US Patent 7515263 Optical spark mode discriminator methods and systems

Methods and systems for discriminating among sparking modes are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes receiving light from a spark into a spectrometer, generating a light intensity spectrum using the spectrometer, and classifying the sparking mode based on an analysis of the light intensity spectrum. The light intensity spectrum may be analyzed for the presence of an atomic emission and a broad blackbody emission. In further embodiments, light emitted by the spark may be received into a photodetector, and the classification of the sparking mode may be based on an analysis of an intensity profile, including at least one of a rise-time phase, a peak intensity, and a drop-off phase.