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US-20260126364-A1 - SYSTEM AND METHOD OF USING AN INTEGRATED PARTICLE, GAS, AND VAPOR SENSOR FOR FIRE, AIR, HEALTH, & SAFETY MONITORING

US20260126364A1US 20260126364 A1US20260126364 A1US 20260126364A1US-20260126364-A1

Abstract

The disclosed technology relates, in general, to chemical and particulate matter detectors. Embodiments may include a particulate detector for detecting multiple hazards, comprising: a gas cell; one or more energy emitters mounted within an interior of the gas cell; plurality of mirrors along the interior of the gas cell; and one or more energy detectors capable of detecting an amount of energy.

Inventors

  • Erik R. Deutsch
  • Jason Booth

Assignees

  • SAAM, INC.

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20250516

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . A gas detector for detecting multiple hazards, comprising: a gas cell; one or more energy emitters mounted within an interior of the gas cell; a plurality of mirrors along the interior of the gas cell; and one or more energy detectors capable of detecting an amount of energy.
  2. 2 . The gas detector according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more energy emitters emit energy in a measurable manner at a wavelength in a range where a chemical can be detected.
  3. 3 . The gas detector according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more energy emitters are positioned opposite of the one or more energy detectors within the gas cell.
  4. 4 . The gas detector according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of mirrors comprise one or more mirrors along an interior wall of the gas cell, a curved reflector, and a detector fold mirror; and wherein the one or more energy emitters emit light, which is reflected by the curved reflector and the one or more mirrors such that a light path is formed from the one or more energy emitters to the detector fold mirror and into the one or more energy detectors.
  5. 5 . The gas detector according to claim 4 , wherein the curved reflector comprises an off-axis parabola.
  6. 6 . The gas detector according to claim 4 , wherein the curved reflector comprises an off-axis hyperbola.
  7. 7 . The gas detector according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more energy emitters comprise: a primary energy emitter mounted directly beside at least one of the one or more energy detectors; and a secondary energy emitter mounted across from at least one of the one or more energy detectors.
  8. 8 . The gas detector according to claim 1 , further comprising a single optical cell, the single optical cell comprising two or more off-axis hyperbolas.
  9. 9 . The gas detector according to claim 1 , further comprising a particulate detector.
  10. 10 . The gas detector according to claim 9 , wherein at least one of the one or more energy emitters emits light, and the particulate detector is mounted within the gas cell and is configured to: detect scattered light within the gas cell; read an amount of scattered light within the gas cell; and determine whether particulate matter is present based on the amount of scattered light.
  11. 11 . The gas detector according to claim 10 , wherein the particulate detector is further configured to: trigger at least one of the one or more energy emitters to emit light at varying wavelengths; detect an amount of scattered light at each wavelength; and determine a type of particulate matter present based on the amount of scatted light at each wavelength.
  12. 12 . A gas detector for detecting multiple hazards, comprising: a gas cell; a plurality of mirrors along an interior of the gas cell; one or more light detectors capable of detecting an amount of light; a short path light emitter mounted opposite a first mirror of the plurality of mirrors within the interior of the gas cell such that light from the short path light emitter reflects from the first mirror directly into at least one of the one or more light detectors; and a long path light emitter mounted within the interior of the gas cell such that the light from the long path light emitter reflects from a second mirror of the plurality of mirrors and reflects around the gas cell by the plurality of mirrors until reflecting off a third mirror of the plurality of mirrors into at least one of the one or more light detectors.
  13. 13 . The gas detector according to claim 12 , wherein at least one of the one or more light detectors is configured to: read an amount of light emitted from the short path light emitter; read an amount of light emitted from the long path light emitter; compare the amount of light emitted from the short path light emitter and the amount of light emitted from the long path light emitter; and determine whether an unsafe amount of gas is present in the environment based on the comparison.
  14. 14 . The gas detector according to claim 12 , further comprising further comprising a particulate detector.
  15. 15 . The gas detector according to claim 14 , wherein the particulate detector is mounted within the gas cell and is configured to: detect scattered light within the gas cell; read an amount of scattered light within the gas cell; and determine whether particulate matter is present based on the amount of scattered light.
  16. 16 . The gas detector according to claim 15 , wherein the particulate detector is further configured to, if particulate matter is present: trigger the short path light emitter and the long path light emitter to emit light at varying wavelengths; detect an amount of scattered light at each wavelength; and determine a type of particulate matter present based on the amount of scatted light at each wavelength.
