Remote sensor device for monitoring motor vehicle exhaust systems with high speed sampling
US5343043A · kind A · utility
Assignees
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 13, 1993 |
| Grant date | Aug 30, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 13, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2021/3513
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Apparatus for detecting and measuring relative concentrations of pollutants such as HC, CO and CO.sub.2 in the exhaust emissions from passing vehicles includes an infrared (IR) beam source for directing an IR beam through a vehicle's exhaust plume and a detector disposed on one side of a roadway and a lateral transfer mirror (LTM) disposed on the other side of the roadway for lateral reflecting of the IR beam back through the vehicle's exhaust plume and onto the detector. The LTM allows for close spacing and precise alignment between the emitted and reflected beam paths and permits the IR beam source and detector to be disposed in a single module. Compensation for variation in a range of vehicle operating conditions is provided by adjustable, computer-controlled potentiometers, while audio and/or visible light feedback of the detected IR signal allows a single operator to precisely align the optical components of the apparatus. The IR detector module includes a rotating mirror arrangement for directing the reflected IR beam in a pulsed manner onto a plurality of spaced detector elements, each adapted for detecting a specific pollutant, with the detector elements calibrated with eac…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.