Compact particle sensor
First Claim
1. A compact particle sensor for detecting suspended particles, comprising:
- a housing providing a test chamber, the housing including at least one opening for admitting particles into the test chamber while simultaneously substantially preventing outside light from entering the test chamber;
a light source positioned for supplying a light beam in the test chamber;
a light receiver positioned to receive the light beam supplied by the light source; and
at least three optical elements positioned to direct the light beam from the light source to the receiver.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A compact particle sensor for detecting suspended particles includes a housing, a light source, a light receiver and a plurality of optical elements. The housing provides a test chamber and includes at least one opening for admitting particles into the test chamber, while simultaneously substantially preventing outside light from entering the test chamber. The light source is positioned for supplying a light beam within the test chamber. The plurality of optical elements are positioned to direct the light beam from the light source to the receiver, which is positioned to receive the light beam supplied by the light source.
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Citations
49 Claims
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1. A compact particle sensor for detecting suspended particles, comprising:
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a housing providing a test chamber, the housing including at least one opening for admitting particles into the test chamber while simultaneously substantially preventing outside light from entering the test chamber;
a light source positioned for supplying a light beam in the test chamber;
a light receiver positioned to receive the light beam supplied by the light source; and
at least three optical elements positioned to direct the light beam from the light source to the receiver. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A compact particle sensor for detecting suspended particles, comprising:
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a housing providing a test chamber, the housing including at least one opening for admitting particles into the test chamber while simultaneously substantially preventing outside light from entering the test chamber;
a light source positioned for supplying a light beam in the test chamber;
a light receiver positioned to receive the light beam supplied by the light source; and
a plurality of optical elements positioned to direct the light beam from the light source to the receiver, wherein the sensor is contained within no greater than about a three and one-eighth inch diameter circle and the optical length between the light source and the receiver is at least about seven inches. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12)
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13. A compact particle sensor for detecting suspended particles, comprising:
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a housing providing a test chamber, the housing including at least one opening for admitting particles into the test chamber while simultaneously substantially preventing outside light from entering the test chamber;
a light source positioned for supplying a light beam in the test chamber;
a light receiver positioned to receive the light beam supplied by the light source; and
at least two non-planar optical elements positioned to direct the light beam from the light source to the receiver. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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16. A compact particle sensor, comprising:
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a housing providing a test chamber, the housing including at least one opening for admitting particles into the test chamber while substantially preventing outside light from entering the test chamber;
a scatter emitter/receiver combination positioned such that any portion of the light emitted by the scatter emitter that is reflected off of particles suspended in the chamber and received is proportional to the amount of high reflectivity particles present in the chamber;
an obscuration emitter/receiver combination positioned such that any portion of the light emitted by the obscuration emitter that is received is inversely proportional to the amount of low reflectivity particles present in the chamber;
at least three optical elements positioned to direct the light emitted by the obscuration emitter to the receiver of the obscuration emitter/receiver combination; and
a controller coupled to the scatter emitter/receiver combination and the obscuration emitter/receiver combination, the controller using the amount of particles sensed by the obscuration emitter/receiver combination to alter the sensitivity of the scatter emitter/receiver combination. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A compact particle sensor for detecting suspended particles, comprising:
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a housing providing a test chamber, the housing including at least one opening for admitting particles into the test chamber while simultaneously substantially preventing outside light from entering the test chamber;
a light source positioned for supplying a light beam in the test chamber;
a light receiver positioned to receive the light beam supplied by the light source; and
a plurality of non-planar optical elements positioned to direct the light beam from the light source to the receiver, wherein the light beam travels a non-planar path from the light source to the light receiver. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A compact particle sensor for detecting suspended particles, comprising:
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a housing providing a test chamber, the housing including at least one opening for admitting particles into the test chamber while simultaneously substantially preventing outside light from entering the test chamber;
a light source positioned for supplying a light beam in the test chamber;
a light receiver positioned to receive the light beam supplied by the light source; and
a plurality of non-planar optical elements positioned to direct the light beam from the light source to the receiver, wherein the light beam crosses itself when travelling from the light source to the light receiver. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32)
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33. A compact particle sensor for detecting suspended particles, comprising:
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a housing providing a test chamber, the housing including at least one opening for admitting particles into the test chamber while simultaneously substantially preventing outside light from entering the test chamber;
a light source positioned for supplying a light beam within the test chamber;
a light receiver positioned to receive the light beam supplied by the light source; and
at least three optical elements positioned to direct the light beam from the light source to the receiver, wherein the light beam alternately converges and diverges between the optical elements when travelling from the light source to the light receiver. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36)
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37. A compact particle sensor for detecting suspended particles, comprising:
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a housing providing a test chamber, the housing including at least one opening for admitting particles into the test chamber while simultaneously substantially preventing outside light from entering the test chamber;
a light source positioned for supplying a light beam in the test chamber;
a light receiver positioned to receive the light beam supplied by the light source; and
at least three optical elements positioned to direct the light beam from the light source to the receiver, wherein a path length of the light beam between the light source and the receiver is at least about two times the smallest dimension of the test chamber. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A compact particle sensor for detecting suspended particles, comprising:
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a housing providing a test chamber, the housing including at least one opening for admitting particles into the test chamber while simultaneously substantially preventing outside light from entering the test chamber, wherein an interior color of the housing that provides the test chamber is non-black;
a light source positioned for supplying a light beam in the test chamber;
a light receiver positioned to receive the light beam supplied by the light source; and
a plurality of optical elements positioned to direct the light beam from the light source to the receiver. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47)
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48. A compact particle sensor for detecting suspended particles, comprising:
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a housing providing a test chamber, the housing including at least one opening for admitting particles into the test chamber while simultaneously substantially preventing outside light from entering the test chamber;
a light source positioned for supplying a light beam in the test chamber;
a light receiver positioned to receive the light beam supplied by the light source, wherein the light receiver includes a Faraday shield that shields the receiver from outside electromagnetic interference; and
a plurality of optical elements positioned to direct the light beam from the light source to the receiver. - View Dependent Claims (49)
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Specification