Ion flux density probe
US4251775A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 1, 1979 |
| Grant date | Feb 17, 1981 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 1, 1999 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N27/62
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A probe operable in conjunction with an electrometer having a high input impedance to provide an instrument for measuring air ion flux density. The probe structure is such that its presence in the atmosphere in which a measurement is being carried out will not give rise to perturbations in the localized electric field and therefore has no perceptible effect on the accuracy of measurement. The probe is constituted by a metal target to which the ions give up their charge, the target being supported at the end of a barrel of dielectric material by a conductor attached thereto and extending axially through the barrel to a contact at the rear of the barrel which is connected to the line of a shielded coaxial cable which couples the target to the input terminal of a grounded electrometer, the shield of the cable also being grounded. The surface of the barrel is coated with a layer of semi-conductive material that makes contact at the lower end of the barrel with the grounded cable shield. The semi-conductive layer on the barrel surrounding the target conductor therein provides a controlled leakage path extending between the target and the grounded cable shield that approximates the chara…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.