Cumulative harmful gas alarm device, device and method for reducing harmful gas concentration

Abstract

The present invention relates to a harmful gas alarm device, a device and a method for reducing the concentration of harmful gases. The alarm device includes: at least two gas sensors, which are arranged in a space and used to detect at least two gas components in the space; a data processing unit, which is used to estimate the content of gas components accumulated in the human body in the space based on these data, and to judge whether the air in the space is harmful to human health based on the accumulated content of gas components; and an alarm unit, which is configured to send out a warning signal when it is judged that the air in the space is harmful to human health. The embodiment of the present invention determines the level of damage to human health caused by harmful gases by estimating the amount of harmful gases in the human body in real time, and accordingly sends out a warning signal or starts a related system to reduce the concentration of harmful gases.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a hazardous gas alarm device, a device and method for reducing the concentration of hazardous gases. Background Art

[0002] Harmful gases are gases that adversely affect the health of humans or animals, or the ecological environment. They typically include toxic gases, flammable gases, and asphyxiating gases. There are many types of harmful gases, and the mechanisms by which they harm the human body vary.

[0003] Some harmful gases can affect human respiration. Human respiration is accomplished through the binding and separation of hemoglobin with oxygen and carbon dioxide. In the lungs, hemoglobin separates from carbon dioxide and binds with oxygen. In tissues and organs, hemoglobin separates from oxygen and binds with carbon dioxide. In this way, oxygen from the air is delivered to tissues and organs, and carbon dioxide produced by tissues and organs is released back into the air. Any interference with this process will have serious consequences. Nitrogen itself is non-toxic, but when the concentration of nitrogen is too high, it will reduce the concentration of oxygen in the air. Nitrogen crowds out oxygen, causing people to be unable to inhale enough oxygen, and hemoglobin in the body cannot bind enough oxygen, resulting in hypoxia. Carbon dioxide itself is non-toxic, but when the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air is too high, hemoglobin in the body cannot separate from carbon dioxide, and therefore cannot bind with new oxygen. Even if the oxygen content in the air is sufficient, hemoglobin cannot bind with it, resulting in hypoxia. Carbon monoxide is even more dangerous. Carbon monoxide has a much stronger ability to bind with hemoglobin than oxygen, and it is very difficult to separate from it. Once carbon monoxide enters the human body, it quickly binds to hemoglobin. At this point, even if there is sufficient oxygen in the air, there is not enough hemoglobin to bind with it, causing hypoxia in the human body.

[0004] For example, during cold weather, many car owners leave their engines idling to warm up their vehicles while parked and seated. The exhaust fumes may contain carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and hydrocarbons. If the vehicle is poorly designed, such as a large truck where the exhaust pipe is closer to the cab, or in enclosed environments like underground or enclosed garages, the harmful gases produced by the engine can pose a significant hazard to drivers and passengers.

[0005] In existing technologies, various hazardous gas detection and alarm devices are widely used to detect hazardous gases in various environments. Some detection devices can simply alarm based on the concentration of a certain hazardous gas, issuing an alarm when the concentration of the hazardous gas in the air exceeds the standard. However, depending on the different toxic principles of gases, simple concentration alarms have a high probability of false alarms or missed detections. For example, for carbon monoxide alarms, because carbon monoxide readily binds to hemoglobin, even very low concentrations of carbon monoxide can accumulate in the human body. If the alarm threshold is set too high, it is very likely that by the time the gas concentration reaches the alarm threshold, a large amount of carbon monoxide has already accumulated in the body, causing poisoning and rendering the alarm meaningless. If the alarm threshold is set too low, it is easy to trigger the alarm in scenarios such as traffic jams, causing false alarms and inconveniencing users.

[0006] Furthermore, in some scenarios, there may be more than one type of harmful gas. While individual gases may not be sufficient to trigger an alarm threshold, the combined effect of multiple harmful gases can cause significant harm to the human body. For example, keeping an engine idling in a closed garage causes it to consume oxygen, resulting in a decrease in oxygen concentration. Engine combustion produces carbon dioxide, affecting the separation of hemoglobin from carbon dioxide. Incomplete combustion of a small amount of fuel produces carbon monoxide, further poisoning the human body. These three factors can act together. While each factor alone may not be sufficient to be considered harmful, their combined effect can cause serious harm. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of this invention is to provide a hazardous gas alarm device and method to overcome at least one of the defects in the prior art as described above.

