Air quality monitoring

Abstract

The invention is titled "Air Quality Monitoring." In some examples, a computing device is configured to monitor air quality of a vehicle cabin at least by receiving signals from a plurality of remote sensors distributed throughout the cabin indicative of one or more air quality parameters of air in the cabin. Based on the received signals, the computing device can determine whether values of the one or more air quality parameters are indicative of an air quality event and generate an output in response to such a determination. The output can include, for example, an audio or visual indication of the air quality event or a signal to control another system of the aircraft to take action to remedy the air quality event.

Description

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application 63 / 048,585, filed July 6, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for monitoring air quality in vehicles, such as cabins of aircraft. Background Technology

[0003] The environmental control system supplies pressurized air to the aircraft's cabin. This pressurized air can be supplied from various sources, such as bleed air from the engines, cabin air compressor (CAC), or auxiliary power unit (APU). Summary of the Invention

[0004] In some examples, multiple air quality sensors may be distributed throughout the vehicle (e.g., an aircraft cabin or the cabin of another type of vehicle) to sense values ​​for one or more air quality parameters. The sensors may be wired or wireless (e.g., for data communication and / or power supply). The sensors may be networked and configured to transmit data (wired or wirelessly) to a centralized processing unit within the vehicle (e.g., an aircraft) or outside the vehicle.

[0005] According to one example, a method for monitoring air quality includes: receiving, at a centralized processing unit and from multiple sensors located in a vehicle, a signal indicating the value of one or more air quality parameters of the air in the vehicle; and generating an output based on the value of the one or more air quality parameters.

[0006] According to another example, a system includes: a receiver circuit configured to receive values ​​of one or more air quality parameters of the air in the vehicle from a plurality of sensors located in the vehicle; and a processing circuit configured to generate an output based on the values ​​of the one or more air quality parameters.

[0007] According to another example, a system includes: a receiver circuit configured to receive a corresponding signal from each of a plurality of sensors located in a cabin of an aircraft, indicating the level of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air of the cabin; and a processing circuit configured to: determine that the signal from at least one of the plurality of sensors indicates that the level of CO2 in the air of the cabin is greater than or equal to the threshold level; and, in response to determining that the signal from the at least one sensor indicates that the level of CO2 in the air of the cabin is greater than or equal to the threshold level, generate an output including one or more of a visual alarm indicator or an audible alarm indicator.

[0008] Details of one or more examples are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the following description. Other features, objects, and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, as well as from the claims. Attached Figure Description

[0009] Figure 1 This is a conceptual block diagram illustrating an exemplary cabin air quality monitoring system according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0010] Figure 2 This is a conceptual block diagram of an exemplary remote sensing device.

[0011] Figure 3 This is a conceptual block diagram of an exemplary control panel device.

[0012] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process performed by the transportation system of this disclosure.

[0013] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process performed by the transportation system of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0014] The following describes various examples of devices, methods, systems, and computer program products generally relating to networks of sensing devices attached to the interior of vehicles, such as aircraft, road vehicles, or marine vessels. While this document primarily refers to aircraft, in other examples, the exemplary devices, methods, systems, and computer program products described herein can be used with other types of vehicles.

[0015] Some environmental control systems (ECS) in aircraft utilize sensors within the ECS's airflow path to help ensure that the ECS does not introduce unwanted gases such as carbon monoxide (CO) or other types of pollutants from outside the aircraft cabin into the cabin through its exit vents. However, apart from smoke detectors, aircraft typically do not include sensors inside the cabin to detect pollutants that may originate from within it. Due to this lack of sensors, pilots, crew members, and maintenance personnel do not have real-time air quality information available to them during flight.

[0016] According to various aspects of this disclosure, multiple air quality sensors may be distributed throughout the aircraft compartment to sense one or more various air quality parameters and generate outputs indicating the one or more air quality parameters. The sensor may include sensing circuitry and is configured, for example, to generate an output (e.g., referred to herein as a signal) indicating the value of the corresponding air quality parameter. In this way, the sensor may be said to measure the value of the air quality parameter.

