Detection scheme for particle size and concentration measurement

Abstract

The present invention provides a system and method of particle size and concentration measurement that comprises the steps of: providing a focused, synthesized, structured laser beam, causing the beam to interact with the particles, measuring the interaction signal and the number of interactions per unit time of the beam with the particles, and using algorithms to map the interaction signals to the particle size and the number of interactions per unit time to the concentration.

1 - 9 . (canceled) 
     
     
         10 . A particle monitoring system comprising:
 a particle interrogation region;   a light source configured to produce a structured laser beam directed at the particle interrogation region, the structured laser beam having first and second intensity lobes;   a first detector positioned to detect the first intensity lobe of the beam after the beam has passed through the particle interrogation region; and   a second detector, spaced apart from the first detector and positioned to detect the second intensity lobe of the beam after the beam has passed through the interrogation region.   
     
     
         11 . The particle monitoring system of  claim 10 , wherein the light source comprises a Gaussian laser beam. 
     
     
         12 . The particle monitoring system of  claim 10 , configured to record a differential signal from the first and second detectors. 
     
     
         13 . The particle monitoring system of  claim 10 , configured to record a first signal from the first detector and a second signal from the second detector. 
     
     
         14 . The particle monitoring system of  claim 10 , configured to record a summed signal from the first and second detectors. 
     
     
         15 . The particle monitoring system of  claim 10 , wherein the structured laser beam is a structured dark beam. 
     
     
         16 . The particle monitoring system of  claim 10 , wherein the structured laser beam is configured such that a focal region of the structured laser beam occurs in the particle interrogation region. 
     
     
         17 . The particle monitoring system of  claim 10 , wherein the particle interrogation region comprises a cuvette. 
     
     
         18 . The particle monitoring system of  claim 10  comprising a processor configured to carry out algorithms to analyze signals from the first and second detectors. 
     
     
         19 . The particle monitoring system of  claim 10 , comprising a validation filter configured to validate that a particle interaction occurred in a focal zone of the structured laser beam. 
     
     
         20 . A method of particle monitoring comprising:
 flowing particles through a particle interrogation region of a particle monitoring system;   producing a structured laser beam via a light source of the particle monitoring system, the structured laser beam having first and second intensity lobes;   directing the structured laser beam at the particle interrogation region;   detecting the first intensity lobe of the beam after the beam has passed through the particle interrogation region via a first detector; and   detecting the second intensity lobe of the beam after the beam has passed through the interrogation region via a second detector, the second detector spaced apart from the first detector.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , comprising measuring a concentration of a subset of particles in a population of particles, via the particle monitoring system, wherein the particles of the subset are larger in size than the rest of the population of particles. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the step of measuring the concentration of the subset of particles comprises configuring the structured laser beam such that a majority of particles of the population are filtered out by the particle monitoring system as background noise. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the step of configuring the structured laser beam comprises tuning a spot size of the structured laser beam. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the subset of particles comprises 1 one-millionth or less of the population of particles. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 20 , comprising analyzing signals from the first and second detectors via a processor of the particle monitoring system. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the particles are suspended in a liquid, and wherein analyzing step comprises distinguishing particles from bubbles in the liquid. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the analyzing step comprises recording a differential signal from the first and second detectors. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the analyzing step comprises recording a first signal from the first detector and a second signal from the second detector. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the analyzing step comprises recording a summed signal from the first and second detectors. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the analyzing step comprises applying a validation filter to validate that a particle interaction occurred in a focal zone of the structured laser beam. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the analyzing step comprises classifying the particles via artificial intelligence clustering. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the light source comprises a Gaussian laser beam.