KR20230091070A - Alert detector to warn of excessively high air pollution with particles, especially viruses of a certain size - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an alert detector for warning of excessively high air contamination with particles, particularly viruses of a certain size, comprising: a first light scatter in a first sample of air and a a sensor unit designed to determine a concentration of vibration-fragmentable particles of a specific target diameter in the air by determining a difference in a second light scatterer in the second sample; are fragmented by vibration unaffected within the particles in the second sample, and the alarm detector comprises a reporting unit designed to report the concentration in the air together with the particles when a concentration of a predetermined limit is reached. do.

Description

Alert detector to warn of excessively high air pollution with particles, especially viruses of a certain size

The present invention relates to a warning detector for warning of an excessively high contamination of the air, in particular indoor air with particles of a certain size that are likely to be viruses or other pathogens.

There are a large number of diseases or pathogens and in particular pathogenic viruses, which are transmitted through the air and in particular aerosols and are therefore present as aerosol particles in the air. It is therefore desirable to be able to detect these viruses in the air and be able to warn of their presence if a predetermined limiting value is exceeded. The limiting values can be, for example, the concentration of airborne particles here, from which the probability of human infection becomes higher and higher.

For the first assessment as to whether a pathogen is present in the air, and for the assessment of the risk arising from a potentially present pathogen, it is not necessary first to know exactly which pathogens or viruses, but rather such pathogens with a certain probability and in a certain concentration. You only need to know that it exists. If concentrations exceed previously defined limits or if concentrations change very quickly, it is helpful to alert those present or responsible so that they may leave the room where the concentration was determined or take further steps to avoid or reduce the hazard. can be initiated

A wide variety of warning sensors, for example fire alarms or smoke alarms, are known in the prior art, but they are unable to detect potential pathogens present as airborne particles and the warning has no effect. It is not possible to inform people comprehensively.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the above disadvantages and to provide a warning detector or a system comprising such a warning detector, and people affected by it have a specific size or concentration of airborne particles that are sufficiently likely to be pathogens. can be quickly and effectively warned of particles present in the air in excess of .

This object is achieved by the feature combination according to claim 1 .

The basic idea of the present invention is to provide a warning sensor with a sensor unit, said sensor being designed according to the applications with reference signs DE 10 2020 120 199.0 and DE 10 2020 124 740.0, so that affected people can quickly and can be effectively warned. The above-mentioned applications with reference numerals DE 10 2020 120 199.0 and DE 10 2020 124 740.0 or their contents are incorporated herein by reference.

According to the present invention, a warning sensor is proposed for warning of an excessively high contamination of the air with particles of a certain size, preferably organic particles, which are sufficiently likely to be viral. The particles to be alerted are preferably made fragmentable by vibration for this purpose, so that they can be crushed. The alert sensor determines the difference between a first light scatterer in a first sample of air and a second light scatterer in a second sample of air, thereby determining the concentration of vibrational fragmentation potential in the air and, in particular, organic particles having a specific target diameter. It includes a sensor unit designed to The sensor unit here is for example a sensor unit designed to perform the method according to application DE 10 2020 120 199.0 or a sensor according to application DE 10 2020 120 199.0. Alternatively, the sensor unit can also be designed to perform the method according to application DE 10 2020 124 740.0 or the sensor unit is a device according to application DE 10 2020 124 740.0.

Thus, the particles of the first sample are not affected, especially the non-segmented particles in the air and the particles of the second sample are the particles in the air fragmented by the vibration. According to the present invention, the warning sensor further comprises a reporting unit designed to report the concentration of particles in the air when the concentration reaches a predetermined limit value, so that the concentration exceeds the limit value and/or the concentration exceeds the limit value. falls below the limit. The limiting value is, for example, the value of the concentration at which infection by a pathogen or virus is possible. Additionally, multiple limit values may also be stored, where a warning may occur when each limit value is reached.

Falling below the limit value is also possible, so an all-clear signal by the warning sensor is also possible.

In relation to the functional principle underlying the fragmentability of the particles or the underlying functional principle of the sensor unit, particles or organic particles, for example viruses, are simplified into bodies that can be set to vibrations. can be understood as In principle, one can think of a body with a spherical envelope here. If the particle vibrates strongly enough, this can result in this envelope or particle breaking, whereby the pathogen can be inactivated and the mouth "crushed" or fragmented into smaller parts. The vibration or the strength of the vibration depends on the wavelength and intensity of the light that excites the vibration, and the irradiation duration or pulse.

Alternatively or additionally, the particles can also be set into vibration, for example by applying ultrasonic waves to the particles, where the vibration in this case depends in particular on the frequency of the ultrasonic waves, which also results in vibrations that fragment the particles. can By setting the wavelength of the light and/or the frequency of the ultrasonic wave to the resonance range determined for each type of particle and according to the diameter of the particle, this effect is achieved because less energy must be applied to "break" or crush the particles. can be amplified or already achieved with relatively low energy use. A broken particle that formerly contained multiple parts with a diameter corresponding to the target diameter, since the light is no longer scattered by a single particle, but rather by its smaller individual parts or fragments. , changed the light scattering properties compared to whole particles.

Correspondingly, based on the difference between the first light scattering in the first sample with fragmented particles and the second light scattering in the second sample with unfragmented particles, the concentration of particles in the air from which the samples were taken can be determined. can decide

The sensor unit here may determine the concentration at regular time intervals or continuously, depending on the previously determined concentration. Alternatively, the sensor unit may switch to a second operation mode in which the concentration is checked at intervals in the first operation mode and the concentration is continuously measured or checked when the concentration exceeds a limit value.

A test button may be provided to check the function of the sensor unit or warning sensor, and the function may be checked through the test button and a corresponding signal may be output. In addition, a harmless substance can be guided to the sensor unit to check the function, whereby the warning sensor is triggered when the correct function occurs to generate a warning report.

The warning sensor preferably comprises a voltage supply for supplying the sensor unit and the reporting unit - if necessary - with the operating voltage required for their operation.

According to one advantageous development, it is also proposed that the reporting unit comprises a display unit designed to visually report the reaching of limit values and/or concentrations. Alternatively or additionally, the reporting unit may also comprise a loudspeaker unit designed to acoustically report reaching limit values and/or concentrations. A light emitting body or display such as an LED can display a corresponding information item when a limit value is reached, eg according to a predetermined logic, and can function as a display unit capable of flickering in the case of a simple light emitting body. In the case of an acoustic report, the warning can be carried out by simple tones or also by, for example, a previously recorded voice message.

Also in an advantageous variant, the reporting unit comprises a transmission unit for wired signal transmission, which is designed to report on reaching limit values and/or concentrations by transmitting electrical signals to the receiver. The reporting unit or warning sensor may be connected to the Internet or building automation system by means of a transmission unit or wired signal transmission implemented by it.

Additionally or alternatively to the wired transmission unit, a further embodiment provides that the reporting unit comprises a sending unit and/or receiving unit for radio signal transmission. The sending unit, which can be integrated with the receiving unit in the transceiver, is designed to report that limits and/or concentrations have been reached by transmitting radio signals to the radio receiver. For example, Bluetooth, ZigBee, WLAN, or other radio modules corresponding to respective radio standards are considered for radio signal transmission or as transceivers.

The radio receiver can be a receiver suitable for the respective radio standard, wherein the connection to the Internet or devices connected via the Internet can also be implemented via WLAN, for example. In addition to a mobile phone, a radio receiver can also be simply a central device, for example a router capable of forwarding corresponding signals or messages, or a lighting or home automation component, each controllable via a radio standard. In particular, for example, if a room light is provided as a radio receiver or operated via an intervening central device, it can change the light color according to signal transmission or as a limit value or concentration is reached. Alternatively, voice assistants that can function as radio receivers or can be activated via a central device and output a corresponding voice message are also contemplated.

If the sending unit is provided for wired data or signal transmission or the sending unit is provided for wireless data or signal transmission, according to a further advantageous variant of the invention, the warning sensor allows unique identification of the associated warning sensor. and a storage unit designed to store specific identification data of The identification data comprises in particular a unique and therefore unambiguous identification number and/or location data, which preferably allows a unique geographical assignment of the warning sensor. Location data can be, for example, GPS data, but in the simple case it can also be an address with a room number. If such identification data is provided, the reporting unit is designed to transmit the identification data when transmitting, thus resulting in wired or radio signal or data transmission. The identification number and/or location data may be provided in the form of an open location code (plus code).

