US 11,996,279 B2
Methods and systems for detecting aerosol particles
Michael McLoughlin, Sykesville, MD (US); Ross Kliegman, Sykesville, MD (US); Tim Cornish, Sykesville, MD (US); Vadym Berkout, Sykesville, MD (US); Scott Ecelberger, Sykesville, MD (US); Gonzalo Arce, Newark, DE (US); and Kyle Regan, Cedar Grove, NJ (US)
Assigned to ZETEO TECH, INC., Sykesville, MD (US)
Filed by Zeteo Tech, Inc., Sykesville, MD (US)
Filed on Oct. 21, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/507,755.
Application 17/507,755 is a continuation in part of application No. PCT/US2020/040023, filed on Jun. 27, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/868,906, filed on Jun. 29, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0044921 A1, Feb. 10, 2022
Int. Cl. H01J 49/16 (2006.01); G01N 15/10 (2006.01); G01N 27/64 (2006.01); H01J 49/00 (2006.01); H01J 49/40 (2006.01)
CPC H01J 49/164 (2013.01) [G01N 15/10 (2013.01); G01N 27/64 (2013.01); H01J 49/0036 (2013.01); H01J 49/40 (2013.01); G01N 2015/1029 (2024.01); G01N 2015/103 (2024.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system to identify the composition of aerosolized particles, the system comprising:
an aerosol beam generator to generate a beam of single particles;
a single guide tube disposed downstream of the aerosol beam generator and configured to urge particles to flow nearabout the longitudinal axis of the guide tube;
a continuous laser generator to generate a single continuous laser beam, in association with a data analysis system, configured to:
hit each particle with the single continuous laser beam as each particle exits the guide tube and enters the continuous laser beam;
index each particle in the beam of single particles;
optically characterize, in association with one or more laser scattering devices, particle size, particle shape, and fluorescence of each indexed particle and generate optical data; and
select which indexed particle is to be ionized;
a pulse ionization laser generator configured to produce a pulse ionization laser beam including UV pulses and IR pulses or UV pulses, when triggered by the continuous laser beam, wherein the pulse ionization laser generator is triggered when each selected indexed particle enters the continuous laser beam, wherein the continuous laser generator and the pulse ionization laser generator are configured to produce the continuous laser beam and the pulse ionization laser beam, respectively, as overlapping beams; and
a TOFMS detector to analyze ionized fragments associated with each selected indexed particle generated when the pulse ionization laser beam strikes each particle in an ionization region of the pulse laser beam, and generate unique mass spectral data associated with each selected indexed particle, wherein the data analysis system is further configured to:
compile the optical data with unique mass spectral data associated with each selected indexed particle using data fusion; and
compare the compiled optical data with a training data set comprising of a knowledge base of known biological matter to predict composition of the bioaerosol particles.