System and Method for Assessing and Reducing Air Pollution by Regulating Airflow Ventilation

• US 20090265037A1
• Filed: 02/14/2007
• Published: 10/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Urecsys - Urban Ecology Systems - Indoor Air Quality Management Ltd.
• Original Assignee: G.R.G. Patents Ltd., Nir Bassa
• Inventors: Bassa, Nir
• Granted Patent: US 8,190,367 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/276
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00771 the input being a vehicle position or surrounding, e.g. GPS-based position or tunnel
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/008 the input being air quality
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 3/0085 Smell or pollution preventing arrangements B60H3/0007, B60H3/0071, B60H3/02, B60H3/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/65 for selecting an operating mode
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/74 for controlling air flow rate or air velocity
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/50 Air quality properties
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2110/52 of the outside air
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 8/99 for treating air sourced from urban areas, e.g. from streets
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/84 Greenhouse gas [GHG] management systems

Abstract

Disclosed are means for monitoring the levels of air pollution in urban areas for the purpose of optimizing the conditions of airflow ventilation of buildings according to air pollution levels in their area. The invention supplies data in real time regarding local air pollution levels or relative levels, i.e. current air pollution levels in relation to previous ones. The disclosed system and method makes use of the fluctuations in air pollution levels in order to achieve optimal reduction of air pollution levels inside buildings. The system defines optimal times for ventilation in order to achieve a significant and persisting improvement of indoor air quality, in a routine manner, by using measurements of nondeterministic, continuous and effective fluctuations in air pollution levels at the surroundings of each building, specifically in locations which don'"'"'t include monitoring stations.

Claims

1. A method for estimating levels of air pollution and air pollution tendencies in different locations of an urban area using at least one air pollution monitoring station and at least one computing center, said method comprising the steps of:

continuously gathering air pollution data and identifying daily frequent air pollution fluctuations in a routine manner in real time from at least one location in said urban area;

transmitting said data to at least one computing center;

performing a preliminary stage of identifying synchronizations regarding tendencies of air pollution levels between different locations of said urban area;

analyzing said data in said computing center and estimating levels of air pollution in at least one location of that same urban area which does not include a monitoring station, based on said preliminary stage.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said levels of air pollution are relative levels.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said preliminary stage further includes the steps of:

gathering air pollution tendencies from a second location in said urban area;

analyzing patterns, regularities and dependencies regarding differences in air pollution tendencies at said locations of the same urban area by said computing center.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

continuously gathering from at least one location in said urban area data concerning intervening factors wherein said intervening factors include parameters which influence the concentration, diffusion and dispersion of air pollution;

transmitting said data of said intervening factors to said computing center;

estimating the air pollution tendencies in sections of said urban area which do not include a monitoring station in accordance with data from remote monitoring stations and said intervening factors.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said intervening factors include at least one of the following:

the distance between each monitoring station and each location, wind direction, wind speed, temperature, topography, barometric pressure, humidity levels, angles or vectors of these parameters in relation to each location, composition of air and sunlight intensity.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising the step of calculating a factor for determining the relative influence of each monitoring station in estimating air pollution tendencies of each location which does not include a monitoring station when monitoring air pollution levels in at least two different locations of the same urban area.

said factor calculated for each possible pair of a monitoring station and a location according to:

the distance between each monitoring station and each location, wind direction, wind speed, temperature, topography, barometric pressure, humidity levels, angles or vectors of these parameters in relation to each location or each line between every possible pair of monitoring station and a location, composition of air, and sunlight intensity.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of transmitting said analyzed data to at least one recipient in said urban area, wherein said analyzed data relates to real time relative air pollution levels in the surroundings of the recipient.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said analyzed data includes commands concerning the ventilation of an enclosed environment with air from the outside.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said commands are determined according to current estimations of relative levels of air pollution in the surroundings of said enclosed environment compared to a calculated threshold of relative air pollution level for each location of said enclosed environment.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said threshold is determined by said computing center according to relative levels of pollution in previous ventilation points in time.

11. The method of claim 10 further including the steps of:

measuring time span between every two consecutive ventilations of said enclosed environment;

taking into account said time span in calculating said threshold wherein the longer the time span the higher the threshold.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the maximum time span between every two consecutive ventilation commands is predefined according to relevant parameters of each enclosed environment.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein said recipient is at least one of the following:

an automatic ventilation regulating unit in said enclosed environment, a person located in said urban area.

14. The method of claim 9 further including the steps of:

measuring air components in said enclosed environment;

taking into account said measured air components in said enclosed environment in the calculation of said threshold wherein a better composition of air components in said enclosed environment allows a lower threshold.

15. The method of claim 8 wherein the location of said enclosed environment is identified in real time.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein said locating process is conducted using at least one of the following:

global positioning system (GPS), location identification of cellular device.

17. The method of claim 8 wherein said enclosed environment is at least one of the following:

a building, a vehicle.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein said calculations rely on predictions of air pollution levels according to prediction algorithms.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said prediction algorithms are based on learning algorithms.

20. The method of claim 8 wherein said ventilation commands are determined in accordance with characteristics of said enclosed environment.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said characteristics of said enclosed environment include the volume, population and levels of activity inside said enclosed environment.

22. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of receiving feedback information from said enclosed environments and adjusting said calculations accordingly.

23. The method of claim 13 wherein said automatic ventilation regulating unit includes a CO₂ sensor further including the step of allowing the activation of air flow ventilation from the outside when CO₂ levels exceed a predefined threshold.

24. A system for monitoring and estimating the daily levels or relative levels of air pollution in urban areas for the purpose of optimizing the conditions of airflow ventilation of enclosed environments, said system comprises:

at least one first air pollution monitoring station placed in said urban area for continuously monitoring routine fluctuations in the air pollution levels at its location;

at least one second monitoring station operating for a preliminary identification of synchronizations regarding tendencies of air pollution levels between different locations of the same urban area;

a centralized optimization and control computing center for gathering and analyzing data of air pollution received from said monitoring stations through a first communication network and sending control commands through a second communication network to recipients in said enclosed environments, wherein said control commands include ventilation mode data.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the location of at least one recipient does not include a monitoring station.

26. The system of claim 24 wherein said recipient is at least one of the following:

an automatic ventilation regulation unit, a person located within said urban area.

27. The system of claim 26 further including a positioning system for determining the location of said recipient.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein said positioning system is at least one of the following:

a GPS unit;

a cellular communication unit.

29. The system of claim 26 wherein said automatic ventilation regulating unit controls the ventilation of said enclosed environment with air from the outside.

30. The system of claim 24 wherein said enclosed environment is at least one of the following:

a building, a vehicle.

31. The system of claim 24 wherein said monitoring station is mobile.

32. The system of claim 24 further including at least one monitoring station for gathering information concerning intervening factors wherein said intervening factors include parameters which influence the concentration, diffusion and dispersion of air pollution.

33. The system of claim 24 further including an algorithm for periodic measurements and assessments for predicting regular points in time in which air pollution levels are relatively low.

34. The system of claim 26 wherein said automatic ventilation regulating unit further includes a timer for activating air flow ventilation from the outside after a predefined time.

35. The system of claim 26 wherein said automatic ventilation regulating unit further includes a CO₂ sensor which allows the activation of air flow ventilation from the outside when CO₂ levels exceed a predefined threshold.

36. The system of claim 26 wherein the monitoring station provides data regarding to relative levels of air pollution.

37. The system of claim 24 wherein said commands are determined according to current estimations of relative levels of air pollution in the surroundings of said enclosed environment compared to a calculated threshold of relative air pollution level for each location of said enclosed environment.