Personal air quality monitoring device

Abstract

Personal air quality monitoring device (10, 202) comprising: a housing suitable for physical connection with a person; an air inlet (42a) capable of directing an air flow from an environment outside the housing into at least one chamber (42b) within the housing; a plurality of sensors (40) located in the at least one chamber (42b) and configured to receive the airflow and measure air quality factors associated with the airflow; a user interface (14a, 14b, 114) configured to be recognizable by the person and comprising a display screen, and a communication system (22) configured to process the air quality factor measurements and to transmit the processed air quality factor measurements to the display screen (14a, 14b, 114), characterized in that the display screen (14a, 14b, 114) is configured to display different displays for different air quality factors, and wherein the personal air quality monitoring device (10, 202) is configured to receive selections entered by the user on the display screen, wherein the display screen (14a, 14b, 114) is further configured to display only the selected ones of the particular air quality factors.

Description

BACKGROUNDScope of Revelation

[0001] The disclosure relates to air quality and, more particularly, to a personal air quality monitoring device. Description of the background

[0002] The term "air quality" refers to the condition of the air in a particular environment. Good air quality usually refers to "clean," i.e., unpolluted air. Clean air is essential for the health of people, wildlife, plants, water, and soil. Poor air quality can result from a number of factors, including emissions from various sources, including natural and human-caused emissions. For example, emissions from motor vehicles, the combustion of fossil fuels, and emissions from livestock farming can significantly affect air quality. Poor air quality occurs when pollutants reach sufficiently high concentrations to endanger or adversely affect human health or the environment.

[0003] Good outdoor air quality is crucial for the well-being of people and the natural environment. On average, a person breathes approximately 14,000 liters of air daily, so the presence of significant pollutants in the inhaled air can have significant adverse health effects, either acutely or over time. It goes without saying that people with pre-existing respiratory and heart disease, diabetes, and the young and elderly are particularly at risk.

[0004] Studies have repeatedly shown that poor air quality also negatively impacts the natural environment. For example, ecological damage can occur when air pollutants come into direct contact with vegetation or are inhaled by animals. Pollutants can also settle from the air onto the soil and water. From the soil, the pollutants can be washed into waterways or absorbed by plants and animals. Furthermore, some pollutants have a warming effect on the atmosphere.

[0005] The harmful effects of poor air quality on human health and the environment, in turn, have negative economic consequences. Poor air quality can result in significant costs, such as hospitalizations and medical treatment, premature deaths, and work absences. Furthermore, damage to soil, vegetation, and water bodies can reduce agricultural productivity, and in urban areas, air pollution can be costly, for example, by disrupting traffic or travel or corroding equipment or buildings.

[0006] Ambient air quality refers to the quality of outdoor air. It is preferably measured at ground level, away from direct sources of pollution, and at an altitude relevant to human breathing. Accordingly, outdoor air quality stations are typically placed at various geographical locations near ground level, for example, by government agencies to monitor and collect air quality data.

[0007] Air quality can deteriorate when undesirable chemicals, substances, or materials are released into the air in sufficient quantities to cause harmful effects, such as those on the health of humans, plants, animals, buildings, equipment, and / or the environment. This is referred to as "air pollution," and the substances harmful to the air are referred to as "air pollutants." The severity of air pollution depends on the quantity of pollutants, the rate at which the pollutants are released from various sources, and how quickly the pollutants spread or, conversely, how long they are retained or trapped in an area.

[0008] Air pollutants can occur primarily in the form of gases or tiny solid particles such as dust, mold, smoke, soot, cigarette smoke, mites, pet dander, formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), or radon gas. Pollutants can originate from natural sources, such as volcanoes, but many are also caused by human and animal activities.

[0009] In areas with good airflow, pollutants mix with the air and dissipate quickly. However, when pollutants are trapped in an area, pollutant concentrations can rise rapidly. Pollutant entrapment can occur, for example, when weather conditions (e.g., light winds and / or a temperature inversion) and / or nearby terrain (e.g., mountains) restrict the movement of pollutants out of an area, resulting in poor air quality.

[0010] Air quality can be measured in two ways: either through continuous or discontinuous monitoring. With continuous monitoring, the air is constantly measured, and air quality data is continuously generated and stored. With discontinuous monitoring, the air is only monitored periodically, or pollutants are collected on a filter or in a container over a certain period of time. With discontinuous monitoring, data is only generated intermittently, according to the measurement period.

[0011] Therefore, there is a need for an air quality monitoring device that enables improved monitoring of air quality in locations that are most important to specific individuals and to the environment, either continuously or discontinuously.

