Gas identifying apparatus, gas identifying method gas handling assisting system and gas handling assisting method for identifying gas based on color of reaction surface produced by chemical reaction

• US 20070009388A1
• Filed: 07/06/2006
• Published: 01/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Oda, Naoki
• Granted Patent: US 8,470,248 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 422/86
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/783 for analysing gases
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 31/22 using chemical indicators G01N31/02 takes precedence

Abstract

A detector detects the color of a medium after a gas to be identified and a reagent have chemically reacted with each other on the medium. A controller identifies color information, which is most similar to the color detected by the detector, from color information stored in a spectral database, and reads gas identifying information related to the identified color information, as gas identifying information representing the gas to be identified, from the spectral database.

Claims

1. A gas identifying apparatus for identifying a gas to be identified in accordance with a color of a reagent which has chemically reacted with the gas to be identified in a gas detecting device, said apparatus comprising:

a database for storing, in advance, gas identifying information for identifying a gas, and color information as to a color of a reagent which has chemically reacted with the gas identified by said gas identifying information, in relation to each other;

a detector for detecting the color of the reagent which has chemically reacted with the gas to be identified in said gas detecting device; and

a controller for identifying color information which is most similar to the color detected by said detector from the color information stored in said database, and reading the gas identifying information related to the identified color information from said database.

2. The gas identifying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said reagent chemically reacts with the gas to be identified when the reagent flows into a medium that is held in contact with the gas to be identified in said gas detecting device;

said database stores, as said color information, color change information representing a change from a color of said medium before said reagent flows into said medium to a color of said medium after said reagent flows into said medium and chemically reacts with the gas;

said detector detects the color of said medium before said reagent flows into said medium and the color of said medium after said reagent flows into said medium and chemically reacts with the gas; and

said controller comprises;

a color change detector for detecting a change in the color of said medium in accordance with detected results from said detector; and

a gas identifier for identifying color change information, which is most similar to the change in the color of said medium which is detected by said color change detector, from the color change information stored in said database, and reading the gas identifying information related to the identified color change information from said database.

3. The gas identifying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said database stores, as said color change information, spectral information representing a spectrum indicative of the change in the color of said medium;

said detector detects a spectrum of the color of said medium before said reagent flows into said medium and a spectrum of the color of said medium after said reagent flows into said medium and chemically reacts with the gas;

said color change detector detects a spectrum indicative of the change in the color of said medium in accordance with detected results from said detector; and

said gas identifier identifies spectral information representing a spectrum, which is most similar to the spectrum representing the change in the color of said medium which is detected by said color change detector, from the spectral information stored in said database, and reads the gas identifying information related to the identified spectral information from said database.

4. The gas identifying apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said gas identifier identifies spectral information representing a spectral waveform which is most similar to a waveform of the spectrum representing the change in the color of said medium which is detected by said color change detector, and also representing a spectral waveform whose degree of conformity with the waveform of the spectrum representing the change in the color of said medium is greater than a predetermined value, from the spectral information stored in said database, and reads the gas identifying information related to the identified spectral information from said database.

5. The gas identifying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said database stores said gas identifying information and an absorption line obtained from the color of the reagent which has chemically reacted with the gas identified by said gas identifying information, in relation to each other;

and

said controller identifies an absorption line in accordance with the color detected by said detector, identifies an absorption line which is most similar to the identified absorption line from the absorption line stored in said database, and reads the gas identifying information related to the identified absorption line from said database.

6. The gas identifying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said database stores color information depending on a detected result from said detector when said detector detects the color of said reagent which has chemically reacted with the gas identified by said gas identifying information.

7. The gas identifying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said detector comprises:

a light-emitting element for applying light to said medium;

a photodetector; and

a light guide for guiding the light, which is applied from said light-emitting element and then reflected from said medium, to said photodetector.

8. The gas identifying apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said light guide comprises an elliptical mirror;

said detector comprises;

an emitted-light guiding optical fiber for guiding the light which is applied from said light-emitting element to said medium; and

a reflected-light guiding optical fiber for guiding the light reflected from said medium to a focal position of said elliptical mirror; and

said photodetector is disposed at another focal position of said elliptical mirror.

9. The gas identifying apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said light guide comprises:

an elliptical mirror; and

a slit disposed at a focal position of said elliptical mirror for passing therethrough the light reflected from said medium; and

said photodetector is disposed at another focal position of said elliptical mirror.

10. The gas identifying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a transmitter for sending the gas identifying information that is read by said controller to an external information center.

11. The gas identifying apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

a position output unit for generating positional information representing a present position of said gas identifying apparatus;

wherein said transmitter sends the positional information generated by said position output unit, together with said gas identifying information, to said external information center.

12. A gas handling assisting system comprising:

a gas identifying apparatus for identifying a gas to be identified in accordance with a color of a reagent which has chemically reacted with the gas to be identified in a gas detecting device; and

an information center for communicating with said gas identifying apparatus;

wherein said gas identifying apparatus comprising;

a database for storing, in advance, gas identifying information for identifying a gas, and color information as to a color of a reagent which has chemically reacted with the gas identified by said gas identifying information, in relation to each other;

a detector for detecting the color of the reagent which has chemically reacted with the gas to be identified in said gas detecting device;

a controller for identifying color information which is most similar to the color detected by said detector from the color information stored in said database, and reading the gas identifying information related to the identified color information from said database; and

a transmitter for sending the gas identifying information which is read by said controller to said information center;

wherein said information center comprises;

a communication unit for receiving information sent from said transmitter; and

a display unit for displaying the information received by said communication unit.

