Patent ID: 8085301

Claim:
A gas leak imaging system, comprising: an unstabilized CO 2 infrared laser for providing a laser beam having at least one wavelength that is absorbable by a target gas comprising sulfur hexafluoride (SF 6 ); a thermal imaging camera having a field of view and for imaging absorption of the at least one wavelength by the target gas; and a diverging lens for expanding the laser beam toward the field of view; wherein the system is contained in a handheld housing further comprising (a) circuitry for mitigating the effects of wavelength hopping comprising a detector for receiving light from the unstabilized laser and generating an electrical signal representative of intensity associated with that light and a circuit for receiving the electrical signal, indicating when the at least one wavelength that is on-resonance with absorption lines of the target gas; or (b) a spoiler in said unstabilized laser to stop laser wavelengths that are not on-resonance with the absorption lines of the target gas; and wherein said gas leak imaging system further includes circuitry for power reduction.