[0017] The sensor can be wired or wireless (e.g., for data communication and / or power supply). The sensor can be networked and configured to transmit data (wired or wirelessly) to a centralized processing unit (also referred to herein as a centralized data processing unit in some examples) inside or outside the aircraft. In some examples, the centralized processing unit may be distributed among one or more sensors or across multiple sensors. During flight, the centralized processing unit can aggregate and analyze data to provide the crew with air quality status and / or alert the crew to specific air quality events. As an example, an air quality event could be a level of a specific compound in the cabin air greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold, which is determined to indicate an undesirable high level for that specific compound. As another example, an air quality event could be a level of different compounds in the cabin air less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, which is determined to indicate an undesirable low level for different compounds. Examples of sensed air quality parameters include carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), temperature, volatile organic compounds (VOC), ultrafine particles (UFP), humidity, or any combination thereof.

[0018] As an example, passengers inside an aircraft emit CO2 through respiration. Therefore, a larger number of passengers in a cabin compared to a smaller number of passengers can lead to higher CO2 levels in that cabin, or similarly, a larger number of passengers in a specific area of ​​the cabin can lead to higher CO2 levels in that specific area. Additionally, passengers walking around the cabin, breathing vigorously, coughing, sneezing, etc., can also generally lead to elevated CO2 levels in the aircraft cabin or specific areas within the cabin. While these elevated levels may not be likely to have a direct adverse effect on passengers, elevated CO2 levels can be associated with environments where diseases or viruses are more likely to spread, or more generally, with overcrowding and / or poor ventilation inside the cabin that can lead to less comfortable air and / or potentially adversely affect passenger health.

[0019] As another example, the cabin may become contaminated due to the unintentional introduction of VOCs into the fresh air supply to the passenger cabin. This scenario could occur, for example, when de-icing fluid is drawn into the aircraft engine during ground de-icing operations and then pumped into the bleed air supply port. Contaminants can also be introduced into the fresh bleed air supply due to aircraft equipment malfunction or failure, such as oil leaking from the main engine or auxiliary power unit (APU) through a damaged oil seal and then being drawn into the bleed air supply duct.

[0020] According to various aspects of this disclosure, a centralized data processing unit can be configured to receive values ​​of one or more air quality parameters of the air in an aircraft cabin from one or more air quality sensors, and determine whether the values ​​of the one or more air quality parameters indicate an air quality event, such as elevated CO2 levels or elevated VOC levels. The centralized data processing unit can receive values ​​from the one or more air quality sensors in the form of raw signals, digitized signals, or any other suitable format. In response to the detection of an air quality event, the central data processing unit can generate one or more outputs, such as recommending one or more remedial action procedures to the crew, and / or communicating with other flight systems to automatically initiate remedial actions. Additionally, in some examples, the central data processing unit can provide real-time indicators or warnings to the crew in response to the detection of an air quality event. The crew can then take remedial actions to help mitigate the potential air quality problem detected by the central data processing unit.

[0021] In some examples, a centralized data processing unit can upload data acquired in flight for additional post-flight processing. For instance, sensor data acquired in flight can be compared with other in-flight sensor data from other flights to detect deviations from normal, which could indicate events such as impending maintenance problems (e.g., a deteriorated filter or air intake). In this way, the air quality sensor described herein can be used as a diagnostic device to facilitate maintenance operations on aircraft or other vehicles.

[0022] Figure 1 is a conceptual block diagram of an exemplary aircraft environment in which aircraft 10 includes multiple remote air quality sensors shown in Figure 1 as remote air quality sensors 12A-12F (also referred to as "sensor 12"). Although Figure 1 Six remote sensors are shown, but in other examples, aircraft 10 may include a larger or smaller number of remote sensors, such as two, three, four, five, or more than six sensors. Aircraft 10 also includes an ECS 14 and a control panel 16, which are configured to communicate with each other via network 18 and with the sensors 12.

