Targeted Agile Raman System for Detection of Unknown Materials

• US 20130114070A1
• Filed: 12/28/2012
• Published: 05/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Chemimage Corporation
• Original Assignee: Chemimage Corporation
• Inventors: Gardner, Charles Jr., Nelson, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US13/729,220
• Publication Number:
  US 20130114070A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/73
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0221 the fibers defining an entry slit
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0264 Electrical interface; User interface
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/2823 Imaging spectrometer
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/36 Investigating two or more bands of a spectrum by separate detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/44 Raman spectrometry; Scattering spectrometry ; Fluorescence spectrometry
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/1738 Optionally different kinds of measurements; Method being valid for different kinds of measurement
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/174 either absorption-reflection or emission-fluorescence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/1744 either absorption or scatter
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/6456 Spatial resolved fluorescence measurements; Imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/65 Raman scattering
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/22 Fuels, explosives liquid hydrocarbons G01N33/28

Abstract

The present disclosure provides for a system and method for detecting unknown materials. A test data set, which may comprise a hyperspectral data set, is generated representative of a first location. The test data set may be analyzed to determine a second location which may be interrogated using a Raman spectrocscopic device to generate a Raman data set. The Raman data set may be analyzed to associated an unknown material with a known material such as: a chemical material, a biological material, an explosive material, a hazardous material, a drug material, and combinations thereof.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first detection subsystem configured to scan a first location to generate a test data set, wherein the first detection subsystem further comprises;

a first collection optics for collecting a first plurality of interacted photons generated by illuminating the first location;

a filter for filtering the first plurality of interacted photons;

a first detector for detecting the first plurality of interacted photons and generating a test data set representative of the first location;

a second detection subsystem configured to assess a second location to generate a Raman data set wherein the second detection subsystem further comprises;

a laser illumination source for illuminating the second location to generate a second plurality of interacted photons;

a second collection optics for collecting the second plurality of interacted photons;

a fiber array spectral translator device, wherein the fiber array spectral translator device further comprises a two-dimensional array of optical fibers drawn into a one-dimensional fiber stack so as to effectively convert a two-dimensional field of view into a curvilinear field of view;

a spectrometer coupled to the one-dimensional fiber stack of the fiber array spectral translator device, wherein an entrance slit of the spectrometer is coupled to the one-dimensional fiber stack to generate a plurality of spatially resolved Raman spectra;

a second detector coupled to the spectrometer to detect the spatially resolved Raman spectra to generate at least one of;

a plurality of spatially resolved Raman spectra representative of said area of interest and a Raman image representative of said area of interest.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the filter further comprises at least one of:

a tunable filter, a fixed filter, a dielectric filter, and combinations thereof.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the tunable filter further comprises at least one of:

a multi conjugate tunable filter, a liquid crystal tunable filter, acousto-optical tunable filters, Lyot liquid crystal tunable filter, Evans Split-Element liquid crystal tunable filter, Sole liquid crystal tunable filter, Ferroelectric liquid crystal tunable filter, Fabry Perot liquid crystal tunable filter, and combinations thereof.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the Raman data set further comprises at least one of:

a Raman spectrum, a spatially accurate Raman image, a hyperspectral image, and combinations thereof.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the first detector is configured to generate the test data set wherein the test data set comprises at least one of:

an infrared test data set, a visible test data set, a visible-near infrared test data set, a fluorescence test data set, and combinations thereof.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the e infrared test data set further comprises at least one of:

a SWIR test data set, a MWIR test data set, a LWIR test data set, and combinations thereof.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the first detector comprises at least one of:

an InGaAs detector, a CCD detector, a CMOS detector, an InSb detector, a MCI detector, and combinations thereof.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the second detector comprises at least one of:

a CCD detector, a CMOS detector, an InGaAs detector, an InSb detector, a MCI detector, and combinations thereof.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one processor wherein the processor is configured to analyze at least one of:

the test data set, the Raman data set, and combinations thereof.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the processor is further configured to analyze the test data set to identify the second location.

11. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one reference data set wherein each reference data set corresponds to a known material.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the known material further comprises at least one of:

a chemical material, a biological material, an explosive material, a hazardous material, an illicit drug material, and combinations thereof.

13. The system of claim 1 further comprising an active illumination source configured to illuminate the first location to generate the first plurality of interacted photons.

14. The system of claim 1 further comprising a tunable illumination source.

15. The system of claim 1 further comprising a video capture device for outputting a dynamic image of at least one of:

the first location, the second location, and combinations thereof.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the first detection system is configured to operate using a passive illumination source.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein the first detection subsystem further comprises at least one of:

a zoom lens, a telescope optic, and combinations thereof.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein the second detection subsystem further comprises at least one of:

a zoom lens, a telescope optic, and combinations thereof.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein the first detection subsystem is configured to operate in at least one of the following modalities:

stationary, on-the-move, and combinations thereof.

20. The system of claim 1 wherein the second detection subsystem is configured to operate in at least one of the following modalities:

stationary, on-the-move, and combinations thereof.

21. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first detection system and the second detection system are configured to operate via robotics.

22. The system of claim 1 wherein the system is mounted onto a vehicle.

23. The system of claim 1 wherein the first detection subsystem is configured to generate the test data set using pulsed laser excitation and time-gated detection.

24. The system of claim 1 wherein the second detection subsystem is configured to generate the Raman data set using pulsed laser excitation and time-gated detection.