Process and apparatus for cleaning a surface
OwnerClive GRAFTON-REED, David WHITEHEAD +2inventors
InventorsClive GRAFTON-REED, David WHITEHEAD, Simon CHEETHAM, Sundar MARIMUTHU
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Abstract
A method of cleaning a surface includes the steps of directing a laser beam to the surface at a predetermined location and capturing for the predetermined location a) data relating to an acoustic response induced by interaction of the laser with the surface, b) data relating to the optical reflectivity of the surface at the predetermined location, and c) data relating to the spectrographic response of a plume generated by interaction of the laser with the surface.
Claims21
A method of determining the cleanliness of a surface comprising the steps of directing a laser beam to the surface at a predetermined location and capturing for the predetermined location
- a) data relating to an acoustic response induced by interaction of the laser with the surface,
- b) data relating to the optical reflectivity of the surface at the predetermined location, and
- c) data relating to the spectrographic response of a plume generated by interaction of the laser with the surface;
- d) combining the captured data into a signal;
- and
- e) comparing the signal against a threshold value to indicate whether the surface at the predetermined location passes as clean.
A method of cleaning a surface comprising the steps of directing a laser beam to the surface at a predetermined location and capturing for the predetermined location a) data relating to an acoustic response induced by interaction of the laser with the surface, b) data relating to the optical reflectivity of the surface at the predetermined location, and c) data relating to the spectrographic response of a plume generated by interaction of the laser with the surface.
Apparatus for cleaning a surface, the apparatus comprising:
- a. a laser beam generator for directing a laser beam to the surface at a predetermined location;
- b. an acoustic sensor for capturing data relating to an acoustic response induced by interaction of the beam with the surface;
- c. an optical reflectivity sensor for capturing data relating to the optical reflectivity of the surface at the predetermined location;
- d. a spectrometer for capturing data relating to the spectrographic response of a plume generated by interaction of the beam with the surface.
(canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.