  17. 17 . The gas detector according to claim 12 , wherein the long path light emitter is mounted directly beside at least one of the one or more light detectors; and the short path light emitter is mounted across from at least one of the one or more light detectors.
  18. 18 . The gas detector according to claim 12 , wherein at least one of the first mirror, second mirror, and third mirror comprises an off-axis parabola.
  19. 19 . The gas detector according to claim 12 , wherein at least one of the first mirror, second mirror, and third mirror comprises one or more off-axis hyperbolas.
  20. 20 . A method of detecting hazards comprising: emitting light of varying wavelengths into a gas cell; detecting an amount of scattered light at each wavelength; and determining a type of particulate matter present based on the amount of scattered light at each wavelength.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/648,442, filed May 16, 2024, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. BACKGROUND This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/648,442, filed May 16, 2024. Particle detection is a key component of ensuring safety in some environments. Particle detection can ensure environmental safety on its own or by augmenting the measurements of smoke, gas, vapor, or other hazards in the environment. For reasons stated above, and for other reasons which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the present specification, there is a need for systems and methods that provide for detecting hazards through particle, gas, vapor, smoke detection. There is a particular need for detecting hazards through a singular detector such that one detector can determine a variety of hazards such as gas, fire, poor air quality, other hazards, and combinations thereof. The disclosed technology fulfills these and other needs and addresses deficiencies in known systems and techniques. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and form a part of the specification, schematically illustrate one or more example implementations of the disclosed inventive subject matter and, together with the general description given above and detailed description given below, serve to explain the principles of the disclosed subject matter, and wherein: FIG. 1 depicts a top-down view of light being reflected around a gas cell embodiment. In this figure, light reflects around the cell with every other pass hitting a neighboring mirror; FIG. 2A depicts a top-down view of an “In-Plane” gas cell embodiment showing an emitter and detector mounted on opposite sides of a gas cell; FIG. 2B depicts cross-sectional view of an “In-Plane” gas cell embodiment showing an emitter and detector mounted on opposite sides of a gas cell; FIG. 3A depicts a top-down view of a “Perpendicular-to-Plane” gas cell embodiment; FIG. 3B depicts a cross-sectional view of a “Perpendicular-to-Plane” gas cell embodiment; FIG. 4A depicts a top-down view of an “At-Angle-to-Plane” gas cell embodiment; FIG. 4B depicts a cross-sectional view of an “At-Angle-to-Plane” gas cell embodiment; FIG. 4C depicts a three-dimensional view of the “At-Angle-to-Plane” gas cell embodiment; FIG. 5A depicts a top-down view of another “in plane” gas cell embodiment; and FIG. 5B depicts a cross-sectional view of another “in plane” gas cell embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Various non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure are now described to provide an overall understanding of the principles of the structure, function, and use of the systems and methods as disclosed herein. One or more examples of these non-limiting embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Those of ordinary skill in the art may understand that systems and methods specifically described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are non-limiting embodiments. The features illustrated or described in connection with one non-limiting embodiment may be combined with the features of other non-limiting embodiments. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure. Reference throughout the specification to “various embodiments,” “some embodiments,” “one embodiment,” “some example embodiments,” “one example embodiment,” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with any embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in various embodiments,” “in some embodiments,” “in one embodiment,” “some example embodiments,” “one example embodiment, or “in an embodiment” in places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. Throughout this disclosure, references to components or modules generally refer to items that logically can be grouped together to perform a function or group of related functions. Like reference numerals are generally intended to refer to the same or similar components. The examples discussed herein are examples only and are provided to assist in the explanation of the systems and methods described herein. None of the features or components shown in the drawings or discussed below should be taken as mandatory for any specific implementation of any of these systems and methods unless specifically designated as mandatory. For ease of reading and clarity, certain components, modules, or methods may be described solely in connection with a specific figure. Any failure to specifically describe a combination or sub-combination of components