TOFMS Reflector Unit Vibration Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The transportation of time-of-flight mass spectrometers (TOFMS) often results in a deterioration of accuracy due to vibrations during transit, which can displace the electrodes of the reflectron, affecting the precision of the ion flight trajectory and mass resolution.
Innovation Solution
The TOFMS is designed with a separable reflector unit that is transported and installed separately from the main body unit, using casters and specialized handling to minimize vibrations, and a sub-chassis with dampers to absorb vibrations, ensuring the reflectron's accuracy is maintained during installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the TOFMS is transported as a complete integrated unit, then transportation is simple and efficient, but vibrations during transit displace the reflectron electrodes and deteriorate measurement accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The TOFMS is divided into two separate units: a main body unit containing the ion source, quadrupole mass filter, collision cell, ion trap, and acceleration unit, and a reflector unit containing the reflectron and detector. This segmentation allows the reflectron to be transported separately on a dedicated vibration-isolated platform, preventing electrode displacement while maintaining overall system functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The reflectron, which is the most vibration-sensitive component, is extracted from the integrated TOFMS and transported as a separate reflector unit. This extraction allows specialized vibration protection measures to be applied specifically to the reflectron without complicating the transportation of the entire instrument.
2Measurement precision
If the reflectron is separated and transported independently, then vibration damage is prevented, but the device complexity and installation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The reflectron is pre-assembled and pre-aligned within the reflector unit at the factory before separation. This preliminary assembly ensures that the electrodes are correctly positioned and the unit is ready for installation, reducing the complexity of on-site assembly while maintaining measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
A vacuum-tight connection interface serves as an intermediary between the main body unit and the reflector unit. This standardized interface simplifies the reassembly process after separate transportation, ensuring proper vacuum sealing and electrical connections without requiring complex alignment procedures.
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
This approach allows for the preservation of high assembly accuracy of the reflectron during transportation and installation, maintaining the precision of the TOFMS's mass resolution by minimizing the impact of vibrations on the reflector unit.
Implementation Method 1
an acceleration unit configured to receive the ion transported by the ion transportation unit and accelerate the ion to introduce the ion into the flight space
Implementation Method 2
a reflector configured to reverse a flight trajectory of the ion accelerated by the acceleration unit and introduced into the flight space
Implementation Method 3
time-of-flight mass spectrometer for performing mass separation based on a time of flight of an ion flying in a flight space
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOFMS) taken measures for preventing a deterioration in accuracy caused at the time of transportation to an installation site. A time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOFMS) for performing mass separation based on the time of flight of an ion flying in a flight space includes an ion transportation unit (12, 14, 15) configured to transport an ion, an acceleration unit (expulsion electrode (161) and the like) configured to receive the ion transported by the ion transportation unit and accelerate the ion to introduce the ion into the flight space, a flight unit incorporating the flight space, a first vacuum vessel (18A) enclosing the ion transportation unit, the acceleration unit, and at least a part of the flight unit, a chassis (19) on which the first vacuum vessel (18A) is placed, and a reflector unit (20) to which a reflector (reflection (164)) and a second vacuum vessel (28) are fixed, the reflection (164) being configured to reverse the flight trajectory of the ion accelerated by the acceleration unit and introduced into the flight space, and the second vacuum vessel (28) being attachable to an end of the first vacuum vessel (18A) and enclosing the reflector. Since the reflector unit (20) is separated from other parts during transportation, the other parts are easily moved by, for example, casters (191) disposed on the chassis (19), and the reflector unit (20) is moved without being affected by the vibrations caused by the movement on the casters (191).