Claims
- 1. A device for detecting conductive particles, counting them, measuring their length, and determining the concentrations of different length particles per unit volume over a period of time comprising:
- a sensor wire made of an electrically conductive material;
- a high voltage DC source and a load resistor connected in series with said sensor wire for charging said wire to a high DC voltage whereby whenever a conductive fiber touches said wire the fiber becomes charged thereby removing part of the charge from said wire; and
- means for detecting the discharges of said wire wherein said detecting means is electrically connected between said sensor wire and said load resistor by a coupling means for isolating the direct current constant voltage of the source from the detecting means and passing the high frequency AC pulse signal generated by a fiber touching said wire to said detecting means.
- 2. The device of claim 1 including a hollow conductive cylinder and means of suspending said sensor wire concentric to and electrically isolated from said cylinder.
- 3. The device of claim 1 wherein said means for detecting includes means of counting and measuring the magnitude of said discharges whereby the number and lengths of said touching fibers are determined.
ORIGIN OF THE INVENTION
The invention described herein was made in the performance of work under a NASA contract and is subject to the provisions of Section 305 of the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, Public Law 85-568 (72 Stat. 435; 42 USC 2457).
US Referenced Citations (3)