Described herein is a method for simulating a visibility of a coating applied on a surface for a LiDAR sensor, which includes at least the following steps: applying the coating on the surface (301); measuring a respective reflection of light having an operating wavelength of the LiDAR sensor from the surface coated with the coating at a multiplicity of illumination and/or measurement angles (302); adapting a bidirectional reflectance distribution function for the coating as a function of the respective illumination and/or measurement angle to the respective measured reflections (303); simulating a propagation of the light emitted by the LiDAR sensor and reflected by the surface coated with the coating on the basis of the adapted bidirectional reflectance distribution function by means of a ray tracing application (304); outputting a brightness image.

A system for measuring levels of inflammable gases such as cooking gas, in a closed space, and for providing a warning when the gas levels exceed a safe threshold. The system uses a laser beam in order to determine the presence of the intruding inflammable gas. Laser beams provide a convenient method of determining the absorption of gases in the path of the beam, since the beam is generally collimated, traversing a well-defined path, which can cover a large extent of an area to be monitored for gas contamination. The absorption of the light of the laser beam in traversing the area is dependent on the gaseous content of the environment through which the beam passes. The wavelength of the laser beam used is chosen such that there is significant absorption of the beam by the gases which the system is intended to detect in the laser beam.

A device for measuring a reflectivity of an object at the seabottom, includes a spectral probe, a first white board, a second white board, a distance meter, and a shaft; the first white board and the second white board respectively have a known reflectivity; the first white board and the second white board are connected to the shaft, wherein the first white board and the second white board are spaced along an axial direction of the shaft and staggered from each other along a radial direction of the shaft; the spectral probe is configured to collect spectral data of the first white board, the second white board and the object at the seabottom; the distance meter is configured to collect distance data between the spectral probe and the object at the seabottom.

A standoff chemical detection system that includes a source and detector are provided. The source includes: a controller, memory communicatively connected to the controller, optical sources each constructed to operate over different wavelength ranges, and a power supply. The controller controls the plurality of optical sources to emit respective infrared beams towards a target detection area in a sequential order. The detector includes: an image sensor and a controller that is communicatively connected to the image sensor. Memory and the notification device are also communicatively connected to the controller. The image sensor receives attenuated infrared beams emitted by the optical sources sequentially and at least partially attenuated by chemicals in the target detection area. The controller is constructed to calculate stimulus value signals from the recorded image data and determine whether a hazard chemical is located within the target detection area based on the calculated stimulus value signals.

A method for monitoring the airspace around an aircraft or the road, runway, taxiway, movement area condition or any other object or surface of interest ahead of a vehicle, even in inclement weather is disclosed. The present teachings provide a system for characterizing cloud drops, cloud ice particles, other hydrometeors such drizzle, rain or falling snow, and for distinguishing dry surfaces from those covered by water, snow, frost, and various types of ice even when they cover only a fraction of the field of view of the road condition monitoring system, even in inclement weather.

A spectroscopy system including a base station having a reflecting telescope and a laser light source coupled to the telescope, the laser providing an outgoing light signal; at least one Unmanned Aerial Vehicle containing a mobile retroreflector configured to receive the light signal from the laser and return a light signal back to the telescope; a detector to record the intensity of the returning light signal; and optical components for spectroscopic measurements, the optical components utilizing the intensity of the returning light signal, revealing the presence of a chosen narrow band for the purpose of detecting a target.

An active remote sensing system is provided with an array of laser diodes that generate light directed to an object having one or more optical wavelengths that include at least one near-infrared wavelength between 700 nanometers and 2500 nanometers. One of the laser diodes pulses with pulse duration of approximately 0.5 to 2 nanoseconds at repetition rate between one kilohertz and about 100 megahertz. A beam splitter receives the laser light, separates the light into a plurality of spatially separated lights and directs the lights to the object. A detection system includes a photodiode array synchronized to the array of laser diodes and performs a time-of-flight measurement by measuring a temporal distribution of photons received from the object. The time-of-flight measurement is combined with images from a camera system, and the remote sensing system is configured to be coupled to a wearable device, a smart phone or a tablet.

Measurement approaches and data analysis methods are disclosed for combining 3D topographic data with spatially-registered gas concentration data to increase the efficiency of gas monitoring and leak detection tasks. Here, the metric for efficiency is defined as reducing the measurement time required to achieve the detection, or non-detection, of a gas leak with a desired confidence level. Methods are presented for localizing and quantifying detected gas leaks. Particular attention is paid to the combination of 3D spatial data with path-integrated gas concentration measurements acquired using remote gas sensing technologies, as this data can be used to determine the path-averaged gas concentration between the sensor and points in the measurement scene. Path-averaged gas concentration data is useful for finding and quantifying localized regions of elevated (or anomalous) gas concentration making it ideal for a variety of applications including: oil and gas pipeline monitoring, facility leak and emissions monitoring, and environmental monitoring.

An instrument and method for analyzing a gas leak. The instrument can obtain a time series of spectra from a scene. The instrument can compare spectra from different times to determine a property of a gas cloud within the scene. The instrument can estimate the column density of the gas cloud at one or more locations within the scene. The instrument can estimate the total quantity of gas in the cloud. The instrument can estimate the amount of gas which has left the field of view of the instrument. The instrument can also estimate the amount of gas in the cloud which has dropped below the sensitivity limit of the instrument.

One or more embodiments relates to a method of growing ultrasmooth and high quantum efficiency CsTe photocathodes. The method includes exposing a substrate of Cs using an alkali source such as an effusion cell; and controlling co-evaporating growth and co-deposition forming a CsTe growth. The method further includes monitoring a stoichiometry of the CsTe growth.