Mass spectrometer
First Claim
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1. A mass spectrometer for performing an analysis of sample ions, the mass spectrometer comprising:
- a first ion optical element that is supplied with a first gas;
a mass analyzer, wherein the performance of the mass analyzer is dependent on the pressure of the first gas in the first ion optical element; and
a controller for setting a property of the first gas, which comprises at least the pressure of the first gas, on the basis of at least an expected mass of the sample ions and a desired resolution of the mass analyzer, wherein setting the property of the first gas includes determining a compromise between optimizing the performance of the first ion optical element and optimizing the performance of the mass analyzer, the controller comprises a computer for making rules-based decisions for setting the property of the first gas, wherein the rules-based decisions comprise determining which of a plurality of predetermined mass ranges an expected or determined mass of the sample lies within, determining whether a desired mass resolution lies below or above a mass resolution threshold and setting the property of the gas based on the determination to enable a desired signal intensity and/or mass resolution to be obtained using the mass analyzer.
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Abstract
The present disclosure provides a mass spectrometer for performing an analysis of sample ions, and a method for operating a mass spectrometer. The mass spectrometer comprises a first ion optical element that is supplied with a first gas; a mass analyzer, wherein the performance of the mass analyzer is dependent on the pressure of the first gas in the first ion optical element; and a controller for setting a property of the first gas, which comprises at least the pressure of the first gas, on the basis of a characteristic of the analysis to be performed by the mass spectrometer.
24 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A mass spectrometer for performing an analysis of sample ions, the mass spectrometer comprising:
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a first ion optical element that is supplied with a first gas; a mass analyzer, wherein the performance of the mass analyzer is dependent on the pressure of the first gas in the first ion optical element; and a controller for setting a property of the first gas, which comprises at least the pressure of the first gas, on the basis of at least an expected mass of the sample ions and a desired resolution of the mass analyzer, wherein setting the property of the first gas includes determining a compromise between optimizing the performance of the first ion optical element and optimizing the performance of the mass analyzer, the controller comprises a computer for making rules-based decisions for setting the property of the first gas, wherein the rules-based decisions comprise determining which of a plurality of predetermined mass ranges an expected or determined mass of the sample lies within, determining whether a desired mass resolution lies below or above a mass resolution threshold and setting the property of the gas based on the determination to enable a desired signal intensity and/or mass resolution to be obtained using the mass analyzer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for operating a mass spectrometer, the mass spectrometer comprising a first ion optical element and a mass analyzer, the method comprising the steps of:
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determining at least an expected mass of sample ions and a desired resolution of the mass analyzer; and determining whether a desired mass resolution lies below or above a mass resolution threshold, and making a rules-based decision to determine the property of a first gas, including at least pressure of the first gas, based on said determinations to enable a desired signal intensity and/or mass resolution to be obtained using the mass analyzer, wherein determining the property of the first gas includes determining a compromise between optimizing the performance of the first ion optical element and optimizing the performance of the mass analyzer; setting, on the basis of the rules based decision, the property of a first gas used for supplying a first ion optical element of the mass spectrometer, wherein the performance of the mass analyzer is dependent on the pressure of the first gas in the first ion optical element. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification