System and method for monitoring air analysis

Abstract

According to the present invention, an air pump conventionally located in a sensor module is relocated to a flow control module, thereby reducing the noise of the sensor module and making it possible to reduce the size of the sensor module. In addition, a system is modularized so that any equipment failures that occur can be quickly resolved. To this end, the system comprises: a plurality of sensor modules that include a particle sensor for measuring the concentration of particles in the air, an air inlet and an air outlet for generating airflow, and a communication port; a flow control module that includes a gas sensor, a valve, an air pump, a manifold block, and a control circuit; and a monitoring module that receives values measured by the sensor modules and values measured by the gas sensor from the flow control module.

Description

Air Analysis Monitoring System and Method

[0001] The present invention is a device for measuring and analyzing the concentration and size of particles present in air or liquid in real time. Such a system is essential in environments where particle contamination affects quality, safety, or performance. It is primarily utilized in the semiconductor, pharmaceutical, life science, air purification, and industrial manufacturing sectors.

[0002] The Electronic Particle Monitoring System (E-PMS) is designed to precisely measure and manage particle concentrations and flow rates in the air; however, existing systems have faced technical limitations regarding the integration and miniaturization between sensor and control modules, as well as data processing speeds. Existing systems were restricted in usability and scalability due to issues such as noise, the inefficiency of multi-sensor data processing, and a lack of automatic flow rate control technology. This invention overcomes these limitations and provides a more efficient environmental monitoring system through sensor module miniaturization, noise reduction, automated flow rate control, and integrated data processing.

[0003] In this invention, the size and number of particles may be measured using optical sensors, laser sensors, or ultrasonic sensors, and particles are analyzed by introducing air into the system at a constant speed and sampling it. This technology enables automatic action by integrating with a process control system, such as visualizing particle size distribution, concentration, and changes over time, and providing warnings when contamination levels exceed standard limits.

[0004] The main components of a typical Electronic Particle Monitoring System can be broadly divided into five parts: input, processing, output, control, and communication. This consists of an input section that uses a vacuum pump or fan to draw in air for sampling, detect particles, and perform filtering and pre-processing; a data processing section involving signal processing and data analysis; an output and notification section that visualizes real-time data and provides contamination warnings via audiovisual alarm devices (LEDs, buzzers, etc.); a wired and wireless communication and network section; and a control section connected to process equipment that responds immediately, such as closing valves or blocking airflow, when particle contamination occurs.

[0005] The present invention can be utilized in fields such as semiconductor manufacturing processes that control the concentration of air particles in a cleanroom to ensure product quality, pharmaceutical and life sciences fields that detect air and liquid contamination in pharmaceutical processes, particle contamination control in coating, painting, or precision manufacturing processes, and fields that monitor indoor and outdoor air quality or evaluate the performance of air purifiers and HVAC systems.

[0006] In existing technologies, air pumps included within sensor modules generate noise, leading to limitations in operating environments, and bottlenecks and data processing delays can occur during the process of integrating data from multiple sensors. Furthermore, existing systems relied on manual valve adjustments or fixed flow control methods, making real-time air flow regulation difficult. Additionally, the large module size and structural complexity made installation and maintenance challenging. Moreover, sensors located in manufacturing sites or target areas for air quality measurement typically contain pumps or motors for air intake, resulting in a relatively large sensor volume and issues with vibration and noise generated by the pumps or motors.

[0007] The problems solved by the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

[0008] As a means to solve the aforementioned technical problem, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of sensor modules including a particle sensor for measuring the concentration of particles in the air, an air intake and exhaust port for forming an air flow, and a communication port; a flow control module including a gas sensor, a valve, an air pump, a manifold block, and a control circuit; and a monitoring module that receives the measured value of the sensor module and the measured value of the gas sensor from the flow control module.

[0009] The flow control module includes a communication module and a flow sensor, and the opening state of the valve is automatically adjusted according to the flow rate value of the sensor module, wherein the flow rate value of the sensor module is the difference between the target flow rate and the measured flow rate.

[0010] Data communication uses one or more protocols among RS485, UART, or WiFi, and includes an error recovery algorithm that sets a flag when an error occurs during data transmission and performs retransmission based on this.

