Environmental Systems Products Holdings Inc.

Colorado Seminary

University of Denver

Envirotest Systems Corporation

Environmental Systems Products, Inc.

Denver Seminary

Gary Allen Bishop

Donald Hugh Stedman

Gary G Full

Scott McLaren

James Johnson

John D Didomenico

W John Williams

A remote emissions sensing system and method for sensing exhaust emissions from motor vehicles is provided where the system determines the opacity of an exhaust plume. The system comprises a radiation source that emits radiation which is passed through the exhaust plume of a motor vehicle to one or more detectors arranged to receive the radiation. Multiple wavelength opacity measuring embodiments and monochromatic wavelength opacity measuring embodiments are disclosed.

Exhaust opacity measuring device

A remote sensing device is provided to detect the emissions of passing vehicles. Preferably, the device detects the emissions of individual vehicles traveling on a roadway of more than one traffic lane. The remote sensing device may preferably detect the emissions due to an individual vehicle in situations where more than one vehicle is present. The device is capable of determining which sensed emission data corresponds to which vehicle exhaust plume.

Multilane remote sensing device

A system and method of detecting gases in the exhaust of a moving vehicle with a small engine, such as a motorcycle or moped. The system employs a gas analyzer with a beam which makes more than two passes through a detection space. Through multiple passes through the detection space, the gas analyzer generates a signal indicative of the concentrations of one or more components of interest in the exhaust plume. The system also includes a processor for obtaining information about one or more vehicle exhaust components from the generated signal.

System and method for remote analysis of small engine vehicle emissions

A gas analysis device for the remote detecting, measuring and recording of NO, CO, CO.sub.2, HC, and H.sub.2 O levels from the exhaust (30) of moving motor vehicles (28) utilizes a source (11) of collimated infrared and ultraviolet radiation (15) and includes a detector unit (16) positioned on the opposite side of the roadway for receiving and measuring the infrared and ultraviolet radiation from the source (11) tranmitted through the vehicle exhaust. The detector unit splits the combined infrared and ultraviolet radiation into separate infrared and ultraviolet beams (42) and (40). The ultraviolet beam is diffracted onto a photodiode array in a spectrometer that generates a signal indicative of NO in the vehicle exhaust. A rotating reflector (27) time-multiplexes the infrared beam to a plurality of infrared sensors that generate electrical signals indicative of, for example, CO, CO.sub.2, HC, and H.sub.2 O in the vehicle exhaust. A computer (17) then computes the relative concentrations of CO, CO.sub.2, HC, NO, and H.sub.2 O in the path of the infrared and ultraviolet radiation from the source, thereby measuring vehicle emissions.

Apparatus for remote analysis of vehicle emissions

A system for remote analysis of vehicle emissions also determines whether each vehicle's engine and exhaust system are hot or cold by measuring infrared radiation reflected by the roadway beneath the vehicle. A source transmits a beam of radiation through at least a portion of the motor vehicle exhaust to a number of sensors. Each sensor generates a signal indicative of the absorption of the beam in a wavelength band indicative of a corresponding exhaust gas (e.g., CO, CO.sub.2, HC, NO.sub.x and H.sub.2 O). An infrared detector measures infrared radiation within a field of view including at least a portion of the roadway beneath each passing vehicle. A processor then computes the concentrations of each exhaust gas from the sensor signals, and determines whether the vehicle is hot or cold by measuring the intensity of infrared radiation detected by the infrared detector. Because cold vehicles can temporarily produce abnormally high pollution emissions, the processor can be programmed to separately identify hot vehicles having exhaust emissions that exceed air pollution limits. The system can also include a video camera and recorder to record the license plate and emissions data for each vehicle identified as failing to meet emissions limits.

Apparatus for remote analysis of vehicle emissions using reflective

A gas analysis device (10) for the remote detecting, measuring and recording of NO.sub.x, CO, CO.sub.2, HC and H.sub.2 O levels from the exhaust (30) of moving motor vehicles (28) utilizes a source (11) of collimated infrared and ultraviolet radiation (15) and includes a detector unit (16) positioned on the opposite side of the roadway for receiving and measuring the infrared and ultraviolet radiation from the source (11) tranmitted through the vehicle exhaust. The detector unit splits the combined infrared and ultraviolet radiation into separate infrared and ultraviolet beams (42) and (40). An ultraviolet sensor (44) receives the separate ultraviolet beam and generates a signal indicative of NO.sub.x. A rotating reflector (27) time-multiplexes the infrared beam to a plurality of infrared sensors that generate electrical signals indicative of, for example, CO, CO.sub.2, HC and H.sub.2 O in the vehicle exhaust. A computer (17) then computes the relative concentrations of CO, CO.sub.2, HC, NO.sub.x, and H.sub.2 O in the path of the infrared and ultraviolet radiation from the source, thereby measuring vehicle emissions.

A gas analysis device for the remote detecting, measuring and recording of NO.sub.x, CO, CO.sub.2, HC and H.sub.2 O levels from the exhaust of moving motor vehicles. It utilizes a source of collimated infrared and ultraviolet radiation and includes a mechanism for receiving and measuring the infrared and ultraviolet radiation from its source, and another mechanism for measuring background infrared and ultraviolet radiation levels in the ambient atmosphere. The receiving mechanism splits the combined infrared and ultraviolet radiation into separate infrared and ultraviolet beams. A mechanism receives the separate ultraviolet beam and generates a signal indicative of NO.sub.x. Another mechanism splits the infrared beam into two to four components, and devices are positioned for receiving each of the infrared components and generating two to four signals indicative of, for example, CO, CO.sub.2, HC and H.sub.2 O. Another associated mechanism then computes and produces signals indicative of the amount of CO, CO.sub.2, HC, NO.sub.x and H.sub.2 O in the path of the infrared and ultraviolet radiation from the source, thereby making it capable of measuring emissions of vehicles. The source and the receiving mechanism are aligned on opposite sides of a roadway, both being at the elevation of the to-be-measured vehicle exhaust. Vehicles traveling on that roadway and passing through the radiation emanating from the source interrupt reception of the beam by the detector, thereby initiating a detection sequence. In one embodiment a visual recording device is positioned for visually recording the vehicle and test results.

Growing community of inventors

Louisville, CO, United States of America

Gary Allen Bishop