Patent · US Expired

Probe for an apparatus for analyzing metals by X-ray fluorescence

US4686694A · kind A · utility

7Cited by
5References
15Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 15, 1980
Grant dateAug 11, 1987
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 15, 2000

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01N2223/076
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An apparatus for analyzing metal alloys includes an electronic unit connected to a hand-held probe unit. The probe unit includes a radiation detector enclosed in a detector housing and a radiation source enclosed in a source housing. The detector housing is generally cylindrical in shape and has an aperture formed in its sidewall. The source housing is formed as a hollow, generally right triangular prism with an open base attached to the detector housing over the aperture and tapering to a tip having an aperture formed therein. The triangular shape of the source housing permits contact measurements in hard to get at places. A shutter drive mechanism is utilized to move a shutter means between a first position blocking radiation and a second position passing radiation from the source to the aperture in the tip of the source housing. Radiation from the source generates X-rays from a sample of material to be analyzed which X-rays pass through the aperture in the tip of the source housing and the aperture in the side wall of the detector housing to the radiation detector.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.