Air quality measuring apparatus and method

Abstract

To provide an air quality measurement device and method. [Solution] The air quality measurement unit comprises a housing having an inlet for receiving an air flow and an outlet for discharging the air flow, and a plurality of sensors arranged within the housing to form an array of sensors, each sensor having a sensor inlet for receiving a portion of the air flow and a sensor outlet for discharging that portion of the air flow, each sensor configured to measure an air quality parameter, and the sensors arranged so that the sensor inlet is located adjacent to the inlet.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the measurement of air quality parameters. More particularly, the present invention relates to a unit comprising an array of sensors for measuring such parameters.

Background Art

[0002] Commercial and industrial facilities may have complex air quality measurement systems, but these are expensive capital equipment that require dedicated information networks to meet industry standards and can measure only a limited number, usually only up to three, air quality parameters. Other stand-alone industrial equipment that measures one specific air quality parameter is expensive capital equipment that is bulky / large in size and cannot provide long-term trends and analysis in real time.

[0003] However, home air quality measurement devices are limited to providing a limited number of measurable parameters, and their basic operation is essentially only for directly communicating the parameters to an observer.

Summary of the Invention

Means for Solving the Problems

[0004] In a first aspect, the present invention provides an air quality measurement unit, the air quality measurement unit comprising a housing having an air inlet for receiving an air flow and an air outlet for discharging the air flow, and a plurality of sensors disposed within the housing and forming an array of sensors, each sensor comprising a sensor air inlet for receiving a portion of the air flow and a sensor air outlet for discharging the portion of the air flow, each sensor being configured to measure an air quality parameter, and the sensor being arranged such that the sensor air inlet is positioned adjacent to the air inlet.

[0005] In a second embodiment, the present invention provides an air quality measuring unit comprising a housing having an intake port for receiving an airflow and an exhaust port for discharging the airflow, the housing having a port configured to removably receive a sensor module, the sensor module being configured to measure air quality parameters, and a control system configured to obtain information from the port to determine whether the sensor module is present, the control system further configured to identify the type of sensor module present and to receive data from the sensor module.

[0006] In a third aspect, the present invention provides an air quality measurement system comprising a remote data storage unit and at least one air quality measurement unit wirelessly connected to the remote data storage unit, wherein data collected by the at least one air quality measurement unit is transmitted to the remote data storage unit, the received data is calibrated by the remote data storage unit, and the calibration coefficients are transmitted to each air quality measurement unit.

[0007] In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides an air quality measuring unit comprising a plurality of sensors, each configured to measure an air quality parameter, and a control system that receives data from each sensor, the control system being configured to combine data from at least two sensors, and the control system being configured to determine an index corresponding to the combined data.

[0008] In a fifth aspect, the present invention provides a building control system comprising a plurality of environmental control devices, the environmental control devices being connected to a control system and configured to receive control data from the control system, the control system being configured to receive sensor data from one or more sensors and to determine an environmental index corresponding to the sensor data, the control data including the environmental index, thereby the environmental control device adjusting an environmental output which is a function of the environmental index.

[0009] Therefore, in one embodiment, the unit is configured to position the sensor so as to maximize the airflow when the airflow enters the unit, thereby optimizing the sensor's detection capability. Importantly, a filter can be introduced to remove larger particles than 1 mm, preventing dust from accumulating inside the sensor and its body and affecting the sensor's accuracy.

[0010] Furthermore, a fan can be used to increase the airflow in order to drive the air passing through the unit, and the fan can be placed closer to the exhaust port to make more effective use of the airflow.

[0011] In a second embodiment, the sensor may be provided in the form of a sensor module configured to be plugged into and unplugged from a port in the unit. The control system within the unit can continuously obtain information from the port to first detect whether the sensor module is connected and then determine what type of sensor is operating. The data received from the sensor, along with the type of data identified by the control system, is then sent by the control system to the processor in order to communicate the results.

[0012] In a third embodiment, the present invention may include a system comprising a plurality of such units, all of which may be wirelessly connected to a centralized server, such as a cloud configuration. Data from each unit, which is raw data being processed within the unit or to be processed in the cloud, may be transmitted to the cloud. For this purpose, sensor calibration can be performed within the unit or in the cloud. Calibration can be achieved by comparing raw data received from a known sensor to a virtual calibration cell and calibrating the raw data according to one or more criteria, including the unit from which the data was collected, the location of the unit, and of course, the type of sensor.

