Gas detection apparatus

This application claims the priority benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/666,669, filed on May 3, 2018. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification.

The invention relates to a gas detection apparatus, and particularly relates to an electric wave detection type gas detection apparatus.

In a conventional technical field, a state of a gas in a space may be detected to determine whether there is an accident in the space. For example, when an item is burned in the space, a concentration of carbon monoxide in the space rises, and if the state of the gas in the space is detected at this moment, such abnormal state may be learned to send an alarm, so as to avoid expansion of the disaster.

In the conventional technical field, detection of the gas state is often implemented through chemical reaction. Such detection method is often limited to a fixed small range of space, and a response speed of the detection is not high.

The invention is directed to a gas detection apparatus, which is capable of effectively detecting a gas change state in a space.

The invention provides a gas detection apparatus including at least one application terminal and at least one equipment terminal. The application terminal sends a plurality of detection electric waves. The equipment terminal is configured to receive a plurality of transmission electric waves respectively generated according to the detection electric waves. The equipment terminal is further configured to calculate a plurality of reference attenuation values of the transmission electric waves in a correction mode; calculate a plurality of detection attenuation values of the transmission electric waves in a monitoring mode; and generate a detection result by comparing the reference attenuation values with the detection attenuation values.

The invention provides another gas detection apparatus including at least one application terminal and at least one equipment terminal. The application terminal sends a plurality of detection electric waves. The equipment terminal is configured to receive a plurality of transmission electric waves respectively generated according to the detection electric waves. The equipment terminal is further configured to calculate a plurality of transmission delay times of the transmission electric waves in a correction mode, and calculate the minimum one of the transmission delay time to obtain a selected transmission delay time, and record a reference strength value of the transmission electric wave corresponding to the selected transmission delay time; and calculate and record a plurality of signal strength values of the transmission electric waves in a monitoring mode, and calculate a plurality of differences between the reference strength value and the signal strength values, and generate a detection result according to the differences.

Based on the above description, in the gas detection apparatus of the invention, one or a plurality of application terminals and one or a plurality of equipment terminals are configured in space. The application terminal sends a plurality of detection electric waves, and the equipment terminal receives a plurality of transmission electric waves to learn a strength attenuation of the detection electric waves during a transmission process in the space, and to learn a change state of gas composition in the space according to the obtained strength attenuation. In this way, a real-time gas detection operation may be performed for an unlimited space range, so as to ensure safety of the space.

To make the aforementioned more comprehensible, several embodiments accompanied with drawings are described in detail as follows.

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a gas detection apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a gas detection operation according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are schematic diagrams of an implementation of an application terminal according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a gas detection device according to another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B are flowcharts of a gas detection operation according to another embodiment of the invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a gas detection apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention. The gas detection apparatus 100 includes an application terminal AP 1 and an equipment terminal UE 1 . The application terminal AP 1 and the equipment terminal UE 1 are commonly disposed in a same space 101 . The application terminal AP 1 is configured to send a detection electric wave TS 1 . The equipment terminal UE 1 is configured to receive a transmission electric wave RS 1 generated according to the detection electric wave TS 1 . In the embodiment, the application terminal AP 1 sends the detection electric wave TS 1 , and the detection electric wave TS 1 penetrate through a medium 110 in the space 101 to generate the transmission electric wave RS 1 . The medium 110 is a gas in the space 101 , and the detection electric wave TS 1 may be a radio wave with a frequency of gigahertz (for example, a frequency band of 252-325 GHz of IEEE Std 802.15.3dTM-2017). A gas absorption rate of the detection electric wave TS 1 is relatively low, so that a transmission attenuation amount of the detection electric wave TS 1 transmitted in the normal gas medium 110 is very small. In contrast, when a composition of the gas becomes abnormal, the transmission attenuation amount of the detection electric wave TS 1 transmitted in the medium 110 is abnormally increased to cause reduction of a strength of the transmission electric wave RS 1 generated according to the detection electric wave TS 1 .

