Target odor detection and security apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for screening pedestrians and vehicles for prohibited materials are time-consuming and require large numbers of searchers, and using trained animals to detect distinctive odors poses risks and logistical challenges, including animal safety and public fear.
Innovation Solution
A security apparatus with a screening zone and an observation room connected by a conduit, where an airflow inducer directs odors from the screening zone to the observation room for detection by trained odor detectors, allowing for remote identification of target odors while protecting both the detectors and the public.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If trained animals are brought into direct contact with pedestrians or vehicles for odor detection, then detection capability is improved, but safety risks and logistical challenges increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the detection process into two separate zones: a screening zone where air is sampled from pedestrians/vehicles, and a secure zone where the animate odor detector is located. This spatial segmentation allows detection capability to be maintained while eliminating direct contact risks between the detector and screened subjects.
Solution Approach 2:
Air acts as an intermediary medium, carrying odor molecules from the screening zone through a conduit to the observation room where the animate odor detector is located. This intermediary approach enables odor detection without requiring physical contact between the detector and the subjects being screened.
2Measurement precision
If individual searching is performed for prohibited materials, then detection thoroughness is improved, but time consumption and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses pneumatic principles by employing airflow induction through porous structures to automatically draw air samples from the screening zone and transport them through conduits to the observation room. This automated pneumatic sampling process eliminates the need for manual individual searching, significantly improving screening efficiency while maintaining thorough detection.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If air sampling is performed from a distance, then safety is improved, but odor sample consistency and detection reliability may worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs porous structures with specific local properties at the air intake locations in the screening zone. These porous structures are strategically positioned to locally capture odor plumes as they are emitted from pedestrians or vehicles, ensuring that even though sampling occurs at a distance, the odor samples remain consistent and reliable for detection.
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 enables rapid, consistent, and reliable identification of prohibited materials with minimized false positives, protecting both the animals and the public, and allows for simultaneous screening of multiple targets and locations.
Implementation Method 1
airflow from the screening station is induced through a porous structure to direct odor samples to an animate odor detector
Data Source
AI summary
A target odor detection apparatus (100) and system configured to temporarily house one or more animate odor detectors (118) for screening air passed across odor emitters or conveyances that pass through the target odor detection apparatus. Various types of sensor technologies are incorporated in certain embodiments to provide consistent detection results by, inter alia, consistently interpreting trained signals from animate odor detectors (118). Various communication technologies are incorporated in certain embodiments to provide enhanced control over an apparatus or system located in multiple and, in some cases, very distant, geographic locations. A target odor detecting apparatus (316) and method including a rotatable door assembly (318) is disclosed for screening odor emitters for target odors. A screening zone (320) is defined within the rotatable door assembly (318) wherein air is moved to an observation room (326) for screening by an animate odor detector (118) to detect one or more target odors.