Patent Publication Number: US-11380533-B2

Title: Analyzer apparatus and control method

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/075,111, filed on Oct. 20, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/776,213, filed on May 15, 2018, and which is a U.S. National Stage application of PCT/JP2016/084120, which was filed on Nov. 17, 2016, and which claims the priority of JP 2015-225201, which was filed on Nov. 17, 2015. The subject matter of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/075,111; U.S. application Ser. No. 15/776,213; PCT/JP2016/084120; and JP 2015-225201 is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to an analyzer apparatus, such as a mass spectrometer. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     International Publication WO2015/029449 discloses an analyzer apparatus that has an ionization unit that ionizes molecules to analyze, a filter unit that selectively passes ions that have been generated by the ionization unit, and a detector unit that detects ions that have passed through the filter unit, where the detector unit includes a plurality of detection elements arranged in a matrix, and the analyzer apparatus further includes a reconfiguration unit that switches between detection patterns that set which detection elements out of the plurality of detection elements are valid for detection. The ionization unit includes a plurality of ion sources, and the analyzer apparatus further includes a driving control unit that switches the connections of the plurality of ion sources based on changes in the characteristics of the ion sources. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     There is ongoing demand for analyzer apparatuses such as mass spectrometers to be made smaller and more precise. 
     One aspect of the present invention is an analyzer apparatus including: an ionization unit that ionizes molecules to analyze; a filter unit that forms a field for selectively passing ions generated by the ionization unit; a detector unit that detects ions that have passed through the filter unit; an ion drive circuitry that electrically drives the ionization unit; a field drive circuitry that electrically drives the filter unit; a detector circuitry that controls the sensitivity of the detector unit; a control unit that controls outputs of the ion drive circuitry and the field drive circuitry; a temperature detecting unit that detects a temperature about at least one circuitry out of the ion drive circuitry and the field drive circuitry; and a correction unit that corrects an output setting of the at least one circuitry out of the ion drive circuitry and the field drive circuitry based on the temperature detected by the temperature detecting unit. The correction unit may be implemented as a function of the control unit or may be implemented as an independent unit. 
     The correction unit may correct (or compensate or adjust) all of the respective output settings of the ion drive circuitry and the field drive circuitry based on the detected temperature. Typical examples of fields that selectively pass ions are an electric field, a magnetic field, and an electromagnetic field, and the field that selectively passes ions may include at least one of such fields. 
     The respective outputs of the ion drive circuitry and the field drive circuitry minutely vary according to the temperature of the boards on which such circuitry are mounted or the ambient temperature about the boards, and the present inventors have found that by compensating for such variations, it is possible to improve the linearity of units that are driven by these circuitry and thereby improve the detection precision. By adding a function that compensates or corrects the outputs of these circuitry according to temperature, it becomes possible to house all or part of an analyzer apparatus that includes an ion drive circuitry, a field drive circuitry, and a control unit in a compact, handy-type housing unit. 
     The analyzer apparatus may include a detector circuitry that controls the output sensitivity (or “gain”) of the detector unit, the temperature detecting unit may include a function that detects the temperature about the detector circuitry, and the correction unit may include a unit (or function) that corrects a sensitivity setting of the detector circuitry based on the temperature detected by the temperature detecting unit. 
     Another aspect of the present invention is an analyzer apparatus including a sensor housing that houses an ionization unit, a filter unit, and a detector unit in order; a chamber in which the sensor housing is housed; a depressurization unit that depressurizes an inside of the chamber; and a capillary that introduces gas including molecules to analyze into the ionization unit or a periphery of the ionization unit of the sensor housing. By connecting a capillary to the sensor housing in which the units for measuring, such as the ionization unit, are housed, not to the chamber, it is possible to measure the gas to be measured in real time in a manner that is not susceptible to being affected by the condition in the chamber. 
     In addition, by providing a unit that feedback-controls a temperature and an internal pressure of the chamber outside the sensor housing using the depressurization unit, it is possible to stably control the state inside the chamber. Conventionally, the conditions inside a sensor housing are kept constant by making the volume of the chamber sufficiently larger than the sensor housing. On the other hand when feedback control is performed on the pressure inside the chamber, it is preferable for the state inside the sensor housing to appear in the chamber, and for the volume Vc of the chamber to be as close as possible to the volume Vh of the sensor housing. As one example, it is preferable for the ratio Vc/Vh to be in a range of 1.5 to 10, with a range of 1.5 to 5 even more preferable. With this method, it is possible to make the chamber smaller and to greatly reduce the size of the entire system. 
