Wireless Gas Detection Sensor

1 . A gas sensing device having high power consumption active modes, a low power consumption passive mode and an off mode, the gas sensing device comprising:

a gas sensor module comprising a gas sensing element, the gas sensing element continuously monitoring at least one of the presence and concentration of at least one gas in a gaseous atmosphere during the active modes and the passive mode, and continuously generating corresponding gas concentration information;

a wireless communicator;

a processor operably connected to the gas sensor module and the wireless communicator, the processor configured to:

actively communicate during the active modes;

be inactive when in the low power consumption passive mode; and

retrieve the gas concentration information from the gas sensor module and to transmit the information to the wireless communicator;

a power supply electrically connected to each of the gas sensor module, the processor and the wireless communicator; and

the wireless communicator being configured to receive the gas concentration information from the processor and to wirelessly transmit the information to at least one information receiver.

2 . The gas sensing device of claim 1 , wherein the gas concentration information is real-time gas concentration information.

3 . The gas sensing device of claim 1 , wherein the gas sensing element is a nondispersive infrared gas sensor.

4 . The gas sensing device of claim 3 , wherein the gas sensing device has a maximum average power consumption of about 17 mWh.

5 . The gas sensing device of claim 4 , wherein the power supply is a battery having a capacity of at least 342 watt-hours and a run time of at least 24 months.

6 . The gas sensing device of claim 1 , wherein the gas sensing element is an electrochemical gas sensor.

7 . The gas sensing device of claim 6 , wherein the gas sensing device has a maximum average power consumption of about 11 mWh.

8 . The gas sensing device of claim 7 , wherein the power supply is a battery having a capacity of at least 342 watt-hours and a run time of at least 36 months.

9 . The gas sensing device of claim 1 , wherein the wireless communicator is a radio frequency module that wirelessly communicates with at least one external device selected from the group consisting of Wi-Fi/wireless; FM radio links; wireless personal area network, WPAN, protocols; Microsoft™ DirectBand network; Wibree™; WirelessHART; Ultra-wideband, UWB; ISA-SP100 standards; Zigbee®; IEEE 802.15.4-based protocols; IEEE 802.11 family of WLAN protocols; and RFID signaling protocols.

10 . The gas sensing device of claim 1 , further comprising a display electrically connected to the processor, wherein the display periodically displays the gas concentration information and displays information communicated from the processor when the processor is activated by a user input command.

11 . The gas sensing device of claim 1 , further comprising at least one integrated user input module for entering user input commands.

12 . The gas sensing device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to execute firmware that is programmed to perform a plurality of functions, the functions including:

checking gas concentration information generated by the gas sensing element;

communicating gas concentration information to the wireless communicator;

checking a status of the power supply;

responding to user input commands entered through an integrated user input module;

responding to external requests for information that are communicated to the device through the wireless communicator; and

directing the display of information related to any of said functions on a display.

13 . The gas sensing device of claim 12 , wherein the processor executes each of the functions once per second.

14 . A method for continuously monitoring at least one of the presence and concentration of at least one gas in a gaseous atmosphere, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a gas sensing device configured for operation in high power consumption active modes, a low power consumption passive mode and an off mode, the device having:

a gas sensor module comprising a gas sensing element;

a processor operably connected to the gas sensor module;

a wireless communicator operably connected to the processor; and

a power supply electrically connected to each of the gas sensor module, the processor and the wireless communicator;

the processor configured to:

actively communicate during the active modes; and

be inactive when in the low power consumption passive mode;

continuously monitoring at least one of the presence and concentration of the at least one gas in a gaseous atmosphere with the gas sensing element when the device is in the active mode or the passive mode;

actively checking gas concentration information generated by the gas sensing element; and

actively communicating the gas concentration information from the processor to the wireless communicator.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the gas sensing device communicates gas concentration information in real-time, and wherein the processor executes at least one of the continuously monitoring, actively checking and actively communicating steps once per second.

16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the gas sensing element is a nondispersive infrared gas sensor.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the gas sensing device consumes a maximum average power consumption of about 17 mWh.

18 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the gas sensing element is an electrochemical gas sensor.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the gas sensing device consumes a maximum average power of about 11 mWh.

20 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the wireless communicator is a radio frequency module that wirelessly communicates with at least one external device up to once per second.

21 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising wirelessly signaling an external alarm generating apparatus to produce an alarm.