[0008] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for automatically reducing the concentration of harmful gases.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a hazardous gas alarm device is provided, comprising: at least two gas sensors disposed in a space and configured to detect at least two different gas components in the space; an input unit configured to input auxiliary data related to the altitude, temperature, air pressure of the space, and at least one of the gender, age, and ethnicity of the person; and a data processing unit configured to perform cumulative calculations and elimination calculations on the concentration of hazardous gases based on the absorption and metabolic characteristics of the human body to the hazardous gas components, and to receive data of different gas components detected by the gas sensors, and to accumulate data based on the absorption characteristics of the human body to the hazardous gases. The system calculates the amount of inhaled harmful gases and the amount of harmful gases exhaled by the human body based on the body's metabolic characteristics of harmful gases. It also estimates the content of different gas components accumulated in the body of the person within the space, and summarizes the content of the different gas components accumulated in the body with the auxiliary data input by the input unit to estimate the combined effect of the different gas components accumulated in the body on the person to determine whether the air in the space has reached a level that is harmful to the person's health. An alarm unit is configured to issue a warning signal in the form of sound and / or light when the data processing unit determines that the air in the space has reached a level that is harmful to the person's health.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method for alarming against harmful gases is also provided, comprising: detecting data of at least two different gas components in a space; inputting auxiliary data related to at least one of the altitude, temperature, air pressure, and gender, age, and ethnicity of the person in the space; performing accumulation and elimination calculations on the concentration of harmful gases based on the absorption and metabolic characteristics of the human body to the harmful gas components; receiving the data of the different gas components, accumulating the amount of harmful gases inhaled by the human body based on the absorption characteristics of the human body to the harmful gases, and eliminating the amount of harmful gases exhaled by the human body based on the metabolic characteristics of the human body to the harmful gases, and estimating the content of the different gas components accumulated in the body of the person in the space; summarizing the estimated content of the different gas components accumulated in the body and the auxiliary data input by the input unit, and estimating the combined effect of the different gas components accumulated in the body on the person to determine whether the air in the space has reached a level that is harmful to the person's health; and when it is determined that the air in the space has reached a level that is harmful to the person's health, generating a control signal to issue a warning in the form of sound and / or light.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus for alarming against harmful gases is also provided, comprising: a memory for storing instructions; and a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a method for alarming against harmful gases according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions is also provided, which, when executed by a processor of a computer, cause the processor to perform a method for alarming against harmful gases according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus for automatically reducing the concentration of harmful gases inside a space is also provided, comprising: at least two gas sensors configured to detect data of at least two different gas components in the space; an input unit configured to input auxiliary data related to the altitude, temperature, air pressure of the space, and at least one of the gender, age, and ethnicity of the person; and a controller configured to perform accumulation and elimination calculations on the concentration of harmful gases based on the absorption and metabolic characteristics of the human body, and to receive data of the different gas components, and to accumulate the concentration of harmful gases inhaled by the human body based on the absorption characteristics of the human body. The system estimates the amount of different gas components accumulated in the body of a person within the space, based on the amount of harmful gases eliminated by the human body according to the metabolic characteristics of harmful gases; it then summarizes the estimated amount of the different gas components accumulated in the body and the auxiliary data input by the input unit to estimate the combined effect of the different gas components accumulated in the body on the person to determine whether the air in the space has reached a level that is harmful to the person's health; and when it is determined that the air in the space has reached a level that is harmful to the person's health, it sends a control signal to at least one system that can be used to reduce the concentration of harmful gases to perform operations related to reducing the concentration of harmful gases.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method for automatically reducing the concentration of harmful gases inside a space is also provided, comprising: detecting at least two different gas components in the space; inputting auxiliary data related to at least one of the altitude, temperature, air pressure, and gender, age, and ethnicity of the person in the space; performing accumulation and elimination calculations on the concentration of harmful gases based on the absorption and metabolic characteristics of the human body to the harmful gas components; receiving data on the different gas components, accumulating the amount of harmful gases inhaled by the human body based on the absorption characteristics of the human body to the harmful gases, and eliminating the amount of harmful gases exhaled by the human body based on the metabolic characteristics of the human body to the harmful gases, and estimating the content of the different gas components accumulated in the body of the person in the space; summarizing the estimated content of the different gas components accumulated in the body and the auxiliary data input by the input unit, estimating the combined effect of the different gas components accumulated in the body on the person to determine whether the air in the space has reached a level that is harmful to the person's health; and when it is determined that the air in the space has reached a level that is harmful to the person's health, sending a control signal to at least one system that can be used to reduce the concentration of harmful gases to perform operations related to reducing the concentration of harmful gases.