     Yet another embodiment of the present invention is an analyzer apparatus that further includes a unit that stabilizes an emission current of the ionization unit via the ion drive circuitry. The control unit may include a function as the unit that stabilizes or the unit that stabilizes may be an independent unit. It is possible to provide an analyzer apparatus capable of precisely performing quantitative measurement by stabilizing the amount of ions inputted into the filter unit, that is, by making the amount of ions effectively constant. 
     Yet another aspect of the present invention is a control method of an analyzer apparatus, the analyzer apparatus including: an ionization unit that ionizes molecules to analyze; a filter unit that forms a field for selectively passing ions generated by the ionization unit; a detector unit that detects ions that have passed through the filter unit; an ion drive circuitry that electrically drives the ionization unit; a field drive circuitry that electrically drives the filter unit; a control unit that controls outputs of the ion drive circuitry and the field drive circuitry; and a temperature detecting unit that detects a temperature about at least one circuitry out of the ion drive circuitry and the field drive circuitry, wherein the control method includes correcting, by the control unit, an output setting of the at least one circuitry based on the temperature detected by the temperature detecting unit. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  depicts the overall configuration of a gas analyzer apparatus equipped with a quadrupole mass spectrometer sensor. 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram of an analyzer apparatus. 
         FIG. 3  is a board-level block diagram of the analyzer apparatus. 
         FIG. 4  is a flowchart depicting an overview of processing by the analyzer apparatus. 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart depicting processing that performs correction according to temperature. 
         FIG. 6  is a flowchart depicting processing that stabilizes an emission current. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  depicts one example of a gas analyzer apparatus (or “gas analysis system”). This analyzer apparatus (analyzer device, analyzer)  1  is a mass spectrometer apparatus that incorporates a quadrupole mass sensor, and is designed to quantitatively analyze the components (molecules) of a gas  5  that is introduced by a capillary  9 . The analyzer system  1  includes a quadrupole mass sensor (hereinafter simply “sensor”)  10 , a control box  20  that drives the sensor  10  and analyzes data obtained from the sensor  10 , a chamber  30  that houses the sensor  10 , a turbo pump (turbo molecular pump)  31  and a diaphragm pump (roughing vacuum pump)  32  that are connected to the chamber  30  by a connecting pipe  38  and form a unit (depressurizing unit) for depressurizing the interior of the chamber  30 , a pressure gauge  33  that monitors the internal pressure of the chamber  30 , a terminal block  35  for connecting internal and external wiring of the apparatus, and a power supply unit  36 , with these components being housed in a rectangular housing (housing unit)  50 . The size of the housing unit  50  is about 300 mm×150 mm×150 mm, which means that a mass spectrometer, whose size is conventionally measured in meters, is miniaturized into a so-called “handy size” that is compact and portable. 
     The sensor  10  includes an ionization unit  11  that ionizes molecules of the gas  5 , an ion lens  12 , a quadrupole filter  13 , a Faraday cup  14  that is an ion detector, and a sensor housing  19  that is cylindrical (tube-like) and in which the components  11 ,  12   13  and  14  are housed in the stated order. The ionization unit  11  includes a filament that is an ion source, so that thermal electrons emitted from the filament and molecules to analyze or scan collide to ionize the molecules. The quadrupole filter  13  is a filter unit which forms a field for selectively passing ions, and in the present embodiment, forms a quadrupole field as a field that selectively passes ions. That is, the quadrupole filter  13  has four electrodes as one set and forms a quadrupole field that has a DC component and a high frequency component in a space surrounded by the electrodes. When ions pass along the central axis of the quadrupole field, the ions are repeatedly subjected to a focusing force and a diverging force in directions that are perpendicular to the velocity. This means that at the quadrupole filter  13 , when the frequency of the high frequency component, the DC and high-frequency voltages of the quadrupole field formed in the filter  13 , and the mass-to-charge ratio satisfy predetermined conditions, ions of the same mass-to-charge ratio will selectively pass through the quadrupole field and reach the ion detector  14 , where the amount of arriving ions is measured as an ion current. 
