Control device, sensor device and method

Abstract

SOLUTION: A portable control device for controlling a sensor that measures a concentration of target gas, includes an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information relating to the sensor, a remaining amount information acquisition unit that acquires remaining amount information of a power supply unit for supplying power to the sensor, and a control unit that controls timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the sensor on the basis of the environmental information and the remaining amount information. A portable sensor device, the sensor device includes a sensor for measuring a concentration of target gas, a power supply unit for supplying power to the sensor, an environmental information acquisition unit for acquiring environmental information relating to the sensor, a remaining amount information acquisition unit for acquiring remaining amount information of the power supply unit, and a control unit for controlling timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the sensor on the basis of the environmental information and the remaining amount information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device, a sensor device and a method. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 proposes a method for reducing the power consumption of a carbon dioxide concentration measuring device by measuring the carbon dioxide concentration intermittently. [Prior art document] [Patent documents] Patent Document 1: JP 2012-2504 A Summary of the Invention

[0003] In a first aspect of the present invention, a portable control device is provided that controls a sensor that measures the concentration of a target gas, and includes an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information related to the sensor, a remaining amount information acquisition unit that acquires remaining amount information of a power supply unit that supplies power to the sensor, and a control unit that controls the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the sensor based on the environmental information and the remaining amount information.

[0004] In the above control device, when the control unit detects that the value indicated by the environmental information is outside the first range and the remaining amount indicated by the remaining amount information is within the second range, the control unit may change the frequency of measuring the concentration of the target gas by the sensor.

[0005] In any of the above control devices, the environmental information acquisition unit may acquire environmental information including the concentration of the target gas measured by the sensor, and the control unit may control the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas by the sensor based on the concentration and remaining amount information of the target gas.

[0006] In any of the above control devices, the environmental information acquisition unit acquires environmental information including the concentration of the target gas measured by the sensor during consecutive first and second periods, and the control unit may control the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas by the sensor based on statistics of the concentration of the target gas during the first period and statistics of the concentration of the target gas during the second period.

[0007] Any of the above control devices may further include an output unit that outputs a warning signal in response to the environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit.

[0008] In the above control device, the output unit may output a warning signal when the control unit starts or ends the measurement of the concentration of the target gas by the sensor in accordance with the environmental information.

[0009] In any of the above control devices, the environmental information acquisition unit may acquire environmental information including at least one of gas concentration, temperature, humidity, pressure, wind direction, wind speed, illuminance, time information, acceleration, angular acceleration, azimuth angle, position information, dust, and biological information related to the sensor.

[0010] In any of the above control devices, the control unit may start or end the measurement of the concentration of the target gas by the sensor in accordance with the environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit.

[0011] In any of the above control devices, the environmental information acquisition unit may acquire environmental information including position information related to the sensor, and the control unit may start or end measurement of the concentration of the target gas in the sensor based on the position information.

[0012] In the above-mentioned control device, when the control unit detects that the location indicated by the location information has moved from outdoors to indoors or from indoors to outdoors, it may start measuring the concentration of the target gas in the sensor, and when it detects that the location indicated by the location information has moved from indoors to outdoors or from indoors to outdoors, it may end measuring the concentration of the target gas in the sensor.

[0013] In any of the above control devices, the control unit may start or end the measurement of the concentration of the target gas by the sensor when it detects that the position indicated by the position information has moved and then stopped.

[0014] In any of the above control devices, the control unit may start or end the measurement of the concentration of the target gas in the sensor when it detects that the position indicated by the position information has moved within an area to which the results of a previous concentration measurement of the target gas are associated.

[0015] In any of the above control devices, the control unit may detect that the position indicated by the position information has moved within an area to which the results of a previous target gas concentration measurement are associated, and may start or end target gas concentration measurement in the sensor if the previous target gas concentration measurement was performed more than a predetermined period of time ago.

[0016] In any of the above control devices, the environmental information acquisition unit may acquire environmental information including a movement speed related to the sensor, and the control unit may control the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the sensor based on the movement speed and remaining amount information.

[0017] In any of the control devices described above, the sensor is disposed in a wearable device; The environmental information acquisition unit acquires environmental information including wearing information regarding whether the wearable device is worn or not, and the control unit may control the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the sensor based on the wearing information and remaining amount information.

[0018] In any of the above control devices, the environmental information acquisition unit may acquire environmental information including sound information around the sensor, and the control unit may control the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the sensor based on the sound information and remaining amount information.

[0019] In any of the above control devices, the environmental information acquisition unit acquires environmental information including atmospheric pressure information around the sensor, and when the control unit detects that the atmospheric pressure indicated by the atmospheric pressure information is lower than the atmospheric pressure threshold, it may control the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the sensor.

[0020] In any of the above control devices, the sensor may be disposed in an external device different from the control device.

[0021] In any of the above control devices, the environmental information acquisition unit may further acquire at least one of measurement information from an external sensor different from the sensor and location information from the external sensor, and the control unit may control the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the sensor based on at least one of the measurement information from the external sensor and the location information from the external sensor, the environmental information, and the remaining amount information.

[0022] In any of the above control devices, the environmental information acquisition unit may acquire environmental information including biometric information of the user of the sensor, and the control unit may control the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the sensor based on the biometric information and remaining amount information.

[0023] In any of the above control devices, the environmental information acquisition unit may acquire environmental information including public health information corresponding to the sensor, and the control unit may control the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the sensor based on the public health information and remaining amount information.

[0024] In a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable sensor device comprising: a sensor that measures the concentration of a target gas; a power supply unit that supplies power to the sensor; an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information related to the sensor; a remaining amount information acquisition unit that acquires remaining amount information of the power supply unit; and a control unit that controls the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the sensor based on the environmental information and the remaining amount information.

[0025] In a third aspect of the present invention, a method for controlling a sensor that measures the concentration of a target gas using a portable control device is provided, comprising the steps of acquiring environmental information about the sensor, acquiring remaining power information of a power supply unit that supplies power to the sensor, and controlling the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the sensor based on the environmental information and the remaining power information.

[0026] In a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for measuring the concentration of a target gas using a portable sensor device, comprising the steps of measuring the concentration of the target gas using a sensor of the sensor device, supplying power to the sensor using a power supply unit of the sensor device, acquiring environmental information about the sensor, acquiring remaining power information of the power supply unit, and controlling the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the sensor based on the environmental information and the remaining power information.

[0027] The above summary of the invention does not list all of the necessary features of the present invention, and subcombinations of these features may also constitute inventions. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a system 10 according to the present embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 shows a block diagram of a sensor device 100 included in a terminal 20a of this embodiment. [Figure 3] 10 shows an example of the flow of the operation of the control device 120 of this embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 shows another example of the flow of the operation of the control device 120 of this embodiment. [Figure 5] 1 shows the concentration of the target gas measured by the gas sensor 130 of the sensor device 100 of this embodiment. [Figure 6] 22 illustrates an example computer 2200 in which aspects of the present invention may be embodied, in whole or in part. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] The present invention will be described below through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention according to the claims. Furthermore, not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0030] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a system 10. The system 10 monitors the concentration of a target gas in multiple areas. The system 10 includes multiple terminals 20 and a server 30.

[0031] Here, in the system 10, the multiple terminals 20 and the server 30 may be connected to each other via a communication network 40. In FIG. 1, the multiple terminals 20 and the server 30 are connected to each other via a single communication network 40, but they may also be connected to each other via separate communication networks 40. The multiple terminals 20 may also be further connected to each other via a relay device or near-field wireless communication (not shown). The near-field wireless communication standard may include, for example, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), infrared, or NFC (Near Field Communication).

[0032] The communication network 40 may be configured to include various networks, such as the Internet, a wide area network (WAN), a local area network, or a combination thereof. For example, the communication network 40 may include a Long Term Evolution (LTE) or a fourth-generation or later mobile communication system. The communication network 40 may include at least one of wired and wireless connection points. The communication network 40 may be realized by a dedicated line separated from a public line such as the Internet.

