System and method for monitoring environmental conditions

• US 7,916,015 B1
• Filed: 03/25/2005
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Johns Hopkins University
• Original Assignee: Johns Hopkins University
• Inventors: Carlson, Micah A., Evancich, Nicholas H., Kues, Henry A. Jr., House, Gerad D., Soldavin, Keith A., Van Gieson, Eric J., Rhyne, Edward P., Jose, Marshall J., McLoughlin, Michael P., Kerechanin, Charles W. II
• Primary Examiner(s): GOINS, DAVETTA WOODS
• Application Number:
  US11/089,823
• Time in Patent Office: 2,195 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.22, 340/539.26, 340/539.1, 340/521, 340/540, 340/539.11
• US Class Current: 340/539.26
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/12 responsive to undesired emission of substances, e.g. pollution alarms

Abstract

A monitoring system and method for detecting environmental conditions is provided, the monitoring system including a sensing unit including a plurality of sensors for obtaining data related to environmental conditions, a controller interfaced with the sensing unit for receiving and encoding the data related to environmental conditions into a predetermined format using a base64 encoding scheme, and a communication device for receiving the data in the predetermined format from the controller, forming an e-mail message (which can be further encoded) including instructions on how to decode the email message and transmitting the e-mail message including the data in the predetermined format to at least one predetermined recipient.

Claims

1. A monitoring system for detecting environmental conditions, comprising:

a sensing unit including one or more sensors for obtaining data related to environmental conditions, the one or more sensors including at least one of

a radiation sensor, and

first and second orthogonal chemical sensors that use dissimilar technologies to detect a chemical at dissimilar detection thresholds;

an air pump for providing air flow to at least one of the one or more sensors;

a controller interfaced with the sensing unit for receiving, interpreting and encoding the data related to environmental conditions into a predetermined format,

wherein the controller determines whether to encode an alarm condition into the data in a predetermined format based on

whether the first and the second chemical sensors both detect the chemical, and

whether the first and second chemical sensors each detect the chemical for a predetermined duration of time; and

a communication device including a display for receiving the data in a predetermined format from the controller, including the alarm condition, if present, forming an e-mail message and transmitting the e-mail message including the data in a predetermined format to at least one predetermined e-mail address.

2. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors further includes an imager.

3. The monitoring system of claim 1, further including a receiver, accessible via an e-mail address, for receiving an e-mail including at least one of a command and a query and providing the received command or query to the controller.

27. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein:

the first chemical sensor has a first detection threshold;

the second chemical sensor has a second detection threshold that is less than the first detection threshold, and

the controller encodes the alarm condition when the first chemical sensor and the second chemical sensor both detect the chemical, but the second chemical sensor fails to detect the chemical for the predetermined duration of time.

28. The monitoring system of claim 27, wherein the controller does not encode the alarm condition when the first chemical sensor and the second chemical sensor both detect the chemical, but the first chemical sensor fails to detect the chemical for the predetermined duration of time.

4. A monitoring system for detecting environmental conditions, comprising:

a sensing unit for obtaining data related to environmental conditions, the sensing unit including

at least one radiation sensor,

at least one of an electro-optical (EO), infrared, video or photographic imager, and

a plurality of orthogonal chemical sensors that use dissimilar technologies to detect a chemical at dissimilar detection thresholds;

an air pump for providing air flow to at least one of the plurality of orthogonal sensors;

a controller interfaced with the sensing unit for receiving, interpreting and encoding the data related to environmental conditions into a predetermined format,

wherein the controller determines whether to encode an alarm condition into the data in a predetermined format based on

whether the first and the second chemical sensors both detect the chemical, and

whether the first and second chemical sensors each detect the chemical for a predetermined duration of time; and

a communication device including a display for receiving the data in a predetermined format from the controller, including the alarm condition, if present, forming an e-mail message and transmitting the e-mail message including the data in the predetermined format to at least one predetermined e-mail address.

5. The monitoring system of claim 4, further including a receiver for receiving an e-mail including at least one of a command and a query and providing the received command or query to the controller.

6. The monitoring system of claim 4, wherein the sensing unit includes sensors for detecting at least one of powders, explosives, nerve agents, blister agents, chemical agents, biological agents, and radioactive elements.

