Systems and methods for detecting normal levels of bacteria in water using a multiple angle light scattering (MALS) instrument
First Claim
1. A system for monitoring normal levels of bacteria in liquid, the system comprising:
- an optical axis;
a target zone, the optical axis intersecting the target zone;
at least one light source configured to generate a light beam and direct the light beam through the target zone;
an optic lens system configured to collect light scattered by a particle associated with the bacteria in the liquid medium in the target zone and direct the scattered light to at least one detector, the detector configured to detect the light and generate a digital signal; and
a computer system coupled with the detector, the computer system configured to execute a set of programmed instructions to identify and classify the particle and generate an alarm, the instructions causing the computer system to;
extract events from the digital signal,calculate the similarity between the extracted event and a known event,classify the event based on the similarity,calculate a plurality of count rates for the classification type,store the plurality of count rates,calculate a trend in the stored plurality of count rates, andgenerate an alarm if the trend is undesirable,wherein similarity is determined by a calculation of the ratios of outer pixels to inner pixels and comparing between the extracted event and a known event.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A particle detection system to identify and classify particles is programmed to capture digitized images of the particle generated by directing a light source through a fluid that includes the particle. The particle scatters the light and the scattered light is detected using a detector. The detector creates a digital signal corresponding to the particle, which is used by the system to generate Bio-Optical Signature. This Bio-Optical Signature can then be used to classify the event, or particle. Count rate and trends of the classified particles are monitored to detect a change that is representative of the overall health safety of the water or by knowing the levels of bacteria in process water, such as Reverse Osmosis (RO) feed water, reject brine, and product water, the operator may better monitor the life and condition of the RO membrane.
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Citations
50 Claims
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1. A system for monitoring normal levels of bacteria in liquid, the system comprising:
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an optical axis; a target zone, the optical axis intersecting the target zone; at least one light source configured to generate a light beam and direct the light beam through the target zone; an optic lens system configured to collect light scattered by a particle associated with the bacteria in the liquid medium in the target zone and direct the scattered light to at least one detector, the detector configured to detect the light and generate a digital signal; and a computer system coupled with the detector, the computer system configured to execute a set of programmed instructions to identify and classify the particle and generate an alarm, the instructions causing the computer system to; extract events from the digital signal, calculate the similarity between the extracted event and a known event, classify the event based on the similarity, calculate a plurality of count rates for the classification type, store the plurality of count rates, calculate a trend in the stored plurality of count rates, and generate an alarm if the trend is undesirable, wherein similarity is determined by a calculation of the ratios of outer pixels to inner pixels and comparing between the extracted event and a known event. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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10. A system for monitoring normal levels of bacteria in liquid, the system comprising:
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an optical axis; a target zone, the optical axis intersecting the target zone; at least one light source configured to generate a light beam and direct the light beam through the target zone; an optic lens system configured to collect light scattered by a particle associated with the bacteria in the liquid medium in the target zone and direct the scattered light to at least one detector, the detector configured to detect the light and generate a digital signal; and a computer system coupled with the detector, the computer system configured to execute a set of programmed instructions to identify and classify the particle and generate an alarm, the instructions causing the computer system to; extract events from the digital signal, calculate the similarity between the extracted event and a known event, classify the event based on the similarity, calculate a plurality of count rates for the classification type, store the plurality of count rates, calculate a trend in the stored plurality of count rates, and generate an alarm if the trend is undesirable, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the computer system to extract events by causing the computer system to perform a mean amplitude calculation on the normalized frame. - View Dependent Claims (11, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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12. A system for monitoring normal levels of bacteria in liquid, the system comprising:
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an optical axis; a target zone, the optical axis intersecting the target zone; at least one light source configured to generate a light beam and direct the light beam through the target zone; an optic lens system configured to collect light scattered by a particle associated with the bacteria in the liquid medium in the target zone and direct the scattered light to at least one detector, the detector configured to detect the light and generate a digital signal; and a computer system coupled with the detector, the computer system configured to execute a set of programmed instructions to identify and classify the particle and generate an alarm, the instructions causing the computer system to; extract events from the digital signal, calculate the similarity between the extracted event and a known event, classify the event based on the similarity, calculate a plurality of count rates for the classification type, store the plurality of count rates, calculate a trend in the stored plurality of count rates, and generate an alarm if the trend is undesirable, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the computer system to precondition the extracted events by causing the computer system to generate a normalized array of events, each event of the array of events comprising a standard orientation, and to adjust the mean value of each event in the array of events. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
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18. A system for monitoring normal levels of bacteria in liquid, the system comprising:
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an optical axis; a target zone, the optical axis intersecting the target zone; at least one light source configured to generate a light beam and direct the light beam through the target zone; an optic lens system configured to collect light scattered by a particle associated with the bacteria in the liquid medium in the target zone and direct the scattered light to at least one detector, the detector configured to detect the light and generate a digital signal; and a computer system coupled with the detector, the computer system configured to execute a set of programmed instructions to identify and classify the particle and generate an alarm, the instructions causing the computer system to; extract events from the digital signal, calculate the similarity between the extracted event and a known event, classify the event based on the similarity, calculate a plurality of count rates for the classification type, store the plurality of count rates, calculate a trend in the stored plurality of count rates, and generate an alarm if the trend is undesirable, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the computer system to extract features from the extracted events by causing the computer system to generate a normalized array of events, each event of the array of events comprising a standard orientation, and to use the entire frame corresponding to each event in the array of events for extraction. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification