Optical sensing apparatus for remotely measuring exhaust gas composition of moving motor vehicles

• US 5,591,975 A
• Filed: 10/05/1994
• Issued: 01/07/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company), Envirotest Systems Corporation (Stone Rivet, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Santa Barbara Research Center
• Inventors: Stephens, Robert D., Walter, Geoffrey A., Tacelli, Christopher B., Rubin, Lane H., Nelson, David R., Jack, Michael D., Santana, Jose A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hannaher, Constantine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Glick, Edward J.
• Application Number:
  US08/318,566
• Time in Patent Office: 825 Days
• Field of Search: 250/343, 250/345, 250/338.5, 250/339.12, 250/339.13, 356/436, 356/437, 356/438
• US Class Current: 250/338.5
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/1793 Remote sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/3504 for analysing gases, e.g. multi-gas analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0037 for NOx
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 50/20 Air quality improvement or preservation, e.g. vehicle emission control or emission reduction by using catalytic converters

Abstract

A light source radiates an infrared beam that passes through a chopper, a calibration cell and the exhaust plume of a motor vehicle passing in front of the source. A photosensor assembly includes a plurality of photodetectors which are spaced closely adjacent to each other and simultaneously sense the beam after it propagates through the plume. An optical beam homogenizer or integrator disposed between the plume and the photosensor unit causes the light incident on the photodetectors to have uniform intensity. The photodetectors are sensitive to different wavelengths corresponding to spectral absorption peaks of constituents of the composition of the plume, including carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO₂), hydrocarbon (HC), water vapor (H₂ O) and nitric oxide (NO). A computer computes the composition of the plume as the percentages of the constituents based on the sensed transmittances of the respective wavelengths through the plume. A video camera produces a video image of the vehicle license plate, which is displayed on a video monitor and recorded on a video recorder together with the plume composition data.

Claims

1. A sensing apparatus for sensing a composition of an exhaust plume of a motor vehicle, comprising:

a light source for radiating light including a plurality of predetermined wavelengths through said plume;

a chopper positioned between said source and said plume for alternating blocking and passing said light;

a photosensor for simultaneously sensing alternating blocked or passed radiation levels at said predetermined wavelengths for said light passing through said plume; and

a computer for computing transmittances of said predetermined wavelengths from respective differences between said blocked and passed radiation levels, and computing said composition as a predetermined function of said transmittances.

2. An apparatus as in claim 1, in which:

the photosensor comprises a plurality of photodetectors, each photodetector being sensitive to a band of wavelengths that includes only one of said predetermined wavelengths; and

the photosensor is disposed such that said light from the light source is simultaneously incident on the photodetectors.

3. An apparatus as in claim 2, in which the photosensor further comprises light blocking members for optically isolating the photodetectors from each other.

4. An apparatus as in claim 2, in which the photosensor further comprises a substrate on which the photodetectors are substantially isothermally disposed.

5. An apparatus as in claim 4, in which the photosensor further comprises a temperature regulator for maintaining the substrate and photodetectors at a predetermined temperature.

6. An apparatus as in claim 2, in which each photodetector comprises:

a photosensitive element; and

a filter disposed between said plume and the photosensitive element having a passband coinciding with said respective band of wavelengths.

7. An apparatus as in claim 2, in which each photodetector comprises:

a photosensitive element which absorbs light at said respective predetermined wavelength; and

a reflector for reflecting light from the light source which has propagated through said plume and the photosensitive element back through the photosensitive element.

8. An apparatus as in claim 7, further comprising a substrate, said reflectors being disposed between said respective photosensitive elements and said substrate, and reflecting substantially all of said unabsorbed light back through said photosensitive elements.

9. An apparatus as in claim 8, in which said photosensitive element is too thin to sense said transmittances without said reflector reflecting said unabsorbed light back through said photosensitive element.

10. An apparatus as in claim 2, in which the photosensor further comprises a homogenizer disposed between said plume and the photosensor for causing said light to be incident on the photodetectors with substantially uniform intensity.

11. An apparatus as in claim 10, in which the light source radiates said light through said plume as a beam.

12. An apparatus as in claim 11, in which the homogenizer comprises a multifaceted optical beam integrator.

13. An apparatus as in claim 1, further comprising:

a video camera for producing a video image of the vehicle; and

a combiner for combining said video image from the camera with said composition from the computer.

