Sensor and system
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current air quality monitoring devices fail to holistically measure indoor air quality, thermal comfort, and energy efficiency in built environments, missing critical parameters and lacking integration across these factors, which are essential for designing or upgrading spaces to ensure occupant comfort and energy efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A device and system comprising multiple sensors, including pressure, carbon dioxide, ambient temperature, relative humidity, radiant temperature, and airspeed sensors, which can switch between modes to provide absolute and change-based readings, integrated with a processor to determine thermal comfort and air quality, and optionally include gas, noise, and light sensors to assess pollutant concentrations and energy efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple sensors are integrated to holistically measure air quality, thermal comfort, and energy efficiency, then measurement precision and comprehensiveness are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sensors (CO2 sensor, temperature sensor, humidity sensor, pressure sensor, airspeed sensor, noise sensor, light sensor) into a single integrated device housing, allowing comprehensive measurement of air quality, thermal comfort, and energy efficiency parameters simultaneously, thereby improving measurement precision while managing device complexity through unified integration
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor device is designed to perform multiple functions including measuring air quality (CO2, gases, particles), thermal comfort (temperature, humidity, pressure, airspeed, noise, light), and energy efficiency, making it a universal monitoring tool that replaces multiple separate devices and provides holistic environmental assessment
2Measurement precision
If sensors operate continuously at high sampling rates to capture transient information, then measurement precision is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic sampling where the sensor switching controller adjusts the sampling rate of individual sensors based on environmental conditions and priority, allowing the system to capture transient information when needed while reducing the sampling rate during stable conditions, thereby balancing measurement precision with energy consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor system employs periodic sampling with variable intervals, where sensors are activated at different rates based on their importance and the need to capture transient behavior, allowing the device to monitor environmental parameters effectively while minimizing continuous high-rate sampling that would consume excessive energy
3Measurement precision
If comprehensive environmental parameters are monitored to meet industry standards, then measurement precision is improved, but the quantity of data and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and prioritizes only the most relevant environmental parameters for each monitoring objective (air quality, thermal comfort, energy efficiency), using a sensor switching controller to selectively activate specific sensors based on the measurement goal, thereby reducing the overall data quantity while maintaining comprehensive coverage of critical parameters
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables comprehensive monitoring of thermal comfort, air quality, and energy efficiency, providing detailed and transient data that meets or exceeds industry standards, allowing for improved space design and operation with reduced energy consumption.
Implementation Method 1
a pressure sensor configured to obtain an indication of pressure of the environment, the indication being modifiable to a modified indication of pressure
Implementation Method 2
a carbon dioxide sensor configured to obtain an indication of an amount carbon dioxide in the environment
Implementation Method 3
an ambient temperature sensor configured to obtain an indication of ambient temperature of the environment
Implementation Method 4
a relative humidity sensor configured to obtain an indication of relative humidity of the environment
Implementation Method 5
a radiant temperature sensor configured to obtain an indication of radiant temperature in the environment
Implementation Method 6
a first airspeed sensor configured to obtain an indication of air speed in a first direction
Implementation Method 7
one or more gas sensors configured to obtain an indication of concentrations of pollutant gases in the environment
Implementation Method 8
a noise sensor configured to obtain an indication of noise in the environment
Implementation Method 9
a light sensor configured to obtain an indication of light in the environment
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a sensor and a system comprising a plurality of said sensors. An aspect of the disclosure provides, a device for obtaining indications for the study of thermal comfort of an environment within which the device is located, the device comprising: an pressure sensor configured to obtain an indication of pressure of the environment; a carbon dioxide sensor configured to obtain an indication of the amount of carbon dioxide in the environment; an ambient temperature sensor configured to obtain an indication of the ambient temperature of the environment; a relative humidity sensor configured to obtain an indication of the relative humidity of the environment; a radiant temperature sensor configured to obtain an indication of the radiant temperature in the environment; a first airspeed sensor configured to obtain an indication of air speed in a first direction; and,; a communication interface configured to send the indications to a computing device for determining an indication of the thermal comfort of the environment.