[0015] The embodiments of the present invention are further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a structural block diagram of a hazardous gas alarm device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of a hazardous gas alarm method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a method for automatically reducing the concentration of harmful gases inside a space according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 4 This is a structural block diagram of a device for automatically reducing the concentration of harmful gases inside a space according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 5 This is an example flowchart of a process for processing concentration data of harmful gases acquired by multiple harmful gas sensors according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 6 This is another example of a processing flow diagram for the concentration data of harmful gases acquired by multiple harmful gas sensors according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0022] Figure 1This is a structural block diagram of a hazardous gas alarm device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 The alarm device 100 shown includes: at least two gas sensors 110, 112, ..., 118, disposed in a space and configured to detect at least two different gas components (e.g., gas concentrations) in the space; a data processing unit 120, configured to receive data on the different gas components detected by the gas sensors, estimate the content of the different gas components accumulated in a person's body within the space based on this data, and determine whether the air in the space has reached a level harmful to human health based on the content of the different gas components accumulated in the person's body; and an alarm unit 130, configured to issue a warning signal in the form of sound and / or light when the data processing unit 120 determines that the air in the space has reached a level harmful to human health. The alarm unit 130 may include a speaker for emitting a warning sound and / or a light emitter for emitting flashing light or light of a specific color as a warning signal. However, the invention is not limited to this; any other method may be used to issue a warning signal to inform a person in the space that the air in the space is harmful to human health, prompting them to take relevant measures, such as removing the harmful gases from the space. The space described herein can be the interior space of a car, ship or aircraft, the interior space of a house, a basement, a mine, a tunnel, etc.; the space can be enclosed or have windows and / or doors.

[0023] In embodiments of the present invention, the data processing unit 120 determines, based on the content of different gas components accumulated in the human body, whether the combined effect of these different gas components will harm human health. It should be noted that, in embodiments of the present invention, the gas sensor is not limited to a sensor for detecting harmful gases, but may also include a sensor for detecting beneficial gases (such as oxygen). This allows the data processing unit 120 to determine the overall combined effect of various gas components in the space on human health.

[0024] In embodiments of the present invention, the data processing unit 120 estimates the common harmful effects of different gaseous components accumulated in the human body by applying weights related to the degree of harm caused by different gaseous components to the human body, based on the content of these components. For example, common harmful gases such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, toluene, formaldehyde, and PM2.5 have different degrees of harm to the human body, and corresponding weights can be assigned to them respectively. Additionally, while oxygen in the space is beneficial to human health, low oxygen concentrations are also detrimental; a weight can be assigned to the harm caused by low-oxygen air. This allows for the comprehensive estimation of the common harmful effects of all gases in the space. It should be noted that external environmental factors (such as altitude, temperature, and air pressure) and user factors (such as age, gender, and race) can affect the human body's absorption and metabolism of gases, and these factors will also correspondingly affect the weights of the gases' harm to human health. In one example, a weight database can be established based on experimental and medical experience, including the weights of various gases' harm to human health under the influence of various user factors and external environmental factors, as well as combinations of weights. In practical applications, the weight combination can be selected based on factors such as altitude, air pressure, temperature, age, and gender.

[0025] In embodiments of the present invention, the data processing unit 120 further accumulates the level of health damage caused by different gas components to humans within a space based on the human body's absorption characteristics of different gas components, and subtracts the level of health damage caused to humans based on the human body's metabolic characteristics of different gas components. The data processing unit 120 can thus calculate the level of health damage caused by various different gas components within a space. For example, various harmful gas accumulation models and metabolic models can be established based on the human body's absorption and metabolic characteristics of harmful gas components. These models can be used to estimate the amount of harmful gas components stored in the human body by performing accumulation and elimination calculations on the concentration of harmful gases. Then, by applying different weights for human health damage to different harmful gases, the level of health damage caused by these harmful gas reserves can be calculated.

[0026] In embodiments of the present invention, the data processing unit 120 further determines whether the air in the space reaches a level harmful to human health based on at least one of the following factors: altitude, temperature, air pressure, and the gender, age, and race of the people in the space. These factors at least partially affect the human body's absorption and metabolic characteristics of harmful gas components. For example, young people generally have a stronger ability to metabolize harmful gases than older people.

