Automatic precision cleaning apparatus with continuous on-line monitoring and feedback
US5647386A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 4, 1994 |
| Grant date | Jul 15, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 4, 2014 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S134/902
- WIPO fieldChemical engineering
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
A cleaning system and method adapted for removal of small particles from solid substrates is disclosed. In one implementation, the system employs two on-line particle counters to measure particle concentrations in an incoming stream of filtered cleaning liquid, providing a baseline measurement, and in the outgoing or recirculation stream that has already made contact with the article to be cleaned. Comparison of the two measurements over time provides an accurate indication of the degree of particle removal, which is reported to the user and/or employed to control the cleaning cycle. In another implementation, the system employs a single detector that measures the magnitude of a signal (e.g., radioactivity) emitted by the particles; this signal continuously indicates the number of particles remaining on the substrate.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.