Method and apparatus for mass spectrometer diagnostics
OwnerJean Truche, Gregor Overneyinventors
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Abstract
A mass spectrometer system comprises an internal surface exposed to contamination and an optical sensor assembly positioned so as to monitor a reflection of optical radiation from said internal surface. A method of determining a level of contamination of an internal surface within a mass spectrometer comprises illuminating the internal surface with optical radiation, detecting optical radiation reflected from the internal surface upon illumination, determining a reflectivity value of the internal surface based on the detected optical radiation, and determining the level of contamination based on the reflectivity value.
Claims22
A mass spectrometer system comprising:
- an internal surface exposed to contamination;
- and
- an optical sensor assembly positioned so as to monitor a reflection of optical radiation from said internal surface.
A method of determining a level of contamination of an internal surface within a mass spectrometer, the method comprising:
- illuminating the internal surface with optical radiation;
- detecting optical radiation reflected from the internal surface upon illumination;
- determining a reflectivity value of the internal surface based on the detected optical radiation;
- and
- determining the level of contamination based on the reflectivity value.
A method of calibrating a mass spectrometer after a cleaning operation, the mass spectrometer including an internal optical sensor assembly for monitoring a contamination of an internal surface within the mass spectrometer, the method comprising:
- a) measuring an operating temperature in a vicinity of the internal surface;
- b) determining a base reflectivity value of the internal surface at the temperature using the optical sensor assembly;
- and
- c) storing the base reflectivity value.
A method of determining a level of contamination of an internal surface within a mass spectrometer, the method comprising:
- illuminating the internal surface with optical radiation;
- detecting optical radiation reflected from the internal surface upon illumination;
- obtaining a multi-dimensional pattern from the detected light;
- comparing the multi-dimensional pattern of the detected light to a reference pattern;
- and
- determining the level of contamination based on the comparison of the multi-dimensional pattern of detected light and the reference pattern.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.