Carbon monoxide detection system
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current carbon monoxide detection systems often generate false alarms and fail to accurately identify the source of elevated CO levels, leading to inefficient responses and potential safety risks in home environments.
Innovation Solution
A networked carbon monoxide detection system that uses multiple sensors and a controller to associate CO sources with sensors, deactivates suspected sources based on threshold levels and durations, and selectively reactivates them to identify the primary cause of CO, while also activating ventilation systems and alerting users or safety monitoring stations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a carbon monoxide detector emits a loud alert in response to detecting CO presence, then safety warning is provided, but false alarms occur and user confidence decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the CO source identification by associating multiple CO sources (appliances) with specific sensors and spatially grouping them. When CO is detected, only the associated subset of sources is deactivated rather than all sources, enabling precise identification and reducing false alarms caused by unrelated appliances.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by monitoring CO levels before and after deactivation. If CO levels decrease after deactivating a subset of sources, the system identifies those sources as the cause. This feedback mechanism validates detections and reduces false alarms by confirming causal relationships.
2Reliability
If all CO sources are deactivated when CO is detected, then safety is maximized, but system complexity and user inconvenience increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into modules that manage subsets of CO sources associated with specific sensors. This segmentation allows the system to deactivate only relevant sources rather than all sources, simplifying the control logic while maintaining safety effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies local quality by deactivating CO sources based on their spatial association with the detecting sensor. Each sensor controls a specific subset of sources in its vicinity, allowing localized responses that are simpler to manage than global control of all sources.
3Speed
If CO sources are deactivated immediately upon detection, then CO mitigation is faster, but false alarms reduce system productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-establishing associations between sensors and CO sources, and pre-grouping sources into subsets. This preparation enables rapid response when CO is detected, as the system can immediately deactivate the appropriate subset without complex real-time analysis, maintaining both speed and productivity.
4Measurement precision
If multiple CO sensors are deployed to improve detection accuracy, then source identification improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the monitoring coverage by assigning specific CO sources to specific sensors based on spatial proximity. Each sensor monitors a subset of sources, creating a segmented responsibility model that improves identification accuracy while keeping the system manageable through modular organization.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor network achieves universality through a standardized association model where each sensor can be linked to multiple CO sources and each source can be associated with multiple sensors. This multi-functional framework allows flexible deployment of multiple sensors without proportionally increasing system complexity.
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
This system reduces false alarms by using threshold-based detection and selective source identification, effectively mitigating CO levels and enhancing safety by accurately isolating and addressing the source of CO emissions, thereby improving response efficiency and user safety.
Implementation Method 1
determining, by processing circuitry and based on data received from a first CO sensor of the two or more CO sensors, that a first level of CO detected by the first CO sensor has exceeded a first threshold level of CO
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to systems, devices and methods for managing above-threshold levels of carbon monoxide detected within a home or other building. The method includes receiving, from a carbon-monoxide (CO) sensor, an indication of an above-threshold level of CO for an above-threshold amount of time; determining, from a plurality of appliances, a subset of appliances associated with the CO sensor; and deactivating the subset of appliances.