Multispectral sensor means measuring depolarized radiation

Claim 2

A multispectral analysis device for use in uniquely identifying objects having areas to be irradiated comprising a source of electromagnetic energy producing output energy at at least two different wavelengths and at a known polarization, means to direct a portion of said energy against an area of the object to be uniquely identified so that at least some of the reradiations from said area are depolarized and are due primarily only to the inherent characteristics of the object itself as distinguished from the surface reflective characteristics thereof, means positioned to respond to said reradiation depolarized energy including means positioned to collect some of said depolarized reradiations scattered from the object, filter means associated with the collecting means and positioned to respond to and to segregate selected wavelengths only of said depolarized reradiated energy corresponding to the wavelengths from said source, means to detect the outputs of said filter means and to produce separate electric responses for the selected depolarized wavelengths, and analyzer means for comparing the detector outputs to produce indications as to the magnitudes and relative magnitudes of the energy at the selected wavelengths to uniquely identify the object being irradiated.

Claim 3

The multispectral analysis device of claim 1 wherein the analyzer means include other means for selecting and passing energy from said source at the selected wavelengths and producing electric control responses proportional to the magnitude of the energy at the respective selected wavelengths, said analyzer means also including means responsive to fluctuations in the intensity of the energy from the energy source at the said selected wavelengths.

Claim 4

A multispectral sensor for use in uniquely identifying an object having an area thereon to be irradiated comprising means for generating and transmitting electromagnetic waves at at least two different selected wavelengths at the area of the object to be irradiated, the inherent characteristics of said object causing some of the energy impinging thereon at the said wavelengths to reradiate therefrom as scattered depolarized reradiations of the same wavelengths, means positioned to collect and respond to some of said reradiated depolarized energy from said object, said last named means including filter and detector means positioned and constructed to produce output electric responses at the said wavelengths of said depolarized reradiation energy, and analyzer means responsive to the electric responses at the said selected different wavelengths to determine the relative spectral distribution thereof in the depolarized energy reradiated by the object, said last named means including means for indicating the magnitudes and relative magnitudes of the energy at the differEnt selected wavelengths.

Claim 5

A multispectral sensor for use in uniquely identifying an object having an area thereon to be irradiated comprising means for generating and transmitting electromagnetic waves at at least two different selected wavelengths at the area of the object to be irradiated, the inherent characteristics of said object causing some of the energy impinging thereon at the said wavelengths to reradiate therefrom as scattered depolarized reradiations of the same wavelengths, means positioned to collect and respond to some of said reradiated depolarized energy from said object, said last named means including filter and detector means positioned and constructed to produce output electric responses at the said wavelengths of said depolarized reradiation energy, and analyzer means responsive to the electric responses at the said selected different wavelengths to determine the relative spectral distribution thereof in the depolarized energy reradiated by the object, said last named means including means for indicating the magnitudes and relative magnitudes of the energy at the differEnt selected wavelengths.

Claim 6

The multispectral sensor defined in claim 3 including means to cause the transmitted electromagnetic waves to scan the area of the said object.

Claim 7

The multispectral sensor defined in claim 3 including a plurality of spaced objects and means to cause the transmitted electromagnetic waves to scan the region in which the said spaced objects are located.

Claim 8

The multispectral sensor defined in claim 3 wherein said means positioned to collect and respond to the reradiated energy include means to scan the area of the object being irradiated so as to restrict the scattered depolarized reradiated energy collected so that the electric responses produced occur spatially and temporally relative to the area of the irradiated object.

Claim 9

The multispectral sensor defined in claim 4 wherein said means positioned to collect and respond to the reradiated scattered depolarized energy include means to cause said collecting and responding means to scan the area of said object to restrict the scattered energy collected so that the responses occur spatially and temporally relative to the surface of the irradiated object, and means associated with the means positioned to collect and respond to the reradiated energy to synchronize the said scanning means associated therewith with the scanning means associated with the means that transmit electromagnetic waves.

Claim 10

The multispectral sensor defined in claim 3 wherein said means to collect and respond to the reradiated energy includes optical means.

Claim 11

A multispectral sensor for uniquely identifying a target having an area thereon to be irradiated by energy of selected wavelengths comprising a relatively broadband source of electromagnetic radiations, means including beam splitter means positioned to receive radiations from said source and constructed to divide the radiation energy from said source into separate first and second energy beams, means positioned in the path of the first energy beam including filter means constructed to pass only particular selected bands of wavelengths of the energy of said first beam, said second energy beam being directed at the area of the target to be irradiated whereby said area reradiates scattered depolarized energy at the said selected wavelengths, the inherent characteristics of the target including its chemical composition, electrical characteristics, color and structural characteristics effecting the magnitudes and relative magnitudes of the scattered depolarized reradiation at said selected wavelengths, means positioned to collect and to respond to the selected depolarized reradiations from the target, said last named means including filter means constructed to pass selected ones of the selected scattered depolarized wavelengths, detector means to generate electric signal responses corresponding to each of the said selected depolarized wavelengths, and analyzer means responsive to the electric signal responses to produce indications as to the magnitudes and relative magnitudes of the depolarized reradiations at the selected wavelengths, said analyzer means including means responsive to variations in the intensity of the electromagnetic radiations from the source at the particular wavelengths and including means to make the indications generated relatively independent of variations in the source.

