Multi-fiber single lens optical ice detector
AssigneeRosemount Aerospace Inc.
InventorsMark Ray, Kaare Josef Anderson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system for determining parameters of a cloud atmosphere within a wind tunnel. The system includes: a light projector configured to project a pulse of light energy into a projection field of view; at least one light detector having a detection field of view that forms a range-limited intersection with the projection field of view, the range-limited intersection having a maximum sampling range so as to exclude wall structures of the wind tunnel, wherein the at least one light detector is configured to detect a backscattered portion of the projected pulse of light energy backscattered from within the range-limited intersection; and a cloud parameter calculator configured to determine parameters of the cloud atmosphere based on the backscattered portions detected.
Claims13
A system for determining parameters of a cloud atmosphere within a wind tunnel, the system comprising:
- a single collimating lens having a projection axis;
- a light projector configured to project a pulse of light energy from a projection fiber aligned along the projection axis through the single collimating lens into a projection field of view;
- a light detector array configured to detect the pulse of light backscattered by the cloud atmosphere focused by the single collimating lens upon a plurality of receiving faces of a corresponding plurality of receiver fibers aligned off-axis from the projection axis, each of the plurality of receiver fibers aligned at different off-axis distances from projection fiber thereby receiving light backscattered at a plurality of different angles, thereby forming different detection fields of view that have different range-limited intersections with the projection field of view, the range-limited intersections having different maximum sampling ranges that exclude wall structures of the wind tunnel, thereby permitting detection of portions of the projected pulse of light energy backscattered only from within the range-limited intersections;
- and
- a cloud parameter calculator configured to determine sizes and shapes of particles within the cloud atmosphere based on the backscattered portions detected and the plurality of different angles at which the light is backscattered.
A method for determining parameters of a cloud atmosphere within a wind tunnel, the method comprising:
- projecting a pulse of light energy from a projection fiber into a projection field of view;
- collimating the projection field of view via a single collimation lens having a projection axis aligned with the projection fiber, so as to create a collimated projection field of view projecting into the cloud atmosphere;
- detecting a portion of the projected pulse of light energy backscattered from within range-limited intersections of a plurality of detection fields of view and the projection field of view, the detection fields of view formed by the plurality of receiver fibers aligned at different off-axis distances from the projection fiber, thereby receiving light backscattered at a plurality of different angles, thereby forming different range-limited intersections with the projection field of view, the range-limited intersections having different maximum sampling ranges that exclude wall structures of the wind tunnel, thereby permitting detection of portions of the projected pulse of light energy backscattered only from within the range-limited intersections;
- collimating the plurality of detection fields of view, via the single collimation lens, so as to create collimated detection fields of view;
- and
- determining sizes and shapes of particles within the cloud atmosphere based on the backscattered portions detected and the plurality of different angles at which the light is backscattered.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.