Methods and wireless communicating particle counting and measuring apparatus

• US 6,346,983 B1
• Filed: 01/29/1998
• Issued: 02/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aleksandr L Yufa, Yelena V. Yufa
• Original Assignee: Aleksandr L Yufa
• Inventors: Yufa, Aleksandr L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosenberger, Richard A.
• Application Number:
  US09/015,458
• Time in Patent Office: 1,475 Days
• Field of Search: 356/336, 356/338, 356/339, 356/437, 356/438, 356/439
• US Class Current: 356/338
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1456 without spatial resolution of the texture or inner structure of the particle, e.g. processing of pulse signals
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/1486 Counting the particles

Abstract

An improved methods and apparatus for particle counting and measuring provide the counting and measuring of the airborne (gas) particle and/or liquid contamination and include a remote sensor 5, wireless communicating with a data processing and control system 13, comprising a microprocessor system 27 and a wireless communication means 56, comprising a transmitting-receiving means 58 connected to an aerial means 57. The sensor system 5 includes a particle detecting system 4, providing the sensing a light created by an intersection of the particles with a light beam within particle monitoring region of the particle detecting system 4, particle detection and timing processing of the detected signals, and a wireless communication means 36 intended for wireless communication with the data processing and control system 13, providing a received data processing, illuminating of the resulting information and also providing a wireless communicating control of the sensor 5.

Claims

1. A method for counting and measuring particles illuminated by a light beam, providing two-way wireless communication between a data processing and control system and a remote particle detecting system, said method comprising the steps of:

forming in said data processing and control system at least one of control signals, which provide a turning-on, turning-off and switching of modes of operation of said remote particle detecting system;

conversing said control signals to the form for wireless transmission;

wireless transmitting of the conversed control signals from said data processing and control system to said remote particle detecting system;

wireless receiving of the transmitted control signals by said remote particle detecting system;

conversing the received control signals to the form for control of said remote particle detecting system;

sensing by a light detecting means of a particle detecting means of said remote particle detecting system a light created by an intersection of said light beam and said particles within a particle monitoring region and providing an output, which is effectively indicative of a size of said particles;

processing said output by a signal processing system of said remote particle detecting system;

forming in said signal processing system of said remote detecting system a data, containing an information about a quantity and said size of said particles;

conversing said data, containing said information about said quantity and said size of said particles to the form for wireless transmission;

wireless transmitting of the conversed data, containing said information about said quantity and said size of said particles, from said remote particle detecting system to said data processing and control system;

wireless receiving of the transmitted data, containing said information about said particle quantity and size, by said data processing and control system;

conversing the received data, containing said information about said quantity and said size of said particles to the form for processing;

processing the conversed data, containing said information about said quantity and said size of said particles, by said data processing and control system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said two-way wireless communication is provided by a transmitting-receiving means of a wireless communication means of said remote particle detecting system via an aerial means of said wireless communication means of said remote particle detecting system and by an adequate transmitting-receiving means of an adequate wireless communication means of said data processing and control system via an adequate aerial means of said adequate wireless communication means of said data processing and control system.

3. An apparatus for counting and measuring particles illuminated by a light beam, providing two-way wireless communication between a data processing and control system and remote particle detecting systems, said apparatus comprises:

at least on of a plurality of said wireless communicating remote particle detecting systems, each of which includes

a particle detecting system, comprising

a particle detecting means, including detection means, comprising a light detecting means of a light detecting system;

a signal processing system, providing a processing of an output from said light detecting system and forming a data, containing an information about a quantity and a size of said particles;

a conversion system, converting control signals, received from said data processing and control systems, to the form for control of said remote particle detecting system and converting said data, containing said information about said quantity and said size of said particles, to the form for transmission to said data processing and control systems;

a wireless communication means, comprising

a wireless transmitting-receiving means, including a transmitting means, providing the transmission of said data, containing said information about said quantity and said size of said particles, to said data processing and control system, and a receiving means, providing the receiving of said control signals from said data processing and control system; and

an aerial means;

at least one said wireless communicating data processing and control system, comprising

a processing system, including

a microprocessor means, forming said control signals and processing said data received from said remote particle detecting system and containing said information about said quantity and said size of said particles;

a terminal means, comprising at least one of;

a displaying means, a floppy disk means, a compact disk means, a printing means and a control panel; and

a conversion means, converting said control signals to the form for transmission to said remote particle detecting system and converting said data received from said remote particle detecting system to the form for processing by said processing system;

an adequate wireless communication means, including

an adequate wireless transmitting-receiving means, comprising an adequate transmitting means, providing the transmission of said control signals to said remote particle detecting system, and an adequate receiving means, providing the receiving of said data, containing said information about said quantity and said size of said particles, from said remote particle detecting system; and

an adequate aerial means.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said particle detecting means of each of said wireless communicating remote particle detecting systems includes a tubular means coupling a detection means and an environment assaying control means.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said conversion system of each of said wireless communicating remote particle detecting systems includes an appropriate conversion means connected to a coding-decoding means, providing recognition of a conventional identification number of an appropriate wireless communicating remote particle detecting system.

6. An apparatus for counting and measuring particles, providing a processing of an output of a light detecting means, said apparatus comprises:

a current-voltage conversion means, providing conversion of said output of said light detecting means to voltage value signals, and wherein said output is effectively indicative of a size of said particles;

an amplifying means, providing an amplification of said voltage value signals;

an analog-digital form pulse duration conversion means, providing conversion of each of said voltage value signals to digital form pulses, and wherein each of said digital form pulses has a duration, which is adequate to the duration of an appropriate output of said light detecting means;

a strobe pulse generating means, providing generating of strobe pulses;

a conjunction means, forming a strobe pulse packages by conjunction of each of said digital form pulses and said strobe pulses;

a selecting, sorting and counting means, providing the selection and sorting of said strobe pulse packages by an identical quantity of said strobe pulses within each of said strobe pulse packages.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said amplifying means is connected to said light detecting means through said current-voltage conversion means, and wherein said analog-digital form pulse duration conversion means is connected to said amplifying means.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said conjunction means is connected to said analog-digital form pulse duration conversion means, to said strobe pulse generating means and to said selecting, sorting and counting means.