Methods, apparatuses, and systems for diagnosing misalignment in gas detecting devices

A method for diagnosing misalignment of a transmitter element of an open path gas detecting device, the method comprising:

• causing at least one detector component of a receiver element of the open path gas detecting device to generate a first light intensity indication corresponding to first infrared light;
• causing the at least one detector component to generate a second light intensity indication corresponding to second infrared light;
• and
• generating an alignment indication based at least in part on the first light intensity indication and the second light intensity indication.

A gas detecting device, comprising:

• a receiver element comprising a detection channel and a diagnosis channel, wherein each of the detection channel and the diagnosis channel is configured to generate a light intensity indication corresponding to infrared light received by the receiver element;
• and
• a microcontroller electronically coupled to the receiver element and configured to:
• generate an alignment indication based at least in part on a first light intensity indication generated by the detection channel and a second light intensity indication generated by the diagnosis channel, wherein the alignment indication indicates whether the receiver element is misaligned.