13. The gas handling assisting system according to claim 12, wherein said information center further comprises:

a handling information storage unit for storing said gas identifying information and handling information representing how to handle the gas that is identified by the gas identifying information, in relation to each other; and

a center controller for reading handling information, which is related to the gas identifying information received by said communication unit, from said handling information storage unit, and displaying the read handling information on said display unit.

14. The gas handling assisting system according to claim 13, wherein said gas identifying apparatus further comprises:

a position output unit for generating positional information representing a present position of said gas identifying apparatus;

wherein said transmitter sends the positional information generated by said position output unit, together with said gas identifying information, to said external information center;

wherein said information center further comprises;

a handling center storage unit for storing handling center information representing a handling center and a territory covered by said handling center, in relation to each other; and

wherein said center controller identifies a handling center whose territory includes the position represented by the positional information received by said communication unit, by referring to said handling center storage unit, and controls said communication unit to send said positional information and said read handling information to the identified handling center.

15. A method of identifying a gas with a gas identifying apparatus, which employs a gas detecting device for changing a color of a reagent in accordance with a chemical reaction between the reagent and a gas to be identified, and which includes a database for storing, in advance, gas identifying information for identifying a gas, and color information as to a color of a reagent which has chemically reacted with the gas identified by said gas identifying information, in relation to each other, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) detecting a color of the reagent which has chemically reacted with the gas to be identified in said gas detecting device; and

(b) identifying color information which is most similar to the detected color from the color information stored in said database, and reading the gas identifying information related to the identified color information from said database.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein said reagent chemically reacts with the gas to be identified when the reagent flows into a medium that is held in contact with the gas to be identified in said gas detecting device;

said database stores, as said color information, color change information representing a change from a color of said medium before said reagent flows into said medium to a color of said medium after said reagent flows into said medium and chemically reacts with the gas;

said step (Λ

) comprising the step of;

(c) detecting the color of said medium before said reagent flows into said medium and the color of said medium after said reagent flows into said medium and chemically reacts with the gas; and

said step (b) comprising the steps of;

(d) detecting a change in the color of said medium in accordance with detected results; and

(e) identifying color change information which is most similar to the change in the color of said medium from the color change information stored in said database, and reading the gas identifying information related to the identified color change information from said database.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein said database stores, as said color change information, spectral information representing a spectrum indicative of the change in the color of said medium;

said step (c) comprising the step of;

(f) detecting a spectrum of the color of said medium before said reagent flows into said medium and a spectrum of the color of said medium after said reagent flows into said medium and chemically reacts with the gas;

said step (d) comprising the step of;

(g) detecting a spectrum indicative of the change in the color of said medium in accordance with detected results; and

said step (e) comprising the step of;

(h) identifying spectral information representing a spectrum, which is most similar to the spectrum indicative of the change in the color of said medium, from the spectral information stored in said database, and reading the gas identifying information related to the identified spectral information from said database.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein said step (h) comprises the step of:

(i) identifying spectral information representing a spectral waveform which is most similar to a waveform of the spectrum indicative of the change in the color of said medium, and also representing a spectral waveform whose degree of conformity with the waveform of the spectrum indicative of the change in the color of said medium is greater than a predetermined value, from the spectral information stored in said database, and reading the gas identifying information related to the identified spectral information from said database.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein said database stores said gas identifying information and an absorption line obtained from the color of the reagent which has chemically reacted with the gas identified by said gas identifying information, in relation to each other;

said step (b) comprising the steps of identifying an absorption line in accordance with the detected color, identifying an absorption line which is most similar to the identified absorption line from the absorption line stored in said database, and reading the gas identifying information related to the identified absorption line from said database.

20. The method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of:

(j) sending the gas identifying information which is read to an external information center.

21. The method according to claim 20, further comprising the step of:

(k) generating positional information representing a present position of said gas identifying apparatus;

said step (j) comprising the step of sending the positional information which is generated, together with said gas identifying information, to said external information center.

22. A method of assisting in handling a gas with a gas handling assisting system having a gas identifying apparatus, which employs a gas detecting device for changing a color of a reagent in accordance with a chemical reaction between the reagent and a gas to be identified, and which includes a database for storing, in advance, gas identifying information for identifying a gas, and color information as to a color of a reagent which has chemically reacted with the gas identified by said gas identifying information, in relation to each other, and an information center for communicating with said gas identifying apparatus, said method comprising the steps of:

a detection step in which said gas identifying apparatus detects a color of the reagent which has chemically reacted with the gas to be identified in said gas detecting device;

a control step in which said gas identifying apparatus identifies color information which is most similar to the detected color from the color information stored in said database, and reads the gas identifying information related to the identified color information from said database;

a sending step in which said gas identifying apparatus sends the gas identifying information which is read to said information center;

a receiving step in which said information center receives information sent from said gas identifying apparatus; and

a display step in which said information center displays the information which is received.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein said information center comprises a handling information storage unit for storing said gas identifying information and handling information representing how to handle the gas that is identified by the gas identifying information, in relation to each other, said method further comprising the step of:

a handling information display step in which said information center reads handling information related to gas identifying information, which is received, from said handling information storage unit, and displays the read handling information.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein said information center further comprises a handling center storage unit for storing handling center information representing a handling center and a territory covered by said handling center, in relation to each other, said method further comprising the step of:

a generation step in which said gas identifying apparatus generates positional information representing a present position of said gas identifying apparatus;

wherein said sending step comprises a information sending step in which said gas identifying apparatus sends the positional information, together with said gas identifying information, to said external information center;

said method further comprising the step of;

a transmitting step in which said information center identifies a handling center whose territory includes a position represented by the positional information, by referring to said handling center storage unit, and sends said positional information and said read handling information to the identified handling center.