Measuring device and method for measuring at least one environmental parameter

• US 7,756,683 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2005
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: mlu-recordum Environmental Monitoring Solutions GmbH
• Original Assignee: MLU-Monitoring fur Leben und Umwelt Ges.m.b.H. (Knünz GmbH)
• Inventors: Kilgus, Traugott
• Primary Examiner(s): Feliciano; Eliseo Ramos
• Assistant Examiner(s): Henson; Mi'schita′
• Application Number:
  US11/572,072
• Publication Number:
  US 20080040041A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,831 Days
• Field of Search: 702/30, 702/32, 702/57, 702 64- 65, 702/104, 702/130, 702/179, 702188-189, 374/208
• US Class Current: 702/188
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0009 General constructional details of gas analysers, e.g. portable test equipment G01N1/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0075 for multiple spatially distributed sensors, e.g. for environmental monitoring transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

A process for measuring at least one environmental parameter with at least one sensor (7.1, 7.2, . . . ), wherein environmental parameters detected by the sensor are converted into measured values of physical variables and are retrievable via a long-distance data connection, is characterized in that the environmental parameters detected by the sensor (7.1, 7.2, . . . ) are taken over in the form of voltage signals from a processor system of a data acquisition and processing unit (6) which calculates therefrom physical measured values in two steps while taking into account the progressions of calibration, stores said calculated measured values in database form along with the voltage signals, preferably making them available via a web server function, wherein, in a first step, voltage values which have been digitized and, possibly, have been preprocessed by statistical arithmetic operations are made available and, in a second step, the measured values are calculated therefrom (FIG. 1).

Claims

1. A measuring device for measuring at least one environmental parameter, the measuring device comprising:

a closed, thermally insulating casing;

a central current supply;

at least one sampling unit with an associated pump and one or more sensors;

a data acquisition and processing unit having at least one signal processor for receiving the voltage signals of the at least one sensor and converting the voltage signals into voltage values, wherein the signal processor is coupled to a central processor for converting the voltage values into measured values of physical variables;

a database including stored measured values of physical variables received from the data acquisition and processing unit;

a long distance data transmission unit configured to retrieve measured values from the database and transmit the measured values over a long distance data connection; and

wherein an interior of the casing is divided, in terms of thermal control, into a force-ventilated supply room housing the central current supply and a measurement room housing the one or more sensors and one or more subcomponents emitting waste heat, the measurement room provided with controlled measuring conditions and wherein the one or more sensors are thermally shielded individually from the measurement room via thermal insulation.

2. A measuring device according to claim 1, wherein a compression air conditioning system is included as an active cooling means.

3. A measuring device according to claim 1, wherein at least one force-ventilated Peltier element is included as an active cooling means.

4. A measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of the components beneath the insulations can be monitored in terms of their temperature by means of temperature sensors.

5. A measuring device according to claim 1, wherein in case the admissible operating temperature of the sensors or sensor components, respectively, beneath the individual insulations is persistently exceeded, the sensors or sensor components can be switched off via the central data acquisition and processing unit.

6. A measuring device according to claim 1, further comprising subunits operating according to common physical measuring methods selected from a group consisting of NDIR, NDUV, PID, FID, chemiluminescence, and UV absorption are included as sensors for the determination of gas concentrations.

7. A measuring device according to claim 1, further comprising subunits operating according to the electrochemical principle with zirconium oxide or according to the paramagnetic principle are included as sensors for measuring the oxygen concentration in gases.

8. A measuring device according to claim 1, wherein subunits composed of at least one semiconductor sensor are included as sensors for the determination of gas concentrations.

9. A measuring device according to claim 1, wherein subunits composed according to the electrochemical principle are included as sensors for the determination of gas concentrations.

10. A measuring device according to claim 1, wherein one additional subunit is provided for measuring the particle concentration in gases by means of known methods selected from the group consisting of microbalance, light scattering, and absorbance.

11. A measuring device according to claim 1, comprising additional sensors for wind velocity, wind direction, air temperature, air pressure and air humidity, wherein said additional sensors are embedded in the system.

12. A measuring device according to claim 1, wherein one additional subunit is provided for the measurements of noise parameters including acoustic pressure.

13. A measuring device according to claim 1, wherein sensors for determining the contents of harmful substances in fluids are provided as subunits which operate according to coulometric methods.

14. A measuring device according to claim 1, wherein sensors for determining the contents of harmful substances in fluids are included as subunits which operate according to electrochemical methods, using in particular also ion-selective membranes.

15. A measuring device according to claim 1, wherein sensors for determining the contents of harmful substances in fluids are included as subunits which operate by determining the electrical conductivity.

16. A measuring device according to claim 1, wherein sensors for determining the contents of harmful substances in fluids are included as subunits which operate according to photometric methods.

17. A measuring device according to claim 1, wherein sensors for determining the contents of harmful substances in fluids are included as subunits which determine the TOC (Total Organic Compounds) content via methods of decomposing organic substances by conversion into carbon dioxide, applying at least one of a high-temperature treatment and using chemical reagents.

18. A measuring device according to claim 1, wherein at least one sensor for determining the pH-value of fluids is included.

19. A measuring device according to claim 1, wherein at least one sensor for determining the BSB (biological oxygen demand) of fluids is included.

20. A measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the measuring device is integrated into a public facility, wherein the public facility comprises an advertising medium.

21. The measuring device of claim 17, wherein the chemical reagent comprises boric acid.

22. The measuring device of claim 20, wherein the advertising medium includes at least one of an advertising pillar, a large-scale display, into a telephone box, and a bus stop.

23. A measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the subcomponent emitting waste heat includes a heated catalyst.

24. A measuring device according to claim 1, wherein an interface for a long-distance data transmission unit is associated to the central processor.

25. A measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the central processor has a web server function.

26. A measuring device according to claim 1, wherein at least one controlled Peltier element mounted to an outer wall of the casing is included as a temperature control means.

27. A measuring device according to claim 1, wherein a micro air conditioning system embedded in the outer wall of the casing is used as a device for temperature control.