Based on the above description, the equipment terminal UE 1 of the embodiment of the invention may receive the transmission electric wave RS 1 . In view an operation detail, referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , where FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a gas detection operation according to an embodiment of the invention. First, a correction mode of an initializing operation is entered (S 210 ). When the medium 110 includes a normal gas composition, the application terminal AP 1 may send the detection electric wave TS 1 . The equipment terminal UE 1 is configured to receive the transmission electric wave RS 1 , and calculates a difference between strength values of the transmission electric wave RS 1 and the detection electric wave TS 1 , so as to calculate a reference attenuation value of the detection electric wave TS 1 generated during a transmission process in a step S 220 . It should be noted that a magnitude of the strength value of the detection electric wave TS 1 may be pre-stored in the equipment terminal UE 1 ; or the application terminal AP 1 may mount related information of the strength value of the detection electric wave TS 1 in the detection electric wave TS 1 in form of a data packet. The equipment terminal UE 1 may decode the received transmission electric wave RS 1 to acquire the strength value of the detection electric wave TS 1 .

After the above initializing operation is completed, the gas detection apparatus 100 enters a monitoring mode (step S 230 ). In the monitoring mode, the application terminal AP 1 may continuously sends the detection electric wave TS 1 , and the equipment terminal UE 1 is configured to receive the transmission electric wave RS 1 . The transmission electric wave RS 1 is generated by the detection electric wave TS 1 after penetrating through the medium 110 . Moreover, in a step S 240 , the equipment terminal UE 1 calculates a detection attenuation value of the detection electric wave TS 1 generated in the transmission process according to the transmission electric wave RS 1 .

It should be noted that if a gas composition of the medium 110 in the monitoring mode is similar to the gas composition of the medium 110 in the correction mode, the reference attenuation value and the detection attenuation value calculated by the gas detection apparatus 100 are close to each other. In contrast, when the gas composition of the medium 110 is changed to cause increase of an attenuation amount of the electric wave in the monitoring mode, the reference attenuation value and the detection attenuation value calculated by the gas detection apparatus 100 have a certain difference, i.e., the detection attenuation value is greater than the reference attenuation value by a offset value. Based on the above description, in a step S 250 , a difference between the reference attenuation value and the detection attenuation value is calculated, and it is determined whether the difference between the reference attenuation value and the detection attenuation value is greater than a predetermined threshold value. When the difference between the reference attenuation value and the detection attenuation value is greater than the threshold value, a step S 260 is executed to send a warning message. In contrast, if the difference between the reference attenuation value and the detection attenuation value is not greater than the threshold value, the flow returns to the step S 230 to continue the monitoring mode.

It should be noted that in the embodiment, in the space 101 , the detection electric wave TS 1 generated by the single application terminal AP 1 may be plural (each representing a different direction angle), and the transmission electric wave RS 1 generated according to the detection electric waves TS 1 may also be plural. In this case, the equipment terminal UE 1 may receive a plurality of the transmission electric waves RS 1 generated according to the detection electric waves TS 1 . Therefore, in the correction mode, the equipment terminal UE 1 may acquire a plurality of reference attenuation values, and in the monitoring mode, the equipment terminal UE 1 may acquire a plurality of detection attenuation values.

Under such condition, in case of the monitoring mode, the equipment terminal UE 1 may select one of the reference attenuation values to execute the step S 250 , and select one of the detection attenuation values to execute the step S 250 . To be specific, the equipment terminal UE 1 may select the maximum one of the reference attenuation values and the maximum one of the detection attenuation values to execute the step S 250 , and calculate the difference between the reference attenuation value and the detection attenuation value. In another embodiment of the invention, the equipment terminal UE 1 may also select N relatively large reference attenuation values in the plurality of reference attenuation values, and calculate an average thereof to serve as the reference attenuation value used in execution of the step S 250 , and also select N relatively large detection attenuation values in the plurality of detection attenuation values, and calculate an average thereof to serve as the detection attenuation value used in execution of the step S 250 , where N is a positive integer greater than 1.

In the above description, N may be set by a designer, which is not limited by the invention.

The reference attenuation value and the detection attenuation value may be obtained by calculating a value of a Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) of the transmission electric wave RS 1 . The RSSI is a negative decibel (dB) value, which is used for representing a value of a radio frequency wave. The stronger a signal of the radio frequency wave is, the better the connection quality is. Therefore, the more the RSSI is close to 0, the stronger the corresponding electric wave strength is.

It should be noted that in the embodiment of the invention, the number of the application terminal AP 1 may be plural, and the number of the equipment terminal UE 1 may also be plural. By configuring a plurality of the application terminals AP 1 and the equipment terminals UE 1 , between the application terminals AP 1 and the equipment terminals UE 1 , transmission channels constructed between the detection electric waves TS 1 and the transmission electric waves RS 1 may have higher distribution density in the medium 110 , which further improves integrity of the gas detection and accuracy of the detection result.

