Environmental monitoring unit

Abstract

Environmental monitoring unit comprising gas sensors (1) connected to a multiplexer (2), which multiplexer (2) is connected to a microcontroller (3), characterised in that the environmental monitoring unit (5) comprises at least three different gas sensors (1) and is connected to a database (4).

Description

[0001] Environmental monitoring unit

[0002] The field of the invention

[0003] The present invention relates to an environmental monitoring unit, which has various gas sensors.

[0004] The state of the art

[0005] During environmental monitoring, an unmanned ground or air vehicle, a robot, or possibly a protected person, takes the measurements with various radiation meters or gas sensors.

[0006] The use of unmanned vehicles is advantageous due to their versatile use and because they are suitable for approaching areas that are not accessible to humans. The disadvantage of this solution is that these vehicles are equipped with different, independent sensors, which limits the types of materials that can be identified.

[0007] Patent document US20190128862A1 describes a drone equipped with a gas sensor. When mounted on the bottom of the drone, the gas sensor can be used to identify heavier gases, while when mounted on the top of the drone, it can be used to identify lighter gases. These sensors are capable of identifying certain substances, such as sulfur dioxide or carbon monoxide. The disadvantage of the device is that it is not capable of identifying more complex substances.

[0008] Based on the above, there is a need for an environmental monitoring unit capable of identifying various complex substances . A brief description of the invention

[0009] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an environmental monitoring unit free from the disadvantages of the prior art .

[0010] The present invention is based on the recognition that the gas profile of various complex materials can be identi fied by burning them, and that complex materials such as wood, rubber, plastic, and similar, more complex materials can be identi fied by combining di f ferent gas sensors .

[0011] In light of the above , the present invention is an environmental monitoring unit which comprises gas sensors connected to a multiplexer, which multiplexer is connected to a microcontroller, characteri sed in that the environmental monitoring unit includes at least three gas sensors and is connected to a database .

[0012] Some preferred embodiments of the invention are defined in the subclaims .

[0013] The invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings , which show an advantageous embodiment of the environmental monitoring unit according to the invention .

[0014] In the figures :

[0015] Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of the environmental monitoring unit according to the invention;

[0016] Figure 2 shows the distribution measured by the environmental monitoring unit according to the invention in a room with clean air ; Figure 3 shows the distribution measured by the environmental monitoring unit according to the invention in the case of wood burning in a room;

[0017] Figure 4 shows the distribution measured by the environmental monitoring unit according to the invention in the case of plastic combustion in a room;

[0018] Figure 5 shows the distribution measured by the environmental monitoring unit according to the invention in the case of rubber burning in a room;

[0019] Figure 6 shows the distribution measured by the environmental monitoring unit according to the invention in the case of natural gas combustion in a room .

[0020] Detailed description of the invention

[0021] The essence of the environmental monitoring unit according to the invention lies in the fact that the environmental monitoring unit has di fferent gas sensors for identi fying individual substances . These di f ferent gas sensors , when combined with each other, are also suitable for identi fying complex substances based on the identi fication of certain compounds .

[0022] In relation to the present invention, a gas sensor is understood to be a sensor capable of identi fying gas molecules . Gas sensors may be of the semiconductor type , which identi fy gas molecules based on changes in the resistance of the semiconductor when they come into contact with the semiconductor element of the gas sensor .

[0023] Another type of gas sensor uses an electrochemical principle to identi fy gases , i . e . , the gas concentration is identi fied by oxidi zing or reducing the gas and then examining the conductivity of the remaining substance . Infrared gas detectors determine the type and quantity of gas based on the infrared light absorbed by gases passing through infrared light . There are also gas detectors that operate on the principle of photoioni zation .

[0024] In relation to the present invention, di f ferent gas sensors refer to gas sensors that may be capable of identi fying multiple gas molecules , but di f fer from each other in identi fying at least one gas molecule . In other words , each gas sensor is capable of identi fying at least partially di f ferent gas molecules .

[0025] In relation to the present invention, radiation sensors are understood to be sensors that measure certain types of radiation . Examples of such radiation sensors are GM tubes ( Geiger-Muller counters ) and scintillation sensors .

[0026] In relation to the present invention, a wireless communication device refers to a component of the invention that is capable of transmitting data wirelessly .

[0027] In relation to the present invention, a UAV refers to an unmanned aerial vehicle that can be controlled remotely .

[0028] In relation to the present invention, UGV refers to an unmanned ground vehicle that can be controlled remotely .

[0029] The invention is an environmental monitoring unit that can be mounted on UAV or UGV devices . The essence of the environmental monitoring unit is that it is suitable for monitoring the environment and identi fying substances in the air .

[0030] The environmental monitoring unit 5 shown in Figure 1 contains analog gas sensors 1 , preferably eight to twelve analog gas sensors 1 , a multiplexer 2 for multiplexing the data from the gas sensors 1 , microcontrollers 3 for collecting and processing the data from the gas sensors 1 , and a wireless communication device for transmitting the data to a database 4 . Furthermore , the environmental monitoring unit 5 preferably comprises a radiation sensor for measuring radiation .

[0031] The essence of the environmental monitoring unit 5 is that it is suitable for monitoring and examining the environment to determine what substances are present in the air . This can be important from an environmental perspective , for example , to track what substances are being burned in certain areas , as the burning of waste and heating with it causes extreme pollution of the environment . It is equally important in industrial settings , such as factories and gas pipelines , to detect toxic and harmful substances leaking into the air without risking human lives . For simpler tasks , such as checking gas pipelines that transport gas of a given composition, it is suf ficient to use vehicles equipped with certain gas sensors , however, when burning harmful substances or in plants where various chemicals are used, it is necessary to use environmental monitoring units that are capable of identi fying a variety of substances in the air .