[0027] In embodiments of the present invention, the device 100 may further include an input unit 140 configured to input data related to at least one of the following: altitude, temperature, air pressure, and gender, age, and ethnicity of a person. This data is input from the input unit 140 (e.g., manually or otherwise) to the data processing unit 120 and can be used to determine the level of harm to human health caused by the air in the space under the influence of these factors. The input unit 140 may also be used to input other relevant data to the data processing unit 120 or to perform control and setting operations on the device 100.

[0028] In embodiments of the present invention, gas sensors 110, 112, ..., 118 include at least two of the following sensors: a carbon monoxide sensor, a carbon dioxide sensor, a fine particulate matter sensor, an oxygen sensor, a hydrocarbon sensor, a nitrogen oxide sensor, a sulfur oxide sensor, a combustible gas sensor, and a volatile organic compound sensor. These sensors are used to detect the concentrations of gaseous components such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, fine particulate matter, oxygen, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, combustible gases (such as gasoline vapors, methane, etc.), and volatile organic compounds in a space. These gas sensors are exemplary, and the present invention is not limited to these gas sensors; sensors for detecting the concentrations of other gases that affect human health can also be used. Furthermore, one or more sensors for detecting the same gas can be installed in a space. Gas sensors can also be selected for common harmful gases. For example, in China, common air pollutants include PM2.5 (which is in aerosol form and can also be classified as a harmful gas), carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide; therefore, a carbon monoxide sensor, a carbon dioxide sensor, and a fine particulate matter sensor can generally be used.

[0029] In one example, a gas sensor can be installed on a vehicle, such as in the vehicle's air conditioning system. Properly arranging the installation locations of multiple sensors can better eliminate gas composition detection errors. Due to the diffusion characteristics of gases and the confined space inside a vehicle, gas concentrations at different locations tend to become more uniform over a longer timescale. This is especially true when multiple sensors are present, allowing for relatively accurate detection results.

[0030] In an embodiment of the present invention, when the data processing unit 120 determines that the air in the space has reached a level that is harmful to human health, the data processing unit 120 sends a control signal to at least one system that can be used to reduce the concentration of harmful gases, so that the at least one system performs an operation related to reducing the concentration of harmful gases in the space. For example, the at least one system that can be used to reduce the concentration of harmful gases may be an air conditioning system, an air purifier system, an automatic door and window opening and closing system, a ventilation system, and a fresh air system, etc.

[0031] In embodiments of the present invention, the space is the interior space of a vehicle; the system for reducing the concentration of harmful gases includes at least one of the vehicle's engine control system, air conditioning control system, window control system, in-vehicle air purifier control system, ventilation control system, and fresh air control system; the control signals include control signals for shutting off the vehicle engine and activating at least one of the air conditioning, windows, air purifier, ventilation device, and fresh air device. The above systems and their control signals are exemplary, and the present invention is not limited to the use of these systems and control signals.

[0032] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of a hazardous gas alarm method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 The method 200 shown includes: detecting data of at least two different gas components in the space (step 210); estimating the content of different gas components accumulated in a person's body in the space based on the received data of different gas components (step 220); determining whether the air in the space has reached a level that is harmful to human health based on the content of different gas components accumulated in the human body (step 230); and generating a control signal that issues a warning in the form of sound and / or light when it is determined that the air in the space has reached a level that is harmful to human health (step 240).

[0033] It should be understood that method 200 can be further implemented by combining it with various technical solutions of other embodiments of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a method for automatically reducing the concentration of harmful gases inside a space according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 The method 300 shown includes: detecting at least two different gas components in the space (step 310); estimating the content of the different gas components accumulated in a person's body in the space based on data of the detected different gas components (such as gas concentration data) (step 320); determining whether the air in the space has reached a level that is harmful to human health based on the estimated content of the different gas components accumulated in the human body (step 330); and when it is determined that the air in the space has reached a level that is harmful to human health, sending a control signal to at least one system that can be used to reduce the concentration of harmful gases to perform operations related to reducing the concentration of harmful gases (step 340).

[0035] It should be understood that method 300 can be further implemented by combining it with various technical solutions of other embodiments of the present invention. For example, method 300 may also include... Figure 2 Step 240 is a similar step, namely, when it is determined that the air in the space has reached a level that is harmful to human health, a control signal is generated to issue a warning in the form of sound and / or light.

