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US4984903A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Method of optically and remotely sensing subsurface water temperature

Assignee: General Dynamics Government Systems Corp
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Filing: 1989-08-01
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Granted: 1991-01-15
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Expires: 2009-08-01
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Abstract

Abstract To remotely measure the unknown subsurface temperature T s of a bulk transparent medium such as ocean water, a laser beam having a high power or intensity is split into two parts, a probe beam and a reference beam. The probe beam is directed into a sample of ocean water, and the reference beam into a reference sample of water having a known temperature T r . The intensities of the two beams, which exceed a predetermined threshold are sufficient to cause stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) within the two samples and produce therefrom two phase-conjugate beams. The two phase-conjugate beams are mixed to produce a heterodyne frequency that is proportional to the difference in temperature T s and T r . The frequency difference is converted into a temperature value equal to the value of T s .

Inventors

  • 👤 Harold E. Sweeney

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-01 01:41
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01K; G01K13/00; G01K11/00; G01K11/12; G01K11/14

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 3
Claim 1
Independent Claim 137 words
A method of remotely measuring an unknown temperature T s of a transparent medium by comparison with a known temperature T r of a transparent reference material, consisting of the steps of: simultaneously directing into said transparent medium and into said transparent reference material a pulsed laser output beam comprising a plurality of pulses each having an intensity sufficient to cause stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) in said medium and in said material and thereby causing pulsed phase-conjugate (PC) beams to emanate from said medium and said material, respectively, said PC beams having frequencies proportional to the temperatures of said medium and said material, respectively; mixing said PC beams and thereby producing a difference frequency proportional to the difference in temperatures T s and T r ; and converting said difference frequency to the temperature T s .
Claim 2
Independent Claim 137 words
A method of remotely measuring an unknown temperature T s of a transparent medium by comparison with a known temperature T r of a transparent reference material, consisting of the steps of: simultaneously directing into said transparent medium and into said transparent reference material a pulsed laser output beam comprising a plurality of pulses each having an intensity sufficient to cause stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) in said medium and in said material and thereby causing pulsed phase-conjugate (PC) beams to emanate from said medium and said material, respectively, said PC beams having frequencies proportional to the temperatures of said medium and said material, respectively; mixing said PC beams and thereby producing a difference frequency proportional to the difference in temperatures T s and T r ; and converting said difference frequency to the temperature T s .
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 34 words
The method according to claim 1 with an additional step of splitting said pulsed laser output beam into first and second sub-beams and directing said sub-beams into said medium and into said reference material.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US3611806A Cited
US4030362A Cited
US4375164A Cited
US4778261A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1994-01-14 1994-07-16 1995-01-15 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1998-01-14 1998-07-16 1999-01-15 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 2002-01-14 2002-07-16 2003-01-15 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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