In particular, if the time curve of the concentration of airborne particles is to be tracked or analyzed, the further design of the warning sensor is such that the dispatching unit is assigned to all radio receivers located within dispatching range of the dispatching unit at the time of dispatch or to a single assigned unit to the dispatching unit. Advantageously, it is designed to send reaching limit values and/or concentrations to the radio receiver. Accordingly, these receivers are preferably each designed to receive signals from a dispatching unit.

If the radio technology used also allows for the formation of so-called "mesh" networks in which multiple alert sensors are connected to each other or via radio to a central office, the alert message or detected concentration may also be sent to other alert sensors and/or It can be forwarded to the central office.

Dispatching to a plurality of radio receivers can be implemented with particular advantage by means of a so-called Bluetooth beacon or so-called Bluetooth beacons. For example, the sending unit may be implemented with or include a Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) beacon. This beacon is a unidirectional sender that periodically sends out Bluetooth LE data packets. There are a wide variety of variations of beacons from various manufacturers, which in part allow for different configurations of transmitted data packets. Some may, for example, transmit only a universally unique identifier (UUID), i.e. a unique identification number, others may additionally transmit specifications for the transmit power of the beacon, with the help of which each receiver or The radio receiver may determine the approximate distance of the radio receiver to the beacon. Other beacons include a URL in the transmitted data or signals, so that it is possible to reference, for example, to a database, where, for example, additional items of information can be stored by the beacon or sending unit.

Beacons known in the prior art typically use Bluetooth LE advertisement packets. They have a fixed length.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a system comprising an alert sensor according to the present invention and a stationary terminal, for example a computer, or a terminal which can also be a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone or smartphone. Here, the terminal corresponds to the aforementioned receiver or the aforementioned radio receiver. In this case, when the terminal receives a signal indicating that the limit value and/or concentration is reached from the reporting unit, so as to report reaching the limit value and/or concentration visually, acoustically, and/or tactilely. designed In addition, the transmitted data, and thus reaching the concentration or limit value, may also be further processed, eg the time curve of the concentration may be interpolated to predetermine the future arrival of the limit value.

In such a system, the terminal also advantageously determines the position relative to the warning sensor and/or the distance therefrom, on the basis of the signal strength of the signal and/or to identification data transmitted together with the signal by the reporting unit. can be designed based on Accordingly, a warning may be given for movement in a specific direction or in a specific area that exceeds the limit value.

A further aspect of the invention also relates to a further system consisting of a warning sensor according to the invention and a server with a database which is in principle a terminal. The reporting unit of the warning sensor includes a storage unit and a transmission unit or dispatch unit as described above.

Furthermore, the reporting unit is designed to transmit reaching limit values and/or concentrations together with identification data as data sets to the server, in particular directly via the Internet or via interconnected Internet-capable or smart devices. The server is in this case designed to store the data set in a database and/or to assign items of information stored in the database to the data set based on the identification data.

Items of information stored in a database may advantageously be provided in such a system having a database containing contact data of a contact person or emergency contact, where the server assigns a set of data to the items of information stored. It is designed to send a message to the contact person. For example, an owner or occupant of a building monitored by an alert sensor, a custodian, or also a health department may be provided as a point of contact. They may be notified of the alert via e-mail, SMS, or computer voice call, for example.

Alternatively, information or warnings by means of suitable data communications or data interfaces is also possible, allowing further processing of these data directly at the receiver with software provided for this purpose (eg in an integrated control center).

By using a warning sensor according to the invention or one of the systems according to the invention comprising a warning sensor, in particular to all suitable radio receivers located at the point of dispatch within the dispatch range of the dispatch unit to reach limit values and/or concentrations. In the use of reporting units for radio signal transmission designed to transmit, and in particular in the use of beacons as or part of a reporting unit, the following behaviors or scenarios may be implemented:

1. The beacon sends a unique UUID for the associated alert sensor. However, it is dispatched here only if or only if the limit value is exceeded, and is therefore discontinuous. Internet-capable ("smart") terminals have applications or apps that check the terminal's surroundings via the terminal's Bluetooth model for these beacons. When corresponding advertising packets or signals or messages in general are received from the beacon, the app outputs an alert.

