Mass Spectrometry Interval Timing for Gap-Free Peak Sampling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mass spectrometry systems experience wasteful time gaps between adjacent measurement intervals due to non-integer multiples of cycle times, leading to inefficiencies and degraded compound peak waveform quality.
Innovation Solution
A mass spectrometry apparatus and method that corrects the start and completion times of cycle measurement intervals to eliminate these gaps, ensuring actual start and completion times align to prevent wasteful time between adjacent intervals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If measurement intervals are set based on compound peak observation periods, then measurement coverage is improved, but blank periods occur between adjacent intervals causing time waste
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adjusts the start time and completion time parameters of measurement intervals dynamically. By calculating and modifying these time parameters, the system eliminates blank periods between adjacent intervals while ensuring complete coverage of compound peak observation periods, thus resolving the contradiction between measurement coverage and time waste
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic timing adjustment where the start and completion times of measurement intervals are not fixed but are optimized based on the relationships between adjacent intervals. This dynamic approach allows the system to adaptively eliminate gaps while maintaining comprehensive measurement coverage
2Adaptability or versatility
If cycle time does not divide measurement interval evenly, then measurement flexibility is improved, but remainder time creates inefficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the timing parameters of measurement intervals to ensure they are integer multiples of the cycle time. This parameter adjustment eliminates remainder time while preserving the ability to flexibly configure measurement intervals based on different compound peak observation periods, thus resolving the contradiction between flexibility and efficiency
3Measurement precision
If measurement intervals are optimized for coverage, then compound peak detection is improved, but sample point spacing increases locally
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the start and completion time parameters of measurement intervals to eliminate gaps and ensure continuous sampling. By adjusting these parameters, the system maintains uniform sample point spacing within and between intervals, thereby improving both compound peak detection and sample point distribution uniformity simultaneously
Data Source
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AI summary
A plurality of measurement intervals (Sa1 to Sa5) are set on a retention time axis based on a plurality of compound peak observation periods. A start time and a completion time of each measurement interval (Sa1 to Sa5) are corrected so as to prevent occurrence of a blank period (remainder time) (r1 to r5) between two measurement intervals which are timewise adjacent to each other, to thereby determine an actual start time and an actual completion time of each measurement interval (Sb1 to Sb5) after correction. Specifically, the actual start time of an ith cycle measurement interval is made to coincide with the actual completion time of an (i-1)th cycle measurement interval.