Patent ID: 11946852
Assignee: PARTICLE MEASURING SYSTEMS, INC.
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 11:
12. A method for detecting particles in a fluid, the method comprising:
producing a beam of electromagnetic radiation via an optical source;
shaping the beam of electromagnetic radiation into a top hat beam profile via a focusing system in optical communication with the optical source;
wherein the focusing system comprises a diffractive optical element;

flowing a fluid containing particles in a flow cell along a flow direction through the shaped beam of electromagnetic radiation;
collecting and directing at least a portion of the electromagnetic radiation onto a forward looking photodetector via an on-axis optical collection system, wherein the forward looking photodetector comprises at least a first detector element and a second detector element;
producing a first electric signal via the first detector element;
producing a second electric signal via the second detector element; and
characterizing the number and/or size of the particles detected based on a different signal derived from the first and second electric signals.