IP Library › Granted Patent US 7,242,309
Granted Patent B2
US 7,242,309 · App. 11/070,460 · Granted Jul 10, 2007

Gas detection system

Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
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 7,242,309
App. No.
11/070,460
Granted
Jul 10, 2007
Kind
B2
Abstract

A gas detection system capable of suppressing the power consumption of the system using gas sensors required for heating for measurement at high accuracy, comprising a server and a plurality of gas sensors connected by way of wireless communication with the server, in which each of the gas sensors is provided with a heater, a controller for controlling the ON-OFF for the power supply to the heater and a comparator for comparing the detected gas concentration with a predetermined threshold value. In the gas detection system, electric power is not usually supplied to the heater in each of the gas sensors and the gas sensor measures the gas concentration at a low accuracy and always compares it with the threshold value. In a case where the gas concentration exceeds the threshold value in one of the gas sensors, it turns the heater of its own to ON thereby switching the measurement to that at high accuracy and turns the heater to OFF upon completing the measurement. At the same time, it informs the detection for the excess of threshold value to the server and the server lowers the threshold value of the gas sensors in the vicinity of the gas sensor that has informed the detection for the excess of threshold value to make the monitoring level severer.

Claims (13)

1. A gas detection system comprising a plurality of sensor nodes located dispersedly, each having a gas sensor module and a communication control module having a controller connected with the gas sensor module and a communication system, and

a server associated with each of the plural sensor nodes and sending a control signal to necessary sensor nodes, wherein

each of the gas sensor module has a gas sensor, a temperature control device for the gas sensor and a temperature measuring device for the gas sensor, wherein

the controller, upon detecting that the measured value of the gas sensor exceeds a predetermined threshold value, operates the temperature control device to increase the measuring accuracy of the gas sensor and informs that the measured value of the gas sensor exceeds a predetermined threshold value by way of the communication control module to the server, in the server, a definition of a sensor node in the vicinity to each of the plurality of sensor nodes is registered respectively, and

the server, upon receiving the information that the measured value of the gas sensor of any one of said sensor nodes exceeds the predetermined threshold value sends a control signal for lowering the threshold value relative to the measured value of the gas sensor to each of the other corresponding sensor nodes in the vicinity.

2. The gas detection system according to claim 1 , wherein the server sends a signal to the sensor nodes for operating the temperature control devices of the gas sensors in a state of supplying a predetermined gas to the gas sensors on a predetermined period or at a desired timing.

3. The gas detection system according to claim 1 , wherein the server supplies a predetermined gas to the gas sensors on a predetermined period or at a desired timing.

4. The gas detection system according to claim 1 , wherein the server sends an instruction to the sensor node for lowering the threshold value of the gas sensors in a state of supplying a predetermined gas to the gas sensors on a predetermined period or at a desired timing.

5. The gas detection system according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor node, comprising:

a gas sensor for measuring the gas concentration;

a threshold value setting circuit for storing a predetermined threshold value; and

a comparator for comparing the gas concentration with the predetermined threshold value,

wherein the threshold value setting circuit lowers the stored threshold value to less than the predetermined threshold value based on the output from the comparator or the instruction from the outside.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 8, 2005
From: YOKOSAWA, KOICHI; NAKANO, SADAKI; GOTO, YASUSHI
To: HITACHI, LTD.
Reel/Frame 016670/0284 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2004-341897 · Nov 26, 2004 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20060114113A1 · Jun 1, 2006