Patent ID: 6542226
Filing Date: 2003-04-01
Classification: G01P,G01S,Y02A

Abstract:
A method for obtaining 3-component velocity measurements of fluid flows comprisinga) providing a fluid flow seeded with particles; b) directing at least two pulses of laser light through the fluid flow, wherein each pulse projects an illuminated light plane through the fluid flow; c) splitting scattered light from the light plane into two beams, wherein the two beams include a reference beam, and a signal beam; d) directing the signal beam through a molecular filter; e) capturing image frames from each of the pulses of laser light, wherein the image frames include at least one reference image frame of the reference beam and at least one signal image frame of the signal beam after being directed through the molecular filter; f) calculating a plurality of in-plane velocity components of the fluid flow responsive to at least two of the image frames each corresponding to a different pulse of the laser light; and g) calculating a plurality of out-of-plane velocity components of the fluid across the light plane responsive to at least a portion of the in-plane velocity components and responsive to at least one reference image frame and at least one signal image frame corresponding to a common pulse of the laser light.