Patent Publication Number: US-11662249-B2

Title: System for testing under controlled emulated atmospheric conditions

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/829,855, filed Apr. 5, 2019, entitled “System For Testing Under Controlled Emulated Atmospheric Conditions,” the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     The invention described herein was made in the performance of official duties by employees of the Department of the Navy and may be manufactured, used and licensed by or for the United States Government for any governmental purpose without payment of any royalties thereon. This invention (Navy Case 200,623) is assigned to the United States Government and is available for licensing for commercial purposes. Licensing and technical inquiries may be directed to the Technology Transfer Office, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Corona Division, email: CRNA_CTO@navy.mil. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an enclosure for testing electromagnetic radiation under simulated atmospheric conditions. 
     BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an enclosure for testing electromagnetic radiation (EMR) by emulating atmospheric conditions within the enclosure. 
     According to an illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one modular container can be assembled to emulate a desired atmosphere. Each container includes apertures on opposing ends of the container to allow EMR to enter and exit the container. Each container can include temperature control systems (e.g., a hot plate, a hot wire, a cold plate, etc.), humidity control systems (e.g., a humidifier, a dehumidifier), fan arrays to emulate wind/turbulence, and a plurality of sensors to measure the current conditions within the container. These control systems allows for variation of different measurement parameters (e.g., temperature, humidity, wind-speed, etc.) independently or in any combination of these to achieve different statistically steady atmospheric conditions inside the container. 
     According to a further illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, containers can be aligned to combine the containers linearly (e.g., to test across longer distances) or stacked to combine containers vertically/horizontally (e.g., to allow more complex atmospheric conditions). The walls of these containers could be made of collapsible shutters for the ease of open/close control. Once a desired statistically steady atmospheric condition is reached in each of the stacked containers, the shutters in between them could be opened to emulate the condition in longer distances or larger volumes. 
     Additional features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of the illustrative embodiment exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The detailed description of the drawings particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which: 
         FIG.  1    shows an exemplary emulation system. 
         FIG.  2    shows a block diagram of the components of an exemplary emulation system. 
         FIGS.  3 A-B  show additional views of an exemplary container with a heating element. 
         FIG.  4    shows a top section of an exemplary container. 
         FIG.  5    shows an isometric view of an exemplary container. 
         FIG.  6 A-C  shows exterior views of an exemplary container. 
         FIGS.  7 A-C  show a cross sectional views of an exemplary container. 
         FIG.  8    shows exemplary emulation systems with connected containers. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The embodiments of the invention described herein are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to precise forms disclosed. Rather, the embodiments selected for description have been chosen to enable one skilled in the art to practice the invention. 
       FIG.  1    shows an exemplary emulation system  1  having an emulation container  3 . Container  3  has two apertures  5  on opposing sides of the container. An EMR beam  7  can be propagated through the container by entering a first aperture and exiting a second aperture. EMR power, beam quality, beam profile, etc. can be measured, and the resulting data can be utilized to test models and create new models. Because longer optical paths provide better analysis of EMR beams, each container  3  is generally longer (e.g., from aperture to aperture) than wide or tall. 
       FIG.  2    shows a block diagram of the components of an exemplary emulation system. A plurality of peripheral systems can be coupled to the walls of container  3  to enable a variety of functions or precision control. Peripheral systems can include a vacuum pump  23 , humidity control mechanisms (e.g., humidifier  29 ), temperature control mechanisms (e.g., a heating element  21  and cooling element  25 ), and at least one fan  27 . 
       FIGS.  3 A-B  show additional views of an exemplary container  3  with a heating element  21  (e.g., a wire with an electrical current  35  passing through the wire). The wind speed, temperature, pressure, and humidity can be measured by well-known measurement devices (e.g., hygrometers, sonic anemometer, etc.) traceable to known measurement standards. In exemplary embodiments, a controller can be configured to activate container peripherals until particular readings are recorded by sensors  31  (e.g., activate a heating element until a particular temperature is reached). It is generally preferable to put the heating element in the bottom of the container  3  (and likewise cooling elements in the top of the container) for better temperature regulation. 
       FIG.  4    shows a top section of an exemplary container with a humidifier  29  installed within top wall  41 . It is generally preferable to put the humidifier  29  in the top section to facilitate dispersal of water vapor throughout the container. A seal  43  prevents the humidifier  29  from interacting with the internal air when EM beam is operating or when humidity levels have been satisfactorily achieved. 
       FIG.  5    shows an isometric view of an exemplary container  3 . The bottom interior surface of container  3  is a heating element  21  (e.g., a hot plate) and the top interior surface of container  3  is a cooling element  25  (e.g., a cold plate). Side walls  53  are insulated so that the temperature within container  3  can be more precisely controlled, and the system can be used in a variety of laboratory settings. 
       FIGS.  6 A-C  shows exterior views of an exemplary container  3 .  FIG.  6 A  shows a front/back view of a container  3  with aperture  5 .  FIG.  6 B  shows an input/out panel  63  and control panel  61  placed on the exterior surface of a container side.  FIG.  6 C  shows a top down view of a container with the top side removed. Fan arrays  65  can be configured to blow air into the container on a first side and out of the container on a second opposing side. It is generally preferable to put the fan arrays  65  on the side walls of container  3  to better emulate wind effects. 
       FIGS.  7 A-C  show a cross sectional side views of an exemplary container  3 . Humidifier  29  and cooling element  25  are placed in the top section of the container so that the water vapor and cooled air will sink. Vacuum pumps  23  are placed in the bottom section of the container to remove air/water vapor from the container. Interior wall  67  can have embedded sensors  31  (e.g., to measure temperature, pressure, water content, etc.). 
       FIG.  8    shows exemplary emulation systems with connected containers  3  in linear and/or stacked configurations. Containers  3  can vary in size such that additional or fewer peripherals can be installed on a single container  3 , or containers  3  can be coupled together to provide additional peripherals. When coupled, adjoining walls of containers  3  can be removed such that a single cavity is formed within containers  3 . When the containers are linearly coupled, all of the apertures are aligned such that an EMR beam can pass through all of the coupled containers. Container  3  walls can be retractable shutters for automated opening and closing. Each container  3  can be configured to automatically retract the shutter walls when desired atmospheric conditions are met within each container  3 . 
     Although the invention has been described in detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments, variations and modifications exist within the spirit and scope of the invention as described and defined in the following claims.