Gas detection device and gas detection process, which generate a warning and an alarm

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12584897-B2
Application number	US-202418659105-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 9, 2024
Priority date	May 15, 2023
Publication date	Mar 24, 2026
Grant date	Mar 24, 2026

Abstract

A gas detection device and a gas detection process are capable of detecting a target gas. The sensor unit measures the target gas concentration and generates a target gas signal (con), which includes a temporal sequence of target gas signal values. If a target gas signal value is between a lower target gas threshold (con low ) and a higher target gas threshold, a target gas warning is issued. If the target gas signal value is greater than the greater target gas threshold, a target gas warning is issued. In addition, an aggregation signal (STEV, TWA) is generated, which is an averaging or accumulation of several target gas signal values. If an aggregated value is between a smaller and a larger aggregation threshold (STEV low , TWA low , STEV high , TWA high ), an aggregation warning is issued. If the aggregated value is greater than the larger aggregation threshold (STEV high , TWA high ), an aggregation alarm is issued.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A gas detection device for detecting a target gas or detecting target gases, the gas detection device comprising:
a sensor unit; and a signal-processing evaluation unit, wherein the sensor unit is configured to repeatedly measure an indicator of a concentration of the target gas or of at least one of the target gases in a respective gas sample and to generate at least one target gas signal using measured values, wherein the target gas signal comprises a temporal sequence of target gas signal values, wherein each target gas signal value refers to a sampling time and comprises the target gas concentration at this sampling time, wherein the evaluation unit is configured to compare a target gas signal value with a predefined smaller target gas threshold and a predefined larger target gas threshold, if the target gas signal value is between the predefined smaller target gas threshold and the predefined larger target gas threshold, to cause at least one target gas warning to be issued in a form that can be perceived by a human being, and if the target gas signal value is greater than the larger target gas threshold, to cause at least one target gas alarm to be issued in a form that can be perceived by a human being, wherein the evaluation unit is configured to generate an aggregation signal using the target gas signal, wherein a signal value of the aggregation signal refers to a reference time which is assigned to a sampling time and includes an aggregated value for the target gas concentration, wherein the aggregated value is an averaging or accumulation of target gas concentrations at the sampling times of an aggregation time period, wherein the aggregation time period ends at the reference time to which the aggregated value refers to, wherein a duration and/or a start of the aggregation time period are specified, and wherein the evaluation unit is configured to compare an aggregated value with a predefined smaller aggregation threshold and a predefined larger aggregation threshold, if the aggregated value is between the two aggregation thresholds, to cause at least one aggregation warning to be issued in a form that can be perceived by a human being, and if the aggregated value is greater than the larger aggregation threshold, to cause at least one aggregation alarm to be issued in a form that can be perceived by a human being.

2 . A gas detection device according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor unit comprises a target gas sensor and a detection variable sensor,
wherein the target gas sensor has a detection variable which correlates with the concentration of the target gas or of at least one of the target gases, wherein the detection variable sensor is configured to repeatedly measure an indicator of the detection variable, and wherein the sensor unit is configured to use values measured by the detection variable sensor and a predetermined functional relationship between the target gas concentration and the detection variable to generate the target gas signal.

3 . A gas detection device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the aggregation signal is a first aggregation signal, the specified smaller aggregation threshold is a first smaller aggregation threshold, and the specified larger aggregation threshold is a first larger aggregation threshold, wherein the evaluation unit is configured to generate the first aggregation signal and a second aggregation signal using the target gas signal, wherein each signal value of the first aggregation signal comprises, as an aggregated value, an averaging of target gas concentrations at the sampling times of a first aggregation time period, wherein a duration of the first aggregation time period is specified, wherein each signal value of the second aggregation signal comprises, as an aggregated value, an accumulation of target gas concentrations at the sampling times of a second aggregation time period, wherein a start of the second aggregation time period is specified, wherein the evaluation unit is configured to compare an aggregated value of the first aggregation signal with the first smaller aggregation threshold and the first larger aggregation threshold, and to compare an aggregated value of the second aggregation signal with a specified second smaller aggregation threshold and a specified second larger aggregation threshold.

4 . A gas detection device according to claim 3 , wherein:
the smaller target gas threshold is greater than the first smaller aggregation threshold or the second smaller aggregation threshold, and/or the larger target gas threshold is greater than the first larger aggregation threshold or the second larger aggregation threshold.

5 . A gas detection device according to claim 1 , further comprising a visual output unit and a further output unit,
wherein the visual output unit is configured to issue a warning or an alarm in a form that can be visually perceived by a human being, wherein the further output unit is configured to issue a warning or an alarm in a form that can be perceived acoustically and/or haptically by a human being, wherein the evaluation unit is configured to, if a target gas signal value lies between the two target gas thresholds and/or an aggregated value lies between the two aggregation thresholds, cause the further output unit to issue a first message as a warning, and if a target gas signal value is greater than the larger target gas threshold and/or an aggregated value is greater than the larger aggregation threshold, cause the further output unit to issue a second message as an alarm, whereby the second message differs from the first message in a manner which can be perceived acoustically and/or haptically.

6 . A gas detection device according to claim 1 , further comprising an actuating element configured to be actuated by a user of the gas detection device, wherein the gas detection device is configured such that the actuation of the actuating element causes the issuance of the warning to be terminated and the gas detection device is configured such that with the actuation of the actuating element the issuance of an alarm continues.

7 . A gas detection device according to claim 1 , further comprising an input unit and/or data communication means for an at least temporary data communication with a spatially remote input unit,
wherein a factor between 0 and 1 is specified, wherein the input unit is configured to capture a user input for the larger target gas threshold and the or every larger aggregation threshold, and wherein the evaluation unit is configured to use as the smaller target gas threshold a product of the factor and the captured larger target gas threshold and to use as the or every smaller aggregation threshold a product of the factor and the respective captured larger aggregation threshold.

8 . A gas detection device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the gas detection device is configured to be operated in one of at least two different possible modes, wherein in a first one of the at least two different possible modes, the gas detection device is only capable of issuing a target gas alarm and a target gas warning, but not an aggregation alarm or an aggregation warning, and wherein, in a second one of the at least two different possible modes, the gas detection device is capable of issuing both a target gas alarm and a target gas warning and both a an aggregation alarm and an aggregation warning.

9 . A gas detection device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the aggregation signal is a first aggregation signal, and the evaluation unit is configured to generate the first aggregation signal and a second aggregation signal being different from the first aggregation signal by

Assignees

• Draeger Safety Ag & Co Kgaa
• Draeger Safety Ag & Co Kgaa

Inventors

• Weich Rüdiger

Classifications

• G08B21/12

  responsive to undesired emission of substances, e.g. pollution alarms · CPC title

• G01N33/0068 Primary

  using a computer specifically programmed · CPC title

• G08B21/14

  Toxic gas alarms (G08B21/16 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01N33/0063

  using a threshold to release an alarm or displaying means · CPC title

• G01N33/0065 Primary

  using more than one threshold · CPC title