IP Library › Granted Patent US 9,285,341
Granted Patent B2
US 9,285,341 · App. 14/343,069 · Granted Mar 15, 2016

Apparatus monitoring for abnormalities

Inventor: Tomoyoshi Sato (Tsukúba, JP)
Assignee: ATONARP INC.
G01N27/622G01M5/0025G01M5/0033G01M5/0075G01N27/62
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,285,341
App. No.
14/343,069
Granted
Mar 15, 2016
Kind
B2
Abstract

There is provided a monitoring apparatus that monitors abnormalities in a system including a plurality of components or products. The plurality of components or products respectively include a plurality of types of microcapsules that release, due to specific causes, a plurality of marker chemical substances respectively, the marker chemical substances having respectively different ion mobilities. The monitoring apparatus includes an ion mobility sensor that detects the plurality of marker chemical substances. By detecting the marker chemical substances, the monitoring apparatus is capable of identifying the occurrence of an abnormal state, the type of abnormal state, the occurrence location, the extent of the abnormal state, and the like.

Claims (28)

1. An apparatus that monitors abnormalities in a system including a plurality of components or products disposed in an enclosed or semi-enclosed space,

wherein the plurality of components or products respectively includes a plurality of types of capsules, wherein each of the types of capsule releases a unique one of a plurality of marker chemical substances, and each type of capsule releases its unique marker chemical substance due to a specific predetermined cause, and each of the plurality of marker chemical substances has a unique spectrum,

the apparatus comprises:

a sensor that is capable of detecting the spectrums of the plurality of marker chemical substances by sampling air in the space,

a database that includes information of a relationship among the unique spectrums of the plurality of marker chemical substances, the plurality of marker chemical substances, the plurality of components or products, and the specific predetermined cause associated with each of the plurality of marker chemical substances; and

a unit that determines an abnormal state of one of the plurality of components or products based on the spectrum detected by the sensor, and the predetermined specific causes registered in the database.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein each of the plurality of types of capsules respectively has a predetermined resistance to pressure, resistance to heat, weather resistance, light resistance, or chemical resistance.

3. A control method of an apparatus that monitors a system including a plurality of components or products disposed in an enclosed or semi-enclosed space for abnormalities,

wherein the plurality of components or products respectively includes a plurality of types of capsules, wherein each of the types of capsule releases a unique one of a plurality of marker chemical substances, and each type of capsule releases its unique marker chemical substance due to a specific predetermined cause, and each of the plurality of marker chemical substances has a unique spectrum , and the apparatus comprises:

a sensor that is capable of detecting the spectrums of the plurality of marker chemical substances by sampling air in the space; and

a database that includes information of a relationship among the unique spectrums of the plurality of marker chemical substances, the plurality of marker chemical substances, the plurality of components or products, and the specific predetermined cause associated with each of the plurality of marker chemical substances; and

the control method comprises determining an abnormal state of one of the plurality of components or products based on the spectrum detected by the sensor, and the predetermined specific causes registered in the database.

4. A monitoring system comprising:

the apparatus according to claim 1 ; and

the plurality of components or products disposed in the enclosed or semi-enclosed space, the air in the space being sampled by the apparatus and the plurality of components or products respectively include the plurality of types capsules that release, due to the respective predetermined abnormality, at least one of the plurality of marker chemical substances respectively, the plurality of marker chemical substances having respectively different spectrums.

5. The monitoring system according to claim 4 , wherein the plurality of components or products include a paint, a resin or a member that includes at least one of the plurality of types of capsules.

6. A component or product including material that is one of the paint, the resin and the member described in claim 5 .

7. A component or a product described in claim 1 .

8. A paint, a resin or a member that includes at least one of the plurality of types of capsules according to claim 1 .

9. The monitoring system of claim 4 , wherein the at least one of the plurality of components or products disposed in the enclosed or semi-enclosed space is a pipe, and one of the plurality of types of capsules are encased in a monitoring layer formed in a wall of the pipe.

10. The monitoring system of claim 4 , wherein the at least one of the plurality of components or products disposed in the enclosed or semi-enclosed space is a pipe, and one of the plurality of types of capsules are encased in a wall of the pipe such that when the wall is damaged the at least one of the plurality of marker chemical substances is released from the capsules.

11. The method of claim 3 , wherein the at least one of the plurality of components or products disposed in the enclosed or semi-enclosed space is a pipe, and one of the plurality of types of capsules are encased in a monitoring layer formed in a wall of the pipe.

12. The method of claim 3 , wherein the at least one of the plurality of components or products disposed in the enclosed or semi-enclosed space is a pipe, and one of the plurality of types of capsules are encased in a wall of the pipe such that when the wall is damaged the at least one of the plurality of marker chemical substances is released from the capsules.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined specific cause is pressure, and the abnormal state is destruction of a component or product installed at a certain location registered in the database.

14. The method of claim 3 , wherein the predetermined specific cause is pressure, and the abnormal state is a destruction of a destruction of a component or product installed at a certain location registered in the database.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of marker chemical substances corresponds to a particular location of a component or a product, wherein the apparatus further includes a unit for identifying the location or part where the marker chemical released based on the relationship registered in the database.

16. The method of claim 3 , wherein each of the plurality of marker chemical substances corresponds to a particular location of a component or a product, wherein the method further includes identifying the location or part where the marker chemical released based on the relationship registered in the database.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF ADDRESS OF ASSIGNEE Recorded Jul 1, 2016
From: ATONARP INC
To: ATONARP INC
Reel/Frame 039234/0389 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 26, 2014
From: SATO, TOMOYOSHI
To: ATONARP INC.
Reel/Frame 032525/0707 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2011-194424 · Sep 6, 2011 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20140284479A1 · Sep 25, 2014