[0012] Conventional air quality monitoring systems are disclosed in WO 2015 / 160830 A1 and CN 205 018 429 U. SUMMARY

[0013] The disclosed devices and systems provide at least one personal air quality monitoring device. The personal air quality monitoring device may include a housing suitable for physical connection to a person; an air inlet capable of directing an airflow from an environment external to the housing to a chamber within the housing; a plurality of sensors located within the chamber and capable of receiving the airflow and measuring air quality factors associated with the airflow; and a communication system capable of processing the air quality factor measurements and communicating the processed air quality factor measurements to a user interface recognizable by the person.

[0014] In particular, the disclosed examples of using the personal air quality monitoring device to monitor air quality may include providing air via an air access point to one or more air quality factor sensors of a personal, wearable air quality monitoring device; reading an air quality factor indicated by each of the one or more air quality factor sensors; processing the data from the one or more sensors into at least one indication of air quality; and displaying the at least one indication of air quality to a person connected to the personal, wearable air quality monitoring device.

[0015] In this way, the described embodiments provide an air quality monitoring device that enables improved monitoring of air quality in locations that are most important to particular individuals and to the environment, whether continuously or discontinuously. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE CHARACTERS

[0016] The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, embodiments are shown in the drawings by way of example. It should therefore be understood that the disclosure is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. Like numerals refer to like elements throughout the drawings. Fig. 1A is a diagram showing one embodiment of a personal, wearable air quality monitoring device; Fig. 1B is a diagram showing one embodiment of a personal, wearable air quality monitoring device; Fig. 1C is a diagram showing one embodiment of a personal, wearable air quality monitoring device; Fig. 2A is a diagram illustrating one embodiment of integrating a portable personal air quality monitoring device into a mobile device; Fig. 2B is a diagram illustrating one embodiment of a user interface of a portable personal air quality monitoring device integrated with a mobile device; Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating one embodiment of the connectivity of a portable, personal air quality monitoring device; Fig. 4 is a schematic block diagram showing a computer system in one embodiment; Fig. 5 is a diagram of one embodiment of a system utilizing multiple portable personal air quality monitoring devices; Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of using the personal air quality monitor to monitor air quality; and Fig. Figure 7 is an illustration of environmental options for a portable personal air quality monitoring device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The figures and descriptions contained herein may have been simplified to illustrate aspects relevant to a clear understanding of the devices and systems described herein, while other aspects found in typical similar devices and systems have been omitted for the sake of clarity. Those skilled in the art may therefore recognize that other elements and / or acts may be desirable and / or necessary to implement the devices and systems described herein. However, since such elements and acts are known in the art and do not facilitate understanding of the present disclosure, discussion of such elements and acts is omitted for the sake of brevity. However, it is contemplated that the present disclosure will nevertheless encompass all such elements, variations, and modifications of the described aspects that would be apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0018] Embodiments are provided throughout so that this disclosure will be sufficiently thorough and will fully convey the scope of the disclosed embodiments to those skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth, such as examples of specific components and devices, in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that certain specific details need not be employed and that the embodiments may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, the embodiments described herein should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure. As noted above, in some embodiments, well-known methods, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies may not be described in detail.

[0019] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. For example, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" as used herein include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms "comprising," "containing," "including," and "having" are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of certain features, integers, steps, acts, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, acts, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0020] When an element or layer is described as being "on," "engaging," "connected," or "coupled to" another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaging, connected, or coupled to the other element or layer, or there may be intervening elements or layers, unless clearly stated otherwise. In contrast, an element described as being "directly on," "directly engaging," "directly connected," or "directly coupled to" another element or layer may have no intervening elements or layers. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in the same way (e.g., "between" versus "directly between," "adjacent" versus "directly adjacent," etc.).In addition, the term “and / or” as used herein includes any combination of one or more of the listed elements.

[0021] Although the terms "first," "second," "third," etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers, and / or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers, and / or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may only be used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or section from another element, component, region, layer, or section. Terms such as "first," "second," and other numerical terms do not imply order unless clearly indicated by the context.Thus, a first element, component, region, layer, or portion discussed below could be referred to as a second element, component, region, layer, or portion without departing from the teachings of the embodiments.

[0022] Given the above-mentioned impacts of negative or poor air quality, maintaining acceptable levels of air quality is vital for public health, environmental well-being, and the success of businesses and governments, particularly for the elderly, young, and sick; for livestock farming and food procurement; for industrial profitability; for government support; and even for entire countries and the world. Although air quality monitoring can be important both in indoor spaces, such as offices, homes, airports, or sports halls, and outdoors, outdoor air quality monitoring is particularly important for a number of reasons, including that outdoor air is used by all of the aforementioned groups and because the air circulating indoors usually originates from the outside.

[0023] It is estimated that approximately half of the world's population lives in urban areas and suffers from significant levels of air pollution. Furthermore, an estimated 896,000,000 people in the world suffer from physical ailments caused by or exacerbated by air pollution. These individuals include allergy sufferers, asthmatics, and COPD patients. Furthermore, it is estimated that approximately 50,000,000 users regularly use fitness bands or activity trackers.

