The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 19, 2006
Filed:
Sep. 10, 2003
Thomas Jan Kulp, Livermore, CA (US);
Dahv A. V. Kliner, San Ramon, CA (US);
Ricky Sommers, Oakley, CA (US);
Uta-barbara Goers, Campbell, NY (US);
Karla M. Armstrong, Livermore, CA (US);
Thomas Jan Kulp, Livermore, CA (US);
Dahv A. V. Kliner, San Ramon, CA (US);
Ricky Sommers, Oakley, CA (US);
Uta-Barbara Goers, Campbell, NY (US);
Karla M. Armstrong, Livermore, CA (US);
Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA (US);
Abstract
The location of gases that are not visible to the unaided human eye can be determined using tuned light sources that spectroscopically probe the gases and cameras that can provide images corresponding to the absorption of the gases. The present invention is a light source for a backscatter absorption gas imaging (BAGI) system, and a light source incorporating the light source, that can be used to remotely detect and produce images of 'invisible' gases. The inventive light source has a light producing element, an optical amplifier, and an optical parametric oscillator to generate wavelength tunable light in the IR. By using a multi-mode light source and an amplifier that operates using 915 nm pump sources, the power consumption of the light source is reduced to a level that can be operated by batteries for long periods of time. In addition, the light source is tunable over the absorption bands of many hydrocarbons, making it useful for detecting hazardous gases.