[0036] Figure 4 This is a structural block diagram of a device for automatically reducing the concentration of harmful gases inside a space, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 The illustrated device 400 includes: at least two gas sensors 410, 412, ... 418, configured to detect at least two different gas components in a space; a controller 420, configured to estimate the content of different gas components accumulated in a person's body within the space based on received data of different gas components (such as gas concentration data); determine whether the air in the space has reached a level harmful to human health based on the content of different gas components accumulated in the person's body; and when it is determined that the air in the space has reached a level harmful to human health, send a control signal to at least one of the systems 440, 450, ... 490 that can be used to reduce the concentration of harmful gases to perform operations related to reducing the concentration of harmful gases.

[0037] In embodiments of the present invention, the system 440, 450, ... 490 used to reduce the concentration of harmful gases includes at least one of an air conditioning system, a door and window opening and closing control system, an air purifier control system, a ventilation system, and a fresh air system; the control signal includes a control signal for turning on at least one of the air conditioning system, door and window opening and closing control system, air purifier, ventilation system, and fresh air system.

[0038] In embodiments of the present invention, the space may be the interior space of a vehicle, and the system 440, 450, ... 490 used to reduce the concentration of harmful gases includes at least one of the following systems: vehicle engine system, air conditioning system, window opening and closing system, and in-vehicle air purifier system; the control signal includes a control signal for turning off the vehicle engine and turning on at least one of the air conditioning, windows, and air purifier.

[0039] In addition to sending control signals, controller 420 and Figure 1 The data processing unit 120 shown has essentially the same function. It should be understood that the device 400 can be further implemented by combining it with various technical solutions from other embodiments of the present invention. For example, the controller 120 may also be connected to the alarm unit 430 and the input unit 432. The functions of the alarm unit 430 and the input unit 432 are similar to... Figure 1 The alarm unit 130 shown is similar to the input unit 140.

[0040] Figure 5 This is an example flowchart of a process for processing concentration data of harmful gases acquired by multiple harmful gas sensors according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5The processing flow 500 shown includes processes executed sequentially from left to right in the direction of the arrows. First, gas sensors installed within the space (i.e., hazardous gas sensors 501, 502, and 503 shown in the figure) continuously acquire concentration data for three different hazardous gases (hazardous gas 1, hazardous gas 2, and hazardous gas 3) within the space, as shown in the concentration curves over time. The concentration of hazardous gases varies due to various factors such as the state of the hazardous gas source, the space's ventilation status, airflow, and external climate. Since the principles by which each hazardous gas harms the human body, as well as the human body's absorption and metabolic characteristics, differ, different models can be established for different hazardous gases, namely, the hazardous gas 1 model, the hazardous gas 2 model, and the hazardous gas 3 model. In the data processing unit (e.g., ... Figure 1 The data processing unit 120 shown or Figure 4 In the controller 420 shown, the acquired harmful gas concentration data is input into the corresponding model. Simultaneously, other auxiliary data related to external factors can also be input into the model. These auxiliary data include, for example, the altitude, air pressure, and temperature of the space, as well as the age and gender of people within the space. This data helps the model understand more about the human body's absorption and metabolism of harmful gases. Each model accumulates the amount of harmful gases inhaled by the human body based on its absorption characteristics, and the amount of harmful gases exhaled by the human body based on its metabolic characteristics, and then can calculate the current level of harmful gases accumulated in the human body.

[0041] Different harmful gases, due to their varying degrees of harm to the human body, can be assigned different weights in their overall harmful effects on human health, in order to estimate the combined damage of various gases. After calculating the current accumulation of harmful gases in the human body, the contents of various harmful gases in the human body are weighted according to their degree of harm (such as weight 1, weight 2, and weight 3), and then input into the aggregation model 510 for aggregation, in order to estimate the combined harmful effects of different harmful gases accumulated in the human body on the human body, thereby determining whether an alarm is needed and what level of alarm to trigger; finally, the alarm unit 520 can be controlled to trigger an alarm.

[0042] When estimating the combined harm of various gases, the aggregation model 510 can also input other auxiliary data related to external factors (such as altitude, air pressure, and temperature) and user factors (such as age and gender). This data can help the model understand more about the human body's tolerance to harmful gases. For example, the elderly and children have lower tolerance to harmful gases, and alarms should be triggered earlier or relevant actions should be initiated to reduce the concentration of harmful gases. In one example, when the estimated harm of different harmful gases accumulated in the human body is low, the alarm unit 520 can simply activate the flashing device. When the estimated harm is moderate, the alarm unit 520 can activate the flashing device and simultaneously emit an audible alarm to prompt the person to take relevant actions, such as manually opening doors and windows, turning on exhaust fans or air purifiers, or leaving the space. When the estimated harm is high, the model can simultaneously activate the air conditioner, air purifier, ventilation device, and fresh air device in the space by sending corresponding control signals to reduce the concentration of harmful gases in the space, along with the audible and visual alarm.

