×

Systems and methods for determining compliance of moving vehicles with emission-concentration standards

  • US 5,719,396 A
  • Filed: 07/01/1996
  • Issued: 02/17/1998
  • Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1996
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
Patent Images

1. An emission-concentration monitoring system for determining compliance of moving vehicles to emission-concentration standards, comprising:

  • first exhaust-plume monitoring station which is positioned at a first location along a moving vehicle path and which has;

    a) a first source of electromagnetic radiation arranged to direct a first electromagnetic beam through an exhaust plume of a vehicle moving along said path; and

    b) a first set of electromagnetic detectors arranged to receive said first beam and configured to detect a plurality of first transmittances of said first beam at a plurality of selected wavelengths at which different molecular species absorb radiation of said first beam;

    a second exhaust-plume monitoring station which is positioned at a second location along said path that is spaced from said first location by a sensing space and which has;

    a) a second source of electromagnetic radiation arranged to direct a second electromagnetic beam through an exhaust plume of a vehicle moving along said path; and

    b) a second set of electromagnetic detectors arranged to receive said second beam and configured to detect a plurality of second transmittances of said second beam at said selected wavelengths; and

    a data processor configured to;

    a) process said first and second transmittances respectively into a plurality of first and second emission concentrations;

    b) compare said first emission concentrations with a set of predetermined emission-concentration standards; and

    c) compare said second emission concentrations with said set of predetermined emission-concentration standards;

    said first and second monitoring stations having a spatial separation which reduces compliance errors caused by temporal variability of vehicular emissions.

View all claims
  • 14 Assignments
Timeline View
Assignment View
    ×
    ×