It should be noted that when the gas detection apparatus 100 has a plurality of the application terminals AP 1 , each of the application terminals AP 1 may add an identification signal to the transmitted detection electric wave TS 1 . In this way, the equipment terminal UE 1 may decode the identification signal in the transmission electric wave RS 1 to learn the application terminal AP 1 corresponding to the transmission electric wave RS 1 . In this way, the equipment terminal UE 1 may generate the reference attenuation value and the sensing attenuation value corresponding to the correct application terminal AP 1 , and generate the correct detection result.

Referring to FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B , FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are schematic diagrams of an implementation of the application terminal according to an embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 3A , the application terminal AP 1 includes a plurality of element groups M 1 -M 9 . In FIG. 3B , the element group M 1 is taken as an example and illustrated, and the element group M 1 includes an electric wave emitting element TX 1 and an electric wave receiving element RX 1 . The application terminal AP 1 may send the detection electric wave through the electric wave emitting element TX 1 . Moreover, the application terminal AP 1 may also receive the electric waves through the electric wave receiving element RX 1 , so as to communicate with the other application terminals and the equipment terminals in the space.

It should be noted that the equipment terminal of the embodiment of the invention may have a same hardware framework with that of the application terminal AP 1 . Namely, in case of the equipment terminal configuration, the electric wave receiving element RX 1 may be used for receiving the transmission electric wave and generating the detection result.

In the embodiment, the application terminal AP 1 further includes a controller (not shown) to execute necessary calculation operations.

In the embodiment of the invention, the element groups M 1 -M 9 may be disposed at a plurality of positions of the application terminal AP 1 . For example, the element groups M 1 -M 9 may be disposed around the application terminal AP 1 , and the element group M 9 is disposed at a center of the application terminal AP 1 . When the application terminal is set on a ceiling of an indoor space, the application terminal AP 1 may send a plurality of detection electric waves to the surrounding and below through the element groups M 1 -M 9 .

In order to improve practicability of the gas detection apparatus 100 , the application terminals AP 1 may be disposed in collaboration with indoor electrical devices. For example, light-emitting diodes may be configured in the application terminals AP 1 to form lamps. By disposing a plurality of the application terminals AP 1 in a plurality of corners of a room, besides a lighting function, an integral detection operation to the gas in the room space may be performed.

In other embodiments of the invention, the application terminals AP 1 may also be disposed in collaboration with smoke detectors. Alternatively, the application terminals AP 1 may also be disposed in collaboration with electrical devices such as an air conditioner, an electric fan, etc., which is not limited by the invention.

Moreover, in the embodiment of the invention, the equipment terminals UE 1 may be disposed in various types of electronic devices such as a desktop computer, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, a mobile phone or other types of electronic devices, which is not limited by the invention.

Referring to FIG. 4 , FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a gas detection device according to another embodiment of the invention. The gas detection apparatus 400 includes application terminals AP 1 -AP 2 and equipment terminals UE 1 -UE 3 . The application terminals AP 1 -AP 2 are used for respectively sending a plurality of detection electric waves (for example, detection electric waves TS 1 and TS 2 ), and the detection electric waves penetrate through a medium 410 and/or 420 . The equipment terminals UE 1 -UE 3 are used for receiving transmission electric waves (for example, transmission electric waves RS 1 and RS 2 ) generated according to the detection electric waves (for example, the detection electric waves TS 1 and TS 2 ), and perform the gas detection operation according to the received transmission electric waves.

In the embodiment, the application terminal (for example, the application terminal AP 2 ) may also be configured as the equipment terminal, and is used for receiving the transmission electric wave RS 3 generated according to the detection electric wave TS 3 sent by the application terminal AP 1 . The detection electric wave TS 3 penetrates through the gas (the medium 420 ) between the application terminals AP 1 and AP 2 , and the application terminal AP 2 configured as the equipment terminal detects a gas state of the medium 420 according to the received transmission electric wave RS 3 .