[0033] Each of the multiple terminals 20 measures the concentration of a target gas. For example, terminal 20a is a wearable device such as a smartwatch that includes a portable sensor device for measuring the concentration of the target gas. For example, terminal 20b is a mobile terminal such as a smartphone that includes a portable sensor device for measuring the concentration of the target gas. For example, terminal 20c is a stationary gas concentration measurement device that measures the concentration of the target gas and is fixed to a building or placed on a desk. Here, "portable" refers to a device that can be carried or moved, and includes portable stationary gas concentration measurement devices and mobile gas concentration measurement devices attached to moving objects such as cars and airplanes. Each of the multiple terminals 20 may further measure at least one of the following: temperature, humidity, pressure, illuminance, time information, acceleration, angular acceleration, azimuth angle, location information, dust (e.g., pollen, PM2.5), and biological information related to the terminal 20. The terminal 20 may be mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or an unmanned autonomous vehicle (UGV). The multiple terminals 20 each transmit the measurement results to the server 30 via the communication network 40.

[0034] Here, the target gases measured by the multiple terminals 20 may be at least one of carbon dioxide in the air, flammable gases (e.g., methane, propane, ethanol, hydrogen, ethylene, MCH (methylcyclohexane)), toxic gases (e.g., carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, formaldehyde, ammonia), greenhouse gases (e.g., nitrous oxide, refrigerant gases), and exhaled breath containing infectious substances.

[0035] The server 30 receives information including measurement results from the multiple terminals 20. The server 30 may determine an abnormal gas concentration region or the like based on the measurement results and transmit the determined abnormal gas concentration region or the like to the multiple terminals 20.

[0036] Fig. 2 shows a block diagram of the sensor device 100 included in the terminal 20a shown in Fig. 1. However, the sensor device 100 may also be placed in other terminals 20b and 20c. The sensor device 100 includes a detection unit 110 and a control device 120.

[0037] The detection unit 110 is connected to the control device 120. The detection unit 110 detects environmental information including the concentration of the target gas, and transmits the environmental information to the control device 120. The detection unit 110 includes a plurality of sensors 130 and a power supply unit 140.

[0038] The plurality of sensors 130-1 to 130-n (n>1) may each measure environmental information relating to the surrounding environment of the sensor device 100 and transmit the environmental information to the control device 120.

[0039] One of the multiple sensors 130 is a sensor 130 (hereinafter also referred to as gas sensor 130) that measures the concentration of a target gas. The gas sensor 130 may detect the target gas using an optical method (Non-Dispersive Infrared (NDIR) method or Photoacoustic (PA) method), a Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy (TDLAS) method, an electrochemical method, a semiconductor method, or the like. The optical gas sensor 130 has a longer lifespan than electrochemical and semiconductor sensors because the gas sensor 130 itself does not deteriorate due to exposure to the target gas, and is therefore suitable for long-term operation. As an example, the gas sensor 130 may detect carbon dioxide, which is the target gas, using the NDIR method. For example, in the optical gas sensor 130, the size of a gas cell into which measurement light for measuring the concentration of the target gas is irradiated is preferably 10 cm. 3 Less than 5cm, preferably 3 less than 1 cm, and more preferably 3 By miniaturizing the gas cell, power consumption can be reduced. In addition, to ensure the accuracy of gas concentration measurement, the size of the gas cell is set to 0.1 cm or less. 3 The above is preferable.

[0040] At least one other of the multiple sensors 130 may measure, as environmental information, at least one of the concentration of a type of gas other than the target gas, sound information, temperature, humidity, wind direction, wind speed, pressure, illuminance, time information, acceleration, angular acceleration, azimuth angle, location information, dust (pollen, PM2.5, etc.), and biological information. The sensor 130 may measure at least one of the temperature, humidity, wind direction, wind speed, pressure (barometric pressure information), and illuminance of the surroundings (i.e., the ambient environment of the sensor device 100). The sensor 130 may acquire time information, including the measurement time of the environmental information, in association with the environmental information. The sensor 130 may measure at least one of acceleration and angular acceleration caused by the movement of the sensor 130. The sensor 130 may measure the azimuth angle from a reference direction by detecting a magnetic field. The sensor 130 may measure location information indicating the location of the sensor 130 on a map or a map inside a building (hereinafter, the map or the map inside a building may also be simply referred to as a map) using a GPS (Global Positioning System) or a beacon. The location information may include altitude information. The sensor 130 may measure biometric information of the user of the terminal 20a, including at least one of the body temperature, blood pressure, pulse, respiration, brain waves, blood sugar, sleep state, exercise state, posture state, and electrocardiogram of the user. The sensor 130 may measure sound information (such as sound pressure) around the sensor 130.

[0041] The power supply unit 140 is connected to the multiple sensors 130. The power supply unit 140 supplies power to the multiple sensors 130 for measurement operations. The power supply unit 140 may also supply power to the control device 120. The power supply unit 140 is, for example, a secondary battery such as a lithium-ion battery or a nickel-metal hydride battery, or a primary battery such as a manganese dry battery, an alkaline dry battery, a nickel dry battery, or a lithium dry battery. The power supply unit 140 may also include a power generation unit such as a solar panel as an auxiliary power source.

[0042] The control device 120 receives information including environmental information from the detection unit 110 and controls the detection unit 110 in accordance with the received information. The control device 120 may include at least one processor. The control device 120 may include at least one of a general-purpose processor that loads a specific program to execute a specific function and a dedicated processor specialized for a specific process. The control device 120 may include an MCU (Micro Controller Unit) as the general-purpose processor. The control device 120 may include an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) as the dedicated processor. The control device 120 may include a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array). The control device 120 may also include at least one of an SoC (System-on-a-Chip) and a SiP (System-in-a-Package) in which one or more processors work together.

[0043] The control device 120 includes an environmental information acquisition unit 150 , a remaining amount information acquisition unit 160 , a control unit 170 , and an output unit 180 .

[0044] The environmental information acquisition unit 150 is connected to the plurality of sensors 130. The environmental information acquisition unit 150 acquires environmental information related to each sensor 130 from the sensors 130.

[0045] The remaining amount information acquiring unit 160 is connected to the power supply unit 140. The remaining amount information acquiring unit 160 acquires, from the power supply unit 140, remaining amount information of the power supply unit 140 that supplies power to the sensor .

[0046] The control unit 170 is connected to the environmental information acquisition unit 150, the remaining amount information acquisition unit 160, and the detection unit 110. The control unit 170 controls the timing of target gas concentration measurement in the gas sensor 130 based on at least one of the environmental information and the remaining amount information. Controlling the timing of target gas concentration measurement may mean adjusting at least one of the measurement start time, measurement end time, measurement period, and measurement frequency. The control unit 170 may determine the timing of target gas concentration measurement according to at least one of the environmental information and the remaining amount information, and output control data to the gas sensor 130 so that the gas sensor 130 performs measurement at the determined timing.

[0047] The output unit 180 is connected to the control unit 170 and the output device 190. The output unit 180 outputs a warning signal in accordance with the environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 150. The output unit 180 may receive information indicating control data output by the control unit 170 and output a warning signal to the output device 190 to cause the output device 190 to output a warning in accordance with the control data. The output unit 180 may output a warning signal when the control unit 170 starts or ends target gas concentration measurement in the gas sensor 130 in accordance with the environmental information. The output unit 180 may output a warning signal to the output device 190 to cause a human-perceivable output. Here, the output device 190 may be a display or speaker of the terminal 20a, a personal computer external to the terminal 20a, or a display or speaker of another terminal 20b or 20c.

[0048] 3 shows an example of the flow of operation of the control device 120 of this embodiment. In this embodiment, the control device 120 controls the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas by the gas sensor 130 in accordance with various information received from the detection unit 110. The control device 120 may start the control operation when the power of the terminal 20a is turned on.

[0049] In step S300, the control device 120 acquires information used to control the gas sensor 130. The control device 120 acquires information from at least one of the detection unit 110, the server 30, and an external server. The environmental information acquisition unit 150 acquires environmental information including at least one of public health information, wearing information, gas concentration related to the sensor 130, sound information, movement speed, temperature, humidity, wind direction, wind speed, pressure, illuminance, time information, acceleration, angular acceleration, azimuth angle, location information, dust (pollen, PM2.5, etc.), and biological information. The environmental information acquisition unit 150 may acquire at least one of gas concentration of the target gas or other gases measured by the sensor 130, sound information, movement speed, temperature, humidity, wind direction, wind speed, pressure, illuminance, time information, acceleration, angular acceleration, azimuth angle, location information, dust (pollen, PM2.5, etc.), and biological information. Furthermore, the environmental information acquiring unit 150 may calculate and acquire environmental information from measurements taken by the sensor 130. As an example, the environmental information acquiring unit 150 may calculate a rate of change of the position indicated by the position information of the sensor 130 (movement distance / time) to acquire the movement speed.

[0050] The environmental information acquisition unit 150 may acquire environmental information including public health information corresponding to the sensor 130. The environmental information acquisition unit 150 may acquire public health information including at least one of infectious disease information and environmental sanitation information for a predetermined area or an area including the current location of the sensor 130 indicated by the location information. In response to transmitting the location information to the server 30 or an external server, the environmental information acquisition unit 150 may receive public health information corresponding to the location information from the server 30 or an external server.

[0051] The environmental information acquisition unit 150 may acquire environmental information including wearing information indicating whether the terminal 20a, which is a wearable device, is being worn or not. The environmental information acquisition unit 150 may acquire the wearing information from the sensor 130, or may acquire the wearing information according to environmental information including at least one of sound information, acceleration, wind direction, wind speed, pressure, illuminance, acceleration, angular velocity, azimuth angle, position information, dust (pollen, PM2.5, etc.), and biological information acquired from the sensor 130. The environmental information acquisition unit 150 may acquire wearing information indicating that the terminal 20a is being worn according to whether a value or change in at least one of the sound information, acceleration, wind direction, wind speed, pressure, illuminance, acceleration, angular velocity, position information, and biological information exceeds a predetermined threshold or is within a predetermined range. The environmental information acquisition unit 150 may acquire wearing information that the terminal 20a is not being worn when the value or change of at least one of the sound information, acceleration, wind direction, wind speed, pressure, illuminance, acceleration, angular velocity, position information, azimuth angle, and biometric information is below a predetermined threshold or outside a predetermined range.

[0052] The environmental information acquiring unit 150 may further acquire at least one of measurement information from an external sensor different from the sensor 130 and location information from the external sensor. The environmental information acquiring unit 150 may acquire, as environmental information, at least one of measurement information (e.g., at least one of the gas concentration of the target gas, sound information, acceleration, wind direction, wind speed, pressure, illuminance, acceleration, angular velocity, azimuth angle, and biometric information) measured by an external sensor disposed on at least one of the terminals 20b and 20c and location information indicating the location of at least one of the terminals 20b and 20c. As an example, the environmental information acquiring unit 150 may acquire information on an abnormal region of the target gas concentration measured by the external sensor or information on an unmeasured region where the gas concentration of the target gas has not been measured by the external sensor for a predetermined period of time. The environmental information acquiring unit 150 may receive at least one of the measurement information from the external sensor and the location information from the external sensor via the server 30 or directly from the external sensor (at least one of the terminals 20b and 20c).

[0053] The environmental information acquiring unit 150 may receive, together with the environmental information, the current measurement mode of the gas sensor 130. For example, the environmental information acquiring unit 150 receives the measurement mode indicating whether the gas sensor 130 is performing a measurement operation and the frequency of the measurement operation (for example, the measurement period).

[0054] The remaining amount information acquiring unit 160 receives remaining amount information of the power supply unit 140. For example, the remaining amount information acquiring unit 160 may receive from the power supply unit 140, as remaining amount information, a remaining amount indicating at least one of the current remaining capacity (kWh) of the power supply unit 140 and the ratio (%) of the current remaining capacity to the maximum storage capacity of the power supply unit 140.

[0055] In step S310, the control unit 170 determines the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas in accordance with at least one of the received environmental information and remaining amount information. The control unit 170 may determine the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas based on at least one of the remaining amount information, public health information, wearing information, gas concentration related to the sensor 130, sound information, moving speed, temperature, humidity, wind direction, wind speed, pressure, illuminance, time information, acceleration, angular acceleration, azimuth angle, position information, dust (pollen, PM2.5, etc.), and biological information.

[0056] The control unit 170 may allow a user or the like to preset a range of values ​​(hereinafter also referred to as a normal range) indicated by environmental information when the surrounding environment is normal for each of the gas concentration, sound information, temperature, humidity, wind direction, wind speed, pressure, illuminance, acceleration, angular acceleration, azimuth angle, location information, dust (pollen, PM2.5, etc.), and biological information measured by the multiple sensors 130. The control unit 170 may allow a user or the like to preset a range of remaining capacity (hereinafter also referred to as a power range) when sufficient remaining capacity remains in the power supply unit 140. For example, the control unit 170 may determine the timing (e.g., a measurement mode) for measuring the concentration of the target gas based on at least one of the results of comparing the value indicated by the environmental information with the normal range and the results of comparing the remaining capacity indicated by the remaining capacity information with the power range. If the comparison result for at least one of the environmental information and the remaining capacity information changes from the previous comparison result, the control unit 170 may determine to change the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas from the current timing to a different timing.

[0057] When the control unit 170 detects that the value indicated by the environmental information falls outside the first range (normal range) and that the remaining amount indicated by the remaining amount information is within the second range (power supply range), the control unit 170 may determine to change the frequency of target gas concentration measurements in the gas sensor 130. In this case, the control unit 170 may determine to measure the target gas concentration in the gas sensor 130 more frequently or to start concentration measurements. For example, the control unit 170 may determine the timing of target gas concentration measurements in the gas sensor 130 based on the target gas concentration and remaining amount information in the environmental information. As an example, when the control unit 170 detects that the target gas concentration falls outside the normal range and that the remaining amount indicated by the remaining amount information is within the power supply range, the control unit 170 may determine to measure the target gas concentration in the gas sensor 130 more frequently. On the other hand, when the control unit 170 detects at least one of the following: the concentration of the target gas is within the normal range and the remaining amount indicated by the remaining amount information is outside the power supply range (i.e., the remaining amount of the power supply unit 140 is low), the control unit 170 may determine to reduce the frequency of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the gas sensor 130 or to end the concentration measurement. The remaining amount of the power supply unit 140 may be low when the ratio of the current remaining capacity to the maximum storage capacity of the power supply unit 140 is 20% or less, or may be 10% or less.

[0058] The control unit 170 may determine, based on the position information, the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the gas sensor 130. When the control unit 170 detects that the position indicated by the position information has moved from outdoors to indoors or from indoors to outdoors, the control unit 170 may determine the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the gas sensor 130. For example, when the control unit 170 detects that the position of the gas sensor 130 indicated by the position information has entered or left an area on the map that indicates a building, the control unit 170 may change the frequency of measuring the concentration of the target gas to a higher or lower frequency.

[0059] When the control unit 170 detects that the position indicated by the position information has moved and then stopped, the control unit 170 may determine the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the gas sensor 130. For example, when the control unit 170 detects that the distance from the abnormal gas concentration region to the position of the gas sensor 130 indicated by the position information has exceeded a predetermined threshold and that a predetermined period has elapsed since the position stopped, the control unit 170 may determine the frequency of concentration measurement to be lower.

[0060] When the control unit 170 detects that the position indicated by the position information has moved into an area associated with the result of a previous target gas concentration measurement, the control unit 170 may determine the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the gas sensor 130. For example, the control unit 170 may determine that the frequency of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the gas sensor 130 is to be increased if the result of the previous target gas concentration measurement associated with the area on the map that includes the position of the gas sensor 130 is in an abnormal range.

[0061] The control unit 170 may detect that the position indicated by the position information has moved into an area associated with the result of a previous target gas concentration measurement, and if the previous target gas concentration measurement was performed more than a predetermined period of time ago, may determine the timing of target gas concentration measurement in the gas sensor 130. For example, if the previous target gas concentration measurement was performed more than a predetermined period of time ago (for example, one hour or more ago) in an area including the position of the gas sensor 130 on the map, the control unit 170 may determine that the frequency of target gas concentration measurement in the gas sensor 130 should be increased.

[0062] The control unit 170 may determine the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the gas sensor 130 based on the time information and the remaining amount information. As an example, the control unit 170 may determine the frequency of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the gas sensor 130 more frequently or start measuring the concentration of the target gas in accordance with at least one of the time information of the gas sensor 130, which is the season, the day of the week, and the time of day. For example, at night or on holidays, when there are fewer people around the user and the possibility of inhaling exhaled breath containing infectious substances is low, measuring less frequently can reduce the power consumption of the power supply unit 140. Furthermore, in winter, infectious diseases such as influenza are prevalent, and the possibility of inhaling exhaled breath containing infectious substances is high. Therefore, measuring more frequently can allow the user to quickly learn the status of the surrounding environment.

[0063] Based on the public health information and the remaining amount information, the control unit 170 may determine the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the gas sensor 130. As an example, the control unit 170 may determine the frequency of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the gas sensor 130 to be higher or may start measuring the concentration of the target gas in response to the public health information indicating an infectious disease alert or an environmental pollution alert for the current location of the gas sensor 130.

[0064] The control unit 170 may determine the timing of target gas concentration measurement in the gas sensor 130 based on the travel speed and the remaining amount information. For example, when the control unit 170 detects that the travel speed is below a predetermined threshold or within a predetermined range and that the remaining amount indicated by the remaining amount information is within the power supply range, the control unit 170 may increase the frequency of target gas concentration measurement in the gas sensor 130 or start target gas concentration measurement. On the other hand, when the control unit 170 detects that the travel speed exceeds a predetermined threshold and / or that the remaining amount indicated by the remaining amount information is outside the power supply range, the control unit 170 may decrease the frequency of target gas concentration measurement in the gas sensor 130 or terminate concentration measurement. Alternatively, when the control unit 170 detects that the travel speed is outside the predetermined range and / or that the remaining amount indicated by the remaining amount information is outside the power supply range, the control unit 170 may decrease the frequency of target gas concentration measurement in the gas sensor 130 or terminate concentration measurement. In this way, while the user is moving quickly, the ambient gas concentration has little effect on the user, so by measuring less frequently, it is possible to reduce the power consumption of the power supply unit 140. Alternatively, while the user is moving quickly, the user is in a closed space such as a train or car, where the gas has a large effect on the user, so by measuring more frequently, the user can quickly become aware of the situation in the closed space.

[0065] The control unit 170 may determine the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the gas sensor 130 based on the wearing information and the remaining amount information. For example, when the control unit 170 detects that the wearing information indicates a wearing state and that the remaining amount indicated by the remaining amount information is within the power supply range, the control unit 170 may determine the frequency of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the gas sensor 130 to be higher or may start measuring the concentration of the target gas. On the other hand, when the control unit 170 detects at least one of that the wearing information indicates a non-wearing state and that the remaining amount indicated by the remaining amount information is outside the power supply range, the control unit 170 may determine the frequency of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the gas sensor 130 to be lower or may end the concentration measurement. In this way, when the user is not wearing the wearable device (terminal 20), the user is not near the wearable device and does not need to frequently know the surrounding environment, so that measuring less frequently can reduce power consumption of the power supply unit 140.

[0066] The control unit 170 may determine the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the gas sensor 130 based on the sound information and the remaining amount information. For example, when the control unit 170 detects that the sound pressure, etc. indicated by the sound information is outside the normal range (the sound pressure becomes larger) and the remaining amount indicated by the remaining amount information is within the power supply range, the control unit 170 may determine the frequency of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the gas sensor 130 to be higher or may start measuring the concentration of the target gas. On the other hand, when the control unit 170 detects at least one of the sound pressure, etc. indicated by the sound information being within the normal range (the sound pressure becomes smaller) and the remaining amount indicated by the remaining amount information being outside the power supply range, the control unit 170 may determine the frequency of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the gas sensor 130 to be lower or may end the concentration measurement. In this way, when the sound pressure, etc. indicated by the sound information is outside the normal range, there may be many people around and the environment may be deteriorating. Therefore, by measuring more frequently, the user can quickly learn the environmental conditions.

[0067] The control unit 170 may determine the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the gas sensor 130 based on at least one of the measurement information and position information of the external sensor, the environmental information, and the remaining amount information. For example, when the control unit 170 detects that the position indicated by the position information of the gas sensor 130 has entered an abnormal region of the target gas concentration measured by the external sensor or an unmeasured region where the target gas concentration has not been measured for a predetermined period of time, and the remaining amount indicated by the remaining amount information is within the power supply range, the control unit 170 may determine the frequency of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the gas sensor 130 to be higher or may start measuring the concentration of the target gas. On the other hand, when the control unit 170 detects at least one of that the position indicated by the position information of the gas sensor 130 has left the abnormal region or the unmeasured region and that the remaining amount indicated by the remaining amount information is outside the power supply range, the control unit 170 may determine the frequency of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the gas sensor 130 to be lower or may end the concentration measurement.

[0068] The control unit 170 may determine the timing of target gas concentration measurement in the gas sensor 130 based on the biological information and the remaining amount information. For example, when the control unit 170 detects that the biological information is outside the normal range and the remaining amount indicated by the remaining amount information is within the power supply range, the control unit 170 may increase the frequency of target gas concentration measurement in the gas sensor 130 or start target gas concentration measurement. On the other hand, when the control unit 170 detects at least one of the biological information being within the normal range and the remaining amount indicated by the remaining amount information being outside the power supply range, the control unit 170 may decrease the frequency of target gas concentration measurement in the gas sensor 130 or end concentration measurement. This allows the cause of abnormalities in the user's body temperature, blood pressure, pulse rate, breathing, brain waves, blood sugar, sleep state, movement state, posture state, electrocardiogram, and other biological information indicated by the gas concentration to be identified. Alternatively, when the user is asleep, the user does not need to frequently monitor the surrounding environment, so less frequent measurement can reduce power consumption of the power supply unit 140. Alternatively, when the user's breathing rate is high, the gases in the surrounding environment have a greater effect on the user, so by measuring more frequently, the user can be made aware of the environmental conditions more quickly.

[0069] The control unit 170 may determine the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the gas sensor 130 based on statistics obtained by statistically processing the concentration of the target gas in a first period and statistics obtained by statistically processing the concentration of the target gas in a second period subsequent to the first period. The statistical processing may involve generating statistics including at least one of an average value, a maximum value, a minimum value, a variance, a difference, a moment, and a histogram from the measurement data of the concentration of the target gas. As an example, when the control unit 170 detects that the difference or ratio between the average concentration in the first period and the average concentration in the second period falls outside the normal range and the remaining amount indicated by the remaining amount information is within the power supply range, the control unit 170 may determine the frequency of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the gas sensor 130 to be higher. On the other hand, when the control unit 170 detects at least one of the facts that the difference or ratio between the average concentration value in the first period and the average concentration value in the second period is within the normal range and the remaining amount indicated by the remaining amount information is outside the power supply range, the control unit 170 may determine to reduce the frequency of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the gas sensor 130 or to end the concentration measurement. This allows the control unit 170 to perform concentration measurement more frequently as the change in the concentration of the target gas becomes greater.

