Particle counting apparatus, systems and methods

A method of counting particles passing through a passageway, the method comprising:

• generating a first light plane through the passageway transverse to a longitudinal axis of the passageway, the first light plane generated by a first number of LED emitters and a first number of photodiodes corresponding in number to the first number of LED emitters such that each one of the first number of photodiodes is opposite to a corresponding one of the first number of LED emitters, each of the first number of LED emitters having a known spacing and each producing a light intensity, each of the first number of photodiodes generating a raw output signal value proportional to the light intensity from the corresponding one of the first number of LED emitters;
• as the particles pass through the first light plane, generating first plane sequential data scans at a known frequency by storing each of the raw output signal values in a data channel associated with each one of the first number of photodiodes;
• generating first plane Normalized Output Signal (NOS) values by inverting and normalizing each of the collected raw output signal values of the first light plane sequential data scans;
• analyzing the first plane NOS values to identify first plane data clusters of the first plane NOS values within a predefined range of the first plane NOS values, each of the identified first plane data clusters defining a separate first plane Event corresponding to at least one particle passing through the first light plane;
• identifying each said separate first plane Event with a unique first plane identifier;
• summing the first plane NOS values of each said identified first plane Event;
• determining a first plane group speed of each said identified first plane Event;
• determining for each said identified first plane Event, a first plane Event Volume by multiplying the sum of the first plane NOS values by said first plane group speed for each said identified first plane Event;
• determining a first plane particle count of each said identified first plane Event by characterizing the first plane Event Volume;
• storing the first plane particle count for each said identified first plane Event in memory.