Referring to FIG. 4 , FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B synchronously, where FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B are flowcharts of a gas detection operation according to another embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 5A , the correction mode is entered in a step S 510 , and a detection operation is started in a step S 511 , and the application terminals AP 1 -AP 2 send the detection electric waves TS 1 and TS 2 . Then, in a step S 512 , one of the equipment terminals UE 1 -UE 3 is elected to serve as an electric wave receiving element, and the selected electric wave receiving element receives the transmission electric waves RS 1 and RS 2 generated according to the detection electric waves TS 1 and TS 2 . As shown in FIG. 4 , the detection electric wave TS 1 may directly penetrate through the medium 410 to generate the transmission electric wave RS 1 , and the equipment terminal UE 1 receive the transmission electric wave RS 1 . The detection electric wave TS 2 is reflected by a reflector 430 in the space 401 to penetrate through the medium 410 to generate the transmission electric wave RS 2 . Then, the equipment terminal UE 1 receives the transmission electric wave RS 2 . Namely, in the embodiment, the single electric wave receiving element of the equipment terminal UE 1 probably receives a plurality of transmission electric waves. Based on the above description, the equipment terminal reads transmission delays of the received transmission electric waves in a step S 513 , and determines the transmission electric wave with the minimum transmission delay in a step S 514 .

Further, when the application terminal AP 1 sends the detection electric waves TS 1 and TS 2 , the application terminal AP 1 may add identification information to the detection electric waves TS 1 and TS 2 . The identification information is used for informing the receivers (the equipment terminals UE 1 -UE 3 ) that the detection electric waves TS 1 and TS 2 are sent by a specific electric wave emitting element of the application terminal AP 1 . In this way, the equipment terminal (for example, the equipment terminal UE 1 ) may determine the detection electric wave with the minimum transmission delay time in the detection electric waves TS 1 and TS 2 according to receiving time points of the transmission electric waves RS 1 and RS 2 of the same emitting source. As shown in FIG. 4 , a transmission path of the detection electric wave TS 1 to the transmission electric wave RS 1 is the shortest, so that the transmission delay time of the detection electric wave TS 1 may be a selected transmission delay time.

In a step S 515 , the equipment terminal (for example, the equipment terminal UE 1 ) records a strength value of the transmission electric wave (for example, the transmission electric wave RS 1 ) corresponding to the selected transmission delay time to serve as a reference strength value.

Then, in FIG. 5B , the monitoring mode is entered in a step S 520 . In a step S 521 , a periodic detection operation is activated, and the application terminals AP 1 and AP 2 periodically send the detection electric waves. In the embodiment, emission periods of the detection electric waves may be determined by a designer, which is not limited by the invention.

Then, in a step S 522 , one of the equipment terminals UE 1 -UE 3 is selected as the electric wave receiving element to receive the transmission electric wave, and in a step S 523 , a transmission delay time of the detection electric wave is read to perform transmission loss compensation of the detection electronic wave. The transmission loss compensation executed in the step S 523 may be implemented through the transmission loss compensation method well known by those skilled in the art, which is not limited by the invention.

In a step S 524 , it is determined whether all of the electric wave receiving elements are ever selected, and if yes, a step S 525 is executed, and if not, the step S 522 is executed to select anther electric wave receiving element to execute the step S 523 .

Based on the above description, each of the equipment terminals UE 1 -UE 3 records signal strength value of a plurality of transmission electric waves (for example, the transmission electric waves RS 1 and RS 2 ) through the step S 525 , and in a step S 526 , a difference between the reference strength value and each of the signal strength values is calculated. In a step S 527 , it is determined whether the above difference is greater than a predetermined threshold value, and when the difference is greater than the threshold value, in a step S 528 , it is determined that the gas has an abnormal state. In contrast, when the difference is not greater than the threshold value, the step S 520 is re-executed to continue the monitoring operation.

In the embodiment, when it is determined that the gas has the abnormal state in the step S 528 , the equipment terminal (for example, the equipment terminal UE 1 ) may send a warning message. The warning message may be a sound, a vibration or a text message, which is not limited by the invention. Moreover, the equipment terminal UE 1 may transmit the warning message to a remote electronic device through a wired or wireless communication manner. In this way, a supervisor may detect the gas in the space through a remote monitoring method, and adopt a corresponding measure when the gas has the abnormal state.

In summary, in the invention, by transmitting the detection electric waves in the space, and calculating attenuation of the detection electric waves generated in the transmission channel, it is detected whether the gas state in the space is abnormal. In this way, detection of the gas state is not confined to a part of the space. Moreover, the gas detection apparatus of the embodiment of the invention may be integrated with electrical devices in the space to achieve the gas detection effect under a condition of not influencing aesthetics.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the invention covers modifications and variations provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.