[0043] Figure 6 This is another example flowchart illustrating the processing of concentration data of hazardous gases acquired by multiple hazardous gas sensors according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, common hazardous gases such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide are used as examples. Figure 6 The processing flow 600 shown includes processes executed sequentially from left to right in the direction of the arrows.

[0044] First, carbon monoxide sensor 601 and carbon dioxide sensor 602, installed within the space, detect the gas concentrations of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, respectively. The detected carbon monoxide concentration data is then input into a carbon monoxide accumulation model and a carbon monoxide metabolism model, respectively. Depending on the characteristics of different harmful gases, the types of models may vary considerably. Some harmful substances have very clear metabolic patterns; for example, carbon monoxide undergoes almost no conversion within the human body. When the concentration is high, it enters the body through the lungs and accumulates; when the concentration is low, it is metabolized and excreted through the lungs. For instance, the metabolism of carbon monoxide in the human body is almost entirely completed in its original form. That is, when the carbon monoxide concentration in the environment is high, it is absorbed into the body; when the concentration is extremely low, it is expelled through respiration. The difference between the total absorbed amount and the total excreted amount represents the total amount of harmful gases in the body.

[0045] Harmful substances like carbon monoxide can be modeled using simple linear models. Therefore, both carbon monoxide accumulation models and carbon monoxide metabolism models can use linear models.

[0046] Carbon dioxide differs from carbon monoxide in that it can be ingested from the external environment or produced by the human body itself, and the rate of carbon dioxide production varies greatly depending on temperature, age, and exercise status. Therefore, models for carbon dioxide accumulation and metabolism are highly complex. In embodiments of this invention, nonlinear models, such as neural networks, can be used for fitting the carbon dioxide accumulation and metabolism models.

[0047] To understand the process of human metabolism and absorption of harmful gases, models can be derived from animal experiments, medical experience, clinical trials, or machine learning methods. For each harmful gas, there may be multiple accumulation and metabolic models, and the most suitable model can be selected based on user information and external environmental information (such as altitude, air pressure, temperature, age, and gender). However, at any given time, only one accumulation model and one metabolic model will be used.

[0048] It is important to note that there are many types of gas accumulation and metabolism models available. In addition to linear models and nonlinear models represented by neural networks, there may also be pre-measured and prepared data tables (such as those containing gas concentration data, corresponding gas accumulation and metabolism data). When in use, the data processing unit directly queries the data table based on the sensor data to estimate the current content of harmful gases accumulated and metabolized in the human body.

[0049] By using accumulation and metabolic models to summarize the body's internal reserves, the body reserves of various gases can be obtained separately. For example, the body reserves of carbon monoxide can be obtained by summarizing the body reserves of carbon monoxide, and the body reserves of carbon dioxide can be obtained by summarizing the body reserves of carbon dioxide. Then, the summarization model 610 summarizes the body reserves of various gases.

[0050] The aggregation model 610 summarizes the effects of various harmful substances (such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide) on human health based on the amount of each substance present in the body. It then combines this with user information and external environmental information to generate a final impact factor corresponding to the degree of harm to human health. The impact factor ranges from 0 to 1, where 0 indicates no adverse effect on human health and 1 indicates a fatal effect. Because the aggregation model 610 needs to consider a large number of combinations of harmful substances, linear models are clearly insufficient to solve this problem; therefore, nonlinear models such as neural networks are preferred. Similarly, multiple models may exist as the aggregation model 610, and one model can be selected based on different user and external environmental conditions.

[0051] While the amount of harmful gases in the human body can cause harm, the degree of harm determines whether the alarm device 620 will sound. Both user factors and external environmental factors can affect this degree of harm. For example, a young adult can tolerate a high concentration of carbon dioxide in the air with minimal harm, and the output impact factor might be 0; however, for an elderly person, the same concentration could be harmful to their health, and the output impact factor might be 0.6. The threshold for triggering the alarm can be set by the user or preset by the manufacturer. For instance, in cities with extremely severe pollution, this threshold can be appropriately increased to avoid frequent alarms that unduly disturb the user.

