APPARATUSES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS FOR DETERMINING GAS EMSSION RATE DETECTION SENSITIVITY AND GAS FLOW SPEED USING REMOTE GAS CONCENTRATION MEASUREMENTS
Apparatuses systems and methods for gas emission rate detection sensitivity and probability of detection (PoD) based on emission rate. A measurement system may be characterized by its ability to detect gas plumes as a function of the emission rate of those plumes. The measurement system may be characterized based on a generalized PoD function which expresses PoD relative to emission rate as a function of gas concentration noise and gas flow speed. In an example application, the PoD may be used to estimate a cumulative distribution of gas plumes which were not detected based on a cumulative distribution of measured gas plumes. In another example application, the PoD may be used to refine an estimate for a measured emission rate.
G06F 17/11 - Opérations mathématiques complexes pour la résolution d'équations
G01N 21/3504 - Couleur; Propriétés spectrales, c. à d. comparaison de l'effet du matériau sur la lumière pour plusieurs longueurs d'ondes ou plusieurs bandes de longueurs d'ondes différentes en recherchant l'effet relatif du matériau pour les longueurs d'ondes caractéristiques d'éléments ou de molécules spécifiques, p.ex. spectrométrie d'absorption atomique en utilisant la lumière infrarouge pour l'analyse des gaz, p.ex. analyse de mélanges de gaz
2.
APPARATUSES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS FOR GAS FLUX MEASUREMENTS WITH MOBILE PLATFORMS
Apparatuses, systems, and methods for open path laser spectroscopy with mobile platforms. An example system may include a first mobile platform and a second mobile platform, each of which supports a payload. A light beam directed from one payload to another may define a measurement path, which may be at a particular height above the ground. The payloads may determine a gas concentration along the measurement path. Wind information at the measurement height may be used to determine a gas flux. One or both of the mobile platforms may then move to a new location, and take a measurement along a new measurement path. By combining the measurement paths, gas flux through a flux surface may be determined.
B64C 39/02 - Aéronefs non prévus ailleurs caractérisés par un emploi spécial
G01S 13/02 - Systèmes utilisant la réflexion d'ondes radio, p.ex. systèmes du type radar primaire; Systèmes analogues
G05D 1/00 - Commande de la position, du cap, de l'altitude ou de l'attitude des véhicules terrestres, aquatiques, aériens ou spatiaux, p.ex. pilote automatique
3.
METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR RANGE PEAK PAIRING AND HIGH-ACCURACY TARGET TRACKING USING FMCW LADAR MEASUREMENTS
Embodiments of the present disclosure are drawn to apparatuses, systems, and methods for range peak pairing and high accuracy target tracking using frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) light detection and ranging (LiDAR). A laser source may illuminate a target with a first laser chirp pair during a first time period and a second laser chirp pair during a second time period. Based on the configuration of the chirps between the pairs and within the pairs, properties of the target may be determined. For example, range estimates may be made based on each chirp pair, and those estimates may be averaged to cancel out a Doppler shift error. In another example, the Doppler shift may be determined, which may increase the accuracy of a range measurement and/or be used to identify which peaks are associated with a given target.
G01S 17/10 - Systèmes déterminant les données relatives à la position d'une cible pour mesurer la distance uniquement utilisant la transmission d'ondes à modulation d'impulsion interrompues
Embodiments of the disclosure are drawn to apparatuses and methods for determining gas flux measurements. A gas plume may be emitted from a source and may be blown by wind in an environment. A measurement system, such as a light detection and ranging (lidar) system may collect a plurality of gas concentration measurements associated with the gas plume at a plurality of locations in the environment. A gas flux may be determined based on one or more of the gas concentration measurements along with a wind speed at a location associated with the gas plume. In some embodiments, a height of the gas plume may be determined, and the wind speed at the height of the gas plume may be determined and used to determine the gas flux.
G01M 3/04 - Examen de l'étanchéité des structures ou ouvrages vis-à-vis d'un fluide par utilisation d'un fluide ou en faisant le vide par détection de la présence du fluide à l'emplacement de la fuite
G06F 19/00 - Équipement ou méthodes de traitement de données ou de calcul numérique, spécialement adaptés à des applications spécifiques (spécialement adaptés à des fonctions spécifiques G06F 17/00;systèmes ou méthodes de traitement de données spécialement adaptés à des fins administratives, commerciales, financières, de gestion, de surveillance ou de prévision G06Q;informatique médicale G16H)
5.
