Olfactory sensing device and a method of detecting an odorant using an olfactory sensing device

1 . An olfactory sensing device, comprising:

a housing defining an interior area,

at least one olfactory processing unit disposed within said interior area of said housing, said at least one olfactory processing unit comprising:

at least one base,

a plurality of chemical detection sensors disposed on said at least one base, each of said plurality of chemical detection sensors being configured to detect at least one chemical compound,

at least one potentiostat configured to sense an electrochemical response of an odorant in the flow of air, and

at least one processor,

an inlet formed on said housing to facilitate a flow of air into said interior area of said housing,

an outlet formed on said housing to facilitate the flow of air out of said interior of said housing,

wherein said at least one base of said at least one olfactory processing unit comprises a centrally-disposed opening through which the flow of air flows during operation of said olfactory sensing device said plurality of chemical detection sensors being disposed around said centrally-disposed opening and in communication with the flow of air,

wherein said inlet and said outlet are both disposed on a same side of said at least one olfactory processing unit such that the flow of air enters said interior of said housing through said inlet, flows around an outer edge of said at least one olfactory processing unit through a space formed between said outer edge of said at least one olfactory processing unit and said housing until the flow of air is drawn through said centrally-disposed opening formed through said at least one base and expelled through said outlet, and

a main controller communicative with said at least one olfactory processing unit, said main controller comprising a processor configured to combine sensor data from said plurality of chemical detection sensors to generate a chemical profile in the flow of air.

2 . The olfactory sensing device as recited in claim 1 wherein each of said plurality of chemical detection sensors are configured to detect one specified chemical compound or one specified group of compounds.

3 . The olfactory sensing device as recited in claim 1 further comprising a plurality of olfactory processing units, each of said plurality of olfactory processing units comprising at least one base with an opening formed there through, a plurality of chemical detection sensors disposed on said at least one base, at least one potentiostat, and at least one processor.

4 . The olfactory sensing device as recited in claim 3 wherein said openings of each of said plurality of olfactory processing units are axially aligned with one another within said interior area of said housing forming an inner channel disposed through said plurality of olfactory processing units.

5 . The olfactory sensing device as recited in claim 4 wherein each of said plurality of olfactory processing units comprise a plurality of bases axially stacked upon one another, wherein each of said plurality of bases comprise an opening therethrough.

6 . The olfactory sensing device as recited in claim 4 wherein said at least one processor of each of said plurality of olfactory processing units operate to facilitate parallel processing with other ones of said plurality of olfactory processing units.

7 . The olfactory sensing device as recited in claim 4 wherein said plurality of olfactory processing units and said main controller are communicatively arranged to form a physical artificial neural network.

8 . The olfactory sensing device as recited in claim 1 further comprising an inlet fan disposed proximate said inlet port and configured to draw the flow of air into said interior area of said housing.

9 . The olfactory sensing device as recited in claim 8 further comprising an exhaust fan disposed proximate said exhaust port and configured to expel the flow of air through said exhaust port and out of said housing.

10 . An olfactory sensing device, comprising:

a housing defining an interior area,

a plurality of olfactory processing units disposed within said interior area of said housing, each of said plurality of olfactory processing units comprising:

a first side and a second side, said second side being opposite said first side,

a plurality of bases, each comprising an opening formed there through,

at least one connector assembly formed between adjacent ones of said plurality of bases, wherein said connector assembly comprises cooperative data transmission connectors allowing selective addition of another base to and removal of at least one of said plurality of bases from a corresponding one of said plurality of olfactory processing units,

a plurality of chemical detection sensors disposed on at least one of said plurality of base, each of said plurality of chemical detection sensors being configured to detect at least one chemical compound,

at least one potentiostat configured to sense an electrochemical response of an odorant in the flow of air, and

at least one processor,

an inlet port and an exhaust port disposed on said housing on a said first side of each of said plurality of olfactory processing units, said inlet port being configured to facilitate a flow of air into said interior area of said housing, said outlet port being configured to facilitate the flow of air out of said interior area of said housing,

wherein the flow of air enters said interior area of said housing through said inlet port on said first side of each of said plurality of olfactory processing units, flows around an outer edge of at least one of said plurality of olfactory processing units through a space formed between said outer edge and said housing to said second side of said at least one of said plurality of olfactory processing units until the flow of air is drawn through said opening formed through each of said bases and expelled through said outlet, and

a main controller communicative with each of said plurality of olfactory processing units, and

wherein said plurality of olfactory processing units and said main controller are communicatively arranged to form a physical artificial neural network.

11 . The olfactory sensing device as recited in claim 10 wherein said openings formed on said bases of each of said plurality of olfactory processing units are axially aligned within said interior area of said housing.

12 . The olfactory sensing device as recited in claim 11 wherein said main controller comprises a processor configured to combine sensor data collected from said plurality of chemical detection sensors to generate a chemical profile in the flow of air.

13 . A method of detecting an odorant via an olfactory sensing device, the method comprising:

collecting a flow of air through an inlet of an olfactory sensing device, the olfactory sensing device comprising a housing and a plurality of olfactory processing units disposed within said interior area of said housing, each of the plurality of olfactory processing units comprising a centrally-disposed opening formed there through, each of said centrally-disposed openings collectively forming an inner channel through the plurality of olfactory processing units,

maintaining the flow of air within an interior area of the housing for an amount of time, the air flowing over and around the plurality of olfactory processing units,

drawing the flow of air through the inner channel formed via the centrally-disposed openings disposed within each of the plurality of processing units, and expelling the air through an exhaust port formed in the housing, wherein the inlet and the exhaust port are both disposed on a same side of the plurality of olfactory processing units,

sensing, in parallel, at least one chemical compound in the flow of air via a plurality of chemical detection sensors disposed around the opening of each of the plurality of olfactory processing units, each of the plurality of olfactory sensing units further comprising at least one potentiostat and at least one processor communicative with corresponding ones of the plurality of chemical detection sensors,

communicating sensed data from each of the plurality of olfactory processing units to a main controller, and

fusing, at the main controller, the sensed data to generate an accurate chemical profile in the flow of air.

14 . The method as recited in claim 13 further comprising defining the plurality of olfactory processing units and the main controller as being communicatively arranged with one another to form a physical artificial neural network.

15 . The method as recited in claim 13 further comprising storing, for subsequent use, a charge generated while sensing at least one chemical compound in the flow of air via the plurality of chemical detection sensors.

16 . The olfactory sensing device as recited in claim 1 wherein said at least one olfactory processing unit is electrically connected to at least one power storage device for storing a charge generated while sensing at least one chemical compound in the flow of air via said plurality of chemical detection sensors.