14. An apparatus as in claim 13, further comprising a video monitor for displaying said video image from the camera and said composition from the computer.

15. An apparatus as in claim 13, further comprising a video recorder for recording said video image from the camera and said composition from the computer.

16. An apparatus as in claim 15, in which the computer controls the video recorder to record said video image from the camera and said composition from the computer only if said composition is outside a predetermined range.

17. An apparatus as in claim 1, in which:

said predetermined wavelengths include spectral absorption peaks of predetermined constituents of said composition;

said predetermined wavelengths further include a predetermined reference wavelength which is not a spectral absorption peak of said predetermined constituents; and

the computer computes said transmittances as ratios of transmittances of said predetermined wavelengths which are spectral absorption peaks of said predetermined constituents and a transmittance of said reference wavelength.

18. An apparatus as in claim 17, in which said predetermined constituents comprise nitric oxide and water, said computer compensating the transmittance associated with nitric oxide in accordance with the transmittance of the water.

19. An apparatus as in claim 18, further comprising a calibration cell that is interposed between said photosensor and the plume such that the light passes through said calibration cell, said calibration cell comprising a compartment having a volume that contains NO, water, and at least one combustion product in a predetermined concentration, said calibration cell further including an actuator for controllably varying the volume of said compartment.

20. An apparatus as in claim 19, wherein said predetermined constituents further comprise a hydrocarbon (HC), carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO₂), and said volume further contains HC, CO and CO₂.

21. An apparatus as in claim 1, in which said photosensor senses radiation that is emitted by said plume, said computer computing said transmittances from said respective differences results in transmittances that are substantially unaffected by the radiation emitted by said plume.

22. A sensing apparatus for sensing a composition of a fluid, comprising:

a light source for radiating light including a plurality of predetermined wavelengths through said fluid;

a chopper positioned between said source and said fluid for alternating blocking and passing said light;

a photosensor for simultaneously sensing alternating blocked or passed radiation levels at said predetermined wavelengths for said light passing through said fluid; and

a computer for computing transmittances of said predetermined wavelengths from respective differences between said blocked and passed radiation levels, and computing said composition as a predetermined function of said transmittances.

23. An apparatus as in claim 22, in which:

the photosensor comprises a plurality of photodetectors, each photodetector being sensitive to a band of wavelengths that includes only one of said predetermined wavelengths; and

the photosensor is disposed such that said light from the light source is simultaneously incident on the photodetectors.

24. An apparatus as in claim 23, in which the photosensor further comprises light blocking members for optically isolating the photodetectors from each other.

25. An apparatus as in claim 23, in which the photosensor further comprises a substrate on which the photodetectors are substantially isothermally disposed.

26. An apparatus as in claim 25, in which the photosensor further comprises a temperature regulator for maintaining the substrate and photodetectors at a predetermined temperature.

27. An apparatus as in claim 23, in which each photodetector comprises:

a photosensitive element; and

a filter disposed between said fluid and the photosensitive element having a passband coinciding with said respective band of wavelengths.

28. An apparatus as in claim 23, in which each photodetector comprises:

a photosensitive element which absorbs light at said respective predetermined wavelength; and

a reflector for reflecting light from the light source which has propagated through said fluid and the photosensitive element back through the photosensitive element.

29. An apparatus as in claim 23, in which the photosensor further comprises a homogenizer disposed between said fluid and the photosensor for causing said light to be incident on the photodetectors with substantially uniform intensity.

30. An apparatus as in claim 29, in which the light source radiates said light through said fluid as a beam.

31. An apparatus as in claim 30, in which the homogenizer comprises a multifaceted optical beam integrator.

32. An apparatus as in claim 22, in which:

said predetermined wavelengths include spectral absorption peaks of predetermined constituents of said fluid;

said predetermined wavelengths further include a predetermined reference wavelength which is not a spectral absorption peak of said predetermined constituents; and

the computer computes said transmittances as ratios of transmittances of said predetermined wavelengths which are spectral absorption peaks of said predetermined constituents and a transmittance of said reference wavelength.