[0011] The above flow control module is characterized by maintaining the air flow rate entering each sensor module within a threshold value and automatically adjusting the air flow by controlling the manifold block and valve according to the flow rate measurement data.

[0012] The above monitoring module is characterized by receiving data from a flow control module and including real-time data visualization, abnormal state alarm, and data record storage functions.

[0013] The above flow control module includes a queue-based data processing system for collecting data from multiple sensor modules and processes data asynchronously to prevent bottlenecks by adjusting the data processing order.

[0014] The sensor module is capable of measuring the concentration of particles in the air in the range of 0.1 μm to 10 μm, and the measurement data is stored in a storage device within the sensor module.

[0015] The above flow control module dynamically adjusts the flow rate conditions required by multiple sensor modules and includes a priority-based control algorithm that prioritizes correcting a specific sensor module when an abnormal change in flow rate is detected in that module.

[0016] A method of operating an air quality monitoring system comprising a sensor module, a flow control module, and a monitoring module, comprising: a step of measuring the concentration of particles in the air through the sensor module; a step of transmitting the measured data to the flow control module using a communication protocol; a step of receiving the data from the flow control module and, if the air flow rate does not meet the requirements, adjusting a valve to automatically correct the flow rate; and a step of storing the measured value detected by the gas sensor and transmitting the measured value to the monitoring module.

[0017] The method is further characterized by including: a step of checking whether an error occurred during data transmission before transmitting data measured by the sensor module to the flow control module; and a step of setting a flag to retry data transmission when an error is detected, and initializing the flag when data is transmitted normally.

[0018] The step of automatically correcting the flow rate includes the valve adjustment step of measuring the air flow rate through a flow sensor in a sensor module, calculating the difference between the measured flow rate value and the target flow rate value, and adjusting the valve opening state according to the calculated difference.

[0019] The step of transmitting to the monitoring module includes collecting data from multiple sensor modules, creating a queue for data processing, sequentially processing the data asynchronously based on the queue, and transmitting the processed data to a central server.

[0020] The step of transmitting to the monitoring module includes transmitting data collected via communication to a monitoring program, visualizing the data in the form of a graph, and transmitting a warning to the user when an abnormal condition is detected.

[0021] It further includes the step of attempting to reconnect if communication between the flow control module and the sensor module is interrupted, checking the network status if the reconnection fails, and generating a warning message so that the user can check the system.

[0022] The above adjustment of the valve opening state further includes the step of prioritizing a specific sensor module to correct the flow rate and performing flow rate adjustment for other sensor modules after priority processing.

[0023] According to the present invention, the position of the air pump is moved from the conventional sensor module to the flow control module to reduce noise from the sensor module, thereby enabling use in a quiet environment. Additionally, the system is configured in a modular manner to allow for rapid resolution in the event of equipment failure. Through this, the size of the sensor module and the control module is reduced, and installation and maintenance are facilitated through a modular design. Furthermore, by automatically measuring and adjusting the air flow rate, energy efficiency is increased and accurate data collection is possible.

[0024] Figure 1 is an example of a conventional sensor module.

[0025] Figure 2 is an example of a conventional EPMS configuration diagram.

[0026] FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a system according to the present invention.

[0027] FIG. 4 is a structural diagram of a sensor module according to the present invention.

[0028] FIG. 5 is a three-dimensional graphic example of the product configuration of the present invention.

[0029] Fig. 6 is an example of a specific design drawing of Fig. 3.

[0030] Fig. 7 is a specific example of the parts of Fig. 3.

[0031] Figure 8 is an operation flowchart of the sensor module

[0032] FIG. 9 is an operation flowchart of the flow control module

[0033] Figure 10 is an example of a monitoring screen.

