Method and apparatus for enhanced ion mobility based sample analysis using various analyzer configurations

Abstract

A ion mobility-based analyzer system including a first ion mobility-based filter for passing selected ions through a time-varying field where the time-varying field being compensated by an adjustable compensation setting. The analyzer also includes a second ion mobility-based filter for receiving a first portion of ions from the first ion mobility-based filter. The second ion mobility-based filter includes a voltage gradient for separating ions of the first portion of ions where the ions have associated retention times based on their times of flight through the voltage gradient. The second ion mobility-based filter includes a detector for detecting the ions at their retention times. The analyzer system further includes a display that displays the detected ions in a plot relating the retention times of the ions in the second ion mobility-based filter with compensation settings of the first ion mobility-based filter.

1 . A ion mobility-based analyzer system comprising,
 a first ion mobility-based filter for passing selected ions through a time-varying field, the time-varying field being compensated by an adjustable compensation setting,   a second ion mobility-based filter for receiving a first portion of ions from the first ion mobility-based filter, the second ion mobility-based filter including:
 a voltage gradient for separating a plurality of ions of the first portion of ions, the plurality of ions having an associated plurality of retention times based on a plurality of times of flight through the voltage gradient, and 
 a first detector for detecting the plurality of ions at the plurality of retention times, and 
   a display for displaying the detected ions in a plot relating the plurality of retention times with a plurality of compensation settings.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the plot displays an ion signal level in relation to the plurality of retention times and the plurality of compensation settings. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the ion signal level is based on at least one of ion intensity, ion abundance, and ion current measured by the first detector. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the compensation setting includes at least one of a compensation voltage setting and a compensation field setting. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the plot displays a three-dimensional representation having at least two dimensions of the three-dimensional representation corresponding to the plurality of retention times and the plurality of compensation settings. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the plot displays the ion signal level as a third dimension of the three-dimensional representation. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 5  including, representing changes in value of at least one of the first, second and a third dimension of the three-dimensional representation as a change in at least one of gray scale, black and white patterning, color, and color saturation. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7  including, representing the first dimension as a length, the second dimension as a width, and a third dimension of the three-dimensional representation as a height. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the three-dimensional representation is a dispersion plot. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the three-dimensional representation comprises an x-axis for retention times, a y-axis for compensation settings, and varying aspects of a color-related feature for ion signal level. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the three-dimensional representation includes an x-axis corresponding to retention times, a y-axis corresponding to compensation settings, and a z-axis corresponding to ion signal level. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 5  comprising a processor for comparing at least a portion of the three-dimensional representation to at least a portion of a library of stored three-dimensional representations corresponding to known species. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 1  comprising a third ion mobility-based filter for receiving a second portion of ions from the first ion mobility-based filter, the third ion mobility-based filter including:
 a voltage gradient for separating a plurality of ions of the second portion of ions, the plurality of ions having an associated plurality of retention times based on a plurality of times of flight through the voltage gradient, and   a second detector for detecting the plurality of ions at the plurality of retention times.   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the first ion mobility-based filter includes a differential mobility spectrometer (DMS), the second ion mobility-based filter includes an ion mobility spectrometer (IMS), and the third ion mobility-based filter includes an IMS. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  1 , wherein the first ion mobility-based filter includes a differential mobility spectrometer (DMS) and the second ion mobility-based filter includes an ion mobility spectrometer (IMS). 
     
     
         16 . A display device for displaying sample analysis information comprising:
 a processor for processing data from a first ion mobility based filter and a second ion-mobility based filter, the second ion mobility-based filter including a detector, and   a display for displaying the processed data in a representation relating a plurality of retention times of ions associated with the second ion mobility based filter with a plurality of compensation settings associated with the first ion mobility based filter.   
     
     
         17 . The device of  claim 16 , wherein the processing includes receiving the data. 
     
     
         18 . The device of  claim 16 , wherein the data includes at least one of control settings and detection data. 
     
     
         19 . The device of  claim 18 , wherein the detection data includes an ion signal level. 
     
     
         20 . The device of  claim 19 , wherein the ion signal level is based on at least one of ion intensity, ion abundance, and ion current measured by the detector. 
     
     
         21 . The device of  claim 20 , wherein a compensation setting includes at least one of a compensation voltage setting and a compensation field setting. 
     
     
         22 . The device of  claim 16 , wherein the representation includes a three-dimensional representation having at least two dimensions of the three-dimensional representation corresponding to the plurality of retention times and the plurality of compensation settings. 
     
     
         23 . The device of  claim 22 , wherein the representation includes an ion signal level as a third dimension of the three-dimensional representation. 
     
     
         24 . The device of  claim 23 , wherein the display represents changes in value of at least one of the first, second and a third dimension of the three-dimensional representation as a change in at least one of gray scale, black and white patterning, color, and color saturation. 
     
     
         25 . The device of  claim 24 , wherein the display represents the first dimension as a length, the second dimension as a width, and a third dimension of the three-dimensional representation as a height. 
     
     
         26 . The device of  claim 22 , wherein the three-dimensional representation is a dispersion plot. 
     
     
         27 . The device of  claim 22 , wherein the three-dimensional representation comprises an x-axis for retention times, a y-axis for compensation settings, and varying aspects of a color-related feature for an ion signal level. 
     
     
         28 . The device of  claim 22 , wherein the three-dimensional representation includes an x-axis corresponding to retention times, a y-axis corresponding to compensation settings, and a z-axis corresponding to an ion signal level. 
     
     
         29 . The device of  claim 22  comprising a processor for comparing at least a portion of the three-dimensional representation to at least a portion of a library of stored three-dimensional representations corresponding to known species. 
     
     
         30 . The device of  claim 16 , wherein the first ion mobility-based filter includes a differential mobility spectrometer (DMS) and the second ion mobility-based filter includes an ion mobility spectrometer (IMS).