[0024] The disclosed embodiments are of great importance to all of the aforementioned individuals. This is due, in part, to the ability of the disclosed personal, wearable air quality monitoring device or system to monitor myriad air quality factors, such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ground-level ozone, particulate pollution, lead, UV radiation, pollen, etc., on-site for the user. These air quality factors are of great importance to urban dwellers, people suffering from physical ailments due to air quality, and fitness and activity enthusiasts, to name just a few.

[0025] The embodiments enable air quality monitoring in a more user-relevant manner than has previously been the case, i.e., the embodiments enable better air quality monitoring than the known, irregularly placed government sensors. Optimal air quality monitoring in locations where people are present is clearly not achieved by monitoring air quality with discrete, government-placed outdoor sensors, but by connecting air quality monitoring to the people on site in each environment on whose behalf the air quality should be monitored. Therefore, the disclosure provides air quality monitoring capabilities for connecting to people and their individual environments as the people move around, so that any current environment a person is in can be monitored.That is, if the user of the disclosed individual air quality monitoring device is in an office, in a restaurant, in a park while walking the dog, on a farm, in an airplane, at a sporting event, or the like, the air quality for the air consumed by that person at that time can be clearly monitored in that person's immediate environment.

[0026] Furthermore, the ability to independently monitor air quality may enable the provision of alerts or notifications to the user connected to the individual air quality monitoring device and may further enable the sharing of data generated by the individual air quality monitoring device, allowing users to additionally monitor environments in which those users are not currently present.This means that the air quality data and / or any alerts or notifications associated with that data can not only be made available to the user of the monitoring device, but can additionally be shared, for example by uploading it to a cloud community connected to a web-based thin client, desktop or mobile app, or similar, so that other users or non-users of the monitoring devices can assess the air quality in almost any environment, regardless of whether they are present in that environment at that time or not. Alerts can, for example, be visual, e.g. on a simple or complex display, audible, e.g. by one or more tones indicating one or more aspects of the air quality, tactile, e.g.by one or more types of vibrations indicating one or more aspects of air quality, on the device or external to the device, e.g. on a smartphone near the device, or by any other known means.

[0027] The capabilities described above can enable previously unknown proactivity: individual decisions for a healthier lifestyle; local and regional decisions to improve air quality; and the global management of environmental and atmospheric problems. For example, the monitoring device not only enables the user of the monitoring device and anyone with whom the monitoring device data is shared to avoid exposure or prolonged exposure to environments with poor air quality, but the described embodiments can further enable improved assessment of individuals, businesses, or places that negatively contribute to the environment, such as an assessment of those that significantly contribute to greenhouse gases, ozone depletion, and global warming, to name just one example.

[0028] In accordance with the foregoing, the disclosure of a mobile air quality monitoring device may include a personal, wearable, standalone monitoring device that may be connected, for example, to a bracelet, necklace, hairband, sweatband, or piece of clothing, and may include a mobile monitoring device that may be an integrated aspect of another device, such as integration into a watch, computer, mobile communication device, car, or wearable device, to name just one example. Mobile devices into which the mobile air quality monitoring device of the embodiments is integrated may include equipment used in industries particularly susceptible to harmful air quality, such as helmets used in mining, mobile or wearable devices in laboratories, mobile equipment in a doctor's office, or the like.Thus, embodiments of a monitoring device may serve or be part of products that serve to improve lifestyles, leisure activities, healthcare, mining and high-risk industries, research laboratories, the automotive industry, tourism, and the like.

[0029] In view of the above, a personal, wearable air quality monitoring device is discussed here. More specifically, the Fig. 1A, Fig. 1B and Fig. 1C are front, side, and profile views, respectively, of a personal, wearable monitoring device 10, which is illustrated in the form of a self-contained wristband, such as may be formed by injection molding or other known methods, and which may structurally comprise plastics, polymers, polycarbonate, rubber, metal, silicone, neoprene, fabric, or the like. The exemplary monitoring device 10 may be used by a person to monitor the air quality in the person's environment. The Fig. 1 is for illustrative purposes only and is not limiting with respect to the disclosed embodiments of a personal, wearable air quality monitoring device.

[0030] In the embodiments of the Fig. 1, the monitoring device 10 may include a complex user interface 14a, e.g., a small display screen, to present the collected air data and / or notifications 16 to the user, and / or it may include one or more simple user interfaces 14b, e.g., multiple colors of LEDs indicating the level of air pollution in the immediate environment, to present air quality data to the user.

