US 6,357,910 B1Granted

Multiwavelength pyrometer for measurement in hostile environments

AssigneePhotoSonic, Inc.

InventorsYaosheng Chen, Richard O. Claus, Yanjing Liu

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Abstract

A pyrometer for measuring the temperature of an object with high accuracy and fast response time that uses both multi-wavelength pyrometry techniques and nanotechnology. Radiance from an object is transmitted through a fiber optic cable, is received by a thin-film multi-wavelength modulator, and is detected by an optical detector array. More specifically, the pyrometer includes means for conveying light; an optical lens; an optical fiber; means for optically modulating the wavelength of light; means for optically detecting the modulated light; means for transforming the optically detected wavelengths into electrical signals; and means for processing and recording the electrical signals. The means for optically modulating the wavelength includes at least one piezoelectric film deposited by an electrostatic self-assembly method. The pyrometer can be fabricated as either a contact-mode or non-contact mode device, both of which are suitable for use in hostile environments such as a boiler, gasifier, kiln and furnace.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A pyrometer for measuring the temperature of an object, said pyrometer comprising:

(a) means for conveying light from said object;
(b) an optical lens for receiving said conveyed light;
(c) an optical fiber for transmitting said received light;
(d) means for optically modulating the wavelength of light transmitted by said optical fiber into at least one wavelength;
(e) means for optically detecting at least one wavelength;
(f) means for transforming said optically detected at least one wavelength into electrical signals;
and
(g) means for processing and recording said electrical signals,
wherein the means for optically modulating comprises a substrate, a first ESA metal layer, deposited by an electrostatic self-assembly (ESA) method, on the substrate, and a piezoelectric film comprising from 10 to several hundred ESA coatings formed on the first ESA metal layer, wherein the index of refraction of the ESA coatings gradually increases, and wherein the ESA coatings are formed from materials selected from the group consisting of polymers, semiconductor clusters, cage-structured molecules, metal and metal oxide clusters.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.