Patent ID: 7395699
Filing Date: 2008-07-08
Classification: G01M,G01P

Abstract:
1. A fiber-optic probe configured to make flow-related measurements inside a cylinder of an automobile engine during normal operations, the probe comprising: an external body having an external surface and first and second end portions, the external body being configured to be inserted into an access port in the engine; a transparent window inserted in the first end portion of the external body; and a middle section inserted through the second end portion of the external body, the middle section having first and second ends, being traversable with the respect to the external body, and comprising, receiving and transmitting fibers connected to a fiber terminator disposed on the first end of the middle section, a transmitting lens disposed in the second end of the middle section, the transmitting lens being configured to focus a laser light from the transmitting fiber into a probe volume formed inside the engine beyond the transparent window, and a receiving lens configured to focus a scattered light from the probe volume into the receiving fiber; and a data acquisition system connected to the receiving fiber via a fiber-optic cable, the data acquisition system being configured to compute the flow-related measurements from the light scattered from the probe volume.