# US 10,481,141 B2 · Leveraging air/water current variability for sensor network verification and source localization

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- Number: US 10,481,141 B2
- Document ID: US10481141B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/632,857
- Filed: 2017-06-26
- Published: 2017-10-12
- Granted: 2019-11-19
- Earliest claimed: 2016-02-08
- Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation
- Applicants: International Business Machines Corporation
- Inventors: Josephine B. Chang; Hendrik F. Hamann; Siyuan Lu; Ramachandran Muralidhar; Theodore G. Van Kessel
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10481141B2

## CPC

- G01N 33/0062: {concerning the measuring method or the display, e.g. intermittent measurement or digital display}
- G01N 33/0031: {comprising two or more sensors, e.g. a sensor array}
- G01N 33/0036: {specially adapted to detect a particular component (physical analysis of gaseous biological material G01N33/497)}
- G01N 33/007: {Arrangements to check the analyser (calibrating gas analysers G01N33/0006)}
- G01N 33/0075: {for multiple spatially distributed sensors, e.g. for environmental monitoring}
- G01N 33/18: Water
- G01P 5/00: Measuring speed of fluids, e.g. of air stream; Measuring speed of bodies relative to fluids, e.g. of ship, of aircraft (application of speed-measuring devices for measuring volume of fluid G01F)
- G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q)
- G01P: MEASURING LINEAR OR ANGULAR SPEED, ACCELERATION, DECELERATION, OR SHOCK; INDICATING PRESENCE, ABSENCE, OR DIRECTION, OF MOVEMENT (measuring or recording blood flow A61B5/02, A61B8/06; monitoring speed or deceleration of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L3/00; vehicle lighting systems adapted to indicate speed B60Q1/54; determining position or course in navigation, measuring ground distance in geodesy or surveying G01C; combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement G01C23/00; measuring velocity of sound G01H; measuring velocity of light G01J7/00; measuring direction or velocity of solid objects by reception or emission of radiowaves or other waves and based on propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effect, propagation time, direction of propagation, G01S; measuring speed of nuclear radiation G01T; measuring acceleration of gravity G01V; {measuring or recording the speed of trains B61L23/00; speed indicators incorporated in motor vehicles B60K35/00; measuring frequency or phase G01R; traffic control G08G})

## Abstract

A method for measuring pollution that includes providing a plurality of analyte sensors arranged in a grid over a sensing area, wherein the analyte sensors measure a pollutant, and positioning at least one current sensor in the sensing area. A pollution source is localized using a pollution source locator including a dispersion model and at least one hardware processor to interpolate a location of a pollution source from variations in current measured from the current sensors and measurements of pollutants from the analyte sensors.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for measuring pollution comprising:
providing a plurality of analyte sensors arranged a sensing area;
positioning at least one current sensor in the sensing area;
validating operation of at least one of said analyte sensors with said at least one current sensor, wherein when said current sensor measures a current rate above a background current rate said at least one of said analyte sensors in said corresponding to said current sensor measuring said current rate above the background current can not sense accurate pollutant measurements; and
localizing a pollution source using a pollution source locator including a dispersion model and at least one hardware processor to interpolate a location of a pollution source from variations in current measured from the current sensors and measurements of pollutants from the analyte sensors.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein said pollution comprises air pollution, water pollution or a combination thereof.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising validating analyte sensor operation when said at least one current sensor measures a current rate.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein said validating analyte sensor operation comprises monitoring whether analyte sensors are operating at a uniform background reading.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein if said analyte sensors are operating at a uniform background reading said analyte sensors have been validated, and wherein if said analyte sensors are not operating at a uniform background reading said analyte sensors need calibration.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein said localizing the pollution source using the pollution source locator comprises:
monitoring said current sensors for changes in current speed, current direction or a combination thereof for at least two current changing events;
measuring pollutants from said plurality of said analyte sensors for each of said at least two current changing events; and
inputting data from at least one of said pollutants measured by said plurality of said analyte sensors, location of said analyte sensors reading said pollutants, and said current speed, said current direction or said combination thereof by said current sensors into said dispersion model to said interpolate said location of said pollution source.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein said dispersion model comprises:
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### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein said pollutant is an air pollutant selected from the group consisting of sulfur oxide (SOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxide (NOx), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfuric acid (H2SO4), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), methane (CH4), non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), particulate matter (PM), atmospheric particulate matter, fine particles, persistent free radicals, toxic metals, mercury, lead, chlorofluorocarbons, ammonia, natural gas, propane, smog (black carbon) and combinations thereof.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein said analyte sensor comprises an active element selected from the group consisting of an electrochemical cell, a metal oxide semiconductor, UV adsorption active element, light scattering sensor element, and combinations thereof.

