Particle guiding apparatus and method
OwnerWilliam A. Newtoninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed is a particle analyzer wherein uniformally charged liquid droplets, having a uniform velocity in a linear trajectory, proceed into a tubular electrode in which the electrostatic field is shaped to position particles on a center axis, and provide the particles with a rate movement along this axis that provides a sufficient time duration for evaporation of the droplets, the particles being subsequently deflected from said center axis or collected from said center axis, after evaporation.
Claims50
In a particle analyzer including droplet forming means for forming a plurality of liquid droplets, having individually isolated particles contained therein, and for initially providing the droplets with a substantially uniform velocity in a substantially linear trajectory, and means for charging the droplets, the improvement comprising:
- evaporating means for evaporating the liquid of of the droplets which surrounds the particle therein;
- electrode means for generating an electrostatic field for positioning the particles substantially along a center axis and for moving the particles along said center axis at a sufficient rate of movement to allow completion of the evaporation of the droplets within a predetermined region;
- detection means for measuring the particle's characteristics after completion of the evaporation of the droplets.
A guiding apparatus for controlling the velocities and paths of droplets, that are at least initially liquid, comprising:
- means for forming a plurality of liquid droplets from a sample liquid;
- means for charging the droplets;
- at least one tubular electrode;
- means for introducing the charged droplets into the interior of said tubular electrode at a position substantially at one end of said tubular electrode;
- a second electrode being positioned substantially at one end of said tubular electrode;
- means for impressing a potential difference between said tubular electrode and said second electrode to apply a charge of the same polarity as the charged droplets to said tubular electrode and a charge of opposite polarity to said second electrode;
- whereby the droplets are centered, at least eventually, on a predetermined trajectory passing through said tubular electrode and are moved along the predetermined trajectory at controlled velocities to provide time for individual processing of each droplet.
A method of separating a relatively volatile liquid from a relatively non-volatile substance, said method comprising the steps of:
- forming a plurality of liquid droplets from the volatile liquid containing the non-volatile substance;
- charging the droplets;
- removing the volatile liquid from the droplets by evaporation in a predetermined region;
- guiding the droplets along a predetermined path passing through the predetermined region by shaping an electrostatic field to have an inwardly directed, radial force component for centering the droplets on the predetermined path;
- moving the droplets along the predetermined path at controlled velocities to allow for completion of the evaporation of the droplets within the predetermined region by further shaping the electrostatic field to have a force component parallel to said predetermined path that approximately varies in strength to coordinate with the changing size and mass of the droplet so as to minimize velocity changes of the droplets.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.