Chemical trace detection portal based on the natural airflow and heat transfer of vehicles
First Claim
1. A portal for collecting substances of interest from a vehicular subject passing therethrough, said portal comprising:
- a passage being dimensioned for accommodating passage for the vehicular subject through said portal;
a ceiling covering said passage, portions of said ceiling adjacent to said passage defining a funnel-shape with a large cross-section adjacent said passage and a smaller cross-section at locations further from said passage;
a collector for collecting air from the vehicular subject as a plume or wake from the vehicular subject through the portion of the ceiling having the smaller cross-section, said collector being operative for accommodating the air in the plume or wake; and
a detector capable of receiving and analyzing one or more samples of said air and providing an indication of the content of the samples.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A portal is provided with a detector for detecting trace amounts of substances of interest that may be retained on the surface or interior of a vehicular subject. The portal relies upon the continuous process by which microscopic flakes of dust, dirt, pollen, and other surface and interior contaminants as well as adsorbed analyte media and analyte vapors continuously separate from the surface of vehicular subjects and escape from the interior of vehicular subjects. The portal further leverages the existence of a vehicular thermal plume consisting of a layer of warm air adjacent to the vehicular subject. The warm air rises in the cooler surrounding air and transports the microscopic flakes of surface contaminants, desorbed analyte, and analyte vapors upwardly. The portal capitalizes on this phenomenon by providing at least a partial enclosure with a funnel-shaped collector above the vehicular subject. A low speed flow of relatively dense cool air may be introduced into the portal to buoyantly lift the warmer air of the vehicular thermal plume upwardly. The air stream defined by the vehicular thermal plume and the contaminant particles, analyte media, and analyte vapors therein moves to a trap in the funnel-shaped collector above the portal. The trap cooperates with a detector for detecting the presence of molecules of interest.
47 Citations
24 Claims
-
1. A portal for collecting substances of interest from a vehicular subject passing therethrough, said portal comprising:
-
a passage being dimensioned for accommodating passage for the vehicular subject through said portal; a ceiling covering said passage, portions of said ceiling adjacent to said passage defining a funnel-shape with a large cross-section adjacent said passage and a smaller cross-section at locations further from said passage; a collector for collecting air from the vehicular subject as a plume or wake from the vehicular subject through the portion of the ceiling having the smaller cross-section, said collector being operative for accommodating the air in the plume or wake; and a detector capable of receiving and analyzing one or more samples of said air and providing an indication of the content of the samples. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. A method for collecting substances of interest from a vehicular subject, said method comprising the steps of:
-
providing a portal with a passage being dimensioned for accommodating passage for the vehicular subject through said portal, a collector for collecting air from the vehicular subject as a plume or wake from the vehicular subject, said collector being operative for accommodating the air in the plume or wake, a ceiling covering said passage, portions of said ceiling adjacent to said passage defining a funnel-shape with a large cross-section adjacent said passage and a smaller cross-section at locations further from said passage, and a detector capable of receiving and analyzing one or more samples of said air through the portion of the ceiling having the smaller cross-section and providing an indication of the content of the samples; allowing said vehicular subject into said passage such that the plume or wake air from said vehicular subject exists in said passage, said air in said plume or wake rising in proximity to said vehicular subject in said passage; and receiving one or more samples of said air from said plume or wake in said collector. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
-
Specification