Wearable chemical threat detector

• US 10,186,135 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2016
• Issued: 01/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Goodrich Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Goodrich Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Trubey, Richard K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Terrell, Emily C
• Application Number:
  US15/383,819
• Publication Number:
  US 20180174423A1
• Time in Patent Office: 764 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0031 comprising two or more sensors, e.g. a sensor array
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0062 concerning the measuring method or the display, e.g. intermittent measurement or digital display
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0075 for multiple spatially distributed sensors, e.g. for environmental monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/12 responsive to undesired emission of substances, e.g. pollution alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence

Abstract

The present disclosure generally relates to chemical threat detection, and more specifically, to a wearable chemical threat detector for an indoor or outdoor environment. In one embodiment, a method for chemical sensing and detection is disclosed. The method includes (a) deploying a plurality of wearable chemical detectors, (b) receiving an environmental air sample by at least one of the plurality of wearable chemical detectors, (c) receiving an alert of one or more chemical(s) present within the environmental air sample from at least one wearable chemical detector, (d) analyzing the alert for data relating to at least one of a chemical name, a chemical concentration, a chemical category, or a toxicity level, and (e) transmitting the data to a central data collection site. Furthermore, the embodiments disclosed may provide a warning and/or an evacuation route to a user once a threat is detected.

Claims

1. A method for detecting airborne chemicals, comprising:

(a) utilizing multiple wearable chemical detectors in a single general area;

(b) acquiring an environmental air sample within each wearable chemical detector;

(c) detecting that at least one chemical from a selected set of possible chemicals is present within the environmental air sample;

(d) analyzing data relating to the detecting;

(e) determining at least one of a chemical name, a chemical concentration, a chemical category, or a toxicity level;

(f) transmitting the determined information to a central data collection site;

(g) each wearable chemical detector communicating with each other information relating to chemical concentrations measured to generate an instruction; and

(h) receiving the instruction by at least one wearable chemical detector for a user to follow, wherein the instruction includes an indication of whether an alert from an alert mechanism on the at least one wearable chemical detector of one or more detected chemicals present is a false positive.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the instruction relates to threat detection.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the instruction relates to an escape trajectory for exiting an environment containing the detected chemical(s).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the instruction triangulates and communicates a location source of the detected chemical(s) determined from a plurality of wearable chemical detectors.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the instruction is received by a plurality of chemical detectors.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the instruction relates to an action to be performed by a user.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the action is a health preventative action.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising repeating (b)-(f) until one or more detected chemicals are no longer detected.

9. A wearable airborne chemical detecting system, comprising:

a housing;

a gas sampling chamber disposed within the housing;

a sensor operatively connected to the gas sampling chamber;

a power management system disposed within the housing and operatively connected to the sensor; and

a controller operatively connected to the sensor, comprising;

a processor; and

a memory integrated circuit (IC) storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to;

acquire an environmental air sample within the gas sampling chamber;

electronically monitor the sensor for changes in resistance;

detect via the electronic monitoring that at least one chemical of a selected set of chemicals is present within the environmental air sample;

determine at least one of a chemical name, a chemical concentration, a chemical category, or a toxicity level;

transmit the determined information to a central data collection site;

utilize multiple wearable chemical detectors in a single general area, wherein the wearable chemical detector communicates with each other information relating to chemical concentrations measured to generate an instruction; and

receive the instruction by at least one wearable chemical detector for a user to follow, wherein the instruction includes an indication of whether an alert from an alert mechanism in the at least one chemical threat detector of one or more detected chemicals present is a false positive.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the sensor comprises an array of up to about 16 chemically tailored nanosensors.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the array is supported on a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) electrical resistance transducer platform.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein each nanosensor has a chemically-specific surface coating disposed thereon.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising an alert mechanism, wherein the alert mechanism is configured to provide a status of a chemical detection event.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the alert mechanism is a visual indicator, an audible indicator, or a vibratory indicator.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the alert mechanism provides the status of detected chemical(s) present in real time.

16. The system of claim 9, further comprising a pump for circulating the environment air sample into and out of the gas sampling chamber.

17. The system of claim 9, further comprising a graphical user interface operatively connected to the housing and the controller, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to display information to a user.