[0034] Further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention can be more clearly understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

[0035] Before providing a detailed description of the present invention, it should be understood that the present invention is capable of various modifications and may have various embodiments, and that the examples described below and illustrated in the drawings are not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, but rather include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions that fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0036] A PM sensor (Particulate Matter Sensor) can be used as the sensor module. The PM sensor is designed to measure the size and concentration of particulate matter (PM, fine dust) in the air and is primarily used to detect various particle sizes, such as PM10 (10 μm or less), PM2.5 (2.5 μm or less), and ultrafine particles (PM1.0). This sensor is widely used in applications such as air quality monitoring, environmental protection, industrial process control, and consumer air purifiers. Structurally, it may include optical modules such as laser diodes, LEDs, or photodetectors. In this invention, the optical analysis function in the sensor module is not a critical component of the invention, but is configured to detect the inhaled air sample using a gas sensor (Gasboard-7500). Additionally, it may include a sampling chamber, which is the internal space through which the air sample flows, a microcontroller, an air inlet, a filter for removing large particles if necessary, and a communication module for data output. A motor, such as a pump, is operated to inhale and exhale air at a constant speed. It is common for such air pumps to be integrated with or positioned in parallel with the PM sensor.

[0037] The most significant feature of the present invention is that the air pump is separated into a control module to minimize noise from the sensor module and adopt a miniaturized design, and the pump, valve, and flow sensor are combined to measure the air flow rate in real time and automatically adjust it, and maintenance and expandability are enhanced through a modular design that allows each module to be replaced and upgraded.

[0038] As a specific embodiment, the system of the present invention designs a sensor module based on a PM3003 particle sensor. The sensor is mounted on a PCB to measure and convert airborne particle concentrations into data. Additionally, the air pump (VTE6) is moved to the control module to create a noise-free environment, thereby enabling noise reduction. Furthermore, a noise-reducing shielding design is applied to further suppress noise at the air intake and exhaust ports. The sensor module receives 12V DC power from an external source, and a low-power mode is additionally implemented to increase power efficiency. Data output from the PM3003 is transmitted to the central control module every second, and an error recovery algorithm is applied to prevent data loss.

[0039] In the design and implementation of the control module, the control module is designed around an STM32 MCU and integrates a pump (VTE6), valve, and manifold block to control airflow, and is miniaturized to a size of approximately 195mm x 304mm x 55mm. The pump generates an airflow of 6.0 to 7.2 m³ / h and precisely regulates it to 2.83 L / Min through the manifold block, while the valve regulates the airflow transmitted to each sensor module in real time. The adjustment value is fed back through the Gasboard-7500 flow sensor, and the operating status of the pump and valve is automatically optimized by an algorithm within the control module.

[0040] In the flow control automation section, a commercial pump (VTE6) is used to ensure uniform airflow to each sensor module in conjunction with the manifold block. The flow sensor (Gasboard-7500) monitors the pump output and valve setpoints to provide flow data, and the control module automatically adjusts the valve opening state based on this data. For example, if the flow rate at Sensor Module 1 decreases to 2.5 L / Min and falls below the threshold, the control module can open the valve leading to that module by 10% to restore the flow rate to 2.83 L / Min. The control algorithm automatically calculates the airflow required by the sensor module and adjusts the valve accordingly.

[0041] For data monitoring and integration, data collected via RS485 and UART is processed in real-time by the MCU inside the control module. Additionally, to prevent data bottlenecks, a data queue is applied to process multi-sensor data sequentially. Furthermore, data is transmitted via WiFi to a PC-based monitoring program, which can provide functions such as real-time data visualization, alarm systems, and record storage. The user interface consists of graphs and warning icons to provide visual information.

[0042] After constructing the system with this structure, testing confirmed that the noise generated by the sensor module was reduced by approximately 40% when the air pump was placed in the control module, and verified that a uniform airflow of 2.83 L / Min, the target for each sensor module, could be maintained through the pump and flow sensor. In terms of data processing, data transmission was completed within an average of 1 second via RS485 communication when integrating and processing up to 130 sensor data points.

[0043] In this configuration example, the sensor module and control module are designed independently, making it easy to replace or upgrade the modules as needed, which contributes to reducing maintenance costs and increasing the scalability of the system. Additionally, by reducing the size of the sensor module by more than 30%, it is easy to place it in locations where air quality needs to be monitored, and problems caused by vibration or noise can also be significantly resolved.