     The sensor  10  is attached to the cubic like chamber  30  so that the sensor housing  19  passes through one side wall surface of the chamber  30 , with substantially the entire sensor housing  19  housed inside the chamber  30 . The front end of the sensor housing  19  (i.e., the ionization unit  11 -side) and the capillary  9  are connected, so that the gas  5  introduced via the capillary  9  flows out into the chamber  30  via the sensor housing  19 . The sensor housing  19  is connected to (fluidly communicated with) the chamber  30  for example by having a gap for attaching the filament of the ionization unit  11 , an opening  15  provided in the vicinity of the ion detector  14  or the filter unit  13 , or the like, so that the interior of the housing  19  is kept at fundamentally the same depressurized condition (state) as the chamber  30 . 
     The gas  5  that has been introduced via the capillary  9  is first introduced into the sensor housing  19  and released into the chamber  30 , before being discharged out of the system by the turbo pump  31  or the like. This means that it is possible to precisely analyze components of the gas  5  supplied via the capillary  9  in real time without gas that has circulated in the chamber  30  entering the sensor housing  19 . 
     The rear of the sensor housing  19  is attached to the control box  20  via an attachment pipe  28  that houses wiring. The control box  20  houses a Pirani board  23  that controls the pressure gauge (pressure monitor)  33 , an ion drive board  24  on which an ion drive circuitry (ion drive circuit)  61  that electrically drives the ionization unit  11  is mounted, a field drive board  25  on which a field drive circuitry (field drive circuit)  62 , which includes an RF drive unit (RF unit)  62   r  that electrically drives the quadrupole filter  13 , is mounted, a detector board  26  on which a detector circuitry (detector circuit)  63 , which controls the output sensitivity (gain) of the ion detector  14  is mounted, a CPU  21  that performs overall control, a micro-controller board  22  that is connected to the CPU  21  and the respective boards described above and controls other devices such as the turbo pump  31 , the fan  29  that cools the inside of the control box  20 , and a temperature sensor  27  that detects the temperature of each board. 
     One example of the temperature sensor  27  is an infrared thermopile sensor, which detects the temperature inside the control box  20  as a representative value (a temperature about each circuitry, a temperature around each circuitry), but it is also possible to detect infrared rays from each board and detect the temperature of each board as the temperature about or around (in a periphery of) the respective circuitry. It is also possible to attach a temperature sensor, such as an infrared sensor, a thermocouple, or a resistance temperature detector to each board, for example, the ion drive board  24 , the field drive board  25 , and the detector board  26  to acquire the temperature about or around the circuitry mounted on the respective boards. 
     The analysis system  1  further includes: a vacuum and temperature control interface unit  55  which controls the internal pressure of the chamber  30  and controls the temperature of a heater  39  that heats a vacuum system including the chamber  30  and a pipe  38  that connects the chamber  30  and the turbo pump (turbo molecular pump)  31 ; and a fan  53  that ventilates the inside of the housing  50  to control the temperature. The vacuum and temperature control interface unit  55  includes a function for monitoring the temperature of the chamber  30  using a temperature sensor provided to measure the temperature inside the chamber  30 , typically an infrared thermopile sensor  34 . 
       FIG. 2  depicts the electrical system configuration of the analyzer apparatus  1 . The microcontroller (control unit)  22  includes a unit (functional unit)  22   x  that operates in cooperation with a CPU subsystem  21  to control the outputs of the circuitry  61 ,  62 , and  63  according to analytes (the objects to be measured), environmental conditions, and the like of the sensor  10  and thereby manage the operation of the analyzer apparatus  1 . The operation management unit  22   x  also includes a function (unit) that changes the condition of the filter unit  13  to vary the mass-to-charge ratio that passes through the filter unit  13  sequentially to operate the analytical device  1  in scan mode. Corresponding to the CPU subsystem  21  and the microcontroller  22 , the analyzer apparatus  1  includes communication interfaces  21   y  and  22   y  that are compliant with various standards, such as USB, SD cards, HDMI (registered trademark), Ethernet (registered trademark), and RS 485. 
     The microcontroller  22  includes a pressure and temperature control unit (pressure and temperature control function)  22   a  that feedback-controls the degree of vacuum and temperature of the chamber  30  based on information obtained from the pressure monitor  33  and the vacuum and temperature control interface unit  55 . Although the pressure and temperature control unit  22   a  controls the performance of the pumps  31  and  32  to control the degree of vacuum, the pressure and temperature control unit  22   a  mainly controls the rotating speed of the turbo molecular pump  31  on the high vacuum side to maintain a predetermined degree of vacuum. The pressure and temperature control unit  22   a  simultaneously controls the power of the heater  39  so as to keep the temperature of the chamber  30  constant. 