[0023] Although Figure 1 The aircraft is shown as having a fixed-wing shape factor, but aircraft 10 generally represents any kind of aircraft, and while the technology disclosed herein can be used in conjunction with any kind of aircraft, the technology described herein may be particularly advantageous for passenger aircraft including cabins for passenger travel. Although the various technologies of this disclosure will be described with respect to the passenger cabin of an aircraft, it should be understood that the technology is equally applicable to other compartments of other modes of transport.

[0024] Sensor 12 may include any suitable air quality sensor, such as, but not limited to, one or more CO2 sensors, O3 sensors, CO sensors, temperature sensors, humidity sensors, VOC sensors, or any combination thereof. In some examples, sensor 12 may include one or more biosensors comprising a biometric element configured to selectively react with a target analyte in the air to generate an electrical signal proportional to the concentration of the analyte. Sensor 12 may be distributed throughout the passenger cabin of aircraft 10, such that sensor 12 is positioned to sense air quality parameters of the air inside the cabin.

[0025] ECS 14 can be configured, for example, to control the overall comfort and safety of the passenger cabin of aircraft 10 by, for example, circulating conditioned air to the passenger cabin and to various other parts of aircraft 10, such as the cockpit, galley, other occupied compartments, cargo compartments, electronics bay, etc. ECS 14 can perform such operations to provide a specific level of air quality in the cabin by, for example, maintaining desired temperature and humidity levels within the cabin of aircraft 10.

[0026] Control panel 16 refers to any kind of centralized data processing device configured to receive and process values ​​of one or more air quality parameters detected by sensor 12. Control panel 16 can be a dedicated device, such as an application running on a computing device such as a tablet computer, or it can be integrated into an existing aircraft system such as an aircraft cabin control system that controls temperature, lighting, entertainment systems, and other aspects of the passenger experience. In some examples, the functionality of control panel 16 can be implemented in one of the sensors 12 or distributed across multiple remote sensors in the sensor 12.

[0027] Network 18 refers to any suitable wired or wireless communication network through which control panel 16 can communicate with sensor 12. As an example of wired communication, control panel 16 can communicate with sensor 12 via direct connection, twisted pair, fiber optic cable, coaxial cable, etc. As an example of wireless communication standards, control panel 16 can use the IEEE 802.11 standard (e.g., WiFi). TM ), IEEE 802.15 standard (e.g., ZigBee) TM Bluetooth TM Standards and other communication protocols are used with sensor 12. In some cases, network 18 may also include any number of intermediate devices such as routers or switches.

[0028] In some examples, the ECS 14 may also interface with the control panel 16 via the controller of the ECS 14. The controller of the ECS 14 may be, for example, a computer with processing circuitry and memory, configured to control the air purification subsystem and other subsystems of the ECS 14. In some implementations, the controller and control panel 16 of the ECS 14 may be highly integrated, or even implemented in the same device.

[0029] In some examples, control panel 16 is configured to monitor the air quality of a cabin in aircraft 10 based on the values ​​of one or more air quality parameters received from and generated by sensor 12. Based on the values ​​of the one or more air quality parameters, control panel 16 can determine whether the values ​​of the one or more air quality parameters indicate an air quality event, such as undesirably high CO2 or CO levels in the cabin. In some examples, control panel 16 can determine the presence of an air quality event based on any of the following: the average value of the one or more air quality parameters received from sensor 12, the maximum value of the one or more air quality parameters received from sensor 12, the minimum value of the one or more air quality parameters received from sensor 12, or any other suitable technique. In some examples, control panel 16 can: assign a timestamp to each of the values ​​of the one or more air quality parameters received from sensor 12; determine the change of the one or more air quality parameters over a period of time based on the timestamp; and generate an output based on (e.g., in response to) the change of the one or more air quality parameters over that period being greater than or equal to a threshold.

[0030] Control panel 16 can then generate output based on the values ​​of one or more air quality parameters or based on the detection of an air quality event. In some examples, to generate output, control panel 16 may be configured to generate visual indicators, such as causing lights to illuminate or causing a display device to present a text-based alarm. In some examples, to generate output, control panel 16 may additionally or alternatively include sound generation circuitry configured to generate audible indicators, such as sounds. In response to visual and / or audible indicators, cabin crew members or pilots may, for example, adjust operating parameters of ECS 14 to help mitigate potential air quality problems detected by control panel 16. In some examples, control panel 16 may send warnings to remote devices such as ground stations.