[0013] In a fourth aspect, the present invention can provide a control system with an index for classifying environmental conditions at either the cloud or unit stage. Such an index can present more complex environmental conditions by including two or more air quality parameters. The index can also be used to operate auxiliary equipment configured to mitigate the effects of elevated environmental conditions represented by each index exceeding a predetermined threshold.

[0014] It would be convenient to further describe the present invention in relation to the accompanying drawings illustrating possible configurations of the present invention. Other configurations of the present invention are also possible, and therefore, the specificity of the accompanying drawings should not be understood to supersede the generality of the foregoing description of the present invention. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1A] These are various diagrams of an air quality measurement unit according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 1B] These are various diagrams of an air quality measurement unit according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1A is a cross-sectional view of the air quality measurement unit. [Figure 3A] This is a schematic diagram of an air quality measurement system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3B] This is a schematic diagram of an air quality measurement system according to a further embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram of an air quality measurement system and a pollutant cell according to a further embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] The air quality measurement unit according to the present invention is configured to continuously monitor air quality. While the deployment of the unit may vary depending on the application, for commercial use, the unit may include a freestanding unit or, in some cases, a wall-mounted unit. The air quality measurement unit is configured to continuously monitor air quality, such as by continuously acquiring readings from the airflow entering the unit.

[0017] While units according to various embodiments of the present invention can be adapted for indoor or outdoor use, it will be understood that they are still encompassed within the broad scope of the invention. For example, indoor units may be wall-mounted or freestanding, placed on tables, benches, etc. The following description will generally refer to indoor units in various respects, but this should not be read as excluding embodiments that include outdoor use.

[0018] For example, adapted forms for outdoor use may include wall-mounted or freestanding configurations. Furthermore, outdoor embodiments of the present invention may include freestanding configurations on the ground, allowing for placement of the unit to optimize natural airflow. Additionally, or alternatively, the unit may use a larger internal fan to increase the driven airflow. Moreover, the unit may be equipped with or adapted to work with an airflow collector to direct the airflow into the unit's air intake.

[0019] In one aspect of the present invention, the sensor array comprises selectively insertable sensor modules configured to be inserted into ports within the unit. In a preferred embodiment, the unit may be configured to accept up to 15 selectively insertable sensor modules. A distinctive feature of the present invention is that it allows the operator to reconfigure the unit by selecting various sensor modules as needed, such as by inserting new sensor modules into available ports or by removing unwanted sensors and replacing them with new ones.

[0020] In a further aspect, the unit can be connected to an external node to transmit data and also receive inputs, and the connection can be wired or wireless. For example, in one embodiment, the unit can be wirelessly connected to the cloud for distributed operation. Such operation can include functions such as storing sensor readings, calibrating sensor modules, and processing raw data.

[0021] The cloud can periodically update a control system resident in the unit. The control system can be configured to operate sensor modules, process raw data, or transmit data to an external node such as the cloud. Further, the control system can be configured to visually display the processed sensor data on a visual display on the unit or a remote visual display.

[0022] For this purpose, an embodiment of the air quality measurement unit 5 is shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. Here, the unit 5 in this case comprises a housing 10 with three ports 22A to 22C. Various sensor modules 20A to 20C are inserted into these ports 22A to 22C, arranged to directly receive the inflow from the air intake 15 to the module air intakes 23A to 23C. The air intake 15 comprises a filter configured to remove large particulate matter from the air stream. For example, using filter 17 can provide the device with an IP43 ingress protecting rating, ensuring that specific substances larger than 1 mm do not enter the sensor array. It will be appreciated that the housing can comprise at least one non-removable sensor module that can operate permanently within the housing.

[0023] Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of unit 5 in which sensor modules 20A to 20C are arranged. In this embodiment, the attached sensor modules include a particulate matter sensor module 20A, a sensor module 20B (temperature + humidity + air pressure + TVOC + CO2) in which five functions are integrated, and NO2 and ozone sensors 20C. Each sensor can be removed by engaging a spring-loaded latch 12 for sliding in and out of its respective port.

[0024] The various ports can be changed so that depending on the type of sensor module required, the port can be dedicated to a specific type of module. For example, in this embodiment, port 22A is configured for a sensor module that requires separate intake and exhaust ports. Thus, as shown in Figure 2, the particulate matter sensor module 20A is configured to have separate inflow 25 and outflow 30. This is separate from other sensor ports that have conventional inflows 35, 40 and outflows 45 passing through sensor modules 20B, 20C. It is particularly advantageous to optimize the measurement characteristics by providing a sensor module configured to receive an air flow in proximity to intake port 15.

