Portable Gas Sampling and Ion Filtering for Accurate Composition Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas composition analysis systems are bulky, expensive, and lack precision due to the need for vacuum pressures, making them unsuitable for compact and portable applications, and they cannot enrich the gas composition during analysis.
Innovation Solution
A portable device with a sampling module that adjusts and ionizes gaseous flows at environment pressure, using nano-holes to control micro-flows, and an ion filtering and detecting module to generate and measure ion beams, allowing operation at varying pressures and enabling enrichment of the gas mixture.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If vacuum pressure systems are used for gas ionization analysis, then ionization can be achieved, but the device becomes bulky and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the pressure parameter from vacuum to atmospheric pressure, enabling ionization to occur at environment pressure. This eliminates the need for vacuum pumps and complex vacuum systems, directly resolving the contradiction between achieving ionization and maintaining device simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical vacuum pump system with an electrochemical ionization approach that operates at atmospheric pressure. The ionization is achieved through electrochemical reactions in an electrolyte solution rather than through mechanical vacuum creation, simplifying the overall system
2Reliability
If vacuum pumping is used to obtain gaseous residues for analysis, then ionization is enabled, but analysis precision deteriorates due to loss of gas composition fidelity
Solution Approach 1:
By changing the operating pressure from vacuum to atmospheric, the patent allows direct sampling and analysis of the original gas composition without the need for vacuum pumping. This preserves the fidelity of the gas composition being analyzed while still enabling ionization through electrochemical means
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an electrolyte solution as an intermediary medium that enables ionization of gas molecules at atmospheric pressure. The gas to be analyzed dissolves or interacts with the electrolyte, which facilitates ionization without requiring vacuum conditions, thereby maintaining gas composition accuracy
3Measurement precision
If conventional mass spectrometer systems are used for gas analysis, then analysis capability is achieved, but the device is not portable and is expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the complex mechanical and vacuum-based mass spectrometer system with an electrochemical ionization device that operates at atmospheric pressure. This substitution dramatically reduces device size, eliminates vacuum requirements, and lowers cost while maintaining analytical capability
Solution Approach 2:
By operating at atmospheric pressure instead of vacuum, the patent enables miniaturization and portability of the gas analysis device. The elimination of vacuum pumps and large-scale vacuum chambers directly contributes to making the device compact and suitable for portable applications
4Device complexity
If atmospheric pressure operation is implemented, then device compactness and portability are improved, but ionization capability must be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes mechanical vacuum-based ionization with electrochemical ionization that naturally occurs at atmospheric pressure. This substitution maintains ionization capability while enabling compact, portable device design
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the ionization mechanism from one requiring vacuum conditions to one that operates at atmospheric pressure through electrochemical reactions. This parameter change enables both compact device design and maintained ionization capability
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device provides accurate and sensitive gas composition analysis while being compact and cost-effective, capable of operating at atmospheric pressure and improving signal-to-noise ratio through controlled flow management.
Implementation Method 1
a sampling module (7), configured to adjust an input gaseous flow (Fi) of gaseous particles from the environment (A) and an output gaseous flow (Fo) so as to reproduce inside the sampling module (7) a gaseous composition representative of the gaseous composition to be analyzed, and to ionize said gaseous particles and to emit the ions produced, so as to generate an ion flow (I) having an ion composition representative of the gaseous composition to be analyzed
Data Source
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AI summary
An electronic device 1 for analyzing a gas composition, which is present in an environment A at an environment pressure Pa, is described. The device 1 is portable and comprises a gas sampling module 7, an ion filtering module 8 and an ion detecting module 9. The sampling module 7 is configured to adjust an input gaseous flow Fi of gaseous particles from the environment A and an output gaseous flow Fo so as to reproduce inside the sampling module 7 a gas composition representative of the gas composition to be analyzed. In addition, the sampling module 7 is configured to ionize said gaseous particles and to emit the ions produced, so as to generate an ion flow I having an ion composition representative of the gas composition to be analyzed. The ion filtering module 8 is operatively connected to the sampling module 7 to receive the ion flow I, and is configured to controllably select at least one type of ions present in the ion flow I and to generate a corresponding at least one homogeneous ion beam I', having an intensity representative of the concentration of the corresponding gas particle in the gaseous composition to be analyzed. The ion detecting module 9 is operatively connected to the ion filtering module 8 to receive the at least one ion beam I', and is configured to measure the intensity of such least one ion beam I' and to generate a corresponding electric signal S representative of the concentration of the corresponding gas particle in the gaseous composition to be analyzed. The device 1 further comprises pumping means 95, configured to extract gas from the device 1, so as to control an ionization pressure Pi that is present inside the sampling module 7. The sampling module 7 is configured in such a way that the input gaseous flow Fi comprises a plurality of micro-flows at a molecular or predominantly molecular regime, at the environment pressure Pa, and the output gaseous flow Fo is a flow at a molecular or predominantly molecular regime, at the ionization pressure Pi.