Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for measuring particles in a fluid

US4830494A · kind A · utility

44Cited by
3References
29Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 9, 1987
Grant dateMay 16, 1989
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 9, 2007

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01N2021/4707
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Disclosed is a method and apparatus for measuring particles in a fluid by irradiating the fluid containing the particle with a laser beam and analyzing the laser light scattered by the particle to determine the characteristics of the particle. An elliptical laser beam is projected into a particle detection area in which the particles to be measured are caused to flow. The laser light scattered by the particle is received for photoelectric conversion into a time-series photoelectric signal in a direction along which the particle flows. The photoelectric signal is subjected to a moving average process to determine a time width during which the signal exceeds a predetermined level to cause the change in intensity of the scattered light. This change is recognized as a change in intensity caused by the passage of the particle through the particle detection area when the time width falls within a certain range.

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