Monitoring system
A monitoring system ( 100 ) is provided for flight crew members ( 99 ), e.g., aviators, pilots, copilots or passengers, of airplanes or aircraft, e.g., airplanes or helicopters of the civil or military aviation, passenger planes in the scheduled or charter service, especially also ultrafast passenger planes. The monitoring system includes a sensor mechanism and a control unit configured to organize a procedure of a measurement-based monitoring of the gas composition of air, breathing air or breathing gases with the sensor mechanism in an airplane or aircraft, and to control or regulate the procedure. A measurement-based detection of gas concentrations is carried out with the sensor mechanism ( 60 ).
1. A monitoring system for monitoring a gas composition of air, breathing air or breathing gases in airplanes or aircraft, the monitoring system comprising:
a monitoring system mobile module configured as a construction that is to be arranged in or at clothing of an aviator, pilot, copilot or aircrew and/or to be worn, carried, or attached to the aviator, pilot, copilot or aircrew;
a sensor mechanism carried by the mobile module and configured as a paramagnetic oxygen sensor configured to provide a qualitative and quantitative measurement-based detection of oxygen based on paramagnetic properties of oxygen, wherein the sensor mechanism further comprises a sensor configured as a carbon dioxide sensor;
a control unit carried by the mobile module and configured to organize a procedure of a measurement-based monitoring of the gas composition of air, breathing air or breathing gases with the sensor mechanism in an airplane or aircraft, and to control or regulate the procedure of the measurement-based monitoring of the gas composition of air, breathing air or breathing gases in the airplane or aircraft, wherein the procedure of the measurement-based monitoring comprises a qualitative and quantitative measurement-based detection of a concentration of oxygen with the paramagnetic oxygen sensor, wherein the procedure of the measurement-based monitoring further comprises a qualitative and quantitative measurement-based detection of a concentration of carbon dioxide with the sensor mechanism; and
a gas transport module carried by the mobile module and comprising a pump, configured as a piezoelectrically driven pump, with a gas port for connection with a measured gas line to deliver quantities or partial quantities of breathing gas or breathing air from a measuring point, via the measured gas line, to the sensor mechanism.
2. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the sensor mechanism is configured with a carbon monoxide sensor and the procedure of the measurement-based monitoring further comprises a qualitative and quantitative measurement-based detection of a concentration of carbon monoxide with the sensor mechanism.
3. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to also take into consideration and/or to also include in the procedure at least one environmental parameter and/or at least one situational parameter.
4. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising a data interface carried by or connected directly to the mobile module.
5. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising a data interface carried by or connected directly to the mobile module and configured to receive and/or provide environmental parameters and/or situational parameters.
6. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the sensor mechanism comprises:
a sensor configured as a gas sensor; and
an additional sensor carried by or connected directly to the mobile module and configured to determine and/or to measurement-based detect environmental parameters and/or to determine and/or to measurement-based detect situational parameters and wherein the sensor mechanism is configured for providing the environmental parameters and/or situational parameters.
7. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising a gas inlet of the monitoring system carried by the mobile module, wherein the gas transport module is arranged at or adjacent to the gas inlet of the monitoring system.
8. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising a gas outlet of the monitoring system carried by the mobile module, wherein the gas transport module is arranged at or adjacent to the gas outlet of the monitoring system.
9. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 1 further comprising: an additional gas port; and a reversing valve carried by the mobile module.
10. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 9 , further comprising an additional pump arranged at the additional gas port.
11. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to control the gas transport module.
12. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 11 ,
wherein the sensor mechanism comprises:
a sensor configured as a gas sensor; and
an additional sensor carried by or connected directly to the mobile module and configured to determine and/or to measurement-based detect environmental parameters and/or to determine and/or to measurement-based detect situational parameters and wherein the sensor mechanism is configured for providing the environmental parameters and/or situational parameters,
wherein the control unit is configured to also take into consideration and/or to also include in the control at least one environmental parameter and/or at least one situational parameter.
13. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to determine and/or detect an alarm situation and to organize an alarm generation or alarm and/or provide an alarm signal.
14. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 13 , wherein the control unit is configured to also take into consideration an environmental parameter and/or a situational parameter in the organization of the alarm generation or alarm and/or to also include the environmental parameter and/or the situational parameter in the organization of the alarm generation.
15. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising at least one an energy storage device carried by or connected directly to the mobile module.
16. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising at least one operating element, for operating the monitoring system, the operating element being carried the mobile module.
17. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising at least one display element for displaying events, situations, status data, current measured values, past measured values, measured variables derived from measured values, including maxima or minima, mean values, trends, statistics, events and alarm situations, the display element being carried the mobile module.
18. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising an input element configured to receive user input comprising user initiates annotation, triggering, starting or ending defined situations, defined actions or states at the monitoring system, the input element being carried the mobile module.
19. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 18 , wherein the input element is configured as an acceleration sensor carried the mobile module.
20. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising a memory for storing measured values and measured variables derived from the measured values including maxima or minima, mean values, trends, statistics, events, alarm situations, the memory being carried the mobile module.
21. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 3 , wherein the control unit is configured to also take into consideration an environmental parameter and/or a situational parameter during signal processing and/or signal filtering of the measured values of the sensor mechanism and/or to also include the environmental parameter and/or the situational parameter in an adaptation of the signal processing.
22. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising a monitoring system memory, wherein the control unit is configured to use predefined threshold values, which are storable for determined values of gas concentrations in the monitoring system memory, in the organization of the alarm generation.
23. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to use an early warning system for the detection of hypoxia on a basis of current and past measured values of the sensor mechanism by means of a decision matrix or adapted algorithms or teachable or self-learning algorithms.
24. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 23 , wherein the control unit is configured to take into consideration physiological data in the early warning system for the detection of hypoxia.
25. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein an HME filter element is arranged in the measured gas line, at the gas inlet or at the gas transport module.
26. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 1 in combination with a breathing gas mask connected to the sensor mechanism by a measured gas line and further comprising:
a memory;
a pressure sensor; and
a shut-off valve, wherein the control unit is configured together with a pressure sensor and the shut-off valve and the memory to determine a current pressure level in the breathing mask.
27. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 26 , wherein the control unit is configured
to determine a static pressure level and a dynamic pressure level;
to determine an offset pressure level based on a static pressure level and a dynamic pressure level; and
determine the current pressure level in the breathing mask taking into consideration the dynamic pressure level by means of a measurement maneuver.
28. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 27 , wherein the control unit is configured to take into consideration information concerning breathing phases of an aviator user of the breathing mask during the measurement-based detection and/or determination of the static pressure measured value and/or of the dynamic pressure measured value during the performance of the measurement maneuver.
29. A process for operating a monitoring system, the process comprising the steps of:
providing a monitoring system for monitoring a gas composition of air, breathing air or breathing gases in airplanes or aircraft, the monitoring system comprising a mobile module configured as a construction that is to be arranged in or at clothing of an aviator, pilot or copilot and/or to be worn, carried, or attached to the pilot, a sensor mechanism carried by the mobile module, wherein the sensor mechanism comprises an oxygen sensor configured as a paramagnetic oxygen sensor to detect a concentration of oxygen based on paramagnetic properties of oxygen, wherein the sensor mechanism further comprises a sensor configured as at least one of a carbon dioxide sensor and a carbon monoxide sensor, and a control unit control unit carried by the mobile module and configured to organize a procedure of a measurement-based monitoring of the gas composition of air, breathing air or breathing gases with the sensor mechanism in an airplane or aircraft, and to control or regulate the procedure of the measurement-based monitoring of the gas composition of air, breathing air or breathing gases in the airplane or aircraft, wherein the procedure of the measurement-based monitoring comprises a qualitative and quantitative measurement-based detection of a concentration of oxygen with the paramagnetic oxygen sensor, wherein the procedure of the measurement-based monitoring further comprises a qualitative and quantitative measurement-based detection of a concentration of carbon dioxide with the sensor mechanism, a gas transport module carried by the mobile module and comprising a pump, configured as a piezoelectrically driven pump, with a gas port for connection with a measured gas line to deliver quantities or partial quantities of breathing gas or breathing air from a measuring point, via the measured gas line, to the sensor mechanism, and a gas outlet carried by the mobile module of the monitoring system, wherein the gas transport module is arranged at or adjacent to the gas outlet of the monitoring system;
activating the sensor mechanism of the monitoring system;
preparing a data storage with initialization of a memory of the monitoring system;
carrying out a qualitative and quantitative measurement-based detection of measured values of the paramagnetic oxygen sensor to detect the concentration of oxygen in the air, breathing air or breathing gases; and
storing data of the measured values, as a data storage of the measured values of the sensor mechanism, in the memory with corresponding time information by the control unit.