[0031] A first-level communication system 22 may be provided between the air quality sensors 40 and the user interfaces 14a, 14b to enable this communication of the air quality to the user. It should be noted that the first-level communication system 22 may transmit the information from the sensors 40 to a user interface 14a, 14b that is not physically connected to the device with the sensors 40, as described below. The first-level communication system 22 may include connectivity via hardwiring, Bluetooth, near-field communication, Wi-Fi, or the Internet of Things (IoT), as a non-limiting example, and may, of course, include processing of the sensor data before the data is made available to the user interface 14a, 14b.

[0032] Furthermore, the monitoring device 10 may include a second-level communication system 23 to enable, in additional and alternative embodiments, sharing of the data collected by the monitoring device 10 outside the immediate environment 24 of the monitoring device, e.g., with the cloud (not shown). It should be noted that the second-level communication system 23 may send the information to a physical location remote from the sensors 40 and may not be physically connected to the device containing the sensors 40, as described further below.The second level communication system 23 may, for example, include connectivity via hardwiring, Bluetooth, near field communication, WLAN or Internet of Things (IoT), GPS, cellular communication capability, or the like, and may additionally include processing of the sensor data prior to remote communication of the data.

[0033] In some embodiments, the communication system layers 22, 23 may be combinations of the same, different, local, or remote communication systems, such as a smartphone app 30 that provides the user with air quality indications on the smartphone display 14a and notifications upon receipt thereof from the sensors 40 of the monitoring device 10, such as a monitoring device 10 worn by the user but communicating with the smartphone app via the first communication layer 22. Then, in turn, and as a non-limiting example, the smartphone may display the received information on the display 14a.

[0034] Furthermore, the smartphone can transmit the received information to the cloud, thus acting as a communication layer 23. That is, the smartphone's cellular or Wi-Fi capabilities can serve as a second-level communication system 23. Accordingly, the monitoring device 10 can effectively "leverage" the smartphone's communication capabilities to remotely transmit the collected data, e.g., to the cloud, to make it available to other users, as further explained herein.

[0035] Needless to say, in some embodiments similar to those discussed immediately above, an independent user interface on the monitoring device 10 itself may be unnecessary. Or, the monitoring device 10 may only include a simple interface 14b, such as one or more LEDs, to indicate to the user that they should display their smartphone app on the smartphone display 14a for a more informative display regarding air quality.

[0036] The air quality monitoring device 10 may therefore include one or more air quality sensors 40 and at least one air access point 42a for these sensors 40. That is, the sensors 40 that assess the air quality in the monitoring device must have access to the air in the localized area via an access point 42a, i.e., the sensor is not hermetically sealed within the monitoring device 10. The access point(s) 42a may be associated with one or more access chamber(s) 42b, which internally forward the air received via the access point 42a to the sensors within the monitoring device 10. The access chamber 42b may preferably be small to minimize the form factor of the monitoring device 10.For example, the access chamber 42b may be on the order of millimeters to ½ inch and may accommodate the sensors and / or the sensor board and the necessary clearance therefor.

[0037] Furthermore, the air entering access point 42a or chamber 42b may be forced air or natural air. For example, access point 42a may be equipped with one or more fans or blowers (not shown), or the air may enter through access point 42a naturally, such as through air currents or user movement, to name just one example.

[0038] Sensor types for sensors 40 may include a variety of partially, substantially, or fully miniaturized sensors, such as: printed gas sensors, including printed polymer technologies, substrate level sensors, MEMS and MOS sensors, temperature or pressure sensors, integrated circuit sensors, electrochemical or printed electrochemical sensors, chemiresistive sensors, optical sensors, humidity sensors, and the like. The sensor types may detect any of the various factors that make up air quality, such as those mentioned above.

[0039] The sensors 40 can operate continuously or discontinuously, or alternate between continuous and discontinuous operation. In discontinuous operation, a clock (not shown) can indicate the time of the detection event. The time of detection can vary for each sensor, depending, for example, on the hazard level of the substance being detected. For example, carbon monoxide can be detected at more regular intervals than ozone.

[0040] The disclosed monitoring device 10 may vary in its productive lifespan without departing from the scope of the disclosure. That is, the individual monitoring device 10 may be intended for long-term or limited-time use. For example, a limited-time monitoring device 10 may be discarded for use in, for example, high-risk environments, such as a mining helmet, or in temporary environments, such as an amusement park wristband. The power requirements of the device may be met in a variety of ways, as will be understood by those skilled in the art in light of the teachings herein, including, for example, a battery, a rechargeable battery, a solar-rechargeable battery, wired or wireless charging, solar charging, or the like.

