Wireless Gas Sensor Mesh for Remote Leak Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
First responders face challenges in safely assessing and monitoring gas concentrations in confined spaces during emergency situations, requiring remote and automated gas sensing solutions to ensure personnel safety and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A system of wireless gas sensors with self-organizing mesh networks and web-based interfaces allows for remote monitoring and data aggregation, enabling real-time data access on mobile devices and long-term unattended monitoring using LoRa technology, reducing the need for continuous personnel presence.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If personnel manually monitor gas concentrations at multiple locations, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time increases and personnel safety is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the monitoring task into multiple independent sensor nodes distributed across the area of interest. Each sensor node autonomously measures gas concentrations at its location and transmits data wirelessly to a central aggregator, eliminating the need for personnel to physically visit each location and significantly reducing monitoring time while maintaining measurement precision through parallel data collection
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor nodes are self-contained units that autonomously perform gas detection, data processing, and wireless transmission without requiring human intervention. The system automatically aggregates data from all nodes and presents it through a user interface, freeing personnel from continuous manual monitoring tasks while maintaining accurate gas concentration measurements
2Reliability
If personnel continuously monitor gas leaks, then reliability of leak detection is improved, but loss of time increases due to repeated visits
Solution Approach 1:
The distributed sensor nodes operate continuously and autonomously, providing uninterrupted gas monitoring without requiring personnel to be present or to make repeated visits. The system maintains continuous data collection and transmission, ensuring reliable leak detection while eliminating the time loss associated with manual re-visits to monitoring locations
3Object-affected harmful factors
If remote gas sensing is implemented, then personnel safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system complexity is distributed across multiple simple, identical sensor nodes rather than concentrated in a single complex device. Each node contains basic gas sensing and wireless transmission capabilities, making individual nodes simple and reliable, while the overall system achieves remote monitoring functionality through the coordinated network of these simple units
Solution Approach 2:
Each sensor node is designed as a universal, multi-functional unit that can detect gas concentrations, process data locally, and transmit information wirelessly. This universality allows the system to achieve complex remote monitoring capabilities using identical, relatively simple modules, reducing the complexity burden on any single component while maintaining personnel safety
Data Source
AI summary
A system, device, and method for leak detection and monitoring. The system includes a plurality of gas sensors with wireless connectivity adapted to be distributed over an area of interest that contains a suspected gas leak. An aggregator aggregates leak detection data obtained from the plurality of gas sensors. At web-based user interface allow viewing of the data on any of various non-specific electronic devices. The user interface is simultaneously accessible on a plurality of wireless mobile devices. A wireless local area network, such as a mesh network with the sensors as nodes, interconnects each of the plurality of gas sensors and the aggregator.