Method, apparatus and system for rapid and sensitive standoff detection of surface contaminants
First Claim
1. A standoff hazard detection and identification system capable of detecting and identifying contaminants on a surface, comprising:
- a first unit that emits a beam of light onto a surface that is located a distance away from the first unit and captures scattered radiation from said surface as a result of said beam of light;
a second unit comprising a spectrograph that converts said scattered radiation to spectral data, wherein the second unit comprises a processor configured to control said second unit to operate in one of first and second modes of operation, where in the first mode, the spectrograph accumulates a relatively small number of returns of scattered radiation for a measurement frame to provide a relatively higher rate for faster scanning on said surface and relatively lower fidelity analysis, and in the second mode, the spectrograph accumulates a relatively high number of returns of scattered radiation for a measurement frame to provide a relatively slower rate for slower scanning on said surface and relatively higher fidelity analysis; and
a link between said first unit and said second unit to couple said scattered radiation from said first unit to said second unit.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Systems and methods for fast and sensitive standoff surface-hazard detection with high data throughput, high spatial resolution and high degree of pointing flexibility. The system comprises a first hand-held unit that directs an excitation beam onto a surface that is located a distance away from the first unit and an optical subsystem that captures scattered radiation from the surface as a result of the beam of light. The first unit is connected via a link that includes a bundle of optical fibers, to a second unit, called the processing unit. The processing unit comprises a fiber-coupled spectrograph to convert scattered radiation to spectral data, and a processor that analyzes the collected spectral data to detect and/or identify a hazardous substance. The second unit may be contained within a body-wearable housing or apparatus so that the first unit and second unit together form a man-portable detection assembly. In one embodiment, the system can continuously and without interruptions scan a surface from a 1-meter standoff while generating Raman spectral-frames at rates of 25 Hz.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. A standoff hazard detection and identification system capable of detecting and identifying contaminants on a surface, comprising:
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a first unit that emits a beam of light onto a surface that is located a distance away from the first unit and captures scattered radiation from said surface as a result of said beam of light; a second unit comprising a spectrograph that converts said scattered radiation to spectral data, wherein the second unit comprises a processor configured to control said second unit to operate in one of first and second modes of operation, where in the first mode, the spectrograph accumulates a relatively small number of returns of scattered radiation for a measurement frame to provide a relatively higher rate for faster scanning on said surface and relatively lower fidelity analysis, and in the second mode, the spectrograph accumulates a relatively high number of returns of scattered radiation for a measurement frame to provide a relatively slower rate for slower scanning on said surface and relatively higher fidelity analysis; and a link between said first unit and said second unit to couple said scattered radiation from said first unit to said second unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A standoff hazard detection and identification system capable of detecting and identifying contaminants on a surface from a distance, comprising:
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a first unit comprising a light source that emits a beam of light onto a surface that is located a distance away from the first unit and an optical subsystem that captures scattered radiation from said surface as a result of said beam of monochromatic light; a second unit coupled to said first unit comprising a spectrograph that converts said scattered radiation to spectral data and a processor that analyzes said spectral data in order to detect a contaminant on said surface, said second unit comprising a wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly transmit over the air said spectral data to another device for processing; and a third unit physically separate from the first unit and second unit and comprising a wireless transceiver that is configured to receive said spectral data from said second unit and a processor that is configured to analyze said spectral data with one or more algorithms that are more computationally intensive than algorithms used by the processor in said second unit; wherein said processor in said second unit is configured to control said second unit to operate in one of first and second modes of operation, where in the first mode, the spectrograph accumulates a relatively small number of returns of scattered radiation for a measurement frame to provide a relatively higher rate for faster scanning on said surface and relatively lower fidelity analysis, and in the second mode, the spectrograph accumulates a relatively high number of returns of scattered radiation for a measurement frame to provide a relatively slower rate for slower scanning on said surface and relatively higher fidelity analysis. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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21. A standoff hazard detection system, comprising:
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a light source that emits a beam of light onto a surface to excite Raman scattered radiation from said surface; an optical subsystem that collects the Raman scattered radiation; a spectrograph that receives the Raman scattered radiation collected by said optical subsystem and generates a measurement frame of Raman spectral data based on an accumulation of a plurality of returns of Raman scattered radiation from said surface; and a processor that analyzes the Raman spectral data using Raman spectroscopy techniques to discriminate substances on said surface, wherein the processor is configured to control the spectrograph in one of first and second modes, wherein in the first mode, the processor controls the spectrograph to accumulate a relatively small number of returns of scattered radiation for a measurement frame to provide a relatively higher rate for faster scanning on the surface and lower fidelity analysis, and in the second mode, the processor controls the spectrograph to accumulate a relatively high number of returns of scattered radiation for a measurement frame to provide a relatively slower rate for slower scanning of the surface and higher fidelity analysis.
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22. A method for standoff detection of a hazardous substance, comprising:
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in a first hand-held unit, directing a light beam to a surface located a distance away from the first unit; in said first unit, capturing returned scattered radiation from said surface as a result of interaction of the light beam with a substance on said surface; coupling said returned scattered radiation to a second unit separate from said first unit; generating spectral data from said returned scattered radiation in said second unit in one of first and second modes, wherein in the first mode, generating comprises generating said spectral data from accumulation of a relatively small number of returns of scattered radiation for a measurement frame to provide a relatively higher rate for faster scanning on the surface and lower fidelity analysis, and in the second mode, generating comprises generating said spectral data from accumulation of a relatively high number of returns of scattered radiation for a measurement frame to provide a relatively slower rate for slower scanning of the surface and higher fidelity analysis; and analyzing said spectral data to detect a contaminant on said surface. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24)
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25. A man-portable standoff hazard detection apparatus, comprising:
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a hand-held unit that directs a light beam onto a surface located a distance away from the hand-held unit and an optical subsystem that captures returned scattered radiation from said surface as a result of said light beam; a body wearable unit comprising a spectrograph that generates spectral data from the returned scattered radiation, wherein said spectrograph comprises a processor configured to control said second unit to operate in one of first and second modes of operation, where in the first mode, the spectrograph accumulates a relatively small number of returns of scattered radiation for a measurement frame to provide a relatively higher rate for faster scanning on said surface and lower fidelity analysis, and in the second mode, the spectrograph accumulates a relatively high number of returns of scattered radiation for a measurement frame to provide a relatively slower rate for slower scanning on said surface and higher fidelity analysis; and a cable that connects said hand-held unit to said wearable unit, wherein said cable comprises one or more optical fibers that transports said returned scattered radiation collected by said optical subsystem in said hand-held unit to said spectrograph in said wearable unit. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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Specification