[0041] In Fig. 2A shows the integration of an air quality monitoring device 10 into a mobile device 110. In the Fig. The example device illustrated in Figure 2 is a "walkie-talkie." However, those skilled in the art will recognize that this illustration is only exemplary and that any wearable device may include an integrated embodiment of the disclosed air quality monitoring device. As a non-limiting example, the air quality monitoring device may be integrated into a smartphone, a watch, an employee badge, a belt buckle, a smartphone case or similar casing for a mobile device, a shoe, or the like. Although the illustrated device may communicate over short distances using radio frequencies, e.g., in a high-risk mining environment in the manner of a walkie-talkie or with a closely coupled device such as a smartphone, the described embodiments may also operate with devices employing any type of communication method.Accordingly, the monitoring device may be equipped to communicate with local and / or remote devices using any known communication method, such as Bluetooth, RF, NFC, cellular, WiFi, IOT protocols, or the like, as described below.

[0042] In the Fig. 2A, the air quality monitoring data 112 may be provided to the user via the same user interface 114 otherwise used by the device 110, or it may be communicated to the user via an additional or alternative user interface. For example, a typical user interface 114 for a walkie-talkie may include a display, such as on a liquid crystal display (LCD) or LED or OLED display, of the available power level, signal strength, and / or communication activity, and in the disclosed embodiments, the user interface 114 may additionally include: one or more buttons for accepting user input or commands 115; a simple or complex air quality display 116, such asa number of bars indicating air quality; and / or one or more LEDs 117 on the walkie-talkie that may indicate to the user that they should check their mobile device app for air quality information (as exemplified above with respect to the . Fig. 1 explained).

[0043] A user interface for air quality monitoring may include various displays for different aspects of air quality. For example, aspects of air quality that are of particular interest in a particular environment or to a particular person may be specifically monitored, and the selection of such particular air quality elements may or may not be subject to user selection and / or display or notification to the user. Fig. 2B, the air quality aspect 116 of the user interface 114 may include, for example, six circles 116a, 116b, 116c, 116d, 116e, 116f, each with four “pie slices” per circle to indicate air quality factors.

[0044] In the illustrated embodiment, four pie slices in a given circle may indicate the optimal air quality for that air quality factor. Example air quality factors include CO2, particulate matter, pollen, UV radiation, mold, and dust. Other air quality aspects that may be monitored include CO, NO2, SO2, O3, particulate pollution PM 2.5, particulate pollution PM 10, or lead (Pb), to name a few. It should be understood that sensors 40 associated with each of the air quality factors to be monitored are included in the mobile air quality monitoring device 10, have access to the air in the respective environment via the air access point 42a, and should have sufficient connectivity to transmit sensor data to the understandable user interface 114 via the first communication layer 22.

[0045] In this way, a user can be informed on-site about the air quality factor(s) that are important to them. These factors can be selected by the person themselves or preset for the monitoring device 10. For example, a person suffering from severe asthma can be alerted to the need to leave the area immediately by a notification of high pollen levels. This selection can be based on user preferences or needs entered by the user, e.g., at the user interface, e.g., during initial setup or during certain operating periods.

[0046] Fig. 3 illustrates the connection of the sensors 40 to the user interface 114, optionally to an external communication interface 212 (e.g., a nearby smartphone), and optionally to the cloud or another remote location 214 via communication means 23, for example, to enable the sharing of the accumulated data 215. In the embodiment of Fig. 3, the mobile air quality monitoring device 202 may be equipped with a plurality of sensors 40 capable of monitoring a number of air quality factors, such as six factors in the example above. The user interface 114 may provide the user with the ability to access data from all or only selected sensors 40.

[0047] The data from the sensors 40 may be communicated to the user interface 114 via the first communication layer 22, using any of the communication methods discussed herein or other communication methods known in the art, such as, by way of non-limiting example, RF, hardwiring, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular, or the like. Prior to presentation on the user interface 114, the data may be stored in one or more computer memories, for example, in a database format, and may be buffered as needed prior to presentation on the user interface, as discussed further below with respect to Fig. 4. The representation on the user interface 114 may preferably be made on a display of one or more computer processors connected to the user interface 114 and / or the sensors 40, as also described below with respect to Fig. 4 described.

[0048] The transmission of user inputs to the user interface 114 may, but need not, be in the same manner as discussed herein with respect to the transmission from the sensors to the user interface, as will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the discussion herein. That is, the user interface 14a, 14b, 114 and the first-level communication system 22 may or may not be bidirectional.

[0049] In addition, and with or without instruction from the user as input to the user interface 114, one or more second level communication methods 23 may enable communication of the sensor data with the cloud, for example, to enable sharing with other users in different environments or in the same environment, as well as with respect to Fig. 5. That is, the air quality monitoring device 10 may be capable of transmitting, e.g., via RF, Bluetooth, NFC, or cellular communication, the data acquired relating to air quality and / or any associated alerts or notifications to a remote location, e.g., the cloud, for storage, e.g., in a database, for access at a later time by the user of that sensor and / or for access by other users. 23

[0050] Communication from the monitoring device to the cloud may, but need not, use the same communication methodology as the communication from the monitoring device to the local user interface(s), i.e., the first and second level communication 22, 23 may use the same or substantially the same hardware. Furthermore, communication may occur serially across the first and second levels 22, 23, e.g., from the sensors 40 to the user interface 14a, 14b, 114 and then from a processing system connected to the user interface 14a, 14b, 114 (e.g., the processing system of a smartphone near the monitoring device 10) to the cloud.

