Personal environmental monitoring method and system and portable monitor for use therein

• US 8,085,145 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2009
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Fu, Yongji, Ayyagari, Deepak, Colquitt, Nhedti
• Primary Examiner(s): BLOUNT, ERIC
• Application Number:
  US12/384,430
• Publication Number:
  US 20100253509A1
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: 340/500, 340/539.22, 340/539.11, 340/539.12, 340/573.1, 340/539.26, 600/300, 600/595
• US Class Current: 340/539.22
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0242 adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/12 responsive to undesired emission of substances, e.g. pollution alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/80 for detecting, monitoring or modelling epidemics or pandemics, e.g. flu

Abstract

A personal environmental monitoring method and system and a portable monitor for use therein permit real-time mobile monitoring of environmental conditions in the immediate vicinity to ensure compatibility with the particular environmental sensitivities of a person being monitored. The portable monitor may be a fully integrated mobile device that provides real-time mobile monitoring of immediate environmental conditions without network connectivity.

Claims

1. A portable personal environmental monitor, comprising:

a data acquisition module;

a processor communicatively coupled with the data acquisition module; and

a user interface module communicatively coupled with the processor, wherein under control of the processor the portable monitor continually compares for compatibility a mobile environmental profile generated using sensor data collected by at least one sensor on the data acquisition module and a personal environmental profile generated using inputs received on the user interface module and outputs on the user interface module a personal environmental status indication dynamically regulated based on current compatibility between the mobile environmental profile and the personal environmental profile, wherein in response to finding an incompatibility between the mobile environmental profile and the personal environmental profile the personal environmental status indication outputted on the user interface module includes a text message recommending a specific user action to address the incompatibility.

2. The portable monitor of claim 1, wherein the personal environmental status indication is dynamically adjusted between a normal indication, a mild alert and a severe alert.

3. The portable monitor of claim 1, wherein the portable monitor is a fully integrated device.

4. The portable monitor of claim 1, wherein the data acquisition module comprises an airborne particle sensor, a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor.

5. The portable monitor of claim 1, wherein the inputs comprise a personal setting for an environmental parameter.

6. The portable monitor of claim 5, wherein the environmental parameter is one of airborne particle presence, airborne particle density, ambient temperature or relative humidity.

7. The portable monitor of claim 1, wherein the personal environmental profile comprises a personal setting for an environmental parameter, the mobile environmental profile comprises a value for the environmental parameter, and the portable monitor under control of the processor outputs a personal environmental status indication dynamically regulated based on current compatibility between the personal setting and the value.

8. The portable monitor of claim 7, wherein the value is a measured value.

9. The portable monitor of claim 7, wherein the value is a change rate generated using a plurality of measured values.

10. The portable monitor of claim 1, wherein the portable monitor under control of the processor selects using inputs received on the user interface a subset of sensors from an environmental sensor suite on the data acquisition module for collecting the sensor data.

11. A personal environmental monitoring system, comprising:

a portable environmental data collector; and

a portable handset wirelessly coupled with the portable environmental data collector, wherein the portable handset continually compares for compatibility a mobile environmental profile generated using sensor data collected by the portable environmental data collector and a personal environmental profile generated using user inputs received on the portable handset and initiates an environmental management action in response to a detected incompatibility whereby an indoor environment where the portable handset is located is automatically controlled.

12. The monitoring system of claim 11, wherein the environmental management action comprises outputting an alert on the portable handset.

13. The monitoring system of claim 11, wherein environmental management action comprises transmitting an alert to a remote monitoring server.

14. The monitoring system of claim 11, wherein the environmental management action comprises transmitting a command to an environmental control system.

15. The monitoring system of claim 11, wherein the environmental management action is specified through a user input on the portable handset.

16. The monitoring system of claim 11, wherein the system further comprises an external sensing system wirelessly coupled to the portable handset and the mobile environmental profile is further generated using sensor data collected by the external sensing system.

17. The monitoring system of claim 11, wherein the portable handset transmits to the portable environmental data collector sensor selection information generated using a user input on the portable handset and the portable environmental data collector selects using the sensor selection information a subset of sensors from an environmental sensor suite on the portable environmental data collector for collecting the sensor data.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the indoor environment is automatically controlled at least in part by activating an air conditioning system.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the indoor environment is automatically controlled at least in part by activating a humidification system.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the indoor environment is automatically controlled at least in part by activating a ventilation system.