     When the degree of vacuum in the chamber  30  is controlled to keep the performance of the sensor  10  constant, the larger the volume of the chamber  30 , the smaller the fluctuations in the degree of vacuum, so that conventional chambers  30  have commonly had a volume that is for example twenty times the sensor  10  or larger. However, since the output of the sensor  10  (the detector  14 ) will not change unless the gas inside the chamber  30  is replaced, when the volume of the chamber  30  is large, the sensitivity to variation in time is low, and since a mere average value of the gas in the chamber  30  is detected by the sensor  10 , there has been the drawback of reduced sensitivity to variations in the components. There has been a further problem in that once the degree of vacuum in the chamber  30  has varied due to factors such as temperature, it takes a long time to return to the desired state. 
     In contrast, in the present system  1 , by reducing the volume of the chamber  30 , it becomes possible to stabilize the measurement conditions and solve the above problems. That is, first, by reducing the volume of the chamber  30 , variations in the internal conditions of the chamber  30  are more sensitively captured by the pressure monitor  33  and/or the temperature sensor  34 . By improving the precision of the feedback control performed based on the degree of vacuum and temperature in the chamber  30  with controlling the vacuum pumps  31  and  32  that form the depressurization unit, it is possible to stabilize the conditions inside the chamber  30 . In addition, by reducing the volume of the chamber  30 , it is possible to measure real-time variations in the gas components more precisely. Also, by reducing the volume of the chamber  30 , there is a further merit in that it is possible to make the analysis system  1  compact enough to be portable. The capacity Vc of the chamber  30  and the volume Vh of the sensor housing  19  should preferably satisfy the following condition.
 
1.5&lt; Vc/Vh&lt; 10  (1)
 
     The upper limit of Condition (1) is preferably 8, more preferably 5, and even more preferably 3. 
     The pressure monitor  33  that monitors the internal pressure of the chamber  30  is configured to monitor the pressure in the region outside the sensor housing  19  within the chamber  30 . If there is variation in the pressure of the gas  5  supplied from the capillary  9 , the effect of this will appear after the gas  5  has flowed out into the chamber  30  via the sensor housing  19 , and even though the chamber  30  has a low volume, this volume is still large compared to the capillary  9 , which suppresses sudden variations in pressure. Accordingly, since the pressure variations that are to be monitored are reduced, the operating of the depressurization unit configured by the vacuum pumps  31  and  32 , especially the operation of the turbo pump  31  that controls targeting the internal pressure of the chamber  30  can be moderated, which makes it possible to more smoothly cope with variations in pressure of the gas  5  supplied from the capillary  9 . 
     The microcontroller  22  further includes a correction unit (correction function, compensation function or unit, or adjustment unit)  22   b  that makes various corrections (compensation, or adjustment) to the output settings of the ion drive circuitry  61  and the field drive circuitry  62  and the sensitivity settings (gain setting) of the detector circuitry  63  based on the temperature about or around (in the periphery of) the circuitry detected by the temperature detection unit (temperature sensor)  27 . In this example, the correction unit  22   b  corrects the respective output settings of the ion drive circuitry  61  and the field drive circuitry  62 , and the gain setting of the detector circuitry  63  in a unit of 10° C. (in 10° C. increments) in a range from 0° C. to 80° C. by referring to a look-up table  69  in which correction amounts for the setting values are stored in advance. In place of the look-up table  69 , it is also possible to use a method, such as functions or equations, that calculates or outputs correction values. 
     For example, in the RF drive unit  62   r  of the field drive circuitry  62 , to forms the quadrupole field in the quadrupole filter  13 , it is necessary to output an RF voltage, a DC+ voltage, and a DC− voltage linearly proportional to AMU units. However, the output (voltage and/or current) of the RF drive unit  62   r  slightly fluctuates according to the environmental temperature where the field drive circuitry  62 , which includes the RF drive unit  62   r , is installed, so that there may be a drop in linearity with respect to AMU. This error can cause measurement errors. 
     When the components included in the gas  5  are qualitatively determined, variations in the output of the RF drive unit  62   r  will have little effect on qualitative measurements. On the other hand, when the components included in the gas  5  are quantitatively determined, unless the linearity of the RF voltage and the like with respect to AMUs is guaranteed, there is the risk that converting the measurement results of the ion currents to concentrations will no longer be meaningful. Accordingly, the correction unit  22   b  refers to compensation values output setting values, correction values, or differences) stored in the look-up table  69  that have been determined in advance using the environmental temperature of (temperature about) the RF drive unit  62   r , and varies the output setting (base value or base curve) of the RF drive unit  62   r , in this example, changes the output setting values with respect to AMUs depending on the temperature within a predetermined range, so that even if the environmental temperature varies, the linearity with respect to AMUs, of the RF voltage, the DC+ voltage, and the DC− voltage outputted from the RF drive unit  62   r  is maintained. 
