1. In a system having 1) variable system configurations, 2) replaceable components, and 3) a replaceable component life tracking process, a method of identifying a correct set of replaceable components for said life tracking process, said method comprising the steps of:
defining a complete set of all said replaceable components;
identifying each said system configuration with a system configuration parameter;
for each said system configuration, defining a configuration specific replaceable component set;
providing a user interface for inputting and saving system modification data whenever said system is modified, thereby resulting in a change to at least one of said system configurations;
inputting and saving, via said user interface, manually input replaceable component data;
providing a plurality of sensors, each said sensor sensing the presence of at least one of said replaceable components and providing sensed replaceable component data; and
combining, said configuration specific replaceable component data based on said system configuration parameter, said sensed replaceable component data, said modification data, and said manually input replaceable component data, to identify, from said complete set of all said replaceable components, said correct set of replaceable components for said life tracking process.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of reporting said correct set of replaceable components to a system operator via said user interface.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein said user interface is a graphical user interface.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein said system is a printing device.
5. A replaceable component management system for determining a correct set of replaceable components for a replaceable component life tracking system in an apparatus with variable apparatus configurations, comprising:
a first data storage element having stored therein: 1) a complete set of all said replaceable components, and 2) a plurality of apparatus configuration parameters, each apparatus configuration parameter being cross referenced to a configuration specific replaceable component data set;
a user interface for: 1) inputting apparatus modification data to a second storage element whenever said apparatus is modified, thereby resulting in a change to at least one of said apparatus configurations, and 2) inputting manually input replaceable component data;
a first computational element coupled to said second storage element and to a plurality of sensors, each said sensor sensing the presence of at least one of said replaceable components and providing sensed replaceable component data; and
a second computational element coupled to said first computational element, to said first storage element, and to said user interface, said second computational element combining said configuration specific replaceable component data, said sensed replaceable component data, said modification data, and said manually input replaceable component data, to identify, from said complete set of all said replaceable components, said correct set of replaceable components for said replaceable component life tracking system.
6. The replaceable component management system of claim 5, wherein said user interface is a graphical user interface.
7. The replaceable component management system of claim 6, wherein said apparatus is a printing device.
8. A method of managing replaceable components in a system, the method performed at least in part by a processing device and comprising the steps of:
identifying a set of replaceable components useable in the system;
receiving sensor information from sensors in the system identifying components installed in the system;
receiving modification information from a memory in the system identifying component changes that have been made to the system;
receiving operator information from an operator of the system identifying additional component information beyond that provided by the sensor information and the modification information; and
determining a correct set of replaceable components being used in the system for component life tracking purposes based at least upon the sensor information, the modification information, and the operator information, the correct set of replaceable components being a subset of the set of replaceable components usable in the system.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for determining the concentration of an element of interest in a sample by x-ray fluorescence, comprising:
directing an x-ray excitation beam onto at least a portion of the sample to cause the sample to fluorescently emit x-rays at first and second energies characteristic of the element of interest;
measuring the intensities of the fluorescently emitted x-rays;
calculating a ratio R of the measured intensity of x-rays of the second characteristic energy to the measured intensity of x-rays of the first characteristic energy;
automatically selecting a concentration calculation method from a plurality of available concentration calculation methods based on the value of R;
calculating a concentration of the element of interest using the selected concentration calculation method; and
outputting the concentration of the element of interest.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the element of interest is lead, and the x-rays of the first and second characteristic energies respectively correspond to the L\u03b1, and L\u03b2 lines of lead.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of available concentration calculation methods includes a first method in which the lead concentration is calculated as an areal density, and a second method in which the lead concentration is calculated as a volumetric concentration.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first method is selected if the value of R is about 0.8, and the second method is selected if the value of R is greater than about 0.8.
5. The method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of concentration calculation methods further includes a third method in which the lead concentration is calculated as a volumetric concentration, and wherein the first method is selected if the value of R is about 0.8, the second method is selected if the value of R is greater than about 0.8 and less than a specified maximum Rmax, and the third method is selected if the value of R is equal to or greater than Rmax.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein Rmax is about 1.4.
7. An x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer comprising:
a source for generating an x-ray excitation beam to be directed onto a sample;
a detector positioned to receive x-rays emitted from the sample, the emitted x-rays including fluorescently emitted x-rays at first and second energies characteristic of an element of interest, the detector responsively producing signals representative of the intensities of the fluorescently emitted x-rays;
a signal processor, coupled to the detector and programmed with instructions for calculating a ratio R of a measured intensity of x-rays of the second characteristic energy to a measured intensity of x-rays of the first characteristic energy, automatically selecting a concentration calculation method from a plurality of available concentration calculation methods based on the value of R, and calculating a concentration of the element of interest using the selected concentration calculation method; and
an output for presenting the calculated concentration of the element of interest.