[0052] The alarm device 620 can prompt relevant personnel to take appropriate actions based on the final impact factor value generated by the summary model 610. For example, when the impact factor is extremely low, such as 0.1, it is only detrimental to health. After being prompted by the alarm signal, the user can manually stop the alarm to avoid disturbing the user. If the impact factor is high, such as 0.5, the alarm device 620 can be configured to emit an uninterrupted and inaudible alarm sound to prompt the user to perform relevant operations to reduce the concentration of harmful gases, such as opening car windows, turning on the air purifier, turning on the air conditioner, and turning off the engine, in an attempt to reduce the final impact factor. If the impact factor remains high and cannot be reduced, it can be considered that the user's health is in danger, and the alarm device 620 can automatically call for emergency medical assistance. In one example, the alarm device 620 can be equipped with a display unit to display the degree of harm of harmful gases in the air to human health (such as the impact factor).

[0053] The embodiments of the present invention are applicable to the monitoring of harmful gases in various occupied spaces, and the level of harm to human health can be determined by estimating the amount of harmful gases in the human body in real time. Accordingly, alarm signals can be issued or relevant systems can be activated directly to reduce the concentration of harmful gases in order to protect the health of people in the space.

[0054] The embodiments of this invention are particularly suitable for monitoring and alarming harmful gases inside vehicles and automatically reducing the concentration of harmful gases. When applied to vehicles, the embodiments of this invention require no additional hardware besides the gas sensor; only sensor data processing software is needed. For already sold vehicle models, the alarm and control functions of this invention can be supported via over-the-air (OTA) software upgrades. The embodiments of this invention can monitor various common harmful gases inside vehicles with high accuracy and low false alarm rate. When monitoring the hazards of harmful gases, the embodiments of this invention can handle the combined effects of multiple harmful gases or factors, and the alarm conditions can be fine-tuned according to different climatic conditions (such as altitude, temperature, and air pressure) and different human conditions (gender, age, and race).

[0055] The above descriptions are exemplary embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that various modifications, alterations, and changes can be made to the various embodiments disclosed above without departing from the spirit of the invention, and all such modifications, alterations, and changes should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A harmful gas alarm device, comprising: at least two gas sensors disposed in a space and configured to detect at least two different gas components in the space; An input unit configured to input auxiliary data related to at least one of the altitude, temperature, air pressure of the space, and gender, age, and race of a person; a data processing unit configured to perform accumulation calculation and elimination calculation on the concentration of harmful gases according to the absorption characteristics and metabolic characteristics of the human body to harmful gas components, receive data of different gas components detected by the gas sensor, accumulate the amount of harmful gases inhaled by the human body based on the absorption characteristics of the human body to harmful gases, and eliminate the amount of harmful gases exhaled by the human body based on the metabolic characteristics of the human body to harmful gases, estimate the content of the different gas components accumulated in the body of the person in the space, summarize the content of the different gas components accumulated in the body and the auxiliary data input by the input unit, estimate the joint effect of the different gas components accumulated in the body on the person to determine whether the air in the space reaches a level that is harmful to the health of the person; as well as The alarm unit is configured to send out a warning signal in the form of sound and / or light when the data processing unit determines that the air in the space has reached a level that is harmful to the health of the person.

2. The harmful gas alarm device according to claim 1, wherein: The gas sensor includes at least two of the following sensors: a carbon monoxide sensor, a carbon dioxide sensor, an air fine particle sensor, an oxygen sensor, a hydrocarbon sensor, a nitrogen oxide sensor, a sulfur oxide sensor, a combustible gas sensor, and a volatile organic compound sensor.

3. The harmful gas alarm device according to claim 1, wherein: When the data processing unit determines that the air in the space has reached a level that is harmful to the health of the person, the data processing unit sends a control signal to at least one system that can be used to reduce the concentration of harmful gases, so that the at least one system performs operations related to reducing the concentration of harmful gases in the space.

4. The harmful gas alarm device according to claim 3, wherein: The system that can be used to reduce the concentration of harmful gases includes at least one of an air-conditioning system, a door and window opening and closing control system, an air purifier control system, a ventilation system, and a fresh air system; the control signal includes a control signal for turning on at least one of the air-conditioning, doors and windows, air purifiers, ventilation systems, and fresh air systems.