[0031] In some examples, in response to the detection of an air quality event, control panel 16 can automatically generate electronic signals to control ECS 14 without immediate human intervention. Control panel 16 may, for example, cause ECS 14 to increase the amount of outside air introduced into the cabin by at least activating the recirculation fan or increasing the speed of the recirculation fan, or to increase the overall ventilation rate of the cabin air. In some examples, in response to the detection of an air quality event, control panel 16 may generate electronic signals to control the aircraft's emergency safety systems.

[0032] In some examples, each sensor in sensor 12 may be associated with a specific area of ​​the cabin, and control panel 16 may generate output for that area of ​​the aircraft based on the sensor indicating an air quality event for that area. For example, if only the values ​​of one or more air quality parameters from sensor 12B indicate an air quality event, control panel 16 may be configured to generate a visual or audible indicator that specifically identifies the area of ​​the cabin associated with sensor 12B. Control panel 16 may also, for example, additionally or alternatively cause ECS 14 to increase the air circulation rate in the cabin only for the area of ​​the cabin associated with sensor 12B. The association of specific sensors of sensor 12 with specific areas of the aircraft cabin can help control panel 16 and / or crew members more quickly determine the potential cause of an air quality event and / or more quickly take action to help resolve (e.g., eliminate) the air quality event or the adverse effects that the air quality event may have had on passengers in specific areas of the aircraft cabin.

[0033] Control panel 16 can be configured to store values ​​of one or more air quality parameters of the air in the aircraft cabin during flight and / or ground operations, and to transmit the values ​​of one or more air quality parameters to data server 22 via network 20 during or after flight. Data server 22 can then aggregate the air quality parameter data obtained from aircraft 10 with air quality parameter data obtained from other aircraft. Based on a comparison of the air quality parameter data obtained from aircraft 10 with aggregated air quality parameter data from another aircraft, data server 22 can, for example, analyze the health status of ECS 14. If data server 22 determines, for example, that the level of pollutants in the cabin of aircraft 10 is higher than that of other similar flights with, for example, a similar number of passengers, the same type of aircraft, the same route, and / or similar flight conditions, data server 22 can output maintenance recommendations, such as a list of items to be inspected.

[0034] Network 20 refers to any suitable communication link between control panel 16 and data server 22, including those based on cellular communication standards such as 4G, 4G-LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Advanced, 5G, or on specifications such as IEEE 802.11 and IEEE 802.15 (e.g., ZigBee). TM Bluetooth TM Wireless communication links such as standard ones. Network 20 may also include any number of wired communication links, and include intermediate devices such as routers and switches.

[0035] Figure 2 This is a conceptual block diagram of an exemplary remote sensing device. Figure 2 In the example, the remote sensing device 32 includes a power supply 40, a communication circuit 42, a sensor 44, a processing circuit 46, and a storage device 48. The remote sensing device 32 is described above regarding... Figure 1 Exemplary implementations of any of the described sensors 12.

[0036] Power source 40 refers to all power sources for the various components of the remote sensing device 32 and may include one or more batteries, one or more capacitors, circuitry for receiving AC (e.g., 115 volts or 230 volts) or for receiving DC (e.g., 28 volts).

[0037] Communication circuit 42 generally refers to any one or more of the following: a wireless transmitter, a wireless receiver, a modem, a wired network component (e.g., an Ethernet card), a wireless communication component operating according to any of the various IEEE 802.11 standards, or as described above. Figure 1 Other physical components described to facilitate communication via network 18.

[0038] Sensor 44 generally represents the sensing capability of remote sensing device 32 and may include one or more of a CO2 sensor, O2 sensor, O3 sensor, CO sensor, temperature sensor, or humidity sensor. Sensor 44 includes any suitable sensing circuitry configured to sense the air quality parameter of interest. For example, sensor 44 may include any one or more of the following: nondispersive infrared sensor, chemical-based sensor, electromechanical sensor, catalytic bead sensor, photoionization sensor, infrared point sensor, infrared imaging sensor, semiconductor-based sensor, ultrasonic sensor, or holographic sensor. In some examples, sensor 44 may include one or more biosensors, including electrochemical biosensors, optical biosensors, electronic biosensors, piezoelectric biosensors, gravimetric biosensors, or thermoelectric biosensors.