     Accordingly, although this analyzer  1  is a quadrupole mass spectrometer, it is possible to perform quantitative analysis that was not conventionally possible. The present invention is not limited to a quadrupole field, and when controlling, based on the characteristics of ions or molecules such as AMUs, mass-to-charge ratios, and ion mobilities, the voltage or current that form (drive) a “field” that is an electric field, a magnetic field, or an electromagnetic field that selectively passes and/or holds ions, it is possible, by controlling or correcting a signal or information that controls the voltage or current used for driving the field, relative to a temperature itself or temperature difference based on the temperature about the circuitry outputting the signal, to suppress the temperature dependency of the voltage or current that drives the field, which makes it possible to form a higher precision field in the filter unit  13 . 
     For the ion drive circuitry  61 , although a sensitivity to the environmental temperature (temperature about the circuitry) and tendencies may differ to the field drive circuitry  62 , the output of the ion drive circuitry  61  may vary. At the ion drive circuitry  61 , for example, the filament voltage and/or the filament current of the ionization unit  11  may fluctuate depending on the temperature, and therefore it may be effective to correct or compensate the settings of these voltage and current values, for example, a base curve or base value, according to temperature by the correction unit  22   b . For the detector circuitry  63 , the gain of the Faraday cup and/or electron multiplier that is the detector  14  and the amplification (gain) of the output signal can be corrected or compensated according to temperature. Using the same method as for the field drive circuitry  62 , the compensation unit  22   b  corrects the setting values for these circuitry  61  and  63  to ensure linearity. 
     The microcontroller (control unit)  22  further includes a stabilizing unit  22   c  that stabilizes, via the ion drive circuitry  61 , an emission current Ea that indicates the ionizing power of the ionization unit  11 . In this example, the emission current Ea is controlled to 0.1%, that is, to an nA level. By controlling the variations in the emission current Ea of the ionization unit  11  to 1% or below, and more preferably to 0.1% or below, the amount of ions inputted into the filter unit  13  can be kept effectively constant. This means that the amounts of the various ions separated by the filter unit  13  and detected at the detector unit  14 , that is, the content (content ratios, proportions) of the gas  5 , can be quantitatively determined with high precision. 
     The ionization unit  11  in the present embodiment is configured to output thermal electrons using a filament. The stabilizing unit  22   c  includes a first stabilizing unit (convergence unit)  22   d , which measures an ion box current, for example, as the emission current Ea and controls the filament voltage Fv to ramp up or down according to a look-up table or the like that has been set in advance so that the emission current Ea is within ±1% of a target current Et, and a second stabilizing unit (feedback control unit)  22   e , which shifts the filament voltage Fv by a minute amount (Δf) by feedback control so that the emission current Ea is within ±0.1% of the target current Et. One example of feedback control is PID (proportional-integral-derivative control). 
       FIG. 3  depicts the more detailed configuration of the ion drive circuitry  61  and the detector circuitry  63  by way of a block diagram. The ionization unit  11  includes filaments  11   f  and a repeller electrode  11   r  disposed in an ion box  11   b . The gas  5  inputted into the sensor  10  by the capillary  9  is ionized by the ionization unit  11 , and the generated ion flow (ionized gas)  3  is guided to the field (quadrupole field)  13   f  of the filter unit  13  by the ion lens  12 . Ions that have been separated and/or selected by the field  13   f  reach the detector unit  14  and are observed as an ion current flowing across the collector  14   c.    
     The ion drive circuitry  61  includes a driver unit  61   a  that supplies power to elements that construct the ionization unit  11  and a monitor/control unit (monitor and control unit)  61   b  that monitors and controls the ionization unit  11 . As one example, the driver unit  61   a  supplies filament driving power via filament power control units  71   a  and  71   b  to the two filaments  11   f  respectively, sets the repeller voltage of the repeller electrode  11   r , and sets the voltages of the ion box  11   b  and the ion lens  12 . The filament power control units  71   a  and  71   b  include MOSFET switches that respectively shut down the power of the corresponding filament immediately. 
