High-speed spectrographic sensor for internal combustion engines

1. A high-speed spectrographic sensor for internal combustion engines comprising:

a plug receivable into a combustion chamber of an operating internal combustion engine;

a light source providing a multifrequency light beam having a substantially continuous broad spectrum composed of simultaneously transmitted multiple frequencies of light with wavelengths less than 3000 nm each with an intensity;

at least one fiber optic light guide held by the plug and receiving the multifrequency light beam from the source into the combustion chamber and communicating a spectrally modified multifrequency light beam out of the combustion chamber after interaction with combustion gases; and

a spectroscope receiving a spectrally modified multifrequency light beam from the fiber optic to isolate intensities of individual light frequencies in a spectrum, the spectroscope including a computer executing a stored program to compare a spectrum of the multifrequency light beam from the light source and the spectrum of the spectrally modified multifrequency light beam to determine absorption of different light frequencies by combustion products in the combustion chamber.

2. The high-speed spectrographic sensor of claim 1 wherein the spectroscope provides an optical system isolating intensities of individual light frequencies by angularly dispersing the light according to frequency.

3. The high-speed spectrographic sensor of claim 1 wherein the spectroscope does not include a slit after the fiber optic reducing the light received from the fiber optic.

4. The high-speed spectrographic sensor of claim 1 wherein the spectroscope has a resolution of more than twenty light frequencies.

5. The high-speed spectrographic sensor of claim 1 wherein the spectroscope has a resolution of more than one hundred light frequencies.

6. The high-speed spectrographic sensor of claim 1 wherein the computer further executes the stored program to sample the spectrum of the multifrequency light beam from the light source at a rate of greater than 1000 times per second to provide absorption spectrum updated at a rate of greater than 1000 times per second.

7. The high-speed spectrographic sensor of claim 1 wherein the computer further executes the stored program to output a measure of gas temperature deduced from the absorption spectrum.

8. The high-speed spectrographic sensor of claim 1 wherein the computer further executes the stored program to output a measure of water concentration deduced from the absorption spectrum.

9. The high-speed spectrographic sensor of claim 1 wherein the computer further executes the stored program to compares the absorption spectrum against a library of stored absorption spectra to deduce at least one of gas temperature and water concentration.

10. A method of high-speed spectrographic sensing of combustion gases in an internal combustion engine comprising:

(a) placing a plug in a combustion chamber of an operating internal combustion engine, the plug providing a light guide leading to the combustion chamber;

(b) introducing a multifrequency light beam having a substantially continuous broad spectrum composed of simultaneously transmitted multiple frequencies of light with wavelengths less than 3000 nm each with an intensity into the light guide to interact with combustion gases; and

(c) receiving spectrally modified multifrequency light beam from the light guide at a spectroscope attached to the light guide to receive light from the light guide directly; and

(d) determining an absorption spectrogram indicating absorption of light by combustion products in the combustion chamber at the multiple frequencies using a spectroscope extracting intensities of individual light frequencies in the modified multifrequency light beam.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the spectroscope does not include a slit after the light guide reducing the light received from the light guide.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the spectroscope provides a wavelength resolution of less than 10 nm and resolves more than twenty light frequencies.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the absorption spectrum is updated at a rate of greater than 1000 times per second.

14. The method of claim 10 further including the step of outputting a measure of gas temperature deduced from the absorption spectrum.

15. The method of claim 10 further including the step of outputting a measure of water concentration deduced from the absorption spectrum.

16. The method of claim 10 further including the step of comparing the absorption spectrum against a library of stored absorption spectra to deduce at least one of gas temperature and water concentration.