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:
Nov. 08, 2011
Filed:
Jan. 25, 2010
Savyasachee Liptarag Mathur, Silver Spring, MD (US);
Yunhui Zheng, Crofton, MD (US);
Edward Lee Leventhal, Brookeville, MD (US);
Savyasachee Liptarag Mathur, Silver Spring, MD (US);
Yunhui Zheng, Crofton, MD (US);
Edward Lee Leventhal, Brookeville, MD (US);
Sigma Space Corp., Lanhan, MD (US);
Abstract
A polarization switching lidar device is arranged for remote detection and characterization of airborne aggregations of particulates. It includes a pulsed laser, a mirror, a polarizing beam splitter, an actively controlled retarder arranged to be controllably alternated between a zero retardation state and a quarter-wave retardation state such that the transmitted portion of the exiting laser light beam is linearly polarized in a predetermined direction when the actively controlled retarder is in the zero retardation state, while being circularly polarized in a predetermined rotational sense when the actively controlled retarder is in the quarter-wave retardation state. A directable telescoping assembly is arranged to collect photons backscattered by the airborne aggregations of particulates and to redirect the collected portion of depolarized backscattered photons onto the polarizing beam splitter. A photodetector is arranged to generate at least one electronic signal proportional to the collected portion of depolarized backscattered photons.