33. A system for determining a concentration of nitric oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide (CO) in an exhaust plume that emits radiation, comprising:

a source of electromagnetic radiation for directing radiation having a plurality of wavelengths along an optical path that passes through the plume;

chopper means disposed between said source and said plume for alternately blocking and passing said radiation from said source;

first sensor means having an output for indicating an amount of absorption of the radiation transmitted through said plume from said source and emitted by said plume, within a band of first wavelengths, that is due to the presence of NO in the plume;

second sensor means having an output for indicating an amount of absorption of the radiation, within a band of second wavelengths, that is due to the presence of water along the optical path; and

third sensor means having an output for indicating an amount of absorption of the radiation transmitted through said plume from said source and emitted by said plume, within a band of third wavelengths, that is due to the presence of CO in the plume;

determining means, having inputs coupled to the outputs of said first, second and third sensor means, for compensating the indicated absorptions when said chopper means passes said radiation in accordance with the indicated absorptions when said chopper means blocks said radiation to produce respective normalized absorptions, and for further compensating the normalized absorption within the first band of wavelengths in accordance with the normalized absorption within the second band of wavelengths and in accordance with a predetermined NO absorption modifying factor.

34. A system as set forth in claim 33 wherein the predetermined NO absorption modifying factor is stored within a lookup table means.

35. A system as set forth in claim 33 and further comprising:

fourth sensor means having an output for indicating an amount of absorption of the radiation transmitted through said plume from said source and emitted by said plume, within a band of fourth wavelengths, that is due to the presence of a predetermined combustion product in the plume; and

wherein said determining means includes means for determining concentrations of NO and CO in the plume from the compensated normalized absorption within the first band of wavelengths and the normalized absorption within the third band of wavelengths, respectively, in accordance with the indication from said output of said fourth sensor means.

36. A system as set forth in claim 35 wherein the predetermined combustion product is CO₂.

37. A system as set forth in claim 35 and further comprising a calibration cell that is interposed between said first, second third and fourth sensor means and the plume such that the radiation passes through said calibration cell, said calibration cell comprising a compartment having a volume that contains NO, CO, water, and at least one combustion product in a predetermined concentration, said calibration cell further including means for controllably varying the volume of said compartment.

38. A system as set forth in claim 33 and further comprising:

fifth sensor means having an output for indicating a variation in the intensity of the radiation within a band of fifth wavelengths that are selected so as not to be significantly absorbed within the plume; and

wherein

said determining means is responsive to said output of said sensor means for compensating the indicated absorptions within the first, second and third bands of wavelengths in accordance with the indication output by said fifth sensor means.

39. A system as set forth in claim 33 wherein said source of electromagnetic radiation outputs radiation within a band of wavelengths that includes a band from approximately 3 microns to approximately 6 microns, said first band of wavelengths includes a wavelength of approximately 5.26 microns, said second band of wavelengths includes a wavelength of approximately 5.02 microns and said third band of wavelengths includes a wavelength of approximately 4.6 microns.

40. A system as set forth in claim 33 wherein said first sensor means includes a first photodetector and a first filter interposed between the first photodetector and the plume, the first filter having a wavelength passband of predetermined width that includes a wavelength of 5.26 microns;

said second sensor means includes a second photodetector and a second filter interposed between the second photodetector and the plume, the second filter having a wavelength passband of predetermined width that includes a wavelength of 5.02 microns; and

said third sensor means includes a third photodetector and a third filter interposed between the third photodetector and the plume, the third filter having a wavelength passband of predetermined width that includes a wavelength of 4.6 microns.

41. A system as set forth in claim 40 and further comprising means for homogenizing the radiation after the radiation passes through the plume, said homogenizing means being interposed between each of said first, second and third filters and said plume.

42. A method for determining a concentration of nitric oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide (CO) in an exhaust plume that emits radiation, comprising the steps of:

passing an optical beam through an exhaust plume, the optical beam having wavelengths within a predetermined band of wavelengths within the infrared radiation spectrum;

alternately blocking and Unblocking said radiation from said source;

sensing blocked and unblocked radiations levels within said predetermined band;

determining a measured NO transmission value from said blocked and unblocked radiation levels for a first predetermined band of wavelengths;

determining a measured water transmission value from said blocked and unblocked radiation levels for a second predetermined band of wavelengths;

determining a measured reference transmission value from said blocked and unblocked radiation levels for a third predetermined band of wavelengths selected so as not to be significantly absorbed by the exhaust plume;

determining a measured combustion by-product transmission value from said blocked and unblocked radiation levels for a fourth predetermined band of wavelengths;

determining a measured CO transmission value from said blocked and unblocked radiation levels for a fifth predetermined band of wavelengths;

