration of a substance within a sample.