[0039] Processing circuitry 46 generally represents any circuitry of the remote sensing device 32 required to perform any of the functionalities described herein, and may include one or more microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), discrete logic, software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof.

[0040] Storage device 48 represents any one or more of read-only memory (ROM) or random access memory (RAM), including dynamic random access memory (DRAM), including synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), and resistive RAM (RRAM). Storage device 48 may alternatively or additionally include optical disc storage devices, magnetic disk storage devices or other magnetic storage devices, flash memory, or any other medium that can be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer such as control panel 16.

[0041] Storage device 48 can be configured to store sensor data 50 representing air quality parameter values ​​obtained by sensor 44. In this respect, storage device 48 can represent a short-term temporary storage device, such as a buffer, that stores air quality parameter values ​​before transmission by communication circuit 42, or it can represent a long-term non-volatile storage device that stores air quality parameter values ​​indefinitely for future processing.

[0042] Figure 3 This is a conceptual block diagram of an exemplary control panel device. Figure 3 In the example, control panel 56 includes power supply 60, communication circuitry 62, processing circuitry 64, storage device 66, and user interface (UI) device 68. Control panel 56 is the control panel mentioned above. Figure 1 An exemplary implementation of the control panel 16 described herein.

[0043] Power source 60 refers to all power sources for the various components of control panel 56 and may include one or more batteries, one or more capacitors, circuitry for receiving AC (e.g., 115 volts or 230 volts) or for receiving DC (e.g., 28 volts).

[0044] Communication circuit 62 generally refers to any one or more of the following: a wireless transmitter, a wireless receiver, a modem, a wired network component (e.g., an Ethernet card), a wireless communication component operating according to any of the various IEEE 802.11 standards, or as described above. Figure 1Other physical components described are used to facilitate communication via network 18. Communication circuitry 62 may also include components for communication via cellular communication standards such as 4G, 4G-LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Advanced, and 5G. Control panel 56 can communicate via communication circuitry 62 with other systems and components onboard the aircraft, as well as with systems outside the aircraft, such as airport-based systems or other ground-based systems. Communication circuitry 62 may also include components for communication with other aircraft or ground-based systems during flight.

[0045] Processing circuitry 64 generally represents any circuit of the remote sensing device 32 required to perform any of the functionalities described herein, and may include one or more microprocessors, DSPs, ASICs, FPGAs, discrete logic, software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof.

[0046] Storage device 66 represents any one or more of ROM or RAM, such as DRAM, including SDRAM, MRAM, and RRAM. Storage device 66 may alternatively or additionally include optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage, flash memory, or any other medium that can be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures.

[0047] UI device 68 can be any one or more of the following: a display, indicator light, speaker, or any other such device used to convey information to the user of control panel 56. UI device 68 may, for example, be configured to output a visual or audible alarm indicator in response to control panel 56 detecting an air quality event. UI device may also include user input components such as a keyboard, mouse, touchscreen display, etc. Although in Figure 3 The portion shown is part of the control panel 56, but the UI device 68 can be physically separated from other components of the control panel 56 but can still communicate with them.

[0048] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process performed by a vehicle system of the present disclosure. The vehicle system determines the value (70) of one or more air quality parameters of the air in the vehicle. The vehicle system may include, for example, a plurality of sensors (e.g., two, three, four, or more sensors) such as sensor 12 and a centralized processing unit such as control panel 16. The plurality of sensors may be configured to transmit signals indicating the values ​​of one or more air quality parameters of the air in the vehicle to the centralized processing unit via wires or wirelessly. As described above, the one or more air quality parameters may include any one or more of the following: O3 level, CO2 level, CO level, VOC level, humidity level, or temperature.

