US 11,951,514 B2Granted

Controlling a fume hood airflow using an image of a fume hood opening

AssigneeHoneywell International Inc.

InventorsRichard E. Stakutis, David Boisvert

Life of this patent

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Abstract

The present disclosure relates generally to fume hoods, and more particularly to systems and methods for controlling a fume hood airflow using an image (e.g., an optical image, an acoustic image, etc.) of a fume hood opening. A system for controlling a fume hood may include an image capture sensor, a configurator and a controller. The image capture sensor may be positioned to have a field of view that includes at least a portion of a fume hood opening, and may be configured to capture an image that includes at least part of the fume hood opening and/or a person working at the hood. The controller may then provide a control signal to a ventilation device for providing a desired airflow in the fume hood. The control signal may depending on the current size of the fume hood opening as captured by the image capture sensor.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system for controlling a fume hood comprising:

a first camera configured to provide images from a first vantage point, the first camera having a field of view that includes at least part of a fume hood opening;
a second camera configured to provide images from a second vantage point that is different from the first vantage point, the second camera having a field of view that includes at least part of a fume hood opening;
a controller operatively coupled to the first camera and the second camera, the controller is configured to:
determine when at least part of the field of view of the first camera that includes at least part of the fume hood opening is at least partially blocked by an intervening object and at least part of the field of view of the second camera captures at least part of the fume hood opening that is at least partially blocked by the intervening object in the field of view of the first camera, and when so, determine one or more characteristics of the fume hood opening based at least part on the field of view of the second camera that captures at least part of the fume hood opening that is at least partially blocked by the intervening object in the field of view of the first camera, wherein determining the one or more characteristics of the fume hood opening includes operating an edge detection algorithm to detect one or more edges of the fume hood opening in at least part of one of the images of the second camera that captures at least part of the fume hood opening that is at least partially blocked by the intervening object in the field of view of the first camera;
and
provide a control signal to a ventilation device to produce a desired airflow in the fume hood based at least in part upon the determined one or more characteristics of the fume hood opening.

3 more elements

A method of controlling a fume hood, the method comprising:

obtaining a first image from a first camera having a first vantage point, the first camera having a field of view that includes at least part of a fume hood opening;
obtaining a second image from a second camera having a second vantage point that is different from the first vantage point, the second camera having a field of view that includes at least part of the fume hood opening;
determining when at least part of the field of view of the first camera that includes at least part of the fume hood opening is at least partially blocked by an intervening object and at least part of the field of view of the second camera captures at least part of the fume hood opening that is at least partially blocked by the intervening object in the field of view of the first camera, and when so determined, determining one or more characteristics of the fume hood opening based at least part on the field of view of the second camera that captures at least part of the fume hood opening that is at least partially blocked by the intervening object in the field of view of the first camera, wherein determining the one or more characteristics of the fume hood opening includes operating an edge detection algorithm to detect one or more edges of the fume hood opening in at least part of one of the images of the second camera that captures at least part of the fume hood opening that is at least partially blocked by the intervening object in the field of view of the first camera;
and
providing a control signal to a ventilation device to produce a desired airflow in the fume hood, the control signal being based at least in part upon the determined one or more characteristics of the fume hood opening.

2 more elements

A method of controlling a fume hood, the method comprising:

obtaining a plurality of images from a plurality of image sensors, each of the plurality of images having a different vantage point and each having a field of view that includes at least part of a fume hood opening, wherein:
when a first one of the plurality of images has at least part of the field of view of the fume hood opening at least partially blocked by an intervening object, and a second one of the plurality of images captures at least part of the fume hood opening that is at least partially blocked by the intervening object in the first one of the plurality of images, determining a first control signal for a ventilation device associated with the fume hood to produce a desired airflow in the fume hood, wherein the first control signal is based at least in part upon the second one of the plurality of images that captures at least part of the fume hood opening that is at least partially blocked by the intervening object in the first one of the plurality of images, and providing the first control signal to control the ventilation device;
and
when the second one of the plurality of images has at least part of the field of view of the fume hood opening at least partially blocked by an intervening object, and the first one of the plurality of images captures at least part of the fume hood opening that is at least partially blocked by the intervening object in the second one of the plurality of images, determining a second control signal for the ventilation device associated with the fume hood to produce a desired airflow in the fume hood, wherein the second control signal is based at least in part upon the first one of the plurality of images that captures at least part of the fume hood opening that is at least partially blocked by the intervening object in the second one of the plurality of images, and providing the second control signal to control the ventilation device.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/843,765Filed 8 Apr 2020 · continuation
Priority: 31 Oct 2012
Published: US 2020/0230671 A123 Jul 2020
Granted: 9 Apr 2024
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

B08B 15/023
Using chambers or hoods covering the area: fume cabinets or cupboards, e.g. for laboratories
F24F 3/163
By purification, e.g. by filtering; by sterilisation; by ozonisation: clean air work stations, i.e. selected areas within a space which filtered…
B08B
Cleaning in general
F24F
Air-conditioning

Family

Application13/665,446Parent of this continuation · filed 31 Oct 2012
Application15/587,252Parent of this continuation · filed 4 May 2017
US 9,694,398 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 4 Jul 2017
US 2020/0230671 A1Pre-grant publication · published 23 Jul 2020
US 2014/0120819 A1Published application
US 2017/0232486 A1Published application
US 11,951,514 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.