7. The monitoring system of claim 4, wherein the sensing unit further comprises at least one biological sensor.

8. The monitoring system of claim 7, wherein the EO imager comprises at least one of a visible light imager, an infra-red (IR) imager, a ultra-violet (UV) imager and an X-ray imager.

9. The monitoring system of claim 4, wherein a base64 encoding scheme is used for encoding the data related to environmental conditions.

10. The monitoring system of claim 4, wherein the encoded data comprises ASCII data including data related to environmental conditions, alerts, actions, triggers and/or results of the processing of the data related to environmental conditions.

11. The monitoring system of claim 4, wherein the encoded data includes information on how to decode the encoded data.

12. The monitoring system of claim 4, wherein the encoded data includes information on how to assemble the encoded data.

13. The monitoring system of claim 4, wherein the air pump when activated by the controller, pumps air through both a manifold and at least one sensor.

14. A method for detecting environmental conditions using a wireless device, the method comprising:

obtaining data related to environmental conditions, said obtaining including

sensing radiation,

sensing electro-optical (EO) images, and

sensing a chemical using a plurality of orthogonal chemical sensors that use dissimilar technologies to detect a chemical at dissimilar detection thresholds;

determining whether an alarm condition exists based on

whether each of the plurality of chemical sensors detects the chemical, and

whether each of the plurality of chemical sensors detects the chemical for a predetermined duration of time;

encoding the obtained data related to environmental conditions, including encoding the alarm condition, if any into a predetermined format;

forming an e-mail message having a subject line and a body, the e-mail message including the data related to environmental conditions in the predetermined format; and

transmitting the e-mail message including the data in the predetermined format to at least one predetermined e-mail address.

15. The method for detecting environmental conditions of claim 14, further comprising receiving at least one of a command and a query processing the received command and/or query.

16. The method for detecting environmental conditions of claim 14, wherein a base64 encoding scheme is used for encoding the data related to environmental conditions.

17. The method for detecting environmental conditions of claim 14, wherein the encoded data comprises ASCII data including data related to environmental conditions, alerts, actions, triggers and/or results of the processing of the data related to environmental conditions.

18. The method for detecting environmental conditions of claim 14, wherein the encoded data further includes information on how to decode and assemble the encoded data.

19. The method for detecting environmental conditions of claim 14, further comprising the step of capturing environmental samples using a sorbent tube.

20. A monitoring system for detecting environmental conditions comprising:

a plurality of sensors for obtaining data related to environmental conditions, the sensors including

at least one radiation sensor,

at least one of an electro-optical (EO) imager, and

a plurality of orthogonal chemical sensors that use dissimilar technologies to detect a chemical at dissimilar detection thresholds;

a microcontroller interfaced with the plurality of sensors, the microcontroller forming a base64 encoded message including the data related to environmental conditions,

wherein the microcontroller determines whether to encode an alarm condition into the encoded data based on

whether each of the plurality of chemical sensors detects the chemical, and

whether each of the plurality of chemical sensors detects the chemical for a predetermined duration of time; and

a transmitter interfaced with the microcontroller for transmitting the encoded data, including the alarm condition, if any, to at least one predetermined e-mail address.

21. The monitoring system of claim 20, further including a receiver for receiving a command and/or a query and providing the received command and/or query to the microcontroller for decoding of the received command and/or query.

22. The monitoring system of claim 20, wherein the plurality of sensors includes at least two orthogonal sensors capable of detecting at least one element selected from the group comprising powders, explosives, nerve agents, chemicals, biological agents, and radioactive elements.

23. The monitoring system of claim 20, wherein the sensing unit further comprises one or more biological sensors.

24. The monitoring system of claim 23, wherein the EO imager comprises at least one of a visible light imager, an infra-red (IR) imager, a ultra-violet (UV) imager and an X-ray imager.

25. The monitoring system of claim 20, wherein the encoded data comprises ASCII data including data related to environmental conditions, alerts, actions, triggers and/or results of the processing of the data related to environmental conditions.

26. The monitoring system of claim 20, wherein the encoded base64 message further includes information on how to decode and/or assemble the base64 message.