Active optical pyrometer

Claim 1

An optical pyrometer for measuring the temperature of an object in an absorbing ambient medium comprising: modulated light source means for generating modulated probe radiation having a predetermined source power level, modulation frequency and source optical wavelength; means for directing said probe radiation at a predetermined location on said object; means for receiving input optical radiation emanating from said object; means for measuring the power of said input optical radiation in a predetermined measurement optical wavelength range and at said predetermined modulation frequency, and for forming a first signal representative of an input power magnitude in said measurement optical wavelength range; means for forming a second signal representative of said predetermined source power level; and means for combining said first and second signals to form an output signal representative of said temperature, characterized in that: said modulated light source means includes means for generating first and second probe radiation beams at first and second optical wavelengths having first and second probe power levels respectively sufficient to raise said temperature and said modulated light source means directs said first and second probe radiation beams at said predetermined location; said means for forming a signal representative of said predetermined source power level includes means for forming first and second probe power signals representative of said first and second probe power levels of said first and second probe radiation beams; said means for measuring said input power magnitude includes frequencey-dependent detection means responsive to radiation of one of said first and second optical wavelengths and further includes means for forming first and second input power magnitude signals representative of said input radiation at said first and second optical wavelengths when said second and first probe radiation beams respectively are directed at said predetermined location, whereby said first input power magnitude represents radiation of said first optical wavelength emitted from said object when irradiated at said second optical wavelength, and said second input power magnitude represents radiation of said second optical wavelength emitted from said object whe irradiated at said first optical wavelength; and said means for combining signals combines said first and second input power magnitude signals to produce a ratio signal representative of the ratio of said second to said first input power magnitude and further combines said ratio signal with said first and second probe power signals to produce an output signal representative of said temperature.