Patent · US Expired

Apparatus for remote analysis of vehicle emissions

US5401967A · kind A · utility

126Cited by
23References
18Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 3, 1994
Grant dateMar 28, 1995
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 3, 2014

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01N2021/3513
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A gas analysis device for the remote detecting, measuring and recording of NO, CO, CO.sub.2, HC, and H.sub.2 O levels from the exhaust (30) of moving motor vehicles (28) utilizes a source (11) of collimated infrared and ultraviolet radiation (15) and includes a detector unit (16) positioned on the opposite side of the roadway for receiving and measuring the infrared and ultraviolet radiation from the source (11) tranmitted through the vehicle exhaust. The detector unit splits the combined infrared and ultraviolet radiation into separate infrared and ultraviolet beams (42) and (40). The ultraviolet beam is diffracted onto a photodiode array in a spectrometer that generates a signal indicative of NO in the vehicle exhaust. A rotating reflector (27) time-multiplexes the infrared beam to a plurality of infrared sensors that generate electrical signals indicative of, for example, CO, CO.sub.2, HC, and H.sub.2 O in the vehicle exhaust. A computer (17) then computes the relative concentrations of CO, CO.sub.2, HC, NO, and H.sub.2 O in the path of the infrared and ultraviolet radiation from the source, thereby measuring vehicle emissions.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.