System for automatic sample analysis and a method for producing the system including a cleaning unit for a movable optical head

A method for on-line analysis of material samples with a system having a grinding mill for comminuting sample material samples to output comminuted material samples, an analyzer unit for performing the on-line analysis of the outputted comminuted material samples and having a housing holding an optical system including an optical head and a front glass with the optical system performing the on-line analysis of the outputted comminuted material samples and a receiving chamber for receiving the outputted comminuted material samples from the grinding mill, and a mechanism for moving the housing relative to the receiving chamber between a first position at which the front glass closes a wall opening into the receiving chamber and a second position at which the front glass is cleaned by a cleaning mechanism comprising:

• modifying an existing laboratory equipment by removing the optical head from the existing laboratory equipment and mounting the optical head in the housing in operative connection with the receiving chamber while maintaining an electrical connection between the optical head and the analyzer unit and an original calibration of the analyzer;
• using the grinding mill to output a comminuted material sample;
• providing the comminuted material sample to the receiving chamber and performing tests on the comminuted material sample with the optical head in the receiving chamber using the original calibration;
• and
• moving the housing between the first and the second position after each analysis operation.

A method for on-line analysis of material samples with a system having a grinding mill for comminuting sample material samples to output comminuted material samples, an analyzer unit for performing the on-line analysis of the outputted comminuted material samples and having a housing holding an optical system including an optical head and a front glass with the optical system performing the on-line analysis of the outputted comminuted material samples and a receiving chamber for receiving the outputted comminuted material samples from the grinding mill, and a mechanism for moving the housing relative to the receiving chamber from and to a first position at which the front glass closes a wall opening into the receiving chamber, comprising:

• performing an analysis of a material sample with the housing in the first position;
• subsequently moving the housing into a second position of which the front glass is cleaned by a cleaning mechanism;
• and
• moving the housing with the cleaned front glass back to the first position preparatory to a subsequent analysis operation of a new material sample.