The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 30, 1991
Filed:
Aug. 03, 1989
Louis J Petralli, Grants Pass, OR (US);
Met One, Inc., Grants Pass, OR (US);
Abstract
An apparatus and method for particle detection which includes a plurality of sample regions. A sensor body has internal walls which define spaced apart sample regions, with each sample region having an inlet port and an exhaust port. An aggregate sample flow is divided into partial flows which are directed from the inlet port to the exhaust port of an associated sample region. A light source, typically a laser, is positioned to project an incident beam along a light path which intersects each of the partial sample flows through the sample regions. Particles contained within the partial sample flows scatter light as the particles pass through the incident beam. The light from a sample region is directed to a photodetector which provides a signal corresponding to the sensed light. Particle detection in each sample region is operationally independent of the others, but the information is combined to provide a total particle count of the aggregate sample flow. Alternatively, the apparatus may be utilized to provide simultaneous particle detection of separate sources of particle-bearing gas. For example, adjacent clean room areas may be monitored channelling separate sample flows directly into separate inlet ports of adjacent sample regions.