     The ion drive circuitry  61  includes a circuitry  72  that measures a filament voltage Vf and a filament current If, and in the present embodiment provides feedback via the monitor/control unit  61   b  to the microcontroller  22 . The ion driver circuitry  61  further includes circuitry  73  and  74  that respectively measure the ion box current I 1  and the ion lens current I 2 , and in the present embodiment, provide feedback via the monitor/control unit  61   b  to the microcontroller  22 . 
     The filament power control units  71   a  and  71   b  control the voltage Vf supplied to the respective filaments  11   f  as outputs and monitor the filament current If. As one example, the filament voltage Vf is controlled so as to increase or decrease in steps (ramp up or down) when the analyzer apparatus  1  starts and stops, and in a steady state, is controlled to become a voltage capable of emitting thermal electrons that can ionize the molecules to analyze (to be measured) and is controlled so that the emission current Ea becomes constant. As the emission current Ea, it is possible to refer to the ion box current I 1  and/or the ion lens current I 2 . The ion box current I 1  has a large current value due to being close to the filament  11   f , which makes it easy to grasp changes in the emission current Ea. On the other hand, the ion box current I 1  could conceivably be affected by the electrons emitted from the filament  11   f . For this reason, in the present embodiment, by comparing the ion box current I 1  and the ion lens current I 2 , an emission current Ea that excludes the effects of thermal electrons from the ion box current I 1  is determined. 
     The filament voltage Vf is controlled so that the emission current Ea becomes constant, for example, to produce a tolerance with respect to the target current Et of 0.1% or below, or less than 0.1% (in other words, the tolerance becomes the nA level). This emission current control may be realized by the stabilizing unit  22   c  of the microcontroller  22  as described above, or may be realized by the monitor/control unit  61   b  of the ion driver circuitry  61 . 
     Since the characteristics of the circuitry elements that construct the ion drive circuitry  61  may exhibit minute fluctuations according to the temperature around the circuitry, the filament voltage Vf that is the output of the ion drive circuitry  61  may minutely rise and fall according to the temperature. For this reason, the monitor/control unit  61   b  receives a correction signal S 1 , which is based on the temperature of the ion drive circuitry  61  itself or the temperature in the periphery of the ion drive circuitry  61 , from the correction unit  22   b  and corrects the voltage that is a standard or base for the filament voltage Vf. 
     In the same way, in the field drive circuitry  62 , the RF unit (RF power amplifier)  62   r  receives the correction signal S 1  and corrects the output settings, such as the voltage and frequency, with the RF output as a standard or base to suppress variations due to the temperature about the circuitry board that includes the field drive circuitry  62 . The detector circuitry  63  includes an amplifier  75  that amplifies an ion current I 3  obtained by the detector  14 , and a gain controller  76  that controls the gain of the amplifier  75 , with the gain controller  76  receiving the correction signal S 1  and correcting the setting of the gain of the amplifier  75  based on the temperature about the circuitry board that includes the detector circuitry  63  to suppress the influence on the output of the amplifier  75  of the temperature about the circuitry board. As the amplifier  75 , as one example it is possible to use a combination of a TIA (transimpedance amplifier) and a VGA (variable gain amplifier) to adjust gain and have high linearity. 
       FIG. 4  depicts an overview of control (processing) executed by the microcontroller (control unit)  22  of the analyzer apparatus  1  by way of a flowchart. When the components of the gas  5  are to be monitored by the analyzer  1 , in step  81 , the operation management unit  22   x  causes the analyzer apparatus  1  to operate in scan mode to sequentially detect molecules (components) with different mass-to-charge ratios. In this process, the quadrupole field  13   f  of the filter unit  13  is controlled by the field drive circuitry  62  so that ions of different mass-to-charge ratios pass through the filter unit  13  in order and reach the detector unit  14 . 
     In step  81 , scanning is repeatedly executed to monitor temporal changes in the components of the gas  5  and/or to get average values of the components acquired at appropriate time intervals. In the scanning, during a scan, each time scanning is repeated or after scanning has been repeated an appropriate number of times, in step  82 , the correction unit  22   b  performs a process that corrects the setting values based on the temperatures about the respective circuitry  61  to  63 , and in step  83 , the stabilizing unit  22   c  performs a process that keeps the emission current Ea constant. 