[0049] The vehicle system may generate an output (72) based on the values ​​of one or more air quality parameters. As described above, the output may include any one or more of the following: visual alarm indicators, audible alarm indicators, electronic signals of an environmental control system for controlling the vehicle, or electronic signals of an emergency safety system for controlling the vehicle.

[0050] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process performed by the aircraft system of this disclosure. Although in Figure 5 The description mainly mentions Figure 1 In some systems, however, different systems involving multiple air quality sensors can perform [the task]. Figure 5 The process. The aircraft system receives a corresponding value (74) indicating the CO2 level of the air in the cabin from each of a plurality of sensors 12 located in the cabin of the aircraft 10 at a centralized processing unit 16. The plurality of sensors 12 can be configured to transmit the values ​​indicating the CO2 level of the air in the cabin to the centralized processing unit via wires or wirelessly. The centralized processing unit is located at Figure 5 It is primarily referred to as Control Panel 16 in the description, but in other examples it could be a different device.

[0051] Control panel 16 determines that the value of at least one of the plurality of sensors 12 indicates that the CO2 level of the air in the cabin is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold level (76). In some examples, the corresponding value indicating the CO2 level of the air in the cabin may be associated with a timestamp, and the value of at least one of the plurality of sensors indicating the CO2 level of the air in the cabin may represent the change in the CO2 level of the air in the cabin over a period of time. In some examples, the value of at least one of the plurality of sensors 12 indicating the CO2 level of the air in the cabin may represent the CO2 level of the air in the cabin at a specific moment.

[0052] In response to determining that the value of at least one of a plurality of sensors indicates that the CO2 level in the cabin air is greater than or equal to a threshold level, control panel 16 generates an output (78) including one or more visual or audible alarm indicators. This output may, for example, include an identifier of the area associated with at least one sensor having a value indicating that the CO2 level in the cabin air is greater than or equal to the threshold level. In response to determining that the value of at least one of a plurality of sensors indicates that the CO2 level in the cabin air is greater than or equal to the threshold level, control panel 16 may automatically or based on user input cause the aircraft's ECS 14 to increase the air circulation rate in the area of ​​the aircraft associated with the at least one sensor having a value indicating that the CO2 level in the cabin air is greater than or equal to the threshold level.

[0053] The following numbered clauses describe one or more aspects of the apparatus and technology described in this disclosure.

[0054] Clause 1: A method for monitoring air quality, the method comprising: receiving, at a centralized processing unit and from a plurality of sensors located in a vehicle, a signal indicating the value of one or more air quality parameters of the air in the vehicle; and generating an output based on the value of the one or more air quality parameters.

[0055] Clause 2: The method described in Clause 1, wherein the output includes one or more of the following: a visual alarm indicator; an audible alarm indicator; an electronic signal of an environmental control system for controlling the vehicle; or an electronic signal of an emergency safety system for controlling the vehicle.

[0056] Clause 3: The method described in Clause 1 or 2, wherein the one or more air quality parameters include ozone (O3) level, carbon dioxide (CO2) level, carbon monoxide (CO) level, volatile organic compound level, humidity level, or temperature.

[0057] Clause 4: The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 3, wherein receiving the values ​​of one or more air quality parameters of air in the vehicle includes receiving the values ​​of one or more air quality parameters wirelessly from multiple sensors located in the vehicle at a centralized processing unit.

[0058] Clause 5: The method described under any one of Clauses 1 to 4 further comprises: assigning a timestamp to each of the values ​​of one or more air quality parameters; and determining, based on the timestamp, the change of one or more air quality parameters over a period of time, wherein generating output includes generating output based on the change of one or more air quality parameters over the period of time being greater than or equal to a threshold.

[0059] Clause 6: The method described under any of Clauses 1 to 5, wherein generating an output based on the value of one or more air quality parameters includes: determining that the output is greater than or equal to a threshold; and generating the output in response to determining that the output is greater than or equal to the threshold.

[0060] Clause 7: The method described under any of Clauses 1 to 6, wherein generating output based on the values ​​of one or more air quality parameters includes generating output based on one or more of the following: the average value of one or more air quality parameters, the maximum value of one or more air quality parameters, or the minimum value of one or more air quality parameters.

