PORTABLE DEVICE FOR MONITORING ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS

• US 20170023458A1
• Filed: 04/21/2016
• Published: 01/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tzoa/Clad Innovations Limited
• Original Assignee: Tzoa/Clad Innovations Limited
• Inventors: Hart, Kevin R., Cooper, Taylor, Lavrovsky, Vlad, Lam, Justin
• Granted Patent: US 10,006,858 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/0211 Investigating a scatter or diffraction pattern
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/075 by optical means
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1459 the analysis being performed on a sample stream
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/2276 Personal monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/0046 in gas, e.g. smoke
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/1486 Counting the particles
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/53 within a flowing fluid, e.g. smoke
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/0221 Portable; cableless; compact; hand-held
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/0612 Laser diodes

Abstract

A portable environment quality monitor having an enclosure to enclose and protect the monitor from an environment and for attaching to a user'"'"'s clothing or jewelry. The enclosure includes a controlled airflow intake for receiving air from the environment in which the monitor is worn for forming an airflow sampling path and for laminarizing the airflow in the sampling path. A sensor, having a sensing region that directs the laminar airflow into the sensing region. A processor is connected to a light scattering aerosol spectrometer (LSAS) that is configured to receive, process and translate photodiode current peaks into particle counts and sizes detected in the air. The processor is also coupled to a memory for storing data corresponding to the particle counts and sizes detected in the environment. The processor further includes an interface to communicate with a host for allowing a user to monitor and track environment conditions.

Claims

1. A portable environment monitor and tracking system substantially in the vicinity of a user comprising:

an enclosure to enclose and protect the monitor from an environment, the enclosure having a controlled airflow intake for receiving ambient air, for forming an airflow sampling path and for laminarizing the airflow in the sampling path;

a sensor, having a sensing region, coupled to the airflow intake in the sampling path for receiving laminar airflow from the airflow intake and for directing the laminar airflow into the sensing region to detect and measure particles entrained in the ambient air, the sensing region including a Light Scattering Aerosol Spectrometer (LSAS);

a processor coupled to the sensing region, configured to receive, process and translate data received from the LSAS into particle counts and sizes detected in the ambient air; and

a memory, coupled to the processor, for storing data corresponding to the particle counts and sizes detected in the environment.

2. The portable environment monitor and tracking system according to claim 1 further including a laser assembly and photodiode having a laser beam focused and directed onto the photodiode, the laser beam being perpendicular to the direction of air flow.

3. The portable environment monitor and tracking system according to claim 1 further including a host;

and wherein the processor includes an interface to communicate with the host for transmitting the data to the host to allow the user to monitor and track the environment.

4. The portable environment monitor and tracking system according to claim 3, wherein the data is stored on a network.

5. The portable environment monitor and tracking system according to claim 1 wherein the enclosure further includes a fastener, integrated magnetic fastener, or a clip for affixing the enclosure to the user'"'"'s clothing, purse, wallet, backpack, jewelry, wristband, flexible band, or bracelet or for affixing the enclosure to the user'"'"'s body.

6. The portable environment monitor and tracking system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is a microcontroller unit (MCU) or a digital signal processor (DSP).

7. The portable environment monitor and tracking system according to claim 3, wherein the host is a smart phone, personal computer (PC) or a first Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) device.

8. The portable environment monitor and tracking system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor further monitors air quality, temperature, humidity, pressure, visible light, UV radiation, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sound, nitrogen dioxide, magnetic fields, linear accelerations, angular accelerations, ozone and/or gamma, beta, an/or alpha radiation.

9. The portable environment monitor and tracking system according to claim 3, wherein the data is transmitted from the processor to the host or to the network by a wireless communication device or by a communication cable, or to a removable nonvolatile memory device.

10. The portable environment monitor and tracking system according to claim 1, wherein the memory is a removable nonvolatile memory device.

11. The portable environment monitor and tracking system according to claim 1, wherein the system alerts the user of hazardous environmental conditions detected by the sensor.

12. The portable environment monitor and tracking system according to claim 1, wherein the LSAS is configured to count and size particles in the range from 0.5 micrometers to 20 micrometers.

13. The portable environment monitor and tracking system according to claim 1 wherein the system is configured for mesh networking capability to enable data aggregation and pipelining between geospatially networked units and for allowing automatic continuous automatic data homogenization, error compensation, drift compensation and host sharing.

14. A method for monitoring and tracking environment conditions substantially in the vicinity of a user, the method comprising the steps of:

enclosing and protecting a portable air quality monitor from an environment;

receiving ambient air in the monitor, the monitor having a controlled airflow intake for receiving the ambient air;

forming an airflow sampling path and laminarizing the airflow in the sampling path;

receiving the laminar airflow from the airflow intake and directing the laminar airflow into a sensing region;

receiving, processing and translating data received from Light Scattering Aerosol Spectrometer (LSAS) into particle counts and sizes detected in the air; and

storing the data in a non-transitory computer readable medium corresponding to the particle counts and sizes detected in the environment.

15. The method according to claim 14 further including the step of:

monitoring air quality, temperature, humidity, pressure, visible light, UV radiation, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sound, nitrogen dioxide, magnetic fields, linear accelerations, angular accelerations, ozone and/or gamma, beta, an/or alpha radiation.