[0025] Figures 3A and 3B show various embodiments of a further aspect of the present invention. In the first embodiment of Figure 3A, system 52 includes an array of sensors 50 that transmit data to a control system 60. The sensor array 50 and the control system 60 are present within unit 53, and the control system 60 of unit 53 has wired or wireless connection capabilities for transmitting data externally from unit 53. In the embodiment of Figure 3A, the data is transmitted to an array of auxiliary devices 70. In this embodiment, the control system processes the data from the sensor array 50 and calculates an indicator of one or more environmental conditions. The indicator is used to transmit control data to various external devices to improve the environmental conditions in which unit 53 is present.

[0026] For example, a particulate matter sensor module can detect an increase in the concentration of 2.5-micron particles in the air. In a confined environment, a control system that detects an increase in 2.5-micron particles can activate devices such as air intakes of air conditioning units to close louvers, thereby reducing the influx of outside air. Alternatively, the control system can use selectively operable filters to remove particles before they enter the environment.

[0027] In a further embodiment, the sensor array 50 may include humidity and temperature sensors for calculating an index of sensible heat in the environment based on data from temperature and humidity sensors. Humidity and / or temperature can be reduced by modifying the air handling unit (AHU) system to lower the index of sensible heat to within a comfortable level range required for the operation.

[0028] Therefore, the system 52 according to this embodiment may make it possible to modify environmental conditions using the calculated indicators.

[0029] Figure 3B shows a similar system 54 comprising a sensor array 50 that transmits data to a control system 60 55. However, in this embodiment, the control system 60 can transmit data to a remote data storage unit such as a cloud-based storage device 80 75. The cloud-based storage device 80 of this system 54 then plays a role in controlling an array of external devices 85 in a similar manner to that discussed in relation to the embodiment of Figure 3A. Thus, the system 54 of Figure 3B has the ability to receive input from multiple units 53 75, for example, to control environmental conditions within an office building, where individual offices have slightly different environmental conditions, and therefore the cloud-based storage device 80 receives multiple data and controls multiple different external devices to provide optimal environmental conditions for each individual office.

[0030] Figure 4 shows a further embodiment in which the test cell or contaminant cell 100 is removable and attachable 105. The test cell 100 can then be cooperatively attached to the exhaust port 102 of the test cell 100 and the intake port 95 of the air quality measurement unit 90 according to the present invention. In this case, the unit 90 comprises one or more sensor modules (not shown).

[0031] The test cell 100 can be formed by flowing in a contaminant of a known concentration, the contaminant corresponding to the sensor module to be tested or calibrated. The contaminant generator varies depending on the type of contaminant; for example, in the case of gaseous contaminants (CO2, NO2, etc.), the contaminant generator may be a gas bottle connectable to the air intake of the test cell. In the case of particulate contaminants, the contaminant generator may be a container connectable to the air intake of the test cell, either the same as or different from the container into which the particles are supplied.

[0032] In the case of particulate contaminants, it may be necessary to inject the entire contents of the test cell into the test cell to achieve the required concentration.

[0033] For other contaminants, it will become clear that various injection methods can be employed, such as spraying, injecting contaminant gases, or injecting inert gases (such as nitrogen), to suspend the contaminants during injection. For this purpose, the test cell may be specific to the contaminant.

[0034] In a further embodiment, the test cell may contain several contaminants for simultaneous testing or calibration of several sensor modules.

[0035] The unit 90 or device under test (DUT) may be a single-sensor module or a multi-sensor module. The automated test equipment (ATE) may incorporate multiple test sockets to accommodate each DUT. For this purpose, the DUT can be mounted inside the test chamber and connected externally to the test / control system.

[0036] Reference instruments can be placed inside the test chamber to provide reference measurements for the control system. Examples may include NO2 meters, ozone meters, and formaldehyde meters.

[0037] The control system integrated into the DUT can put the DUT into calibration mode. The control system receives known contaminant concentrations from the test cell by one of the following non-limiting methods: i) QR code (registered trademark), ii) The RFID chip on the test cell to be read by the RFID reader in the unit, iii) Manual input by the operator, or iv) Other suitable means.

[0038] The unit initiates initialization, and the control system determines the calibration based on the collected raw data and known contaminant concentrations. The control system then determines the calibration coefficient for each sensor and programs the calibration coefficient into the corresponding non-volatile memory of the sensor module.

[0039] The calibration coefficient is a form of digital footprint representing the contaminant and can be stored in a cloud server 115 110. The operator can then initiate a calibration mode, which will include the unit downloading the digital footprint from the cloud 110, and the control system receiving or determining the calibration coefficient from the digital footprint.