Claim 12

A multispectral sensor for uniquely identifying a target having an area thereon to be irradiated by energy of selected wavelengths comprising a relatively broadband source of electromagnetic radiations, means including beam splitter means positioned to receive radiations from said source and constructed to divide the radiation energy from said source into separate first and second energy beams, means positioned in the path of the first energy beam including filter means constructed to pass only particular selected bands of wavelengths of the energy of said first beam, said second energy beam being directed at the area of the target to be irradiated whereby said area reradiates scattered depolarized energy at the said selected wavelengths, the inherent characteristics of the target including its chemical composition, electrical characteristics, color and structural characteristics effecting the magnitudes and relative magnitudes of the scattered depolarized reradiation at said selected wavelengths, means positioned to collect and to respond to the selected depolarized reradiations from the target, said last named means including filter means constructed to pass selected ones of the selected scattered depolarized wavelengths, detector means to generate electric signal responses corresponding to each of the said selected depolarized wavelengths, and analyzer means responsive to the electric signal responses to produce indications as to the magnitudes and relative magnitudes of the depolarized reradiations at the selected wavelengths, said analyzer means including means responsive to variations in the intensity of the electromagnetic radiations from the source at the particular wavelengths and including means to make the indications generated relatively independent of variations in the source.

Claim 13

The multispectral sensor defined in claim 9 wherein said means positioned to collect and respond to the scattered depolarized radiations include optical means.

Claim 14

The multispectral sensor defined in claim 9 wherein said broadband source of electromagnetic radiations is a laser source.

Claim 15

The multispectral sensor defined in claim 9 wherein said broadband source of electromagnetic radiations is a source of coherent radiation energy.

Claim 16

The multispectral sensor defined in claim 9 wherein said broadband source of electromagnetic radiations is a source of incoherent radiation energy.

Claim 17

The multispectral sensor defined in claim 9 wherein said beam splitter Means reflects said first energy beam so that the first and second energy beams are oriented at an angle relative to each other.

Claim 18

The multispectral sensor defined in claim 10 wherein the optical means positioned to collect and respond to some of the reradiation energy include cassegrain optical means.

Claim 19

The multispectral sensor defined in claim 9 wherein said first energy beam is reflected by the beam splitter, and optical means positioned to intercept the said reflected first energy beam.

Claim 20

The multispectral sensor defined in claim 9 wherein said detector means include photo-multiplier means.

Claim 21

Means for monitoring selected frequencies of energy reradiated from an object having an area to be irradiated comprising a relatively broadband source of radiation energy and means for directing energy from said source at the area of said object, said object area reradiating some of the energy impinging thereon, at least some of which reradiated energy is characterized by being scattered depolarized reradiations due to certain inherent characteristics of the object itself rather than being due to the reflective characteristics of the irradiated area, means positioned to respond to selected frequencies of the depolarized reradiations from said object including an energy sensor probe and means including monochromator means connected to said probe, said monochromator means producing signal responses to represent the intensity of the detected reradiation energy sensed by the energy sensor probe at a selected frequency, means to produce indications as to the magnitude of the responses, and means to relocate the energy sensor probe so that it can respond to different preselected frequencies of the reradiated depolarized energy.

Claim 22

Means for monitoring selected frequencies of energy reradiated from an object having an area to be irradiated comprising a relatively broadband source of radiation energy and means for directing energy from said source at the area of said object, said object area reradiating some of the energy impinging thereon, at least some of which reradiated energy is characterized by being scattered depolarized reradiations due to certain inherent characteristics of the object itself rather than being due to the reflective characteristics of the irradiated area, means positioned to respond to selected frequencies of the depolarized reradiations from said object including an energy sensor probe and means including monochromator means connected to said probe, said monochromator means producing signal responses to represent the intensity of the detected reradiation energy sensed by the energy sensor probe at a selected frequency, means to produce indications as to the magnitude of the responses, and means to relocate the energy sensor probe so that it can respond to different preselected frequencies of the reradiated depolarized energy.

Claim 23

The means defined in claim 18 including means for producing signals that vary in response to variations in the intensity of the broadband source, and means to apply the signals to the monochromator means to make the signal responses therefrom relatively independent of the intensity of the source.

Claim 24

The means defined in claim 18 including means to chop the output radiations from the broadband source into spaced radiation bundles.

Claim 25

Means for monitoring selected frequencies of energy reradiated from an object having an area to be irradiated comprising a relatively broadband source of radiation energy and means for directing energy from said source at the area of said object to be irradiated whereby said object reradiates energy having polarized and depolarized components, the depolarized reradiation components being primarily due to the inherent characteristics of the object itself rather than to the surface reflective characteristics thereof, means positioned to respond to some of the depolarized reradiation energy from said object including filter means for passing depolarized reradiated energy at selected wavelengths only, detector means for producing signal responses at the said selected wavlengths, and output means responsive to said signal responses for producing indications as to the magnitudes and relative magnitudes of the depolarized reradiated energy at the selected wavelengths.

Claim 26

Means for monitoring selected frequencies of energy reradiated from an object having an area to be irradiated comprising a relatively broadband source of radiation energy and means for directing energy from said source at the area of said object to be irradiated whereby said object reradiates energy having polarized and depolarized components, the depolarized reradiation components being primarily due to the inherent characteristics of the object itself rather than to the surface reflective characteristics thereof, means positioned to respond to some of the depolarized reradiation energy from said object including filter means for passing depolarized reradiated energy at selected wavelengths only, detector means for producing signal responses at the said selected wavlengths, and output means responsive to said signal responses for producing indications as to the magnitudes and relative magnitudes of the depolarized reradiated energy at the selected wavelengths.

Claim 27

The means for monitoring defined in claim 21 including other means positioned to respond to the energy from the broadband source at the said same selected wavelengths to produce respective signal outputs, and control means associated with the output means including means responsive to the signal outputs of said other means, said control means including means to make the indications of said output means relatively independent of changes in the intensity of the radiation source.