Patents by Inventor Stephen N. Sutton

Stephen N. Sutton has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Optical gas detection
    Patent number: 7728977
    Abstract: The present invention provides a transmitter unit for an open path gas detector for detecting a target gas and comprises: a radiation transmitter, e.g. a tuneable laser diode, capable of emitting radiation at a wavelength absorbed by the target gas, and a radiation deflector, having a deflecting part and a non-deflecting part, e.g. a mirror having a non-reflective part. The deflecting part and the non-deflecting part are located in the path of the radiation emitted by the transmitter and the non-deflecting part does not deflect the said radiation emitted by the transmitter or does so to a different extent than the deflecting part. In this way, the beam has a core in shadow that can be used to align the beam with a receiver unit. The radiation deflector is preferably a mirror having a reflective surface for reflecting radiation emitted by the transmitter and a non-reflective part that does not reflect the said radiation emitted by the transmitter or does so to a lesser extent that the reflecting surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2010
    Assignee: Honeywell Analytics AG
    Inventors: Stephen N. Sutton, Rodney Royston Watts, Michael Proctor
  • OPTICAL GAS DETECTION
    Publication number: 20090231588
    Abstract: The present invention provides a transmitter unit for an open path gas detector for detecting a target gas and comprises: a radiation transmitter, e.g. a tuneable laser diode, capable of emitting radiation at a wavelength absorbed by the target gas, and a radiation deflector, having a deflecting part and a non-deflecting part, e.g. a mirror having a non-reflective part. The deflecting part and the non-deflecting part are located in the path of the radiation emitted by the transmitter and the non-deflecting part does not deflect the said radiation emitted by the transmitter or does so to a different extent than the deflecting part. In this way, the beam has a core in shadow that can be used to align the beam with a receiver unit. The radiation deflector is preferably a mirror having a reflective surface for reflecting radiation emitted by the transmitter and a non-reflective part that does not reflect the said radiation emitted by the transmitter or does so to a lesser extent that the reflecting surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2005
    Publication date: September 17, 2009
    Inventors: Stephen N. Sutton, Rodney Royston Watts, Michael Proctor