[0051] Regardless of whether the first and second level communication systems 22, 23 overlap or are separate, the possible presence of in-situ data at a remote storage location, such as the cloud, may enable remote users to make decisions about an environment in which they are not currently present. For example, a parent of a sick child may check the air quality at an amusement park and thus be able to avoid a trip to that amusement park if the cloud data from the in-situ monitoring devices 10 at the amusement park indicate that the air quality would worsen the child's condition.

[0052] Fig. 4 shows one embodiment of a computer processing system 400 that can receive monitoring data and other inputs, such as user inputs, as described herein and perform the processing, logic, and communication control described throughout. That is, the computer system 400 can be used in accordance with the monitoring devices 10 and systems described herein.

[0053] The computer system 400 is capable of executing software, such as an operating system (OS) and one or more computer applications 490. The software may also be capable of operating hardware, e.g., via inputs / outputs (I / O) that the applications 490 use.

[0054] The operation of computer system 400 is primarily controlled by computer-readable instructions, such as instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium, e.g., a hard disk drive (HDD) 415, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, or the like (not shown). Such instructions may be executed in central processing unit (CPU) 410 to cause computer system 400 to perform the disclosed operations. In many known computer servers, workstations, PLCs, personal computers, mobile devices, and the like, CPU 410 is implemented in an integrated circuit called a processor.

[0055] The various example logic, logic blocks, modules, warnings, and evaluations described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or performed using a general-purpose CPU, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, each functioning as CPU 410. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor; alternatively, the processor may be a conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing units, e.g.,a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0056] It should be understood that although computer system 400 is depicted as a single CPU 410, this description is illustrative only, as computer system 400 may include a plurality of CPUs 410 distributed on and off monitoring device 10. Furthermore, computer system 400 may utilize the resources of remote or parallel CPUs (not depicted), for example, via a local or remote communications network 470 or other data communication means.

[0057] In operation, CPU 410 retrieves, decodes, and executes instructions from a computer-readable storage medium, such as HDD 415. Such instructions may be embodied in software, such as the operating system (OS), machine code, executable programs / applications, and the like. Information, such as computer instructions and other computer-readable data, is transferred between the components of computer system 400 via the system's main data transfer path. The main data transfer path may use a system bus architecture 405, although other computer architectures (not shown) may be used.

[0058] The system bus 405 may include data lines for sending data, address lines for sending addresses, and control lines for sending interrupts and operating the system bus. Some buses provide bus arbitration, which regulates access to the bus by expansion cards, controllers, and the CPU 410.

[0059] Memory devices connected to system bus 405 may include random access memory (RAM) 425 and read-only memory (ROM) 430. Such memories include circuitry that enables the storage and retrieval of information. ROMs 430 generally contain stored data that cannot be altered. The data stored in RAM 425 can generally be read or modified by CPU 410 or other communicating hardware devices. Access to RAM 425 and / or ROM 430 may be controlled by memory controller 420. Memory controller 420 may provide an address translation function that translates virtual addresses into physical addresses during instruction execution.

[0060] The steps and / or actions described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of both, in communication with the memory controller 420 to obtain the required performance instructions. That is, the described software modules that perform the functions described herein and provide instructions may be located in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. One or more of these storage media may be connected to the processor 410 so that the processor can read and write information from this storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integrated with the processor.In some aspects, the processor and storage medium may be embodied in an ASIC. Furthermore, in some aspects, the steps and / or acts may be included as one or any combination or set of instructions on an external machine-readable medium and / or computer-readable medium that may be integrated via I / O ports 485, which may include wireless ports.

[0061] Additionally, computer system 400 may include a peripheral controller 435, which is responsible for transmitting instructions over a peripheral bus from CPU 410 to peripheral devices and other hardware, such as printer 440, keyboard 445, and mouse 450. An example of a peripheral bus is the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus.

[0062] One or more hardware input / output (I / O) devices 485, such as sensors 40, may communicate with hardware controller 490. This hardware communication and control may be implemented in a variety of ways and may include one or more computer buses and / or bridges and / or routers. The controlled I / O devices may include any type of port-based hardware (including wireless "ports") and may additionally include software, firmware, or the like, such as the disclosed inputs / outputs of sensors 40, and may also include network adapters and / or mass storage devices from which computer system 400 may send and receive data for the purposes disclosed herein. Computer system 400 may therefore communicate with the Internet / cloud or other networked devices / PLCs via I / O devices 485 and / or via communications network 470.

