Apparatus for remote analysis of vehicle emissions
First Claim
1. A gas analysis system for detecting and measuring relative concentrations of gases in the exhaust of a motor vehicle comprising:
- a source for producing and transmitting a beam of infrared radiation through at least a portion of said motor vehicle exhaust; and
a detector for receiving said infrared beam having;
(a) a plurality of sensors, each sensor generating an electrical signal indicative of the absorption of said infrared beam in a wavelength band indicative of a corresponding one of the gases in said exhaust;
(b) means for time-multiplexing said infrared beam to each of said sensors; and
(c) means responsive to said electrical signals from said sensors for computing the relative concentrations of said gases in the path of said infrared beam through said exhaust.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A gas analysis device (10) for the remote detecting, measuring and recording of NOx, CO, CO2, HC and H2 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). An ultraviolet sensor (44) receives the separate ultraviolet beam and generates a signal indicative of NOx. A rotating reflector (27) time-multiplexes the infrared beam to a plurality of infrared sensors that generate electrical signals indicative of, for example, CO, CO2, HC and H2 O in the vehicle exhaust. A computer (17) then computes the relative concentrations of CO, CO2, HC, NOx, and H2 O in the path of the infrared and ultraviolet radiation from the source, thereby measuring vehicle emissions.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A gas analysis system for detecting and measuring relative concentrations of gases in the exhaust of a motor vehicle comprising:
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a source for producing and transmitting a beam of infrared radiation through at least a portion of said motor vehicle exhaust; and a detector for receiving said infrared beam having; (a) a plurality of sensors, each sensor generating an electrical signal indicative of the absorption of said infrared beam in a wavelength band indicative of a corresponding one of the gases in said exhaust; (b) means for time-multiplexing said infrared beam to each of said sensors; and (c) means responsive to said electrical signals from said sensors for computing the relative concentrations of said gases in the path of said infrared beam through said exhaust. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A gas analysis system for detecting and measuring relative concentrations of gases in the exhaust of a motor vehicle comprising:
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a source for producing and transmitting a beam of infrared and ultraviolet radiation through at least a portion of said motor vehicle exhaust; and a detector for receiving said beam having; (a) means for splitting said infrared and ultraviolet beam received from said source into separate infrared and ultraviolet beams; (b) a plurality of infrared sensors, each infrared sensor generating an electrical signal indicative of the absorption of said infrared beam by said exhaust in a corresponding wavelength band;
said infrared sensors including at least a first sensor for carbon monoxide, a second sensor for carbon dioxide, and a reference sensor indicative of total absorption of said infrared beam by said exhaust;(c) an ultraviolet sensor generating an electrical signal indicative of the absorption of said ultraviolet beam by nitrogen oxides in said exhaust; and (d) means responsive to said electrical signals from said infrared and ultraviolet sensors for computing the relative concentrations of said gases in the path of said beam through said exhaust. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A gas analysis system for detecting and measuring relative concentrations of gases in the exhaust of a moving motor vehicle comprising:
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a source for producing and transmitting a beam of infrared and ultraviolet radiation through at least a portion of said exhaust; a detector for receiving said beam having; (a) a beamsplitter for splitting said beam received from said source into separate infrared and ultraviolet beams; (b) a plurality of infrared sensors, each infrared sensor generating an electrical signal indicative of the absorption of said infrared beam by said exhaust in a corresponding wavelength band;
said infrared sensors including at least a first sensor for carbon monoxide, a second sensor for carbon dioxide, a third sensor for hydrocarbons, a fourth sensor for water, and a reference sensor indicative of total absorption of said infrared beam by said exhaust;(c) a rotating reflector for directing said infrared beam to each of said infrared sensors in sequence; (d) an ultraviolet sensor generating an electrical signal indicative of the absorption of said ultraviolet beam by nitrogen oxides in said exhaust; and (e) means responsive to said electrical signals from said infrared and ultraviolet sensors for computing the relative concentrations of said gases in the path of said beam through said exhaust for a predetermined period of time following resumption of beam reception by said detector after said moving vehicle interrupts said beam. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29)
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Specification