       FIG. 5  depicts the process  82  that corrects the output settings (setting values, basic parameters, base curves or the like) of the circuitry according to the temperature about the circuitry (circuits or boards) in more detail. In step  85 , the temperatures of the boards on which the respective circuitrys  61  to  63  are mounted or the temperatures in the peripheries thereof are detected. In step  86 , the correction unit  22   b  refers to the look-up table  69  and if it is necessary to change the output setting values of the ion drive circuitry  61 , for example, the basic setting values for calculating the filament voltage Vf, with respect to the detected temperature, in step  86   a  outputs an order of correction (compensation signal) S 1  to the ion drive circuitry  61 . 
     In the same way, in step  87 , if correction or change of the setting values of the field drive circuitry  62  (in the present embodiment, the RF unit  62   r ) is required according to the detected temperature about the circuitry, in step  87   a , an order of correction is outputted to the field drive circuitry  62 . Also, in step  88 , if it is necessary to correct or change the sensitivity (or gain) of the detector circuitry  63  according to the detected temperature about the circuitry, in step  88   a , an order of correction is outputted to the detector circuitry  63 . 
     In this way, by correcting the output settings and/or sensitivity settings of the respective circuitry  61  to  63  according to the temperatures about the circuitry, it is possible, even when the temperatures about the circuitry  61  to  63  vary, to keep the ionization performance of the ionization unit  11  constant, to keep the ion selecting performance of the filter unit  13  constant, and to keep the sensitivity of the detector unit  14  constant. Accordingly, it is possible to maintain the analytical performance, even when the boards  24  to  26  on which the circuitry  61  to  63  are mounted, the other boards  21  to  23 , and the like are housed together with the vacuum pumps  31  and  32 , the heater  39 , and the like inside the compact housing  50  in which the temperature conditions are susceptible to varying. This means that it is possible to provide a high-performance analyzer  1  with a compact size, such as a “handy-size” device. The correction unit  22   b  may correct only the output or sensitivity of one or two circuitry, out of the circuitry  61  to  63 , whose output or sensitivity is greatly affected by the temperature. 
       FIG. 6  depicts a process  83  that stabilizes the emission current Ea of the ionization unit  11  in more detail. In step  91 , the operation management unit  22   x  sets the filament voltage Vf at a target value and the ion drive circuitry  61  drives the ionization unit  11  at the set filament voltage Vf. If the analyzer apparatus  1  is being activated or is preparing for stopping, the target value is set according to a sequence that ramps up or down the filament voltage Vf that raises or lowers the filament voltage Vf in steps. During steady operation, in accordance with a lifetime management schedule of the filament  11   f , a scheduled voltage that causes a predetermined emission current Ea to be obtained is set. 
     In step  92 , the stabilizing unit  22   c  calculates the difference ΔE between the target emission current value Et and the actual emission current value Ea. In step  93 , if the difference ΔE is not below 1%, in step  94 , the filament voltage Vf is increased or decreased in steps at intervals set in advance (convergence process). 
     In step  93 , if the difference ΔE is determined to be less than 1%, the convergence process ends, there is a transition to feedback control in step  95 , and in the present embodiment a PID loop is executed. In step  96 , the difference ΔVf for the filament voltage Vf that is the output of the PID control is acquired, and the filament voltage Vf is corrected with ΔVf. In step  97 , the difference ΔE for the emission current Ea is recalculated, and if the difference ΔE is less than 0.1% in step  98 , the ion drive circuitry  61  drives the ionization unit  11  at the filament voltage Vf set in this process. 
     After it has been determined in step  98  that the difference ΔE is 0.1% or higher, if the difference ΔE is less than 1% in step  99 , the processing advances to step  95  and corrects the filament voltage Vf using feedback control. On the other hand, when the difference ΔE is 1% or more, the processing returns to step  92  and in the convergence process that corrects the filament voltage Vf by ramping up or down, the emission current Ea is caused to converge to the target value Et in a short period of time. By carrying out this processing, it is possible during measurement in the steady state to set the tolerance in the emission current Ea of the analyzer apparatus  1  at less than 0.1%, which makes it possible to manage the emission current Ea at substantially the nA level. Accordingly, it is possible to precisely supply a constant ion flow  3  to the field  13   f  for selecting ions formed in the filter unit  13 , which means that it is possible to provide an analyzer device  1  of a type that measures gas components by ionization, but is capable of quantitative analysis. 