[0063] The display 460, controlled by the display controller 455, may optionally be used to display visual output generated by the computer system 400 and may include, for example, the display 14a. The display controller 455 may also control or otherwise communicate with the display. The visual output may include, for example, text, graphics, animated graphics, and / or video. The display 460 may be equipped with a CRT-based video display, an LCD-based display, a gas plasma-based display, a touch panel, or the like.

[0064] Additionally, computer system 400 may include a network adapter 465 that may be used to connect computer system 400 to external devices or an external communications network 470, which may include or provide access to the Internet and may therefore provide cloud access to the air quality data, discussed herein as second-level communications system 23. Communications network 470 may provide the user with access to computer system 400 with means for electronic communication and transmission of software and information and may be directly or indirectly connected to computer system 400. The network connections shown are exemplary, and other means for establishing communications links between multiple computer systems 400 and / or with remote users may also be used.

[0065] It is understood that computer system 400 merely illustrates one computing environment in which the systems described herein may operate and therefore does not limit the implementation of the systems described herein in computing environments having different components and configurations. That is, the inventive concepts described herein may be implemented in various computing environments having different components and configurations.

[0066] Fig. Figure 5 shows a system comprising a plurality of air quality monitoring devices 10a, 10b, 10c, ... 10n. In the figure, a plurality of air quality monitoring devices, each located in different environments and each comprising a standalone, integrated, portable air quality monitoring device, receive individual sensor data via a first communication layer 22 and transmit data from each of these air quality monitoring devices 10a, 10b, 10c, ... 10n to one or more servers 504, located, for example, in or connected to the cloud 506, to enable storage of this data in one or more databases connected to the servers 504.The transmission of this data may, by way of non-limiting example and as illustrated, be via the second-level system 23 in the form of a cellular network, a Bluetooth network, a wired network, or combinations thereof. Once stored in the server database 505, this data may, as illustrated, be made available via the cloud 506, for example, in a searchable format based on the input of a geographic location.

[0067] Fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example 600 of using the personal air quality monitor to monitor air quality in conjunction with the disclosed embodiments. In the figure, at step 602, air is supplied to one or more air quality factor sensors of a personal, wearable air quality monitor. At step 604, each of the one or more sensors reads the factor relevant to that sensor. This data is forwarded to a user interface via one or more processors at step 606. As previously mentioned, the user interface may preferably be connected to one or more mobile devices.

[0068] In optional step 608, the data provided to the user interface and any additional data suitable for upload are uploaded to the cloud via one or more networks. This data collected across multiple locations can then be made available to multiple other users in step 612 via the aforementioned user interface or via other secondary user interfaces.

[0069] Data security for uploads / downloads can be managed via cellular, network, and / or IP protocols. For example, cellular security and encryption protocols for mobile devices can be used to maintain user confidentiality during data exchanges in steps 608 and 612.

[0070] In addition, aspects of using the personal air quality monitoring device to monitor air quality may, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, involve the execution of software, such as the use of the Fig. 4. To carry out the aspects discussed herein, such software may include engines, subroutines, or the like to perform the disclosed functionality, including evaluating current air quality data and historical air quality data, including enabling user interaction with such data, such as via the user interface(s) discussed herein; GPS or similar geolocation of the air quality monitoring device and / or geocoding of the data associated therewith; profile settings, such as user preferences; indoor and outdoor information or settings; external inputs to enable analysis or provision of air quality data to a user, such as external inputs from weather stations, other users, or the like; and other analyses or network communications suitable for use in the disclosed embodiments.

[0071] This is therefore a personal, portable air quality monitoring device. The monitoring device 10 can be independent or connected to a variety of secondary devices in a variety of measurement environments, such as environments 702, 704, 706, 708, 710, 712, 714. This is exemplified in the environment representation of Fig. 7, although the disclosure is not limited to the environments and / or the monitoring device 10 in Fig. 7 connected devices.