[0044] Hereinafter, specific technical details to be implemented in the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0045] FIG. 1 is an example of a conventional sensor module. It is a structure in which a pump and a motor are included in the sensor module to directly control the flow of air. In the case of lighting, it may include an optical module such as a laser diode, LED, or photodetector, through which substances contained in the air can be analyzed. Alternatively, the sensor part may include a mechanism for measuring the flow rate of air through air inflow and outflow, and a sensing function for such optical analysis may also be included. One of the key features of the present invention is that the sensor module does not include a pump or a motor.

[0046] FIG. 2 is an example of a conventional E-PMS configuration diagram. 210 is the space to be monitored, which may be a manufacturing process site, etc. 220 indicates sensor modules installed at the site. Here, data can be collected and managed through wired and wireless communication. The computing system (241) and the management system (242) can be implemented in a single system.

[0047] Figure 3 shows an example of the system configuration diagram. A sensor module is installed at the site being monitored, and the pump that generates airflow to the sensor module is not installed but is separated. The flow control module consists of a gas sensor module, a valve module, and a control unit.

[0048] FIG. 4 is a structural diagram of a sensor module according to the present invention. It is equipped with a PCB board (410) and holes for air intake and exhaust (420, 430), and includes a sensor for measuring air flow, although not described in detail here, and is composed of ports (440) for supplying power to the sensor module and connecting communication lines. The biggest difference from the conventional sensor module in FIG. 1 is that it lacks a pump and a motor.

[0049] FIG. 5 is a three-dimensional graph representing the structure of the product according to the present invention. In particular, the square box-shaped structure is a flow control module, and the control unit, a PCB (323) and a pump (321), perform the role of drawing air from each sensor node through a manifold block (322), and consists of a valve (324) that adjusts the amount of air drawn in at each sensor node and a gas sensor (325, for example, a commercial product such as Gasboard-7500) that analyzes the drawn-in air.

[0050] FIG. 6 is an example of a more detailed design diagram representing the conceptual diagram of FIG. 3. Here, the valve portion is designed to be included in the pump module, and FIG. 7 shows the components applied to the system of the present invention.

[0051] The operation sequence of the sensor module according to Fig. 8 is described as follows. The values ​​of the devices included in the sensor module are initialized, and the sensor status is checked; if normal, the status of the wired communication (RS485) is checked. If an error is detected, the error value is set in the flag. Subsequently, the sensor value is measured, and if there is a data request, the sensor data and error value are configured into a packet and transmitted, and the data is stored. After applying a 1-second delay via the tire, the sensor status is checked again. Here, the delay time can be changed arbitrarily and can be determined during the initial system configuration. If the allowable error range is small, the delay time can be reduced, and it can also be adjusted according to the performance of the communication module.

[0052] Figure 9 illustrates the operation sequence of the flow control module. Upon power-on, the values ​​of peripheral devices such as pumps and sensors are initialized, and the flow rate is checked using the sensor values ​​of the flow module located in the sensor module. Here, the flowchart is drawn using eight sensor modules as an example. If the measured flow rate is not the initially set value (2.83 L / min), it is determined that the flow rate is abnormal, and the valve value is adjusted to change the flow rate. At this time, an arbitrary range can be set for the set value. If the flow rate is normal, the measured data value is requested from the sensor module and transmitted to the server; if there is no data value, data is continuously requested. Since the sensor module measures the sensor value at 1-second intervals, the interval for transmitting data to the server is determined accordingly. After the transmission to the server is completed, the flow sensor value is requested again from the sensor module.

[0053] Figure 10 illustrates an example of a screen that receives data from a flow control module and displays it to a manager on a monitoring device. Through this, the manager can perform monitoring of a space where air quality is to be monitored, such as a manufacturing site.

