Portable Sensor Tracking Hazardous Gas Concentrations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hazardous material monitoring systems in processing environments lack the ability to accurately detect and track hazardous materials over location, leading to inadequate warning and management of hazardous gas concentrations.
Innovation Solution
A portable apparatus equipped with sensors to detect hazardous materials, a tracking system for location identification, and an interface for data transmission, allowing for real-time monitoring and mapping of hazardous material concentrations and trends.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional hazardous material sensors are used to detect concentrations in the immediate vicinity, then the alarm function is provided, but the ability to track and map hazardous materials over location is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines hazardous material sensing capabilities with location tracking systems (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo) and wireless communication interfaces into a single integrated portable apparatus. This merging allows the device to simultaneously detect hazardous material concentrations, determine its own location, and transmit both types of data to external systems for mapping and analysis, thereby resolving the contradiction between concentration detection and location tracking.
Solution Approach 2:
The portable apparatus is designed with multi-functionality, serving as both a hazardous material sensor and a location tracking device. It can detect various hazardous gases, determine geographic location through multiple satellite systems, store data locally, and communicate with external systems. This universal design enables a single device to perform multiple functions that were previously distributed across separate systems.
2Ease of operation
If portable sensors are carried by personnel to detect hazardous materials, then the detection capability is provided, but the real-time tracking and mapping capability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the portable apparatus continuously transmits hazardous material concentration data and location information to external systems. These external systems process the data, generate hazard maps, and can provide feedback alerts when concentrations exceed thresholds. This feedback loop enables real-time monitoring and rapid response while maintaining the portability and ease of operation of the sensor device.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces wireless communication interfaces and external processing systems as intermediaries between the portable sensor and the monitoring infrastructure. The portable apparatus serves as a mobile data collection point, while external systems act as intermediaries that aggregate data from multiple sensors, perform sophisticated analysis, and generate comprehensive hazard maps. This intermediary architecture enhances real-time monitoring efficiency without compromising the portability of the sensor itself.
3Device complexity
If hazardous material sensors are deployed without location tracking, then the detection simplicity is maintained, but the hazardous material mapping capability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds the spatial dimension to hazardous material detection by integrating location tracking systems with concentration sensors. Instead of only measuring concentration levels, the apparatus now captures three-dimensional data including geographic location coordinates and elevation. This dimensional enhancement enables the creation of spatial hazard maps and contour plots that visualize the distribution of hazardous materials across the environment, transforming one-dimensional concentration data into multi-dimensional spatial information.
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
Enables effective detection and tracking of hazardous materials, providing timely warnings and enabling better environmental management by mapping hazardous material locations and trends, thereby enhancing safety and operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a sensor operable to detect one or more hazardous materials
Implementation Method 2
a tracking system operable to at least one of: identify a location of the apparatus and initiate transmission of a signal for identifying the location of the apparatus
Data Source
AI summary
A sensor detects one or more hazardous materials, such as by measuring the concentration of one or more hazardous gasses. The sensor or an external system can also determine a location of the sensor. This location can be associated with the measured data from the sensor at the external system or at the sensor. The location could be determined at the sensor using GPS or RFID. The location could be determined at the external system using RFID. The external system can use the measured data and the location information to perform a wide variety of tasks, such as mapping hazardous materials in a processing or other environment or identifying trends in the concentration of the hazardous materials.