### Claim 10

A system for determining the source of a pollutant comprising:
a receiver for receiving measurements of current variations from a current sensor positioned in a sensing area, and for receiving pollutant measurements from a plurality of analyte sensors in the sensing area;
a sensor validator that determines using current measurements form the current sensor whether the analyst sensors are functioning, wherein said sensor validator validates analyte sensor operation when said current sensor measures a current rate above a background current rate so that the analyte sensor can not sense pollutant measurements; and
a pollution source locator including a dispersion model and at least one hardware processor to interpolate a location of a pollution source from variations in current measured from the current sensors and measurements of pollutants from the analyte sensors.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, wherein said pollution comprises air pollution, water pollution or a combination thereof.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, wherein said sensor validator validates analyte sensor operation when said current sensor measures a current rate above a background current rate, wherein said validating analyte sensor operation includes monitoring whether said analyte sensors are operating at a uniform background reading.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, wherein if said analyte sensors are operating at a uniform background reading said analyte sensors have been validated, and wherein if said analyte sensors are not operating at a uniform background reading said analyte sensors need calibration.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, wherein said pollution source locator monitors said current sensors for changes in current speed, current direction or a combination thereof for at least two current changing events to determine when to monitor readings from said analyte sensors when determining said location of said pollution source.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The system of claim 14, wherein in response to a change in at least one of the current speed and the current direction, the pollution source locator inputs data from the pollutants measured by the plurality of the analyte sensors, location of the analyte sensors reading said pollutants, and the current speed, the current direction or combination thereof by said current sensors into the dispersion model to said interpolate the location of the pollution source.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, wherein said dispersion model comprises:
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### Claim 17 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, wherein said pollutant is an air pollutant selected from the group consisting of sulfur oxide (SOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxide (NOx), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfuric acid (H2SO4), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), methane (CH4), non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), particulate matter (PM), atmospheric particulate matter, fine particles, persistent free radicals, toxic metals, mercury, lead, chlorofluorocarbons, ammonia, natural gas, propane, smog (black carbon) and combinations thereof.

### Claim 18 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, wherein said analyte sensor comprises an active element selected from the group consisting of an electrochemical cell, a metal oxide semiconductor, UV adsorption active element, light scattering sensor element, and combinations thereof.

### Claim 19

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium is provided that includes a computer readable program for determining a source of air pollution, the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to perform the steps of:
receiving measurements of current variations from a current sensor positioned in a sensing area;
receiving pollutant measurements from a plurality of analyst sensors positioned in the sensing area;
determining at current values above a background current value that do not allow for accurate measurement of pollutants by the analyte sensors, the current values above said background current value received from the current sensors whether the analyte sensors are calibrated, wherein calibrated analyte sensors read a uniform background reading at said current values above said background current value; and
localizing a pollution source with a pollution source locator including a dispersion model and at least one hardware processor to interpolate a location of a pollution source from variations in current measured from the current sensors and measurements of pollutants from the analyte sensors.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein said pollution comprises air pollution, water pollution or a combination thereof.