2. The signal sent by the beacon or the message sent by the beacon is in a format that also includes a "beacon code", which in addition to the UUID indicates the status and in particular the concentration of the alert sensor, or the URL associated with the alert sensor of the beacon. or alternatively includes In this case, the beacon is sent out permanently or continuously, and the "beacon code" or URL can indicate the status of the sensor unit in or through the app, which means that, for example, an alert sensor sends corresponding items of information. It can be stored on a server that can In this case, it is possible to detect the sensor unit or warning sensor or its state even if the threshold value is not exceeded, and thus, it is possible to check the function of the warning sensor independently of reaching the limit value.

3. Beacons may have a UUID specific to each beacon. This can be centrally registered with the location on the server, whereby the sensor units can be viewed in the corresponding map application. If the terminal registers the sensor unit's exceeded threshold due to the message from the beacon, the terminal sends its own UUID to the server, and the server can display the sensor unit differently within the map, alerting observers of the map. can The sensor unit then does not necessarily require a separate connection to the server or a separate internet connection, since the delivery will be implemented by interconnected devices as intermediate stations with each provided application or app.

4. A beacon can also be designed as a sending unit as well as a receiving unit, and therefore as a transceiver. In addition to the variants mentioned above, therefore, the transceiver or receiving unit continuously monitors its surroundings for other senders, and therefore smart devices with Bluetooth, which provide each UUID that uniquely identifies the smart device. transmit, and a beacon or alert sensor may be provided using such a transceiver that stores these UUIDs for a predetermined period of time, preferably an anonymized period. When a limit is reached or a concentration is to be reported, the stored anonymized UUIDs can be sent to the server, and the server notifies the devices via a warning or message about reaching the limit or concentration.

Accordingly, another aspect of the present invention is a method for alerting a person with a mobile terminal comprising a Bluetooth model via an alert sensor according to the present invention having a reporting unit comprising a Bluetooth beacon as a sending unit and/or a receiving unit. it's about Here, it is assumed that since the mobile terminal and the warning sensor can communicate with each other via Bluetooth at least temporarily, the mobile terminal must be located within the sending and/or receiving range of the reporting unit of the warning sensor. A plurality of mobile terminals may also be located within sending and/or receiving range here, where the Bluetooth beacon or reporting unit may connect to or communicate with many or all mobile terminals of the plurality of mobile terminals.

In a first variant, the sending unit transmits the concentration of particles in the air or reaching a limit value to the mobile terminal continuously, at regular intervals, or when the limit value is reached, where the mobile terminal then reaches the limit value. When, the person is warned, for example visually, acoustically or tactilely and preferably via an application (app) provided for this purpose. In a second variant that may additionally be provided, the mobile terminal transmits a unique identification number to the warning sensor, and the warning sensor stores the identification number (UUID) for at least a predetermined period of time. In addition, the warning sensor transmits to the mobile terminal continuously, at regular intervals, or when the limit value is reached via a mobile radio signal or network signal that the concentration or limit value is reached, which in turn, for example visually, acoustically The person is warned tactfully, or tactilely and preferably through an application on a mobile terminal (app). Communication via interconnected servers can also be provided in this case, and the identification number is anonymised.

Thus, in particular, four illustrative variants can be implemented:

1. The warning sensor, when reaching the limit value, discontinuously transmits reaching the limit value and/or concentration to all mobile terminals within the range of the warning sensor.

2. The warning sensor continuously transmits to all mobile terminals within the range of the warning sensor a link to the server with the concentration and/or reaching the limit value and/or the concentration, and alternatively the concentration and the status or location of the warning sensor. The same additional data can be stored by the alert sensor on the server and provided so that mobile terminals can retrieve the additional data or concentration via an identifier or link sent from the alert sensor to the terminals.

3. The warning sensor continuously or discontinuously transmits reaching the limit value and/or concentration to all mobile terminals in the range of the warning sensor or to at least one mobile terminal in the range of the warning sensor, or reaching the limit value and/or concentration. And passing the identification number or location of the warning sensor to the server as an intermediate station, additional mobile terminals that do not need to be in range of the warning sensor can search for reaching the concentration and/or limit value.

