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:
Jan. 03, 1995
Filed:
May. 06, 1993
Arie Zigler, Rishon Lezion, IL;
APTI, Inc., , DE (US);
Abstract
A mobile laboratory for in situ detection of organic and heavy metal pollutants in ground water is disclosed. Pulsed laser energy is delivered via fiber optic media to create a laser spark on a remotely located analysis sample, which is irradiated. In a first operational mode, laser energy emitted from an optical delivery system, e.g., a fiber optic media, is focused, for example by one or more lenses, on the surface of an analysis sample, thus generating a plasma. At high temperatures generated by the laser spark, dissociation occurs, allowing the emitted spectrum to be analyzed for the presence of trace elements, such as heavy metals. Because temperature changes after the end of the laser pulse result in a changing spectral characteristic of the sample, signals emitted from the recombining plasma can be used to identify the contents of the sample. In a second mode, the focusing of the laser energy is removed, so that organic molecules with an aromatic structure emit absorbed ultraviolet energy as fluorescence, which is transmitted via fiber optic media for further analysis. The measured wavelength and time characteristics of the emitted fluorescence can be compared against predetermined characteristics to identify the organic substances in the analysis sample.