Envirotest Systems Corporation

Santa Barbara Research Center

Environmental Systems Products Holdings Inc.

Envirotest Systems Holdings Corp.

David R Nelson

Michael D Jack

Troy P Bahan

Jay C Peterson

George C Polchin

Jay Peterson

George Charles Polchin

Jose A Santana

Geoffrey A Walter

Robert D Stephens

Peter R Bratt

Lane H Rubin

Christopher B Tacelli

Michael N Gray

Allen J Paneral

Jeffrey L Hanson

An unmanned integrated RESintegrates all of its components except the reflectorinto a single consolethat is positioned at the side of a road and has a CPUthat controls calibration, verification and data gathering. The RES's sourceand receiverare preferably stacked one on top of the other such that the IR beamtraverses a low and high path as it crosses the roadThis allows the RES to detect both low and high ground clearance vehicles. To maintain the vehicle processing and identification throughput, the speed sensorand ALPRdetect the passing vehicles at steep angles, approximately 20 to 35 degrees. In a preferred system, a manned control centercommunicates with a large number of the unmanned integrated RES to download emissions data, perform remote diagnostics, and, if necessary, dispatch a technician to perform maintenance on a particular RES.

Unmanned integrated optical remote emissions sensor (RES) for motor vehicles

A method and apparatus for sensing a composition of an exhaust plume includes a light source that radiates an infrared light beam having a plurality of predetermined wavelengths. A first of the predetermined wavelengths is associated with carbon dioxide and a second of the predetermined wavelengths is associated with a second gas, such as a hydrocarbon or carbon monoxide. The apparatus also includes a detector unit that detects the beam passing through the plume. The apparatus computes a ratio of the second gas to carbon dioxide based upon the first and second detected wavelengths, and this ratio is then multiplied by a predetermined estimation of a concentration of carbon dioxide in the plume.

Method and apparatus for remote measurement of exhaust gas

An unmanned integrated RES 12 integrates all of its components except the reflector 22 into a single console 30 that is positioned at the side of a road and has a CPU 36 that controls calibration, verification and data gathering. The RES's source 32 and receiver 34 are preferably stacked one on top of the other such that the IR beam 24 traverses a low and high path as it crosses the road 14. This allows the RES to detect both low and high ground clearance vehicles. To maintain the vehicle processing and identification throughput, the speed sensor 54 and ALPR 48,50 detect the passing vehicles at steep angles, approximately 20 to 35 degrees. In a preferred system, a manned control center 16 communicates with a large number of the unmanned integrated RES to download emissions data, perform remote diagnostics, and, if necessary, dispatch a technician to perform maintenance on a particular RES.

Unmanned integrated optical remote emissions sensor (RES) for motor

An emission-concentration monitoring system (20)includes first and second monitor stations (22,32) which are separated by a sensing space (40) along a path (28) of a moving vehicle (26). Each station has a source of electromagnetic radiation (64) which is directed through the vehicle's exhaust plume. Each station also has a set of detectors (66) which are positioned to receive the radiation and configured to measure transmittances at wavelengths which are absorbed by molecular species of exhaust plume (e.g., hydrocarbons, nitric oxide, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide). These sensed transmittances are converted to emission concentrations by a data processor (50) and compared to a set of emission-concentration standards. The vehicle is determined to be in violation only if its emission concentrations at both the first and second monitor stations exceeds the standards. To insure visual identification of the vehicle, images of it are formed at both stations with video cameras (42, 44) and a license plate reader (46). It has been found that the monitoring system improves testing accuracy because the first and second stations essentially form a check against each other to remove errors due, for example, to vehicular temporal variabilities.

Systems and methods for determining compliance of moving vehicles with

A light source radiates an infrared beam that passes through a chopper, a calibration cell and the exhaust plume of a motor vehicle passing in front of the source. A photosensor assembly includes a plurality of photodetectors which are spaced closely adjacent to each other and simultaneously sense the beam after it propagates through the plume. An optical beam homogenizer or integrator disposed between the plume and the photosensor unit causes the light incident on the photodetectors to have uniform intensity. The photodetectors are sensitive to different wavelengths corresponding to spectral absorption peaks of constituents of the composition of the plume, including carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2), hydrocarbon (HC), water vapor (H.sub.2 O) and nitric oxide (NO). A computer computes the composition of the plume as the percentages of the constituents based on the sensed transmittances of the respective wavelengths through the plume. A video camera produces a video image of the vehicle license plate, which is displayed on a video monitor and recorded on a video recorder together with the plume composition data.

Optical sensing apparatus for remotely measuring exhaust gas composition

Optical immersion of a semiconductor photodetector to a plano-convex lens is obtained with a spring arranged to urge the photodetector to abut the lens. To facilitate alignment of the detector and the lens, the spring defines, in one embodiment, a convex surface to abut a substrate that carries the detector. In another embodiment, alignment is facilitated by a ball positioned between the spring and the substrate. Optical noise is reduced by a dielectric between the detector and the lens, with the dielectric thickness less than 1/10 of any radiation wavelength of interest.

Optically immersed semiconductor photodetectors

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Santa Barbara, CA, United States of America

David R Nelson