APPARATUSES AND METHODS FOR ANOMALOUS GAS CONCENTRATION DETECTION
Embodiments of the disclosure are drawn to apparatuses and methods for anomalous gas concentration detection. A spectroscopic system, such as a wavelength modulated spectroscopy (WMS) system may measure gas concentrations in a target area. However, noise, such as speckle noise, may interfere with measuring relatively low concentrations of gas, and may lead to false positives. A noise model, which includes a contribution from a speckle noise model, may be used to process data from the spectroscopic system. An adaptive threshold may be applied based on an expected amount of noise. A speckle filter may remove measurements which are outliers based on a measurement of their noise. Plume detection may be used to determine a presence of gas plumes. Each of these processing steps may be associated with a confidence, which may be used to determine an overall confidence in the processed measurements/gas plumes.
G01M 3/28 - Examen de l'étanchéité des structures ou ouvrages vis-à-vis d'un fluide par utilisation d'un fluide ou en faisant le vide par mesure du taux de perte ou de gain d'un fluide, p.ex. avec des dispositifs réagissant à la pression, avec des indicateurs de débit pour soupapes
G06K 9/00 - Méthodes ou dispositions pour la lecture ou la reconnaissance de caractères imprimés ou écrits ou pour la reconnaissance de formes, p.ex. d'empreintes digitales
6.
APPARATUSES AND METHODS FOR A ROTATING OPTICAL REFLECTOR
Embodiments of the disclosure are drawn to apparatuses and methods for a rotating optical reflector. Optical systems may have a limited field of view, and so in order to expand the area that the optical system collects data from, the field of view of the optical system may be scanned across a target area. The present disclosure is directed to a rotating optical reflector, which includes a transmissive layer which refracts light onto a reflective layer, which has a normal which is not parallel to the axis about which the optical reflector is rotated. The optical reflector may be both statically and dynamically balanced, which may allow an increased size of the optical reflector, which in turn may increase the aperture of an optical system (e.g., a lidar system) using the rotating optical reflector.
Examples of FMCW laser radar systems and methods described herein may segment the processing of a broader bandwidth frequency chirp into multiple shorter-duration (e.g., lower bandwidth) frequency chirps. This segmentation may have the benefits in some examples of improving the measurement duty cycle and range resolution, and/or allowing for more flexible processing, and/or enabling improved detection of more distant objects.
G01C 3/08 - Utilisation de détecteurs électriques de radiations
G01S 13/34 - Systèmes pour mesurer la distance uniquement utilisant la transmission d'ondes continues, soit modulées en amplitude, en fréquence ou en phase, soit non modulées utilisant la transmission d'ondes continues modulées en fréquence, tout en faisant un hétérodynage du signal reçu, ou d’un signal dérivé, avec un signal généré localement, associé au signal transmis simultanément
G01S 15/34 - Systèmes pour mesurer la distance uniquement utilisant la transmission d'ondes continues, soit modulées en amplitude, en fréquence ou en phase, soit non modulées utilisant la transmission d'ondes continues modulées en fréquence, tout en faisant un hétérodynage du signal reçu, ou d’un signal dérivé, avec un signal généré localement, associé au signal transmis simultanément
G01S 17/06 - Systèmes déterminant les données relatives à la position d'une cible
G01S 17/32 - Systèmes déterminant les données relatives à la position d'une cible pour mesurer la distance uniquement utilisant la transmission d'ondes continues, soit modulées en amplitude, en fréquence ou en phase, soit non modulées
8.
DIGITIZATION SYSTEMS AND TECHNIQUES AND EXAMPLES OF USE IN FMCW LIDAR METHODS AND APPARATUSES
Examples are provided that use multiple analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) to disambiguate FMCW ladar range returns from one or more targets that may be greater than the Nyquist frequencies of one or more of the ADCs. Examples are also provided that use a first and a second laser FMCW return signal (e.g., reflected beam) in combination with two or more ADCs to disambiguate one or more target ranges (e.g., distances to one or more objects).