[0054] 100 : Conventional sensor module structure

[0055] 110: Air inlet and pump

[0056] 120 : Motor

[0057] 130 : Lighting

[0058] 140 : Sensor

[0059] 150: Air outlet

[0060] 210: Space to monitor air quality

[0061] 220 : Sensor module

[0062] 310, 311: Sensor module

[0063] 320: Flow Control Module

[0064] 321 : Pump

[0065] 322 : Manifold Block

[0066] 323 : Control Module (PCB)

[0067] 324 : Valve

[0068] 325 : Gas sensor (module)

[0069] 330 : Monitoring device

[0070] 400 : Sensor module

[0071] 410 : PCB board

[0072] 420,430 : Air inlet / outlet

[0073] 440: Terminal for power and communication

Claims

1. In an air quality monitoring system, A plurality of sensor modules including a particle sensor for measuring the concentration of particles in the air, an air intake and exhaust port for forming an airflow, and a communication port; A flow control module comprising a gas sensor, a valve, an air pump, a manifold block, and a control circuit; An air quality monitoring system comprising: a monitoring module that receives the measured value of the sensor module and the measured value of the gas sensor from a flow control module.

2. In Paragraph 1, An air quality monitoring system characterized in that the flow control module includes a communication module and a flow sensor, and the opening state of the valve is automatically adjusted according to the flow rate value of the sensor module, wherein the flow rate value of the sensor module is the difference between the target flow rate and the measured flow rate.

3. In Paragraph 1, An air quality monitoring system characterized by using one or more protocols among RS485, UART, or WiFi for data communication, and including an error recovery algorithm that sets a flag when an error occurs during data transmission and performs retransmission based on this.

4. In Paragraph 1, An air quality monitoring system characterized by the above-described flow control module maintaining the air flow rate flowing into each sensor module within a threshold value and automatically adjusting the air flow by controlling the manifold block and valve according to flow rate measurement data.

5. In Paragraph 1, An air quality monitoring system characterized by the above monitoring module receiving data from a flow control module and including real-time data visualization, abnormal state alarm, and data record storage functions.

6. In Paragraph 1, The above flow control module includes a queue-based data processing system for collecting data from a plurality of sensor modules, and is characterized by processing data in an asynchronous manner to prevent bottlenecks by adjusting the data processing order.

7. In Paragraph 1, An air quality monitoring system characterized in that the sensor module can measure the concentration of particles in the air in the range of 0.1 μm to 10 μm, and the measurement data is stored in a storage device within the sensor module.

8. In Paragraph 1 An air quality monitoring system characterized by the above-described flow control module dynamically adjusting flow rate conditions required by a plurality of sensor modules and including a priority-based control algorithm that prioritizes correcting a specific sensor module when an abnormal flow rate change is detected in that module.

9. In a method of operating an air quality monitoring system composed of a sensor module, a flow control module, and a monitoring module, A step of measuring the concentration of particles in the air through a sensor module; A step of transmitting measured data to a flow control module using a communication protocol; A step of receiving data from a flow control module and automatically correcting the flow rate by adjusting the valve if the air flow rate does not meet the requirements; A method for monitoring air quality comprising the step of storing a measurement value detected by a gas sensor and transmitting the measurement value to a monitoring module.

10. In Paragraph 9, A step of checking whether an error occurred during data transmission before transmitting the data measured by the sensor module to the flow control module; An air quality monitoring method characterized by further including the step of retrying data transmission by setting a flag when an error is detected, and initializing the flag when data is transmitted normally.

11. In Paragraph 9, The step of automatically correcting the above flow rate A method for monitoring air quality comprising the step of measuring air flow rate through a flow sensor in a sensor module, calculating the difference between the measured flow rate value and the target flow rate value, and adjusting the valve opening state according to the calculated difference.

12. In Paragraph 9, The step of transmitting to the monitoring module comprises: collecting data from multiple sensor modules, creating a queue for data processing, sequentially processing data asynchronously based on the queue, and transmitting the processed data to a central server; an air quality monitoring method.

13. In Paragraph 9, An air quality monitoring method comprising the step of transmitting to the above-mentioned monitoring module, transmitting data collected through communication to a monitoring program, visualizing the data in the form of a graph, and transmitting a warning to a user when an abnormal condition is detected.

14. In Paragraph 9, An air quality monitoring method further comprising the step of attempting to reconnect when communication between a flow control module and a sensor module is interrupted, checking the network status if the reconnection fails, and generating a warning message so that a user can check the system.

15. In Paragraph 11, An air quality monitoring method further comprising the step of adjusting the valve opening state by giving priority to a specific sensor module to correct the flow rate preferentially, and performing flow rate adjustment for other sensor modules after priority processing.

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