[0061] Clause 8: The method described under any one of Clauses 1 to 7 further comprises: storing the values ​​of one or more air quality parameters of the air in the vehicle during flight; and transmitting the values ​​of one or more air quality parameters to a processing device outside the vehicle when the vehicle is on the ground.

[0062] Clause 9: A system includes: a receiver circuit configured to receive values ​​of one or more air quality parameters of air in the vehicle from a plurality of sensors located in the vehicle; and a processing circuit configured to generate an output based on the values ​​of the one or more air quality parameters.

[0063] Clause 10: The system according to Clause 9, wherein the plurality of sensors includes a first sensor and a second sensor, and wherein the value of one or more air quality parameters includes a first value of the air quality parameter from the first sensor and a second value of the air quality parameter from the second sensor.

[0064] Clause 11: The system according to Clause 9, wherein the plurality of sensors includes a first sensor and a second sensor, and wherein the value of one or more air quality parameters includes a first value of a first air quality parameter from the first sensor and a second value of a second air quality parameter from the second sensor, the first air quality parameter being different from the second air quality parameter.

[0065] Clause 12: A system according to any one of Clauses 9 to 11, wherein the plurality of sensors includes a first sensor located in a first area of ​​the vehicle; and a second sensor located in a second area of ​​the vehicle different from the first area, and wherein generating an output based on the values ​​of one or more air quality parameters includes generating an electronic signal based on the values ​​of the air quality parameters detected by the first sensor to control an environmental control system for the first area of ​​the vehicle.

[0066] Clause 13: A system pursuant to any of Clauses 9 to 12, wherein the plurality of sensors includes an ozone (O3) level sensor, a carbon dioxide (CO2) sensor, a carbon monoxide (CO) sensor, a volatile organic compound level sensor, a humidity sensor, or a temperature sensor.

[0067] Clause 14: A system pursuant to any of Clauses 9 to 13, wherein the means of transport includes an aircraft.

[0068] Clause 15: A system according to any one of Clauses 9 to 14, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to generate output by at least: comparing one or more values ​​of one or more air quality parameters, or a value determined based on one or more values ​​of one or more air quality parameters, to a threshold, the system further comprising a memory storing the threshold.

[0069] Clause 16: The system described in any of Clauses 9 to 15 further includes multiple sensors.

[0070] Clause 17: A system includes: receiver circuitry configured to receive from each of a plurality of sensors located in a cabin of an aircraft a corresponding signal indicating the level of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air of the cabin; and processing circuitry configured to: determine that the signal from at least one of the plurality of sensors indicates that the level of CO2 in the air of the cabin is greater than or equal to the threshold level; and, in response to determining that the signal from the at least one sensor indicates that the level of CO2 in the air of the cabin is greater than or equal to the threshold level, generate an output including one or more of a visual alarm indicator or an audible alarm indicator.

[0071] Clause 18: The system as described in Clause 17, wherein the output includes an identifier of an area associated with at least one sensor.

[0072] Clause 19: A system according to Clause 17 or 18, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to cause the aircraft's environmental control system to increase the air circulation rate in the area of ​​the aircraft associated with at least one sensor.

[0073] Clause 20: A system according to any one of Clauses 17 to 19, wherein a corresponding value indicating the CO2 level of the air in the compartment is associated with a timestamp, and the value of at least one of a plurality of sensors indicating the CO2 level of the air in the compartment includes the change in the CO2 level of the air in the compartment over a period of time.

[0074] The various electronic devices described in this disclosure may be implemented as one or more ASICs, magnetic non-volatile RAM or other types of memory, mixed-signal integrated circuits, central processing units (CPUs), FPGAs, microcontrollers, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), system-on-a-chip (SoCs), sub-segments of any of the above, interconnected or distributed combinations of any of the above, or any other type of component or one or more components capable of performing the techniques described herein.