30. A process in accordance with claim 29 , wherein an additional storage of situational parameters and/or environmental parameters is carried out with the corresponding time information during the data storage of the measured values of the sensor mechanism.
31. A process for operating a monitoring system in accordance with claim 29 , further comprising providing an input element carried by the mobile module and configured to receive user input comprising user initiated annotation, triggering, starting or ending defined situations, defined actions or states at the monitoring system, wherein an additional detection of measured values of the sensor mechanism, which detection is independent from a time control, is carried out in case of activation of the input element on activation of an input element.
32. A monitoring system for monitoring a gas composition of air, breathing air or breathing gases in airplanes or aircraft, the monitoring system comprising:
a measured gas line in fluid connection with a measuring point of a breathing gas mask, with the gas composition of air, breathing air or breathing gases;
a mobile module configured as a construction that is to be arranged in or at clothing of an aviator, pilot or copilot and/or to be worn, carried, or attached to the pilot;
a sensor mechanism configured as a part of the mobile module and comprising a paramagnetic oxygen sensor and a carbon dioxide sensor configured as an IR sensor, configured to provide a qualitative and quantitative measurement-based detection of oxygen based on paramagnetic properties of oxygen, wherein the sensor mechanism further comprises a sensor configured as at least one of a carbon dioxide sensor and a carbon monoxide sensor;
a gas transport module configured as a part of the mobile module and comprising a pump, configured as a piezoelectrically driven pump, with a gas port connected with the measured gas line to deliver quantities or partial quantities of the air, breathing air or breathing gases from the measuring point, via a measured gas line, to the sensor mechanism;
a gas outlet of the monitoring system configured as a part of the mobile module and, wherein the gas transport module is arranged at or adjacent to the gas outlet of the monitoring system; and
a control unit configured as a part of the mobile module and configured to organize a procedure of a measurement-based monitoring of the gas composition of air, breathing air or breathing gases with the sensor mechanism in the airplane or aircraft, to control the gas transport module and to control or regulate the procedure of the measurement-based monitoring of the gas composition of air, breathing air or breathing gases in the airplane or aircraft, wherein the procedure of the measurement-based monitoring comprises a qualitative and quantitative measurement-based detection of a concentration of oxygen with the sensor mechanism, and comprises a qualitative and quantitative measurement-based detection of a concentration of carbon dioxide with the sensor mechanism.
33. A process in accordance with claim 29 , further providing an HME filter element which is arranged in the measured gas line, at a gas inlet or at the gas transport module.
34. A monitoring system for monitoring a gas composition of air of claim 33 , wherein an HME filter element is arranged in the measured gas line, at the gas inlet or at the gas transport module.
35. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 32 , further comprising an input element configured as a part of the mobile module and configured to receive user input comprising user initiates annotation, triggering, starting or ending defined situations, defined actions or states at the monitoring system, wherein the input element is configured as an acceleration sensor that also detects airplanes or aircraft situational parameters and data.
36. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 32 , further comprising at least one an energy storage device configured as a part of the mobile module.