Health monitor

• US 6,837,118 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2002
• Issued: 01/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Nickels, Robert, Bonne, Ulrich
• Primary Examiner(s): CYGAN, MICHAEL T
• Application Number:
  US10/310,431
• Publication Number:
  US 20040107766A1
• Time in Patent Office: 761 Days
• Field of Search: 738/631.1, 738/631.2, 73/250.1, 73/232, 73/192
• US Class Current: 73/863.12
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/2229 Headspace sampling, i.e. vapour over liquid
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/2841 Gas in oils, e.g. hydrogen in insulating oils

Abstract

An equipment or environment health monitor having a micro gas apparatus incorporating a phased heater array, concentrator, separator and detector for achieving the sensitivity needed for detection of extremely small amounts of fluids. The apparatus is capable of detecting trace gases, and may be utilized to detect “fault” gas of operating equipment so as to determine, for example, the prospects of imminent failure of the equipment. Also, the micro gas apparatus is capable of detecting miniscule amounts of pollutants in ambient environment of a conditioned or tested space. The output of the apparatus may go to a microcontroller and/or processor for prompt analysis. The output from the microcontroller or processor may go to either a transmitter/receiver for wireless communication or a modem for utility line, cable or optical communication with a station for data and results observation and review.

Claims

1. A health monitoring system comprising;

a micro gas detector connected to an equipment so as to detect a gas from the equipment; and

a processor connected to said micro gas detector; and

wherein;

said micro gas detector comprises heaters along a channel, and

the heaters are structured so as to turn on sequentially to provide a heat pulse that increases as it moves through the channel.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least two interactive elements have an interactive substance that can absorb and desorb constituents of a fluid from the equipment.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said processor may identify the gas detected by said micro gas detector.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein detection and identification of the gas by said micro gas detector and processor, respectively, may indicate a health of the equipment.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein detection and identification of the gas by said micro gas detector and processor, respectively, may indicate a hazard to people in or around the equipment.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the health of the equipment may indicate a probability of failure of the equipment.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the micro gas detector may do less than one part per million detection of the gas.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

a modem connected to said processor; and

a communication device connected to said processor for sending information from said processor to a remote station.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the equipment is an electrical power transformer.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the gas may be of a group including fault gases such as acetylene, methane, ethane, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, oxygen and ethylene.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the equipment is an electrical motor.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the equipment is an air conditioner.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the equipment is an internal combustion mechanism.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the equipment is an air processing system for monitoring the presence of at least one gas.

15. The system of claim 8 wherein the equipment is an air processing system for monitoring the presence of at least one gas in an enclosure for people.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one gas is of a group including pollutants such as aldehydes, butyric acid, toluene, hexane, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and water vapor.

17. The system of claim 1, further comprising a separator connected downstream to the channel, to separate constituents from a fluid from the equipment.

18. A means for monitoring the health of equipment comprising:

means for detecting a gas in a fluid from the equipment comprising phased heaters that turn on sequentially through a channel for creating an increasing pulse of heat in the fluid as it moves through the channel for concentrating the fluid in a channel from the equipment; and

means for processing, connected to said means for detecting a gas, for identifying the gas.

19. The means of claim 18, wherein said means for processing may quantify the gas.

20. The means of claim 18, wherein detection and identification of the gas by said means for detecting and means for identifying, respectively, may indicate a health of the equipment.

21. The means of claim 20, wherein the health of the equipment may indicate a probability of a failure of the equipment.

22. The means of claim 21, further comprising means for sending information from said means for processing to a remote station.

23. The means of claim 22, wherein said means for detecting a gas may do one part or less per million detection of the gas.

24. The means of claim 21, wherein the equipment is an electrical device.

25. The means of claim 21, wherein the equipment is a means for processing air.

26. The means of claim 21, wherein the equipment is an internal combustion mechanism.

27. The means of claim 21, wherein the equipment is an external combustion mechanism.

28. The means of claim 27, wherein the external combustion mechanism may be a space heater, boiler or furnace.

29. A health monitoring system comprising:

micro gas detector connected to an equipment so as to detect a gas from the equipment; and

a processor connected to said micro gas detector; and

wherein;

the micro gas detector comprises;

a channel for a flow of a fluid from the equipment;

at least two interactive elements situated along a length of the channel; and

at least two heater elements thermally connected to a corresponding interactive element of the at least two interactive elements; and

the processor is connected to the at least two heater elements to energize the heater elements in a time phased sequence and provide an increased heat pulse for a fluid from the equipment as the fluid moves through the channel.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein said micro gas detector and processor may detect and identify, respectively, a gas of the ambient air that indicates the health of ambient air.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein said micro gas detector and processor may detect and identify, respectively, a gas of the ambient air that indicates a level of toxins-to-people in the ambient air.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein said micro gas detector may do one part or less per million detection of the gas.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the gas may of a group including pollutants such as aldehydes, butyric acid, toluene, hexane, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and water vapor.

34. The system of claim 29, wherein;

said micro gas detector may detect a fault gas from the equipment; and

said processor may identify the detected fault gas and thus provide an early indication of decreased performance or failure of the equipment.

35. The system of claim 34, further comprising a communications link from said processor to an observing station.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the equipment is an electrical device.