[0075] The functions performed by the electronic devices associated with the device system described herein may be implemented, at least in part, by hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. For example, aspects of this technology may be implemented within one or more processors, including one or more microprocessors, DSPs, ASICs, FPGAs, or any other equivalent integrated or discrete logic circuits, and any combination of such components embodied in the electronic devices comprising the system described herein. The terms “processor,” “processing device,” or “processing circuit” can generally refer to any of the aforementioned logic circuits, alone or in combination with other logic circuits, or any other equivalent circuit.

[0076] Such hardware, software, and firmware can be implemented within the same device or in separate devices to support the various operations and functions described in this disclosure. Furthermore, any of the described units, modules, or components can be implemented together or individually as discrete but interoperable logic devices. Describing different features as modules or units is intended to highlight different functional aspects and does not necessarily mean that such modules or units must be implemented by separate hardware or software components. Rather, the functionality associated with one or more modules or units can be performed by separate hardware or software components, or integrated within shared or separate hardware or software components.

[0077] When implemented in software, the functionality of the apparatus and systems described herein may be embodied in instructions on a computer-readable medium, such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, magnetic data storage media, optical data storage media, etc. The executable instructions support one or more aspects of the functionality described in this disclosure. The computer-readable medium may be non-transitory.

[0078] Various aspects of this disclosure have been described. These and other aspects are within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring air quality, the method comprising: At a centralized processing unit, signals indicating the values ​​of one or more air quality parameters of the air in the vehicle cabin are received from multiple sensors located in the vehicle cabin, wherein the multiple sensors include a first sensor located in a first area of ​​the vehicle cabin and a second sensor located in a second area of ​​the vehicle cabin that is different from the first area; The output is generated based on the values ​​of the one or more air quality parameters, wherein generating the output based on the values ​​of the air quality parameters includes generating an electronic signal based on the values ​​of the air quality parameters detected by the first sensor to control an environmental control system for the first area of ​​the vehicle cabin. A timestamp is assigned to each of the values ​​of the one or more air quality parameters; as well as The changes of the one or more air quality parameters over a period of time are determined based on the timestamp. The generation of the output includes generating the output based on the fact that the change of one or more air quality parameters over the period of time is greater than or equal to a threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the output comprises one or more of the following: Visual alarm indicator; Audible alarm indicator; Electronic signals used to control the environmental control system of the vehicle's cabin; or Electronic signals used to control the emergency safety system of the vehicle.

3. The method according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the one or more air quality parameters include ozone (O3) level, carbon dioxide (CO2) level, carbon monoxide (CO) level, volatile organic compound level, humidity level, or temperature.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: During the flight of the vehicle, the values ​​of one or more air quality parameters of the air in the vehicle are stored; as well as When the vehicle is on the ground, the values ​​of the one or more air quality parameters are transmitted to a processing device outside the vehicle.

5. A system comprising: A receiver circuit configured to receive values ​​of one or more air quality parameters of air in a vehicle cabin from a plurality of sensors located in a vehicle cabin, wherein the plurality of sensors include a first sensor located in a first area of ​​the vehicle cabin and a second sensor located in a second area of ​​the vehicle cabin that is different from the first area; and The processing circuit is configured to generate an output based on the values ​​of the one or more air quality parameters, wherein generating the output based on the values ​​of the air quality parameters includes generating an electronic signal based on the values ​​of the air quality parameters detected by the first sensor to control an environmental control system for the first area of ​​the vehicle cabin. The processing circuit is further configured to: Assign a timestamp to each of the values ​​of the one or more air quality parameters; and The changes of the one or more air quality parameters over a period of time are determined based on the timestamp. The generation of the output includes generating the output based on the fact that the change of one or more air quality parameters over the period of time is greater than or equal to a threshold.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the plurality of sensors includes a first sensor and a second sensor, and wherein the value of the one or more air quality parameters includes a first value of the air quality parameter from the first sensor and a second value of the air quality parameter from the second sensor.

7. The system according to any one of claims 5 to 6, wherein the plurality of sensors comprises an ozone (O3) level sensor, a carbon dioxide (CO2) sensor, a carbon monoxide (CO) sensor, a volatile organic compound level sensor, a humidity sensor, or a temperature sensor.

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