[0070] For example, the control unit 170 may use the amount of change in the concentration of the target gas as a statistical quantity. The control unit 170 may determine the timing of target gas concentration measurement in the gas sensor 130 based on the amount of change in the concentration of the target gas in a first period and the amount of change in the concentration of the target gas in a second period following the first period. For example, when the control unit 170 detects that the difference or ratio between the amount of change in the concentration in the first period and the amount of change in the concentration in the second period is outside the normal range and the remaining amount indicated by the remaining amount information is within the power supply range, the control unit 170 may determine the frequency of target gas concentration measurement in the gas sensor 130 to be higher. On the other hand, when the control unit 170 detects at least one of the following: that the difference or ratio between the amount of change in the concentration in the first period and the amount of change in the concentration in the second period is within the normal range and that the remaining amount indicated by the remaining amount information is outside the power supply range, the control unit 170 may determine the frequency of target gas concentration measurement in the gas sensor 130 to be lower or to end concentration measurement. In this way, the control unit 170 can perform concentration measurement more frequently the greater the change in the concentration of the target gas.

[0071] When the control unit 170 detects that the atmospheric pressure indicated by the atmospheric pressure information is lower than a predetermined atmospheric pressure threshold, the control unit 170 may control the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the gas sensor 130. For example, in an indoor or outdoor space where the atmospheric pressure is high and controlled and ventilated at positive pressure, the ambient gas concentration has little effect on the user, so the control unit 170 can reduce the power consumption of the power supply unit 140 by having the gas sensor 130 perform measurements less frequently. Furthermore, when the atmospheric pressure is low, the user may be in a closed space such as an airplane, so the ambient gas concentration has a large effect on the user, so the control unit 170 can quickly learn the environmental conditions by having the gas sensor 130 perform measurements more frequently.

[0072] The control unit 170 may determine a measurement mode for performing concentration measurement at a measurement period corresponding to the comparison result from among a plurality of predetermined measurement periods. As an example, the plurality of measurement modes include a measurement mode in which concentration measurement is stopped, a measurement mode in which concentration measurement is performed at a shorter period (higher frequency), and a measurement mode in which concentration measurement is performed at a longer period (lower frequency). For example, a short period may be once every two seconds or more, and a long period may be once per minute or less.

[0073] In step S320, the control unit 170 controls the gas sensor 130 to measure the concentration of the target gas at the timing determined in step S310. The control unit 170 may transmit control data indicating a measurement mode to the gas sensor 130. The gas sensor 130 can measure the concentration of the target gas in the measurement mode indicated by the control data from the control unit 170. The control device 120 may monitor the gas concentration in the environment surrounding the terminal 20a by repeating steps S300 to S320.

[0074] When the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas is changed, the output section 180 may send a warning signal to the output device 190 to output at least one of a character, a color, and a sound indicating that the timing is to be changed.

[0075] 4 shows another example of the flow of operation of the control device 120 of this embodiment. In FIG. 4, the control device 120 determines the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas in multiple stages. In the example of FIG. 4, at the start of operation, the gas sensor 130 is in a measurement mode in which concentration measurement is stopped. Each step of the operation in FIG. 4 may include at least a part of the steps of the operation in FIG. 3.

[0076] In step S400, similar to step S300, the environmental information acquisition unit 150 acquires environmental information from at least one of the sensor 130, the server 30, and an external server.

[0077] In step S410, the control unit 170 may start target gas concentration measurement in the gas sensor 130 in accordance with the environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 150. The control unit 170 may determine whether to cause the gas sensor 130 to measure the target gas concentration in accordance with the environmental information, and may control the gas sensor 130 if it determines to perform concentration measurement. The control unit 170 may determine whether to cause the gas sensor 130 to measure the target gas concentration in accordance with environmental information other than the target gas concentration. The control unit 170 may start concentration measurement in the gas sensor 130 if at least one piece of environmental information is outside the normal range or if at least one piece of environmental information has changed by a predetermined threshold or more. For example, the control unit 170 may start target gas concentration measurement when a predetermined period has elapsed since the last target gas concentration measurement or when the environmental information has changed by a predetermined threshold or more within a predetermined period. The control unit 170 may start target gas concentration measurement in accordance with mounting information indicating that the gas sensor 130 is mounted. For example, immediately after putting on the wearable device (terminal 20), the user will immediately try to resolve the lack of information about the surrounding environment, so by having the gas sensor 130 measure more frequently, the user can quickly become aware of the environmental conditions.

[0078] The control unit 170 may start measuring the concentration of the target gas in the gas sensor 130 based on the position information about the gas sensor 130. The control unit 170 may start the concentration measurement according to the current position of the gas sensor 130 on the map. For example, the control unit 170 may start the concentration measurement when the current position of the gas sensor 130 approaches or enters an area on the map that indicates a well or a plant to a value equal to or less than a predetermined threshold. This makes it possible to quickly detect, from the position information, the timing when the concentration of the target gas needs to be measured, for example, if the target gas is a toxic gas or a flammable gas.

[0079] When the control unit 170 detects that the position indicated by the position information regarding the gas sensor 130 has moved and then stopped, the control unit 170 may start measuring the concentration of the target gas in the gas sensor 130. For example, when the control unit 170 detects that the position of the gas sensor 130 indicated by the position information has changed by more than a predetermined threshold and then a predetermined period has elapsed since the change in position stopped, the control unit 170 may start measuring the concentration.

[0080] The control unit 170 may start measuring the concentration of the target gas in the gas sensor 130 when it detects that the location indicated by the location information has moved from outdoors to indoors or from indoors to outdoors. For example, the control unit 170 may start measuring the concentration of the target gas when it detects that the location of the gas sensor 130 indicated by the location information has entered or left an area on the map that indicates a building. Here, the control unit 170 may pre-set, for each area on the map, either control to start concentration measurement when the location has moved from outdoors to indoors or control to start concentration measurement when the location has moved from indoors to outdoors, depending on at least one of the type of building and the type of target gas. For example, when the target gas is a toxic gas or the like, the control unit 170 may execute control to start concentration measurement in the gas sensor 130 when it detects that the location of the gas sensor 130 has moved into a plant building.

[0081] When the control unit 170 detects that the position of the gas sensor 130 indicated by the position information has moved into an area associated with the result of a previous concentration measurement of the target gas, the control unit 170 may decide to start measuring the concentration of the target gas in the sensor 130. For example, the control unit 170 may decide to start measuring the concentration of the target gas in the gas sensor 130 in response to the result of the previous concentration measurement of the target gas associated with the area on the map that includes the position of the gas sensor 130 being in an abnormal range.

[0082] The control unit 170 may detect that the position of the gas sensor 130 indicated by the position information has moved into an area associated with the result of a previous concentration measurement of the target gas, and if the previous concentration measurement of the target gas was performed more than a predetermined period of time ago, start measuring the concentration of the target gas in the gas sensor 130. For example, the control unit 170 may decide to start measuring the concentration of the target gas in the gas sensor 130 if the previous concentration measurement of the target gas was performed more than a predetermined period of time ago (for example, one hour or more ago) in an area including the position of the gas sensor 130 on the map.

[0083] The control unit 170 may receive at least one of the results of previous target gas concentration measurements stored in chronological order in the sensor device 100, the results of previous target gas concentration measurements stored in the server 30, and the results of previous target gas concentration measurements at external sensors (sensors of the other terminals 20b and 20c) and use them to determine the timing. For example, in step S400, the environmental information acquisition unit 150 may receive the results of concentration measurements and the measurement dates and times in an area including the position of the gas sensor 130 on the map in response to transmitting the position information of the gas sensor 130 to the server 30 and at least one of the other terminals 20b and 20c.

[0084] The control device 120 may specify a measurement period (measurement mode) to cause the gas sensor 130 to measure the concentration of the target gas. The control unit 170 may cause the gas sensor 130 to measure the concentration at a preset frequency (a measurement mode with a higher measurement period or a measurement mode with a lower measurement period) at the start. The control device 120 may transmit control data to the gas sensor 130 to cause the gas sensor 130 to measure the concentration of the target gas.

