System for measuring the optical permeability of fluids

Claim 1

IN A SYSTEM FOR MEASURING THE STRAIGHT-LINE LIGHT TRANSMITTANCY OF GASEOUS AND LIQUID FLUIDS BY MEANS OF LIGHT TRANSMISSION ALONG A STRAIGHT-LINE PATH FROM A TRANSMITTER OVER A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE THROUGH SUCH FLUIDS, A RECEIVER APPARATUS, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, PHOTOSENSITIVE ELECTRIC MEANS FOR RECEIVING SAID TRANSMITTED LIGHT; LIGHT-DIRECTING MEANS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED DUCTS EXTENDING PARALLEL WITH SAID STRAIGHT-LINE PATH FOR DIRECTING RESPECTIVELY FRACTIONS OF THE LIGHT RECEIVED BY THE RECEIVER APPARATUS WHEN EXPOSED TO SAID TRANSMITTED LIGHT AS FRACTIONAL PENCILS OF LIGHT TOWARD SAID PHOTO-SENSITIVE MEANS, SAID DUCTS BEING DIMENSIONED TO SUBSTANTIALLY PREVENTING STRAY LIGHT FROM REACHING SAID PHOTO-SENSITIVE MEANS, OPTICAL MEANS INTERPOSED IN THE PATH OF LIGHT BETWEEN SAID DUCTS AND SAID PHOTO-SENSITIVE MEANS FOR CONCENTRATING SAID PLURALITY OF FRACTIONAL PENCILS OF LIGHT INTO A SINGLE BEAM OF LIGHT, AND LIGHT STOP MEANS INTERPOSED BETWEEN SAID OPTICAL MEANS AND SAID PHOTO-SENSITIVE MEANS LOCATED AT THE FOCUS OF SAID OPTICAL MEANS FOR PASSING SAID BEAM OF LIGHT TO SAID PHOTO-SENSITIVE MEANS WITH A VERY ACUTE LIGHT CONE ANGLE SUBSTANTIALLY SMALLER THAN THAT OF SAID INDIVIDUAL FRACTIONAL PENCILS OF LIGHT; BLOWER MEANS FOR FORCING A CURRENT OF AIR THROUGH SAID DUCTS IN OUTWARD DIRECTION FOR PREVENTING LIGHT-OBSTRUCTING MATTER FROM PENETRATING INTO SAID DUCTS; A HOUSING SURROUNDING SAID PHOTO-SENSITIVE ELECTRIC MEANS, SAID BLOWER MEANS AND SAID LIGHT-DIRECTING MEANS AND HAVING AN OPENING FOR ADMITTING SAID TRANSMITTED LIGHT TO SAID PLURALITY OF ELONGATED DUCTS, AND AN AMPLIFIER ARRANGEMENT CONNECTED WITH SAID PHOTO-SENSITIVE MEANS AND CAPABLE OF DELIVERING AN OUTPUT CURRENT AS A FUNCTION OF THE AMPLITUDES OF SAID LIGHT PULSES RECEIVED BY SAID PHOTO-SENSITIVE MEANS THROUGH SAID BEAM OF LIGHT AND BEING INDICATIVE OF THE STRAIGHTLINE TRANSMITTANCY OF THE ATMOSPHERE EXISTING BETWEEN SAID TRANSMITTER AND RECEIVER MEANS, AND INDICATOR MEANS FOR INDICATING SAID FUNCTION OF THE AMPLITUDES OF A PLURALITY OF RECEIVED LIGHT PULSES.