G01C 3/08 - Utilisation de détecteurs électriques de radiations
G01C 5/00 - Mesure des hauteurs; Mesure des distances transversales par rapport à la ligne de visée; Nivellement entre des points séparés; Niveaux à lunette
G01S 17/02 - Systèmes utilisant la réflexion d'ondes électromagnétiques autres que les ondes radio
G01S 17/06 - Systèmes déterminant les données relatives à la position d'une cible
G01S 17/08 - Systèmes déterminant les données relatives à la position d'une cible pour mesurer la distance uniquement
G01S 17/10 - Systèmes déterminant les données relatives à la position d'une cible pour mesurer la distance uniquement utilisant la transmission d'ondes à modulation d'impulsion interrompues
9.
FMCW LIDAR METHODS AND APPARATUSES INCLUDING EXAMPLES HAVING FEEDBACK LOOPS
Methods and apparatuses are described for frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) light detection and ranging (LiDAR). Examples are provided where high-closed-loop bandwidth, active feedback applied to laser frequency chirps may provide increases in the free-running laser coherence length for long-range FMCW distance measurements. Examples are provided that use an asymmetric sideband generator within an active feedback loop for higher closed-loop bandwidth. Examples of using a single shared reference interferometer within multiple active feedback loops that may be used for increasing the coherence length of multiple chirped lasers are described. Example calibrators are also described.
G01S 17/02 - Systèmes utilisant la réflexion d'ondes électromagnétiques autres que les ondes radio
G01S 17/06 - Systèmes déterminant les données relatives à la position d'une cible
G01S 17/08 - Systèmes déterminant les données relatives à la position d'une cible pour mesurer la distance uniquement
G01S 17/10 - Systèmes déterminant les données relatives à la position d'une cible pour mesurer la distance uniquement utilisant la transmission d'ondes à modulation d'impulsion interrompues
G01S 17/32 - Systèmes déterminant les données relatives à la position d'une cible pour mesurer la distance uniquement utilisant la transmission d'ondes continues, soit modulées en amplitude, en fréquence ou en phase, soit non modulées
G01S 17/36 - Systèmes déterminant les données relatives à la position d'une cible pour mesurer la distance uniquement utilisant la transmission d'ondes continues, soit modulées en amplitude, en fréquence ou en phase, soit non modulées avec comparaison en phase entre le signal reçu et le signal transmis au même moment
G01S 17/42 - Mesure simultanée de la distance et d'autres coordonnées
10.
ACCURATE CHIRPED SYNTHETIC WAVELENGTH INTERFEROMETER
A system is provided for measuring distance or displacement, comprising: first and second laser sources configured to provide first and second laser outputs; a beam combiner configured to receive and combine at least part of the first and second laser outputs into a combined laser output; a signal calibrator configured to receive at least part of the first laser output, the second laser output, or the combined laser output, and output a calibration signal; a plurality of optical paths, including a first optical path, a second optical path, the plurality of optical paths being configured to direct at least part of the combined beam onto an optical detector to produce an interference signal; and a signal processor configured to receive the interference signal and determine a pathlength difference between the first and second optical paths.
Length metrology apparatuses and methods are disclosed for measuring both specular and non-specular surfaces with high accuracy and precision, and with suppressed phase induced distance errors. In one embodiment, a system includes a laser source exhibiting a first and second laser outputs with optical frequencies that are modulated linearly over large frequency ranges. The system further includes calibration and signal processing portions configured to determine a calibrated distance to at least one sample.
A method, apparatus and computer-readable storage medium are described for a tunable laser source that produces a desired frequency modulated optical waveform with a precision within 0.01 percent over a bandwidth greater than about 50 gigaHertz. An apparatus includes a tunable laser having one or more drive inputs for affecting an optical frequency of light output by the laser; and an optical detector. Multiple optical paths are configured to direct light output by the laser onto the optical detector. A laser controller is configured to provide to a drive input a loopback signal based on a measured or predetermined difference in optical dispersion among the plurality of optical paths and a detector signal output from the optical detector. In some embodiments, a ranging device includes the tunable laser source.
H01S 3/10 - Commande de l'intensité, de la fréquence, de la phase, de la polarisation ou de la direction du rayonnement, p.ex. commutation, ouverture de porte, modulation ou démodulation
H01S 3/13 - Stabilisation de paramètres de sortie de laser, p.ex. fréquence ou amplitude