4. The warning sensor receives a unique identification number from the mobile terminals in its range and transmits it to the server with a report on the concentration or limit value reached, and the server sends the identification number to the mobile terminals related to the identification number according to a predetermined parameter. Typically by notification via a mobile radio network or WLAN or Internet connection, persons associated with the mobile terminal can subsequently or in real time be notified and, if necessary, warned, for example, of reaching concentrations or limits.

Other advantageous developments of the invention are characterized by the dependent claims.

Claims (11)

As a warning sensor for warning of excessively high air pollution with particles, especially viruses of a certain size,
The alert sensor determines a difference between a first light scatterer in a first sample of air and a second light scatterer in a second sample of air, thereby providing a vibration-fragmentable vibration-fragmentation of a specific target diameter in the air. ) a sensor unit designed to determine the concentration of the particles,
the particles in the first sample are not affected, and the particles in the second sample are fragmented by vibration;
and wherein the warning sensor comprises a reporting unit designed to report the concentration of the airborne particles when a concentration of a predetermined limit value is reached. According to claim 1,
the reporting unit comprises a display unit designed to visually report reaching the limit value and/or the concentration;
and/or the reporting unit comprises a loudspeaker unit designed to report acoustically the reaching of the limit value and/or the concentration. According to claim 1 or 2,
wherein the reporting unit comprises a transmission unit for transmission of a wired signal designed to transmit an electrical signal to a receiver to report that the limit value and/or the concentration have been reached. According to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The reporting unit is a sending unit and/or receiving unit for transmitting a radio signal designed to report that the limit value and/or the concentration has been reached by transmitting a radio signal to a radio receiver. A warning sensor including a receiving unit. According to any one of claims 3 or 4,
the warning sensor comprises a storage unit designed to store specific identification data of the warning sensor, in particular a unique identification number and/or location data;
and the reporting unit is designed to forward the identification data in the transmission. According to any one of claims 4 or 5,
The dispatching unit may continuously or at regular intervals reach the limit value and/or the concentration to a plurality of radio receivers, a single radio receiver assigned to the dispatching unit, or within dispatching range of the dispatching unit at the time of the dispatching. A warning sensor, designed to send out to all located radio receivers. A system consisting of a warning sensor and a terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The terminal is the receiver of claim 3 or the radio receiver of claim 4,
Upon receiving a signal from the reporting unit indicating reaching the limit value and/or the concentration, the terminal visually, acoustically and/or tactilely confirms reaching the limit value and/or the concentration. A system designed to report. According to claim 7,
The terminal determines the relative position with the warning sensor and/or the warning sensor based on the signal strength of the signal and/or based on the identification data transmitted together with the signal by the reporting unit as claimed in claim 5. A system designed to determine the distance from A system consisting of a server having a warning sensor and a database according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The reporting unit of the warning sensor comprises a storage unit according to claim 5 and a transmission unit according to claim 3 or a dispatch unit according to claim 4, so as to report reaching the limit value and/or the concentration with the identification data. are designed to be sent together as a set of data to a server;
wherein the server is designed to store the data set in the database and/or assign items of information stored in the database to the data set based on the identification data. According to any one of claims 7 to 9,
the items of information stored in the database include contact data of a contact person;
and wherein the server is designed to send a message to the contact person when assigning the data set to the stored items of information. A method of alerting a person with a mobile terminal comprising a Bluetooth module via at least a warning sensor according to claim 4 having a reporting unit comprising a Bluetooth beacon as a sending unit and/or a receiving unit, comprising:
The mobile terminal is located within the sending and/or receiving range of the reporting unit of the warning sensor, so that the warning sensor can communicate with the mobile terminal;
the sending unit transmits the concentration of the airborne particles to the mobile terminal continuously, at regular intervals, or when the limit value is reached, and the mobile terminal warns a person when the limit value is reached;
and/or the mobile terminal transmits a unique identification number to the warning sensor, and the warning sensor stores the identification number for at least a predetermined time frame, continuously, at regular intervals, or when the limit value is reached. , wherein the mobile terminal transmits reaching the limit value to the mobile terminal through a mobile radio signal or a network signal, and the mobile terminal warns the person.