Apparatus for remote analysis of vehicle emissions
DCFirst 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 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 a signal indicative of the absorption of said infrared beam in a wavelength band indicative of a corresponding one of said gases in said exhaust;
(c) spectrometer means for generating a signal indicative of the absorption of said ultraviolet beam by nitric oxide in said exhaust; and
(d) means responsive to said signals from said infrared sensors and said spectrometer means for computing the relative concentrations of said gases in the path of said beam through said exhaust.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A gas analysis device for the remote detecting, measuring and recording of NO, 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). 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, CO2, HC, and H2 O in the vehicle exhaust. A computer (17) then computes the relative concentrations of CO, CO2, HC, NO, and H2 O in the path of the infrared and ultraviolet radiation from the source, thereby measuring vehicle emissions.
188 Citations
18 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 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 a signal indicative of the absorption of said infrared beam in a wavelength band indicative of a corresponding one of said gases in said exhaust; (c) spectrometer means for generating a signal indicative of the absorption of said ultraviolet beam by nitric oxide in said exhaust; and (d) means responsive to said signals from said infrared sensors and said spectrometer means for computing the relative concentrations of said gases in the path of said beam through said exhaust. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. 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 a 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) spectrometer means for generating a signal indicative of the absorption of said ultraviolet beam by nitric oxide in said exhaust; and (e) means responsive to said signals from said infrared sensors and said spectrometer means for computing the relative concentrations of said gases in the path of said beam through said exhaust for a predetermined period following resumption of beam reception by said detector after said moving vehicle interrupts said beam. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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Specification