[0072] In addition to the above explanations, the following listed aspects 1 to 16 are also relevant to the present disclosure as part of the description, which should not be confused with the appended claims (which follow the description): 1. Personal air quality monitoring device, consisting of: a housing suitable for physical connection with a person; an air inlet capable of directing an air flow from an environment outside the housing to at least one chamber within the housing; a plurality of sensors located in the at least one chamber and adapted to receive the airflow and measure air quality factors associated with the airflow; and a communication system suitable for processing the air quality factor measurements and transmitting the processed air quality factor measurements to a human-perceivable user interface. 2. Monitoring device according to aspect 1, wherein the housing at least partially forms a wristband. 3. A monitoring device according to aspect 1, wherein the physical connection comprises integration into a garment. 4. Monitoring device according to aspect 1, wherein the housing is integrated into a mobile communication device. 5. The monitoring device of aspect 1, wherein the housing is made of at least one material selected from the group consisting of plastics, polymers, polycarbonate, rubber, metal, silicone, neoprene, and fabrics. 6. The monitoring device of aspect 1, further comprising a second communication system suitable for remotely transmitting the processed air quality factor measurements. 7. The monitoring device of aspect 1, wherein the user interface comprises a display screen. 8. Monitoring device according to aspect 1, wherein the user interface comprises at least one light-emitting diode. 9. The monitoring device of aspect 1, wherein the user interface includes alerts regarding the processed air quality factor measurements. 10. The monitoring device of aspect 9, wherein at least one of the warning messages alerts the person to view the user interface of a second device. 11. The monitoring device of aspect 1, wherein the communication system comprises at least one of hardwired, Bluetooth, near field communication, Wi-Fi, and Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity. 12. Monitoring device according to aspect 1, wherein the sensors comprise partially, substantially or completely miniaturized sensors. 13. The monitoring device according to aspect 1, wherein the sensors comprise at least one sensor selected from the group consisting of printed gas sensors, substrate level sensors, MEMS and MOS sensors, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, IC sensors, electrochemical sensors, printed electrochemical sensors, humidity sensors, chemiresistive sensors, and optical sensors. 14. The monitoring device of aspect 1, wherein at least some of the sensors comprise non-continuously operating sensors. 15. The monitoring device of aspect 1, wherein the housing comprises a disposable housing and a power source. 16. The monitoring device of aspect 1, wherein the processed air quality factor measurements comprise values of at least one of CO2, particulate matter, pollen, UV radiation, mold, dust, CO, NO2, SO2, O3, particulate pollution PM 2.5, particulate pollution PM 10, and lead.

[0073] In the foregoing detailed description, various features may be grouped together in individual embodiments to simplify the disclosure. This manner of disclosure is not intended to imply that subsequently claimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited.

[0074] Furthermore, the descriptions of the disclosure are intended to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosed embodiments. Various modifications of the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Therefore, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and embodiments described herein, but rather to have the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein. QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] WO 2015 / 160830 A1

[0012] CN 205 018 429 U

[0012]

Claims

[1] Personal air quality monitoring device (10, 202) comprising: a housing suitable for physical connection with a person; an air inlet (42a) capable of directing an air flow from an environment outside the housing into at least one chamber (42b) within the housing; a plurality of sensors (40) located in the at least one chamber (42b) and configured to receive the airflow and measure air quality factors associated with the airflow; a user interface (14a, 14b, 114) configured to be recognizable by the person and comprising a display screen, and a communication system (22) configured to process the air quality factor measurements and transmit the processed air quality factor measurements to the display screen (14a, 14b, 114), characterized by , that the display screen (14a, 14b, 114) is configured to display different displays for different air quality factors, and wherein the personal air quality monitoring device (10, 202) is configured to receive selections entered by the user on the display screen, wherein the display screen (14a, 14b, 114) is further configured to display only the selected ones of the particular air quality factors. [2] Monitoring device (10, 202) according to claim 1, wherein the housing at least partially forms a bracelet or wherein the housing is integrated with a mobile communication device (110). [3] The monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the physical connection comprises integration into a garment. [4] The monitoring device (10, 202) of claim 1, wherein the housing is made of at least one material selected from the group consisting of plastics, polymers, polycarbonate, rubber, metal, silicone, neoprene, and fabrics. [5] The monitoring device (10, 202) of claim 1, further comprising a second communication system (23) configured to remotely transmit the processed air quality factor measurements. [6] Monitoring device (10, 202) according to claim 1, wherein the display screen (14a, 14b, 114) comprises at least one light-emitting diode (14b, 117). [7] The monitoring device (10, 202) of claim 1, wherein the display screen includes warning messages regarding the processed air quality factor measurements, at least one of the warnings directing the person to view the display screen of a second device. [8] The monitoring device (10, 202) of claim 1, wherein the communication system (22) comprises at least one of hardwired, Bluetooth, near field communication, WLAN, and Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity. [9] The monitoring device (10, 202) of claim 1, wherein the sensors (40) comprise at least one sensor selected from the group consisting of printed gas sensors, substrate level sensors, MEMS and MOS sensors, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, integrated circuit sensors, electrochemical sensors, printed electrochemical sensors, humidity sensors, chemiresistive sensors, and optical sensors. [10] The monitoring device (10, 202) of claim 1, wherein at least some of the sensors (40) comprise non-continuously operating sensors. [11] The monitoring device (10, 202) of claim 1, wherein the processed air quality factor measurements comprise values of at least one of CO2, particulate matter, pollen, UV, mold, dust, CO, NO2, SO2, O3, particulate pollution PM 2.5, particulate pollution PM 10, and lead.

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