.

determining an effective NO transmission value from the measured NO transmission value that is scaled by the (a) measured water transmission value, (b) a predetermined factor that compensates for absorption by water within the first predetermined band of wavelengths, and (c) the reference transmission value;

determining an effective CO transmission value from the measured CO transmission value that is scaled by the reference transmission value;

converting the effective NO and CO transmission values to relative NO and CO concentrations using predetermined calibration factors; and

converting the relative NO and CO transmission values to NO and CO concentration values utilizing the measured combustion by-product transmission value.

43. A method as set forth in claim 42 wherein the predetermined combustion by-product is CO₂.

44. A method asset forth in claim 42 wherein the exhaust plume is generated by a motor vehicle, and further comprising the steps of:

comparing the NO and CO concentrations to predetermined values; and

, if they exceed the predetermined values,

recording an identifying characteristic of the motor vehicle in association with the NO and CO concentrations.

45. A method as set forth in claim 42 wherein the step of determining an effective NO transmission value (T(NO)_eff) is accomplished in accordance with:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">T(NO).sub.eff =T(NO)/(T(H.sub.2 O)×

{Lookup (H.sub.2 O band to NO band)}×

T(REF)),

where, T(NO) is the measured NO transmission value, T(H₂ O) is the measured water transmission value, Lookup (H₂ O band to NO band) is a predetermined water/NO absorption correction, and T(REF) is the measured reference transmission value for the third predetermined band of wavelengths.

46. A sensing apparatus for sensing a composition of an exhaust plume of a motor vehicle, comprising:

a light source for radiating light including a plurality of predetermined wavelengths through said plume;

a plurality of photodetectors on a substrate for simultaneously sensing radiation levels at respective ones of said predetermined wavelengths for said light passing through said plume, two of said predetermined wavelengths responding to the presence of nitric oxide and water respectively, each photodetector comprising a photosensitive element which absorbs light at one of said respective predetermined wavelengths and a reflector between said photosensitive element and said substrate for reflecting light from the light source which has propagated through said plume and the photosensitive element back through the photosensitive element; and

a computer for computing transmittances of said predetermined wavelengths from said respective radiation levels and computing said composition as a predetermined function of said transmittances, said computer compensating the transmittance associated with nitric oxide in accordance with the transmittance of the water.

47. An apparatus as in claim 46, in which said reflector reflects substantially all of said unabsorbed light back through said photosensitive element.

48. An apparatus as in claim 47, in which said photosensitive element is too thin to sense said transmittances without said reflector reflecting said unabsorbed light back through said photosensitive element.

49. A sensing apparatus for sensing a composition of an exhaust plume of a motor vehicle, comprising:

a light source for radiating light including a plurality of predetermined wavelengths through said plume;

at least three photodetectors for simultaneously sensing radiation levels at respective ones of said predetermined wavelengths for said light passing through said plume, two of said photodetectors responding to the presence of nitric oxide and water respectively;

a homogenizer disposed between said plume and said photosensor for causing said light to be incident onto a continuous area of the photodetectors with substantially uniform intensity to reduce the spatial variance of said sensed radiation levels; and

a computer for computing transmittances of said predetermined wavelengths from said respective radiation levels and computing said composition as a predetermined function of said transmittances said computer compensating the transmittance associated with nitric oxide in accordance with the transmittance of the water.

50. A sensing apparatus for sensing a composition of an exhaust plume of a motor vehicle comprising:

a light source for radiating light including a plurality of predetermined wavelengths through said plume as a beam;

at least three photodetectors for simultaneously sensing radiation levels at respective ones of said predetermined wavelengths for said light passing through said plume;

a homogenizer disposed between said plume and said photosensor for causing said light to be incident onto a continuous area of the photodetectors with substantially uniform intensity to reduce the spatial variance of said sensed radiation levels, said homogenizer comprising a multifaceted optical beam integrator that images respective segments of said beam onto a series of overlapping segments on said photodetectors; and

a computer for computing transmittances of said predetermined wavelengths from said respective radiation levels and computing said composition as a predetermined function of said transmittances.