Patent ID: 11885718
Assignee: ROSEMOUNT AEROSPACE INC.
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G  Y | IPC G

Claim 0:
1. A system for determining parameters of a cloud atmosphere within a wind tunnel, the system comprising:
a single collimating lens having a projection axis;
a light projector configured to project a pulse of light energy from a projection fiber aligned along the projection axis through the single collimating lens into a projection field of view;
a light detector array configured to detect the pulse of light backscattered by the cloud atmosphere focused by the single collimating lens upon a plurality of receiving faces of a corresponding plurality of receiver fibers aligned off-axis from the projection axis, each of the plurality of receiver fibers aligned at different off-axis distances from projection fiber thereby receiving light backscattered at a plurality of different angles, thereby forming different detection fields of view that have different range-limited intersections with the projection field of view, the range-limited intersections having different maximum sampling ranges that exclude wall structures of the wind tunnel, thereby permitting detection of portions of the projected pulse of light energy backscattered only from within the range-limited intersections; and
a cloud parameter calculator configured to determine sizes and shapes of particles within the cloud atmosphere based on the backscattered portions detected and the plurality of different angles at which the light is backscattered.