[0085] When the control device 120 causes the gas sensor 130 to measure the concentration of the target gas (Yes in FIG. 4), the process proceeds to step S420, and when it is not determined to start the concentration measurement (No in FIG. 4), the process proceeds to step S400.

[0086] In step S420, the environmental information acquiring unit 150 acquires the concentration of the target gas measured by the gas sensor 130. The environmental information acquiring unit 150 may acquire the concentration of the target gas in the same manner as in step S300. The environmental information acquiring unit 150 may acquire environmental information including the concentration of the target gas measured by the gas sensor 130 in a first period and a second period that are consecutive. The environmental information acquiring unit 150 may acquire the measured gas concentration of the target gas from the gas sensor 130 along with time information indicating the date and time of measurement. The environmental information acquiring unit 150 may acquire the measured gas concentration of the target gas in chronological order.

[0087] In step S430, the remaining capacity information acquiring section 160 acquires remaining capacity information of the power supply section 140. The remaining capacity information acquiring section 160 may acquire the remaining capacity information in the same manner as in step S300.

[0088] In step S440, the control unit 170 determines the timing of target gas concentration measurement by the gas sensor 130 according to the target gas concentration and remaining amount information in the environmental information. As an example, when the control unit 170 detects that the target gas concentration is outside the normal range and the remaining amount indicated by the remaining amount information is within the power supply range (e.g., equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold), the control unit 170 may determine the frequency of target gas concentration measurement by the gas sensor 130 to be higher. On the other hand, when the control unit 170 detects at least one of the fact that the target gas concentration is within the normal range and the fact that the remaining amount indicated by the remaining amount information is outside the power supply range, the control unit 170 may determine the frequency of target gas concentration measurement by the gas sensor 130 to be lower or to end concentration measurement.

[0089] The control unit 170 may determine the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas by comparing the concentration of the target gas in the environmental information with multiple thresholds (e.g., a first threshold and a second threshold greater than the first threshold). When the concentration of the target gas is equal to or less than the first threshold (e.g., within a normal range), the control unit 170 may determine to measure the concentration of the target gas in the gas sensor 130 less frequently or to end concentration measurement, regardless of the remaining amount information. When the control unit 170 detects that the concentration of the target gas is greater than the first threshold but equal to or less than the second threshold and that the remaining amount indicated by the remaining amount information is within the power supply range, the control unit 170 may determine to measure the concentration of the target gas in the gas sensor 130 more frequently. When the control unit 170 detects that the concentration of the target gas exceeds the second threshold, the control unit 170 may determine to measure the concentration of the target gas in the gas sensor 130 more frequently, regardless of the remaining amount information. The first threshold and the second threshold may be changed depending on the current measurement frequency (measurement mode) of the gas sensor 130. As an example, if the measurement frequency of the current gas sensor 130 is higher, smaller first and second thresholds may be set, and if the measurement frequency of the current gas sensor 130 is lower, larger first and second thresholds may be set.

[0090] The control unit 170 may determine the timing of concentration measurement according to the concentration of the target gas, at least one of environmental information other than the concentration of the target gas, and remaining amount information. As an example, the control unit 170 may determine the timing of concentration measurement according to the concentration, location information, and remaining amount information of the target gas. The control unit 170 can efficiently determine whether the concentration of the target gas is in an abnormal range and whether the remaining amount is sufficient by using a different threshold for each region on the map. The control unit 170 may determine the timing of concentration measurement in the same manner as in step S310.

[0091] In step S450, the control unit 170 controls the gas sensor 130 to measure the concentration of the target gas at the determined timing. The control unit 170 may transmit control data indicating a measurement mode to the gas sensor 130. The gas sensor 130 can measure the concentration of the target gas in the measurement mode indicated by the control data from the control unit 170. The control device 120 may monitor the gas concentration in the ambient environment of the terminal 20a by repeating steps S400 to S450.

[0092] After step S450, while the gas sensor 130 is measuring the concentration of the target gas, the environmental information acquisition unit 150 may acquire new environmental information including the concentration of the target gas measured by the gas sensor 130 in step S400, and the control unit 170 may determine whether to end the concentration measurement in step S410 based on the newly acquired environmental information. In step S410 after the start of the concentration measurement, the control unit 170 may end the concentration measurement of the target gas by the gas sensor 130 based on the environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 150. The control unit 170 may end the concentration measurement of the target gas by the gas sensor 130 based on the concentration of the target gas measured by the gas sensor 130 being within the normal range.

[0093] The control unit 170 may terminate the concentration measurement of the target gas in the gas sensor 130 based on the position information of the gas sensor 130 acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 150. The control unit 170 may terminate the concentration measurement in accordance with the position of the gas sensor 130 on the map. For example, the control unit 170 may terminate the concentration measurement in response to detecting that the position of the gas sensor 130 has moved away from an area on the map that indicates a well or a plant by more than a predetermined threshold. The control unit 170 may preset an area on the map where the concentration measurement should start and an area where the concentration measurement should end, for each type of target gas.

[0094] The control unit 170 may terminate the concentration measurement of the target gas in the gas sensor 130 when it detects that the location indicated by the location information has moved from indoors to outdoors or from indoors to outdoors. For example, the control unit 170 may terminate the concentration measurement when it detects that the location of the gas sensor 130 indicated by the location information has entered or left an area on the map that indicates a building. Here, the control unit 170 may be preset to execute either control to terminate the concentration measurement when the gas sensor 130 moves from outdoors to indoors or control to terminate the concentration measurement when the gas sensor 130 moves from indoors to outdoors, depending on at least one of the type of building and the type of target gas in each area on the map. For example, when the target gas is a toxic gas or the like, the control unit 170 may execute control to terminate the concentration measurement in the gas sensor 130 when it detects that the gas sensor 130 has moved outside the plant building.

[0095] When the control unit 170 detects that the position indicated by the position information has moved and then stopped, it may terminate the concentration measurement of the target gas in the gas sensor 130. For example, when the control unit 170 detects that the distance from the abnormal gas concentration region to the position of the gas sensor 130 indicated by the position information has exceeded a predetermined threshold and that a predetermined period has elapsed since the position stopped, it may terminate the concentration measurement.

[0096] When the control unit 170 detects that the position indicated by the position information has moved into an area associated with the result of a previous concentration measurement of the target gas, the control unit 170 may terminate the concentration measurement of the target gas in the gas sensor 130. For example, the control unit 170 may decide to terminate the concentration measurement of the target gas in the gas sensor 130 when the result of the previous concentration measurement of the target gas associated with the area on the map including the position of the gas sensor 130 is within a normal range.

[0097] The control unit 170 may detect that the position indicated by the position information has moved into an area associated with the result of a previous target gas concentration measurement, and if the previous target gas concentration measurement was performed more than a predetermined period of time ago, may terminate the target gas concentration measurement by the sensor 130. For example, the control unit 170 may decide to terminate the target gas concentration measurement by the gas sensor 130 if the previous target gas concentration measurement was performed more than a predetermined period of time ago (for example, more than 30 minutes ago) in an area including the position of the gas sensor 130 on the map.

[0098] The control unit 170 may determine whether to perform the concentration measurement of the target gas using the same environmental information as the environmental information used when determining to start the concentration measurement in the previous step S410. As an example, if the control unit 170 determined to start the concentration measurement in accordance with public health information in the previous step S410, the control unit 170 may determine whether to end the concentration measurement of the target gas in accordance with the public health information in the current step S410.

[0099] The sensor device 100 of this embodiment can measure the concentration of the target gas at a frequency that suits the environment, and can monitor the concentration of the target gas for a long period of time while reducing the power consumption of the power supply unit 140.

[0100] 5 shows the transition of the concentration of the target gas measured by the gas sensor 130 of the sensor device 100 of this embodiment. In Fig. 5, the vertical axis represents the concentration (ppm) of carbon dioxide, which is the target gas, and the horizontal axis represents time.

