Methods and systems for remote detection of gases
First Claim
1. A system for remotely detecting at least one constituent of a gas, comprising:
- a spectrally sensitive receiver positioned at a receiver location, said receiver including an optical component defining a field of view; and
a first extended source of broadband infrared radiation positioned at a first source location separated from the receiver location, the first source comprising a surface and a heating component thermally coupled to the surface;
wherein the heating component is configured to heat the surface to a temperature above ambient temperature; and
wherein the first source and the receiver are oriented such that at least a portion of the surface of the first source is in the field of view;
wherein the receiver is operable to collect spectral infrared absorption data representative of a first gas present between the first source and the receiver, the heating component being operatively coupled to a temperature controller; and
further comprising a temperature sensor operative to sense ambient temperature, wherein the temperature controller is operative to control the heating component such that the heating component heats the surface to a substantially uniform temperature that is a predetermined number of degrees higher than ambient temperature sensed by the temperature sensor.
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Abstract
Novel systems and methods for remotely detecting at least one constituent of a gas via infrared detection are provided. A system includes at least one extended source of broadband infrared radiation and a spectrally sensitive receiver positioned remotely from the source. The source and the receiver are oriented such that a surface of the source is in the field of view of the receiver. The source includes a heating component thermally coupled to the surface, and the heating component is configured to heat the surface to a temperature above ambient temperature. The receiver is operable to collect spectral infrared absorption data representative of a gas present between the source and the receiver. The invention advantageously overcomes significant difficulties associated with active infrared detection techniques known in the art, and provides an infrared detection technique with a much greater sensitivity than passive infrared detection techniques known in the art.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. A system for remotely detecting at least one constituent of a gas, comprising:
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a spectrally sensitive receiver positioned at a receiver location, said receiver including an optical component defining a field of view; and a first extended source of broadband infrared radiation positioned at a first source location separated from the receiver location, the first source comprising a surface and a heating component thermally coupled to the surface;
wherein the heating component is configured to heat the surface to a temperature above ambient temperature; and
wherein the first source and the receiver are oriented such that at least a portion of the surface of the first source is in the field of view;wherein the receiver is operable to collect spectral infrared absorption data representative of a first gas present between the first source and the receiver, the heating component being operatively coupled to a temperature controller; and further comprising a temperature sensor operative to sense ambient temperature, wherein the temperature controller is operative to control the heating component such that the heating component heats the surface to a substantially uniform temperature that is a predetermined number of degrees higher than ambient temperature sensed by the temperature sensor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method for remotely analyzing a gas, comprising:
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providing a spectrally sensitive receiver at a receiver location, the receiver including an optical component defining a field of view; providing a first extended source of broadband infrared radiation at a first source location separated from the receiver location by a first distance, the first source comprising a surface and a heating component thermally coupled to the surface;
wherein the heating component is configured to heat the surface to a temperature above ambient temperature; and
wherein the first source and the receiver are oriented such that at least a portion of the surface of the first source is in the field of view;collecting spectral infrared absorption data with the receiver, the data being representative of a first gas present between the first source and the receiver; and comparing the data representative of the first gas to known gas infrared absorption information to determine at least one characteristic of the first gas;
further comprising providing a temperature sensor operative to sense ambient temperature, and controlling the heating component such that the heating component heats the surface to a substantially uniform temperature that is a predetermined number of degrees higher than ambient temperature sensed by the temperature sensor. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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Specification