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US 10,379,040 B2Granted
Detecting moisture in solar cells
AssigneeSensors Unlimited, Inc.
InventorDouglas S. Malchow
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An imaging apparatus includes a camera with a solid-state sensor and an illumination selector. The illumination selector is arranged for optical coupling with the sensor and arranged for communicating electromagnetic radiation within a shortwave infrared narrowband to the sensor. The shortwave infrared narrowband includes a peak absorption or peak reflection wavelength of moisture to infrared illumination to image moisture disposed within a solar cell array.
Claims15
An imaging apparatus, comprising:
- a camera having a solid-state sensor;
- and
- an illumination selector arranged for optical coupling with the sensor, wherein the selector is operative to communicate electromagnetic radiation in a predetermined waveband to the sensor, the predetermined waveband including a peak absorption or a peak reflection wavelength of moisture to infrared illumination for imaging moisture disposed within a solar cell array, wherein the selector includes a filter arranged to communicate incident illumination within the waveband to the sensor, wherein the filter comprises a first filter element and a second filter element, the first filter element being arranged to communicate incident illumination within a first SWIR narrowband to the sensor, and wherein the second filter element is arranged to communicate incident illumination within a second SWIR narrowband to the sensor, wherein the first SWIR narrowband includes a peak absorption wavelength, wherein the second SWIR narrowband includes a peak reflection wavelength.
A method of detecting moisture in a solar cell, comprising:
- sensing electromagnetic radiation reflected from a solar cell array;
- analyzing the sensed electromagnetic radiation in one or more predetermined waveband wherein water molecules have strong absorption/or strong reflection;
- and
- identifying locations within the solar cell array that have a high likelihood that water is present at locations where the selected wavebands sensed are lower than portions of the solar cell surrounding the locations for highly absorbed selected wavelengths and are higher than portions of the solar cell array surrounding locations for high reflected wavelengths, wherein sensing includes using a selector wherein the selector includes a filter arranged to communicate incident illumination within the predetermined waveband to a sensor, wherein the filter comprises a first filter element and a second filter element, the first filter element being arranged to communicate incident illumination within a first SWIR narrowband to the sensor, and wherein the second filter element is arranged to communicate incident illumination within a second SWIR narrowband to the sensor, wherein the first SWIR narrowband includes a peak absorption wavelength, wherein the second SWIR narrowband includes a peak reflection wavelength.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.