Remote trace gas detection and analysis
US6531701B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 14, 2001 |
| Grant date | Mar 11, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 6, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2021/1793
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A system for the remote detection and analysis of trace chemical agents in the air. A beam of electromagnetic radiation is used to radiate a cloud. The radiation energy that is absorbed by the cloud is thermalized by collisional energy transfer between the molecules that absorb the radiation. Increases in the cloud temperature increase the emission intensity of the molecules against the background, resulting in improved detection of the target molecules. A tracking telescope is used to collect the thermal emissions generated by the radiation beam. A spectrometer is used to resolve the emissions from the cloud and generate an emissions spectrum. The wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation can be selected to be in resonance with the absorption lines of water or oxygen molecules in the cloud, or to be in resonance with absorption lines of known target molecules in the cloud to generate the heat.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.