Method of and means for determining the average size of particles

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING THE AVERAGE SIZE OF PARTICLES IN A SUSPENSION OF PREDETERMINED OPTICAL DENSITY COMPRISING: MEANS FORMING A CHAMBER FOR SAID SUSPENSION HAVING CROSS SECTIONAL DIMENSIONS SUCH THAT THE PARTICLES ARE SUBSTANTIALLY SMALLER THAN THE VOLUME OF SAID CHAMBER, A LIGHT SOURCE AND A PHOTOELECTRIC DEVICE POSITIONED RESPECTIVELY ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID CHAMBER, AT LEAST A PART OF THE WALLS OF THE CHAMBER BEING TRANSPARENT TO FORM A LIGHT TRANSMITTING PATH THROUGH THE CHAMBER, THE LIGHT BEAM FROM SAID SOURCE PASSING THROUGH SAID CHAMBER AND STRIKING SAID PHOTOELECTRIC DEVICE, MEANS FORMING A LIGHT APERTURE INTERPOSED IN THE PATH OF THE LIGHT BEAM WHICH PASSES THROUGH SAID CHAMBER, WHICH APERTURE IS SIZED AND LOCATED TO PROVIDE A FIELD SPACED FROM BOTH LATERAL EDGES OF SAID CHAMBER, AND A FLUID RESERVOIR POSITIONED ABOVE SAID CHAMBER AND BEING IN COMMUNICATION THEREWITH WHEREBY SAID PARTICLES IN SAID SUSPENSION FLOW INTO SAID CHAMBER AND ACROSS SAID APERTURE TO PULSE SAID LIGHT BEAM CREATING PULSES IN THE CURRENT OF SAID PHOTOELECTRIC DEVICE THAT ARE PROPORTIONAL TO THE VOLUMES OF THE PARTICLE UNITS, AND MEANS COUPLED TO SAID PHOTOCONDUCTIVE DEVICE TO AMPLIFY SAID PULSES AND INTEGRATE THE AVERAGE ENERGY THEREIN WITH RESPECT TO TIME, SAID MEASUREMENT INDICATING THE AVERAGE SIZE OF THE PARTICLES OF SAID SUSPENSION.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING THE AVERAGE SIZE OF PARTICLES IN A SUSPENSION OF PREDETERMINED OPTICAL DENSITY COMPRISING: MEANS FORMING A CHAMBER FOR SAID SUSPENSION HAVING CROSS SECTIONAL DIMENSIONS SUCH THAT THE PARTICLES ARE SUBSTANTIALLY SMALLER THAN THE VOLUME OF SAID CHAMBER, A LIGHT SOURCE AND A PHOTOELECTRIC DEVICE POSITIONED RESPECTIVELY ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID CHAMBER, AT LEAST A PART OF THE WALLS OF THE CHAMBER BEING TRANSPARENT TO FORM A LIGHT TRANSMITTING PATH THROUGH THE CHAMBER, THE LIGHT BEAM FROM SAID SOURCE PASSING THROUGH SAID CHAMBER AND STRIKING SAID PHOTOELECTRIC DEVICE, MEANS FORMING A LIGHT APERTURE INTERPOSED IN THE PATH OF THE LIGHT BEAM WHICH PASSES THROUGH SAID CHAMBER, WHICH APERTURE IS SIZED AND LOCATED TO PROVIDE A FIELD SPACED FROM BOTH LATERAL EDGES OF SAID CHAMBER, AND A FLUID RESERVOIR POSITIONED ABOVE SAID CHAMBER AND BEING IN COMMUNICATION THEREWITH WHEREBY SAID PARTICLES IN SAID SUSPENSION FLOW INTO SAID CHAMBER AND ACROSS SAID APERTURE TO PULSE SAID LIGHT BEAM CREATING PULSES IN THE CURRENT OF SAID PHOTOELECTRIC DEVICE THAT ARE PROPORTIONAL TO THE VOLUMES OF THE PARTICLE UNITS, AND MEANS COUPLED TO SAID PHOTOCONDUCTIVE DEVICE TO AMPLIFY SAID PULSES AND INTEGRATE THE AVERAGE ENERGY THEREIN WITH RESPECT TO TIME, SAID MEASUREMENT INDICATING THE AVERAGE SIZE OF THE PARTICLES OF SAID SUSPENSION.