     Although the above describes, as the filter unit  13  of the analyzer apparatus  1 , an example where a quadrupole field is formed as the field  13   f  for separating or selecting ions, the field  13   f  may be an electric or magnetic field, such as a fan-shaped magnetic sector, a magnetic-electric double converging field, or a time-of-flight type. The filter unit  13  may form an electric field and a magnetic field (electromagnetic field) like a Wien filter as the field  13   f  for selecting ions. The filter unit  13  may be a filter unit that forms, as the field  13   f , an electric field for selecting ions according to ion mobility instead of the mass-to-charge ratio, for example, a non-vacuum filter unit  13 , such as a FAIMS. It is also possible to use a filter unit  13  that forms a combination of a plurality of different types of fields  13   r.    
     Also, although the analyzer apparatus  1  described above is equipped with the housing (housing unit)  50  in which the sensor  10 , the control box  20 , and the vacuum pumps  31  and  32  and the like are integrated in a so-called “handy size”, it is also possible to provide the sensor  10  and vacuum system separately to the control box  20  and house respectively in even more compact housings, and possible to accommodate a variety of arrangements, since the circuitry can maintain their precision even when there are variations in temperature around the circuitry. Although a compact sensor with a size of several cm has been given as an example of the sensor  10 , the sensor  10  may be an even more compact MEMS-type sensor. The analyzer apparatus  1  may be a handy size, or may be further miniaturized to a mobile terminal or a wearable size. 
     One of the aspects of the above is an analyzer apparatus that comprises: an ionization unit that ionizes molecules to analyze; a filter unit that forms a field for selectively passing ions generated by the ionization unit; a detector unit that detects ions that have passed through the filter unit; an ion drive circuitry that electrically drives the ionization unit; a field drive circuitry that electrically drives the filter unit; a control unit that controls outputs of the ion drive circuitry and the field drive circuitry; a temperature detecting unit that detects a temperature about at least one circuitry out of the ion drive circuitry and the field drive circuitry; and a correction unit that corrects an output setting of the at least one circuitry based on the temperature detected by the temperature detecting unit. The analyzer apparatus may further comprise a handy-type housing unit that houses at least the ion drive circuitry, the field drive circuitry, the control unit, and the correction unit. The analyzer apparatus may further comprise a detector circuitry that controls an output sensitivity of the detector unit, wherein the temperature detecting unit includes a function that detects a temperature about the detector circuitry, and the correction unit may include a unit that corrects a sensitivity setting of the detector circuitry based on the temperature detected by the temperature detecting unit. 
     The analyzer apparatus may further comprise a sensor housing that houses the ionization unit, the filter unit, and the detector unit in order; a chamber in which the sensor housing is housed; a depressurization unit that depressurizes an inside of the chamber; and a capillary that introduces gas including the molecules to analyze into the ionization unit or periphery of the ionization unit of the sensor housing. The sensor housing may include an opening that connects to the chamber at a vicinity of at least one of the filter unit and the detector unit, and the analyzer apparatus may further include a unit that feedback-controls a temperature and an internal pressure of the chamber outside the sensor housing by the depressurization unit. A ratio Vc/Vh between a volume Vc of the chamber and a volume Vh of the sensor housing may set 1.5 to 10. The analyzer apparatus may further comprise a handy-type housing unit that houses at least the ion drive circuitry, the field drive circuitry, the control unit, and the chamber. The analyzer apparatus may further comprise a unit that stabilizes an emission current of the ionization unit via the ion drive circuitry. The field that selectively passes the ions may include at least one of an electric field, a magnetic field, and an electromagnetic field. The field drive circuitry may include circuitry that supplies an RF output to the filter unit to form a vibration field. 
     Another aspect of the above is a control method of an analyzer apparatus. The analyzer apparatus includes: an ionization unit that ionizes molecules to analyze; a filter unit that forms a field for selectively passing ions generated by the ionization unit; a detector unit that detects ions that have passed through the filter unit; an ion drive circuitry that electrically drives the ionization unit; a field drive circuitry that electrically drives the filter unit; a control unit that controls outputs of the ion drive circuitry and the field drive circuitry; and a temperature detecting unit that detects a temperature about at least one circuitry out of the ion drive circuitry and the field drive circuitry. The control method comprises correcting, by the control unit, an output setting of the at least one circuitry based on the temperature detected by the temperature detecting unit. The analyzer apparatus may further include a detector circuitry that controls an output sensitivity of the detector unit. The temperature detecting unit may include a function that detects a temperature about the detector circuitry. The correcting may include correcting a sensitivity setting of the detector circuitry based on the temperature detected by the temperature detecting unit. The control method may further comprise stabilizing, by the control unit, an emission current of the ionization unit via the ion drive circuitry.