[0101] The control unit 170 can calculate the absolute value α of the change between measurement point A1 (measurement time T1, concentration P1) and measurement point A2 (measurement time T2, concentration P2) in Figure 5, and the absolute value β of the change between measurement point A2 and measurement point A3 (measurement time T3, concentration P3) using the following equations.

[0102] α = |P2-P1| / |T2-T1| β = |P3-P2| / |T3-T2|

[0103] The control unit 170 may determine the frequency of measuring the concentration of the target gas by the gas sensor 130 based on α, which is the absolute value of the change in P2 relative to P1 per unit time, and β, which is the absolute value of the change in P3 relative to P2 per unit time.

[0104] In the measurement period w1 (a measurement period with a lower frequency), the control unit 170 may determine to increase the frequency of concentration measurement when the value obtained by dividing β by α is equal to or greater than a third threshold value (e.g., 1.2). The control unit 170 may determine not to increase the frequency of concentration measurement when the value obtained by dividing β by α is less than the third threshold value. In this way, by increasing the frequency of carbon dioxide concentration measurement by the gas sensor 130 when the amount of change in carbon dioxide concentration is greater, it is possible to obtain timely measurement results in the early stage of an increase in the carbon dioxide concentration.

[0105] Similarly, for measurement points B1, B2, and B3 in FIG. 5, the control unit 170 may calculate the absolute value α of the change between measurement point B1 and measurement point B2 and the absolute value β of the change between measurement point B2 and measurement point B3 using the above formula. In measurement period w2 (a more frequent measurement period), the control unit 170 may determine to reduce the frequency of concentration measurement when the value obtained by dividing β by α is less than a fourth threshold (e.g., 0.8) that is smaller than the third threshold. The control unit 170 may determine not to change the frequency of concentration measurement when the value obtained by dividing β by α exceeds the fourth threshold. In this way, by further reducing the frequency of carbon dioxide concentration measurement by the gas sensor 130 when the change in carbon dioxide concentration is smaller, the number of measurements can be reduced when measurements are less necessary, thereby reducing the power consumption of the power supply unit 140. Note that the control unit 170 may combine the timing determination using the third threshold and the timing determination using the fourth threshold.

[0106] In FIG. 5, by controlling the timing of measuring the carbon dioxide concentration according to the amount of change described above, the control unit 170 controls the gas sensor 130 to measure the carbon dioxide concentration at a measurement period w1 until t1, at a measurement period w2 from t1 to t2, at a measurement period w1 from t2 to t3, at a measurement period w2 from t3 to t4, at a measurement period w1 from t4 to t5, at a measurement period w2 from t5 to t6, at a measurement period w1 from t6 to t7, at a measurement period w2 from t7 to t8, and at a measurement period w1 from t8 onwards.

[0107] The control device 120 may control the gas sensor 130 using only the environmental information without using the remaining amount information. This allows the target gas to be monitored with greater consideration given to the safety of users working in the plant, if the target gas is a toxic gas or the like. The threshold and range used by the control unit 170 to determine the timing may be set in advance by the user.

[0108] Furthermore, the gas sensor 130 may be disposed in an external device different from the control device 120. In this case, the external device may include the gas sensor 130 and a power supply unit 140. Furthermore, the external device may further include at least one sensor 130 other than the gas sensor 130. As an example, the portable control device 120 may be disposed in a portable terminal 20 such as a smartphone, a wearable device, or a head-mounted display, and the portable terminal 20 may further include at least one sensor 130 other than the gas sensor 130. The external device may be attached to the terminal 20 in which the control device 120 is disposed.

[0109] Various embodiments of the present invention may be described with reference to flowcharts and block diagrams, where the blocks may represent (1) stages of a process in which operations are performed or (2) sections of an apparatus responsible for performing the operations. Particular stages and sections may be implemented by dedicated circuitry, programmable circuitry provided with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium, and / or a processor provided with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium. Dedicated circuitry may include digital and / or analog hardware circuitry, and may include integrated circuits (ICs) and / or discrete circuits. Programmable circuitry may include reconfigurable hardware circuitry, including logical AND, OR, XOR, NAND, NOR, and other logical operations, flip-flops, registers, memory elements such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic arrays (PLAs), and the like.

[0110] A computer-readable medium may include any tangible device capable of storing instructions that are executed by an appropriate device, such that the computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon comprises an article of manufacture containing instructions that can be executed to create means for performing the operations specified in the flowcharts or block diagrams. Examples of computer-readable media may include electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, and semiconductor storage media. More specific examples of computer-readable media may include floppy disks, diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), static random access memory (SRAM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-ray disc, memory stick, integrated circuit card, and the like.

[0111] The computer readable instructions may include either assembler instructions, Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, or source or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Smalltalk®, JAVA®, C++, etc., and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages.

[0112] The computer-readable instructions may be provided to a processor or programmable circuitry of a programmable data processing apparatus, such as a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other computer, either locally or over a wide-area network (WAN) such as a local area network (LAN), the Internet, etc., which executes the computer-readable instructions to create means for performing the operations specified in the flowcharts or block diagrams. Examples of processors include computer processors, processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, microcontrollers, etc.

[0113] 6 illustrates an example of a computer 2200 in which aspects of the present invention may be embodied, in whole or in part. Programs installed on the computer 2200 may cause the computer 2200 to function as or perform operations associated with an apparatus or one or more sections of the apparatus according to embodiments of the present invention, and / or to perform a process or steps of a process according to embodiments of the present invention. Such programs may be executed by the CPU 2212 to cause the computer 2200 to perform specific operations associated with some or all of the blocks in the flowcharts and block diagrams described herein.

[0114] A computer 2200 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 2212, a RAM 2214, a graphics controller 2216, and a display device 2218, which are interconnected by a host controller 2210. The computer 2200 also includes input / output units such as a communication interface 2222, a hard disk drive 2224, a DVD-ROM drive 2226, and an IC card drive, which are connected to the host controller 2210 via an input / output controller 2220. The computer also includes legacy input / output units such as a ROM 2230 and a keyboard 2242, which are connected to the input / output controller 2220 via an input / output chip 2240.

[0115] The CPU 2212 operates according to programs stored in the ROM 2230 and RAM 2214, thereby controlling each unit. The graphics controller 2216 acquires image data generated by the CPU 2212 into a frame buffer or the like provided in the RAM 2214 or into the graphics controller 2216 itself, and causes the image data to be displayed on the display device 2218.

[0116] The communications interface 2222 communicates with other electronic devices via a network. The hard disk drive 2224 stores programs and data used by the CPU 2212 in the computer 2200. The DVD-ROM drive 2226 reads programs or data from the DVD-ROM 2201 and provides the programs or data to the hard disk drive 2224 via the RAM 2214. The IC card drive reads programs and data from an IC card and / or writes programs and data to an IC card.

[0117] The ROM 2230 stores therein a boot program or the like that is executed by the computer 2200 upon activation, and / or programs that depend on the hardware of the computer 2200. The input / output chip 2240 may also connect various input / output units to the input / output controller 2220 via a parallel port, a serial port, a keyboard port, a mouse port, etc.

[0118] The programs are provided by a computer-readable medium such as a DVD-ROM 2201 or an IC card. The programs are read from the computer-readable medium, installed in the hard disk drive 2224, RAM 2214, or ROM 2230, which are also examples of computer-readable media, and executed by the CPU 2212. Information processing described in these programs is read by the computer 2200, and brings about cooperation between the programs and the various types of hardware resources described above. An apparatus or method may be configured by realizing information manipulation or processing in accordance with the use of the computer 2200.

[0119] For example, when communication is performed between the computer 2200 and an external device, the CPU 2212 may execute a communication program loaded into the RAM 2214 and instruct the communication interface 2222 to perform communication processing based on the processing described in the communication program. Under the control of the CPU 2212, the communication interface 2222 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer processing area provided in the RAM 2214, the hard disk drive 2224, the DVD-ROM 2201, or a recording medium such as an IC card, and transmits the read transmission data to the network, or writes reception data received from the network to a reception buffer processing area or the like provided on the recording medium.