[0032] When using the environmental monitoring unit 5 , we employ various combinations of gas sensors 1 . Using these gas sensors 1 , we fill the database 4 with the combustion profiles of di f ferent materials . In other words , we use the environmental monitoring unit 5 to measure the profile of particles released into the air when certain materials , such as natural gas , wood, plastic and rubber, are burned . Thus , the di f ferent gas sensors show a certain distribution pattern when each material is burned . Figures 2- 6 show such distributions . They show the frequency distribution of the data from nine di f ferent gas sensors 1 ( sensor 1 - CO, flammable gases ; sensor 2 - methane , butane , LPG; sensor 3 - LPG, butane ; sensor 4 - CNG, methane ; sensor 5 - alcohol , ethanol ; sensor 6 - H2 ; sensor 7 - air quality ( CO, ammonia, benzene , alcohol , smoke ) ; sensor 8 - natural gas , LPG; sensor 9 - CO) . Each sensor was sensitive to the substances indicated above .

[0033] Figure 2 shows the distribution of measurements taken by the gas sensors 1 in the case of base air . The purpose of this is to set the base level for the environmental monitoring unit so that we can compare the amount of each substance in the air to this base level . This allows us to determine which substances and in what quantities enter the air compared to the quantity found in the basic air set as the base level . Figure 3 shows the same thing when wood was burned in the room . Figure 4 shows the distribution of plastic, figure 5 shows the distribution of rubber, and figure 6 shows the distribution of natural gas . The figures show that , in the case of rubber and wood, the two materials cannot be distinguished using the given gas sensors 1 . By adding an additional NOx gas sensor 1 to the environmental monitoring unit 5 , it is possible to eliminate the similar distribution shown by the environmental monitoring unit 5 when burning rubber and wood .

[0034] The distributions show that a few gas sensors are suf ficient to identi fy certain substances , which measure values that deviate signi ficantly from the base air distribution used to determine the base level . However, it was not possible to distinguish between rubber and wood materials using these nine gas sensors 1 . Therefore , it is the responsibility of the person skilled in the art to determine how many gas sensors 1 are required for a given task and what material distributions they need to detect . So, the invention is essentially a combination of different analog gas sensors 1 connected to each channel of a multiplexer 2, which transmits the signals to a microcontroller 3. The microcontroller 3 processes and evaluates the measurements and transmits them to a cloud using a wireless communication device.

[0035] The distribution of each gas sensor 1 and the database 4 in the cloud can be used to determine which substances have entered the air. Thus, gas sensors 1 used to identify CO, methane, natural gas and NOx, for example, can be used to identify harmful substances entering the air, such as pollutants from the burning of rubber, wood or plastic.

[0036] Different gas sensors 1 are required to identify different substances, and these can be combined as desired. During operation of the system, we record a base level by determining the distribution of the most important elements in the air under normal conditions in the given area. Subsequently, using appropriately combined gas sensors 1, we can examine what other substances are present in the air in the given area, or what is the ratio of substances present in it compared to the base level.

[0037] At least some of the various gas sensors 1 are preferably suitable for determining at least one of the substances selected from the following list (the various gas sensors 1 are at least partially suitable for measuring different substances) : methane, butane, LPG, smoke, alcohol, ethanol, methane, CNG gas, natural gas, CO, hydrogen gas, combustible gases, ozone, ammonia, benzene, hydrogen sulphide, toluene, acetone, propane, formaldehyde, nitrogen oxide, sulphur dioxide . Of course , we do not exclude the possibility that the environmental monitoring unit 5 will be selected from gas sensors capable of identi fying substances not included in the above list .

[0038] In addition to the gas sensors 1 , radiation sensors can also provide important data . Among other things , radiation sensors can be used to measure the level of environmental radiation and to identi fy radioactive carbon isotopes released into the air during the combustion of carbon-containing materials . This allows the carbon content of environmental pollutants to be determined, and thus the approximate source of the pollution to be identi fied .

[0039] For environmental monitoring, this environmental monitoring unit 5 can be placed on UAV or UGV devices , which can be controlled remotely, allowing the type of substances released into the air to be assessed even in environments that are inaccessible or dangerous to humans , and targeted measures to be taken to improve air quality and reduce hazards .

[0040] The advantage of the solution according to the invention is that it is suitable for identi fying the release of complex substances into the air without endangering people .

[0041] A further advantage of the solution according to the invention is that it is suitable for identi fying substances that cause air quality deterioration, and the various sources of pollution can be identified using the environmental monitoring unit 5 .

Claims

Claims1. Environmental monitoring unit comprising gas sensors (1) connected to a multiplexer (2) , which multiplexer (2) is connected to a microcontroller (3) , characterised in that the environmental monitoring unit (5) comprises at least three different gas sensors (1) and is connected to a database (4) .

2. The environmental monitoring unit according to claim 1, characterised in that it has at least six, preferably at least eight different gas sensors (1) .

3. The environmental monitoring unit according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that at least three, preferably at least six, most preferably at least eight of the various gas sensors (1) are selected from the following group: methane, butane, LEG, smoke, alcohol, ethanol, CNG gas, natural gas, CO, hydrogen gas, combustible gases, ozone, ammonia, benzene, hydrogen sulphide gas, toluene, acetone, propane, formaldehyde, nitrogen oxide, sulphur dioxide gas sensors .

4. The environmental monitoring unit according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that it further comprises a radiation sensor.

5. UGV, which contains the environmental monitoring unit according to any of the preceding claims.

6. UAV, which contains the environmental monitoring unit according to claims 1. - 4.

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