System and method for air-pollutant source-localization using parked motor vehicles

• US 9,952,190 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2015
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cogill, Randall L., Gallay, Olivier, Lee, Chungmok, Nabi, Zubair, Rufli, Martin, Shorten, Robert, Tchrakian, Tigran, Verago, Rudi, Wirth, Fabian R., Zhuk, Sergiy
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Harshad R
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROY, PUNAM P
• Application Number:
  US14/746,364
• Publication Number:
  US 20160290979A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,037 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00778 the input being a stationary vehicle position, e.g. parking or stopping
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/2273 Atmospheric sampling
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/06 Investigating concentration of particle suspensions by weighing G01N5/00; investigating sedimentation of particle suspensions G01N15/04; investigating individual particles G01N15/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/021 Correlating sampling sites with geographical information, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/0046 in gas, e.g. smoke
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0004 Gaseous mixtures, e.g. polluted air gaseous biological material G01N33/497; exhaust gas of internal combustion engines G01M15/102
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0036 Specially adapted to detect a particular component all the other sub-groups of G01N33/0004 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0037 for NOx
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/004 for CO, CO2
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0042 for SO2, SO3
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0044 for H2S, sulfides
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0062 concerning the measuring method, e.g. intermittent, or the display, e.g. digital
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0075 for multiple spatially distributed sensors, e.g. for environmental monitoring transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/14 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 50/20 Air quality improvement or preservation, e.g. vehicle emission control or emission reduction by using catalytic converters

Abstract

A method for localizing the source of air pollution that includes receiving pollution data from a network in communication with at least one air pollution sensor that is connected to at least one motor vehicle in a stationary position. Each stationary motor vehicle of the network is positioned at a different air pollution measurement location. The method may further include determining from the pollution data an origin of an air pollutant using an air pollution model provided by a pollutant source localization device including at least one hardware processor.

Claims

1. A method for measuring air pollution comprising:

receiving pollution data from a network in communication with at least one air pollution sensor that is connected to at least one motor vehicle only in a stationary position;

each stationary motor vehicle in said network positioned at a different air pollution measurement location;

measuring a location of the at least one vehicle using a vehicle GPS system, wherein a motion controller that controls said at least one air pollution sensor to stop taking readings when a motion sensor in said at least one air pollution sensor reads that said at least one motor vehicle that is in the stationary position plotted by the vehicle GPS system starts to move; and

determining from said pollution data an origin of an air pollutant using an air pollution model describing at least one of diffusion of gasses and advection of gasses provided by a pollutant source localization device including at least one hardware processor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the air pollutant is selected from the group consisting of natural gas, sulfur oxide (SO_x), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen oxide (NO_x), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO₂), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), methane (CH₄), non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), particulate matter (PM), atmospheric particulate matter, fine particles, persistent free radicals, toxic metals, mercury, lead, chlorofluorocarbons, ammonia, propane, smog (black carbon) and combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the pollution data includes at least one of pollutant composition, pollutant concentration, time of pollutant measurement by said at least one air pollution sensor, location of said at least one air pollution sensor during a measurement to provide the pollution data, and wind speed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one air pollution sensor comprises an active element selected from the group consisting of an electrochemical cell, a metal oxide semiconductor, UV adsorption active element, light scattering sensor element, and combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one motor vehicle is selected from the group consisting of cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats, aircraft and a combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the origin of the air pollutant from said pollution data by the pollutant source localization device includes a partial differential equation (PDE) model describing said at least one of diffusion of said gasses and advection of said gasses carrying pollutants.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the PDE model comprises:

∂

C/∂

t+u∂

C/∂

x+v∂

C/∂

y+w∂

C/∂

z=K_x(∂

^2C)/∂

x^2+K_y(∂

^2C)/∂

y^2+K_Z(∂

^2 C)/∂

z^2

wherein C is a scalar concentration field, x, y, z are space dimensions, t is a time dimension, u, v and w are wind speed velocities in x-, y- and z-directions, and Kx, Ky, Kz are diffusion coefficients.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the pollutant source being localized is a natural gas leak from a gas pipe.