[0120] The CPU 2212 may also cause all or a necessary portion of a file or database stored on an external recording medium such as the hard disk drive 2224, the DVD-ROM drive 2226 (DVD-ROM 2201), an IC card, etc. to be read into the RAM 2214, and perform various types of processing on the data on the RAM 2214. The CPU 2212 then writes back the processed data to the external recording medium.

[0121] Various types of information, such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases, may be stored on the recording medium and may undergo information processing. The CPU 2212 may perform various types of processing on data read from the RAM 2214, including various types of operations, information processing, conditional judgment, conditional branching, unconditional branching, information search / replacement, etc., as described throughout this disclosure and specified by the instruction sequences of the programs, and write the results back to the RAM 2214. The CPU 2212 may also search for information in a file, database, etc. on the recording medium. For example, if multiple entries each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute are stored on the recording medium, the CPU 2212 may search for an entry that matches a condition specified by the attribute value of the first attribute from among the multiple entries, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry, and thereby obtain the attribute value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute that satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0122] The above-described programs or software modules may be stored in a computer-readable medium on or near the computer 2200. A recording medium such as a hard disk or RAM provided in a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can also be used as a computer-readable medium, thereby providing the programs to the computer 2200 via the network.

[0123] Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It is clear from the claims that such modifications and improvements can also be included within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0124] It should be noted that the execution order of each process, such as operations, procedures, steps, and stages, in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, specifications, and drawings is not specifically stated as "before," "prior to," etc., and that the processes can be performed in any order unless the output of a previous process is used in a subsequent process. Even if the operational flow in the claims, specifications, and drawings is described using "first," "next," etc. for convenience, this does not mean that the processes must be performed in this order. [Explanation of symbols]

[0125] 10 Systems 20 terminals 30 servers 40 Communication Network 100 Sensor device 110 Detector 120 Control device 130 sensors 140 Power supply section 150 Environmental Information Acquisition Department 160 Remaining amount information acquisition unit 170 Control Unit 180 Output section 190 Output Device 2200 Computer 2201 DVD-ROM 2210 host controller 2212 CPU 2214 RAM 2216 Graphics Controller 2218 Display Device 2220 Input / Output Controller 2222 communication interface 2224 hard disk drive 2226 DVD-ROM drive 2230 ROM 2240 I / O chip 2242 keyboard

Claims

1. A portable control device that controls a sensor that measures the concentration of a target gas, an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information related to the sensor; a remaining power information acquiring unit that acquires remaining power information of a power supply unit that supplies power to the sensor; a control unit that controls the timing of the measurement of the concentration of the target gas by the sensor based on the environmental information and the remaining amount information. Control device.

2. When the control unit detects that the value indicated by the environmental information is outside a first range and the remaining amount indicated by the remaining amount information is within a second range, the control unit changes the frequency of measuring the concentration of the target gas by the sensor. The control device according to claim 1 .

3. the environmental information acquisition unit acquires the environmental information including the concentration of the target gas measured by the sensor; The control unit controls the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas by the sensor based on the concentration of the target gas and the remaining amount information. The control device according to claim 1 .

4. the environmental information acquisition unit acquires the environmental information including the concentration of the target gas measured by the sensor during a first period and a second period that are consecutive, The control unit controls the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas by the sensor based on statistics of the concentration of the target gas in the first period and statistics of the concentration of the target gas in the second period. The control device according to claim 1 .

5. an output unit that outputs a warning signal in response to the environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit; The control device according to claim 1 .

6. When the control unit starts or ends the measurement of the concentration of the target gas by the sensor in accordance with the environmental information, the output unit outputs the warning signal. The control device according to claim 5 .

7. The environmental information acquisition unit acquires the environmental information including at least one of gas concentration, temperature, humidity, pressure, wind direction, wind speed, illuminance, time information, acceleration, angular acceleration, azimuth angle, position information, dust, and biological information related to the sensor. The control device according to claim 1 .

8. The control unit starts or ends the measurement of the concentration of the target gas by the sensor in accordance with the environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit. The control device according to claim 1 .

9. the environmental information acquisition unit acquires the environmental information including position information related to the sensor; The control unit starts or ends the measurement of the concentration of the target gas by the sensor based on the position information. The control device according to claim 1 .

10. The control unit starts measuring the concentration of the target gas in the sensor when detecting that the position indicated by the position information has moved from outdoors to indoors or from indoors to outdoors, and ends measuring the concentration of the target gas in the sensor when detecting that the position indicated by the position information has moved from indoors to outdoors or from indoors to outdoors. The control device according to claim 9.

11. The control unit starts or ends the measurement of the concentration of the target gas by the sensor when detecting that the position indicated by the position information has moved and then stopped. The control device according to claim 9.

12. When the control unit detects that the position indicated by the position information has moved into an area associated with a result of a previous concentration measurement of the target gas, the control unit starts or ends the concentration measurement of the target gas by the sensor. The control device according to claim 9.

13. The control unit detects that the position indicated by the position information has moved into an area associated with a result of a previous concentration measurement of the target gas, and if the previous concentration measurement of the target gas was performed more than a predetermined period of time ago, starts or ends the concentration measurement of the target gas by the sensor. The control device according to claim 9.

14. the environmental information acquisition unit acquires the environmental information including a moving speed related to the sensor; The control unit controls the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the sensor based on the moving speed and the remaining amount information. The control device according to claim 1 .

15. the sensor is disposed on a wearable device; the environmental information acquisition unit acquires the environmental information including wearing information indicating whether the wearable device is being worn or not; The control unit controls the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the sensor based on the mounting information and the remaining amount information. The control device according to claim 1 .

16. the environmental information acquisition unit acquires the environmental information including sound information around the sensor; The control unit controls the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the sensor based on the sound information and the remaining amount information. The control device according to claim 1 .

17. the environmental information acquisition unit acquires the environmental information including atmospheric pressure information around the sensor; When the control unit detects that the atmospheric pressure indicated by the atmospheric pressure information is lower than an atmospheric pressure threshold, the control unit controls the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas by the sensor. The control device according to claim 1 .

18. The sensor is disposed in an external device different from the control device. The control device according to claim 1 .

19. the environmental information acquisition unit further acquires at least one of measurement information from an external sensor different from the sensor and position information from the external sensor; The control unit controls the timing of the measurement of the concentration of the target gas by the sensor based on at least one of the measurement information of the external sensor and the position information of the external sensor, the environmental information, and the remaining amount information. The control device according to claim 1 .

20. the environmental information acquisition unit acquires the environmental information including biometric information of a user of the sensor; The control unit controls the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the sensor based on the biological information and the remaining amount information. The control device according to claim 1 .

21. the environmental information acquisition unit acquires the environmental information including public health information corresponding to the sensor; The control unit controls the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas by the sensor based on the public health information and the remaining amount information. The control device according to claim 1 .

22. A portable sensor device, a sensor for measuring the concentration of a target gas; a power supply unit that supplies power to the sensor; an environmental information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information related to the sensor; a remaining power information acquiring unit that acquires remaining power information of the power supply unit; a control unit that controls the timing of the measurement of the concentration of the target gas by the sensor based on the environmental information and the remaining amount information. Sensor device.

23. A method for controlling a sensor that measures the concentration of a target gas by a portable control device, comprising: obtaining environmental information related to the sensor; acquiring remaining power information of a power supply unit that supplies power to the sensor; and controlling the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the sensor based on the environmental information and the remaining amount information. method.

24. A method for measuring the concentration of a target gas using a portable sensor device, comprising: measuring the concentration of the target gas by a sensor of the sensor device; providing power to the sensor by a power supply of the sensor device; obtaining environmental information related to the sensor; acquiring remaining power information of the power supply unit; and controlling the timing of measuring the concentration of the target gas in the sensor based on the environmental information and the remaining amount information. method.

Images