5. The harmful gas alarm device according to claim 3, wherein: The space is the interior space of the vehicle, and the system that can be used to reduce the concentration of harmful gases includes at least one of the vehicle engine system, air conditioning system, window opening and closing system, and in-vehicle air purifier system; the control signal includes a control signal for shutting down the vehicle engine and turning on at least one of the air conditioning, window, and air purifier.

6. A method for alarming against harmful gases, comprising: detecting data of at least two different gas components in the space; inputting auxiliary data related to the altitude, temperature, air pressure of the space, and at least one of the gender, age, and race of a person; According to the absorption and metabolism characteristics of harmful gas components by the human body, the concentration of harmful gases is accumulated and eliminated respectively; Receiving data of the different gas components, accumulating the amount of harmful gas inhaled by the human body based on the absorption characteristics of the human body for harmful gas, and eliminating the amount of harmful gas exhaled by the human body based on the metabolic characteristics of the human body for harmful gas, and estimating the content of the different gas components accumulated in the body of the person in the space; Summarizing the estimated contents of the different gas components accumulated in the body and the auxiliary data input by the input unit, estimating the combined effects of the different gas components accumulated in the body on the person to determine whether the air in the space has reached a level that is harmful to the health of the person; as well as When it is determined that the air in the space has reached a level that is harmful to the health of the person, a control signal is generated to issue a warning in the form of sound and / or light.

7. A method for automatically reducing the concentration of harmful gases inside a space, comprising: detecting at least two different gas components within the space; inputting auxiliary data related to the altitude, temperature, air pressure of the space, and at least one of the gender, age, and race of a person; According to the absorption and metabolism characteristics of harmful gas components by the human body, the concentration of harmful gases is accumulated and eliminated respectively; Receiving data of the different gas components, accumulating the amount of harmful gas inhaled by the human body based on the absorption characteristics of the human body for harmful gas, and eliminating the amount of harmful gas exhaled by the human body based on the metabolic characteristics of the human body for harmful gas, and estimating the content of the different gas components accumulated in the body of the person in the space; Summarizing the estimated contents of the different gas components accumulated in the body and the auxiliary data input by the input unit, estimating the combined effects of the different gas components accumulated in the body on the person to determine whether the air in the space has reached a level that is harmful to the health of the person; as well as When it is determined that the air in the space has reached a level that is harmful to the health of the person, a control signal is sent to at least one system that can be used to reduce the concentration of harmful gases to perform operations related to reducing the concentration of harmful gases.

8. A device for alarming harmful gases, comprising: a memory for storing instructions; as well as A processor coupled to the memory, the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the method according to claim 6 or 7.

9. A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions which, when executed by a processor of a computer, cause the processor to perform the method according to claim 6 or 7.

10. A device for automatically reducing the concentration of harmful gases in a space, comprising: at least two gas sensors configured to detect data of at least two different gas components in a space within the space; An input unit configured to input auxiliary data related to at least one of the altitude, temperature, air pressure of the space, and gender, age, and race of a person; The controller is configured to perform accumulation calculation and elimination calculation on the concentration of harmful gases according to the absorption characteristics and metabolic characteristics of the human body to the harmful gas components, receive data of the different gas components, accumulate the amount of harmful gases inhaled by the human body based on the absorption characteristics of the human body to the harmful gases, and eliminate the amount of harmful gases exhaled by the human body based on the metabolic characteristics of the human body to the harmful gases, and estimate the content of the different gas components accumulated in the body of the person in the space; summarize the estimated content of the different gas components accumulated in the body and the auxiliary data input by the input unit, estimate the joint effect of the different gas components accumulated in the body on the person to determine whether the air in the space has reached a level that is harmful to the health of the person; And when it is determined that the air in the space has reached a level that is harmful to the health of the person, a control signal is sent to at least one system that can be used to reduce the concentration of harmful gases to perform operations related to reducing the concentration of harmful gases.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein: The system that can be used to reduce the concentration of harmful gases includes at least one of an air-conditioning system, a door and window opening and closing control system, an air purifier control system, a ventilation system, and a fresh air system; the control signal includes a control signal for turning on at least one of the air-conditioning, doors and windows, air purifiers, ventilation systems, and fresh air systems.

12. The device according to claim 10, wherein: The space is the interior space of the vehicle, and the system that can be used to reduce the concentration of harmful gases includes at least one of the vehicle engine system, air conditioning system, window opening and closing system, and in-vehicle air purifier system; the control signal includes a control signal for shutting down the vehicle engine and turning on at least one of the air conditioning, window, and air purifier.

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