Patent ID: 9453795
Filing Date: 2016-09-27
CPC Classification: G01N

Claim Text:
1. A method of determining the amount of total phosphate in a body of water from light reflected therefrom, said method comprising the steps of: a. using a light measuring device to obtain a measurement of reflected light from said body of water, said measurement comprising a measurement of respective amounts of light in at least five wavelength ranges; and b. using a processor to determine the amount of said total phosphate from said respective amounts of light by applying an algorithm relating said respective amounts of light in said wavelength ranges to said amount of said total phosphate in said body of water, wherein said algorithm comprises a quantitative relationship between: (i) the ratio of the amount of light in a first of the wavelength ranges to the amount of light in a second of the wavelength ranges, (ii) the ratio of the amount of light in a third of the wavelength ranges to the amount of light in the first of the wavelength ranges, (iii) the ratio of the amount of light in a fourth of the wavelength ranges to the amount of light in the first of the wavelength ranges, (iv) the ratio amount of light in a fifth of the wavelength ranges to the amount of light in the first of the wavelength ranges, (v) the ratio of the amount of light in a fifth of the wavelength ranges to the amount of light in the third of the wavelength ranges, and (vi) the ratio of the amount of light in the fifth of the wavelength ranges to the amount of light in the fourth of the wavelength ranges, and the amount of the total phosphate in a body of water.