Patent ID: 6723984
Filing Date: 2004-04-20
Classification: H01J

Abstract:
An environmental sampler for introducing a fluid or gas sample from an external environment to a vacuum-operated mass spectrometer comprising:a) an enclosed housing having a sealed inlet port for allowing introduction of a sample taken from the external environment, and an outlet port for coupling to a mass spectrometer; b) an internal standard sample reservoir in said housing containing a standard material of known composition; c) a sampler rod movable in opposing forward and rearward directions within the housing and having forward and rearward ends provided thereon with forward sample retention areas for retaining an external sample taken from the external environment and rearward sample retention areas for retaining a standard sample taken from said internal standard sample reservoir, respectively; d) a vacuum channel in said housing communicating with said outlet port for coupling to the mass spectrometer which is sealed from the external environment and the internal standard sample reservoir and arranged for having said sampler rod movable in alignment through said vacuum channel; and e) a drive assembly for advancing said sampler rod in a forward direction such that its forward end projects outwardly from said inlet port to allow the forward sample retention areas to take an external sample from the external environment while its rearward end moves the rearward sample retention areas retaining a standard sample taken from said internal standard sample reservoir into alignment with said vacuum channel, such that the standard sample can be evacuated through the vacuum channel to the vacuum-operated mass spectrometer, and for retracting said sampler rod in a rearward direction back into said inlet port and moving its forward sample retention areas retaining the external sample taken from the external environment into alignment with said vacuum channel, such that the external sample can be evacuated through the vacuum channel to the vacuum-operated mass spectrometer.