Mpb Technologies Inc.

Mpb Communications Inc.

Brian Wong

Wes R Jamroz

Julien Tremblay

Roman Kruzelecky

Emile Haddad

Pierre De Villers

Denis Lafrance

The emittance value is a measure of an amount of energy expelled from a given surface area relative to a black-body reference. Depending on the specific coating a change in the emittance value is actively or passively effected. There are known active variable emittance thermal control coatings. However, such coatings are actually panels housing a mixture of both high and low emissivity materials that are electrically manipulated to control the emittance value of the panel. These 'coatings' are classified as either electrochromic or electrophorectic. Both electrochromic and electrophorectic coatings require an applied voltage to cause a change in the emittance value of the coating. By contrast, aspects of the present invention do not include active variable emittance thermal control coatings. Aspects of the present invention do include passive variable emittance thermal control coatings and materials. In accordance with aspects of the present invention 'passive' means that the variable emittance value changes in response to changes in the environment without active control (e.g. neither a voltage nor a current is applied). More specifically, in accordance with one aspect of the invention a passive variable emittance thermochromic material is provided that has a relatively low emittance value at low temperatures and a relatively high emittance value at high temperatures.

Variable emittance thermochromic material and satellite system

A method and apparatus for non-contact determination of liquid concentrations such as the content of water, oil, dye, paint, fuel, glue, etc., in a moving or stationary mass of production such as wood, paper, powders, fabrics, sand, bricks, concrete, plants, and the like, or in other liquids such as oil spills in water, is provided. The method comprises measuring the passive emissivity of a substance, using an imaging radiometer. It has been found that an emissivity image may be used to quantify the liquid content in a substance. The invented method allows for non-contact, rapid and continuous in-line measurements.

Method and apparatus for non-contact and rapid determination of liquid content

A method and apparatus for non-contact and rapid identification of wood species is provided. The method comprises irradiation of a substance with infra-red radiation which is intense enough to introduce microstructural modifications of the substance surface. Various wood species are identified by analyzing intensity of optical radiation which is scattered from the modified surface. The surface is irradiated with two (2) infra-red beams of different level of energy density. A wood sample is analyzed with optical beams: the first optical scanning is done prior to the first infra-red irradiation; the second optical scanning is done after the first infra-red irradiation; the third optical scanning is done after the second infra-red irradiation. It has been determined experimentally, that various wood species can be identified by analyzing intensities of the optical beams scattered from the modified surface. The method allows for non-contact, rapid and in-line identification of various species of wood. Also, it has been found, that the invented method allows for simultaneous determination of the moisture content. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a source of optical radiation, an infra-red radiation source with adjustable energy densities, and a detector. The arrangement of optical axes of the detector and the radiation sources is such that they converge at the substance surface. In second embodiment, the apparatus includes two (2) sources of optical radiation, two (2) detectors, and an infra-red radiation source with adjustable energy densities. The arrangement of optical axes of the sources and detectors is such, that they are in line with the respect to the direction in which a substance is being moved.

Method and apparatus for non-contact and rapid identification of wood

A method and apparatus for non-contact determination of the moisture content in moving or stationary mass of fibrous products such as wood is provided. The method comprises irradiation of a substance with infra-red radiation which is intense enough to introduce microstructural modifications of the substance surface. The moisture content of the substance is determined by analyzing density of these surface modifications. It has been found, that an optical beam may be used in order to quantify the density of the surface modifications. The surface is scanned with the optical beam two (2) times. The first scanning is done prior to the infra-red irradiation; the second scanning is done following the infra-red irradiation. The invented method allows for non-contact, rapid and continuous in-line measurements of the moisture content.

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Montréal, Canada

Brian Wong