System and method for mobile environmental measurements and displays

• US 8,325,061 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2010
• Issued: 12/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emilcott Associates, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Emilcott Associates, Inc.
• Inventors: Groves, Bruce D., Carlson, Thomas P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lau, Hoi
• Application Number:
  US12/683,702
• Publication Number:
  US 20110163892A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• Field of Search: 340/901, 340/524, 340/537.1, 340/932.2, 340/539.13, 340/539.2, 340/572.1, 340/573.3, 340/540, 340/57.1, 700/245
• US Class Current: 340/901
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/00 Sampling; Preparing specimens for investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/26 with provision for intake from several spaces
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/021 Correlating sampling sites with geographical information, e.g. GPS
• 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: G01W 2001/006 Main server receiving weather information from several sub-stations

Abstract

An environmental measurement system and method are disclosed. In one aspect of the invention, the system includes a base station having a processor, a plurality of environmental detectors located remotely from the base station that measure one or more environmental conditions that are in communication with the base station to send the measured one or more environmental conditions to the base station and a plurality of user display stations located remotely from the base station that are in communication with the base station and that can display the one or more environmental conditions received from the base station. One or more of the environmental detectors or one or more of the user display stations is mobile. Alternatively, the environmental detectors and the user display stations can both be mobile.

Claims

1. An environmental measurement system, comprising:

a base station having a processor; and

a plurality of environmental detectors located remotely from the base station that measure one or more environmental conditions that are in communication with the base station to send the measured one or more environmental conditions to the base station;

wherein one of the plurality of environmental detectors is mobile and has a means for determining current position and for reporting it position to the base station; and

a mobile user display device having a GPS unit that reports time stamped position information to the base station and the base station comparing the time stamped position information to time stamped environmental conditions measured by the plurality of environmental detectors plurality of environmental detectors to determine an exposure level at the mobile user display device.

2. The environmental measurement system of claim 1, comprising a plurality of user displays stations located remotely from the base station that are in communication with the base station and that can display the one or more environmental conditions received from the base station.

3. The environmental measuring system of claim 2, wherein at least one of the plurality of user display stations are mobile.

4. The environmental measuring system of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of user display stations can selectively display information from any of the plurality of environmental detectors.

5. The environmental measuring system of claim 1, wherein another one or more of the plurality of environmental detectors is mobile and has a means for determining its position and for reporting its position to the base station.

6. The environmental measurement system of claim 4, comprising a plurality of user displays stations located remotely from the base station that are in communication with the base station and that can display the one or more environmental conditions received from the base station.

7. The environmental measuring system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of user display stations is mobile and has a means for determining its position and for reporting its position to the base station.

8. The environmental measuring system of claim 6, wherein all communications with the base station are wireless communications.

9. Environmental measuring system of claim 1, wherein the mobile environmental detector reports its position to the base station on a periodic basis.

10. The environmental measuring system of claim 1, wherein the mobile environmental detector reports its position to the base station either while moving or stationary.

11. The environmental measuring system of claim 9, wherein the mobile environmental detector reports its position to the base station when queried by the base station.

12. The environmental measuring system of claim 1, wherein the mobile environmental detector reports its position to the base station when queried by the base station, or when an environmental measurement of interest exceeds a preset threshold.

13. The environmental measuring system of claim 4, wherein each of the mobile environmental detectors reports its position to the base station on a periodic basis.

14. The environmental measuring system of claim 4, wherein each of the mobile environmental detectors reports its position to the base station either while moving or stationary.

15. The environmental measuring system of claim 13, wherein each of the mobile environmental detectors reports its position to the base station when queried by the base station.

16. The environmental measuring system of claim 4, wherein each of the mobile environmental detectors reports its position to the base station when queried by the base station.

17. The environmental measuring system of claim 1, comprising a secondary environmental detector located remotely from the base station that measures one or more environmental conditions and that is in communication with one of the plurality of environmental detectors which provides information from the secondary environmental detector to the base station.

18. The environmental measuring system of claim 17, wherein the one of the plurality of environmental detectors that the secondary environmental detector is in communication with is mobile.

19. The environmental measuring system of claim 4, comprising a plurality of secondary environmental detector located remotely from the base station that measures one or more environmental conditions, each of the plurality of secondary environmental detectors being in communication with one of the plurality of environmental detector which provides information from the secondary environmental detector to the base station.

20. The environmental measuring system of claim 1, wherein the means for determining current position is a GPS device.

21. The environmental measuring system of claim 1, wherein the mobile environmental detector is adapted to be worn by a person to act as a personal exposure device for the person.

22. The environmental measuring system of claim 1, wherein the mobile environmental measurement detector is adapted to be mounted on a vehicle.

23. The environmental measuring system of claim 1, wherein the mobile environmental measurement detector is mounted on rollers, wheels, treads;

tracks, rails or a cable suspension system, and is robotically controlled.

24. The environmental measuring system of claim 23, wherein the base station issues commands to the mobile environmental measurement detector to control movement of the mobile environmental measurement detector by issuing commands to start or stop the environmental measurements within the system.

25. The environmental measurement system of claim 1, wherein an alarm is sent by the base station to the user display device when the exposure exceeds a limit.

26. The environmental measurement system of claim 1, wherein the base station sends a display of the exposure level to the mobile user display device.