[0040] If the sensor modules within a unit are specific and the digital footprint is more generalized, a step may be needed to determine whether the control system needs to adapt data from the cloud.

Claims

1. It is equipped with an air intake port for receiving airflow and an exhaust port for discharging said airflow, A housing having at least one port configured to removably receive a sensor module including a sensor, A plurality of sensor modules arranged within the housing and forming a sensor array, each sensor module having a sensor intake port for receiving a portion of the airflow and a sensor exhaust port for discharging that portion of the airflow, An air quality measuring unit comprising, Each sensor is configured to measure air quality parameters. The sensor is positioned such that its air intake port is adjacent to the air intake port. An air quality measuring unit, further comprising a fan located within the housing and adjacent to the exhaust port, wherein the fan is configured to draw the airflow into the intake port.

2. The air quality measuring unit according to claim 1, further comprising a filter disposed on the inner surface of the air intake port, wherein the filter is configured to block particles larger than 1 mm in the airflow.

3. The air quality measuring unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one sensor module comprises separate intake and exhaust ports.

4. An air quality measuring unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a visual indicator of overall air quality.

5. A control system configured to obtain information from the port in order to determine whether or not a sensor module is present. An air quality measuring unit comprising the control system further configured to identify the type of sensor module present and to receive data from the sensor module, according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The air quality measuring unit according to claim 5, wherein the control system is further configured to detect the replaced sensor module.

7. The control system is configured to calibrate the received data, The calibration is, Obtaining calibration coefficients from a lookup table corresponding to the aforementioned type of sensor module, comparing raw data with data from a calibration cell, or receiving calibration information from an external source. An air quality measuring unit according to claim 5 or 6, based on one of these or a combination thereof.

8. The air quality measuring unit according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the at least one sensor module is configured to measure a plurality of air quality parameters.

9. The air quality measuring unit according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the housing comprises a plurality of ports, each configured to receive at least one sensor module.

10. The air quality measuring unit according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the housing comprises at least one non-removable sensor module.

11. The air quality measuring unit according to claim 5, further comprising a selectively removable test cell, the test cell being configured to contain a known concentration of a contaminant corresponding to the sensor module, the contaminant being injected into the unit, and the control system being configured to receive raw data from the sensor module and determine the calibration coefficient of the sensor module based on the concentration of the known contaminant.

12. Remote data storage unit and A remote data storage unit is wirelessly connected to at least one air quality measuring unit according to any one of claims 1 to 11. An air quality measurement system comprising, configured such that data collected by at least one air quality measurement unit is transmitted to a remote data storage unit, An air quality measurement system configured such that the collected data is calibrated by the remote data storage unit, and the calibration coefficients are transmitted to each of the air quality measurement units.

13. The air quality measurement system according to claim 12, wherein the remote data storage unit is configured to use the calibrated data to operate equipment corresponding to the at least one air quality measurement unit and adjust environmental conditions.

14. The air quality measurement system according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the remote data storage unit is wirelessly connected to a plurality of air quality measurement units, and the remote data storage unit is configured to calibrate and store the data collected from each air quality measurement unit.

15. The air quality measurement system according to claim 14, wherein the remote data storage unit is configured to operate the equipment corresponding to each air quality measurement unit.

16. A control system that receives data from each sensor. An air quality measuring unit comprising, wherein the control system is configured to combine data from at least two sensors, The air quality measuring unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control system is configured to determine an index corresponding to the combined data.

17. The control system is further configured to compare the index with a threshold value of the index corresponding to the air quality measuring unit. The air quality measuring system according to claim 16, wherein the control system is configured to operate external equipment in order to adjust environmental conditions to satisfy the corresponding indicator.

18. Multiple environmental control devices A building control system comprising the following: The environmental control device is connected to a control system and configured to receive control data from the control system. The control system is configured to receive sensor data from one or more sensors and to determine environmental indicators corresponding to the sensor data. The control data includes the environmental indicator, thereby allowing the environmental control device to adjust the environmental output, which is a function of the environmental indicator. At least one of the environmental control devices is An air intake port that receives airflow, and an exhaust port that discharges said airflow, A housing comprising at least one port configured to removably receive a sensor module including a sensor, A building control system comprising a fan located within the aforementioned enclosure and adjacent to the exhaust port, wherein the fan is configured to draw the airflow into the intake port.

19. The building control system according to claim 18, wherein the environmental control device is configured to transmit the adjustment of the environmental output to the control system in order to adjust the index based on either the sensor data or the adjustment value of the environmental output, or a combination thereof.

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