Substance detection and alarm using a spectrometer built into a steering wheel assembly
US7173536B2 · kind B2 · utility
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 28, 2004 |
| Grant date | Feb 6, 2007 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 30, 2025 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N21/35
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A spectrometer for infrared reflectance measurements of samples for identification of the sample materials is built into a steering wheel assembly. The spectrometer includes a window and optics on a bench adjacent the window, so that the optics will be aligned with the sample when the device is placed in optical alignment with or directly against the sample. The optics include a broad-band IR light source (ordinary lamp) shining onto an acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF), which passes narrow-band IR light with a swept frequency; a lens focusing the IR through the window onto the sample; and a reflectance detector aligned with the window of the spectrometer to pick up reflected light. A computer, which may be mounted in the spectrometer, compares the detected reflectance spectrum with stored sample data spectra, and identifies the material or the components of the material and their proportions. When a control substance is detected an alarm signal is produced.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.