US 4,459,266 AGranted

Air purity monitoring system

OwnerCharles L. Lamoreauxinventor

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Abstract

A system for detecting specific contaminants in a gas such as compressed air and automatically indicating the degree of detected contamination. The system is selectively operable in either a PURGE mode or a TEST mode. During the PURGE mode, air flow rate is adjusted to a selected level by reference to a flow indicator. The system includes automatic timing control, operable in the TEST mode, to cause an air sample of prescribed volume to flow through a detection chamber. The system uses commercially available detector tubes which are specific to the particular contaminant suspected and which provide a positive indication of the degree of detected contamination for the volume of air in the sample. The system performs automatically in response to the operation of selected switches in a prescribed sequence, without any need for instrument calibration, thus permitting its use by virtually anyone inclined to use it. It is light and thereby portable, thus permitting it to be used in almost any location or under any conditions where compressed air for respiratory use is provided.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A portable air purity monitoring system for monitoring compressed air for respiratory use comprising:

a housing having an exterior face;
a first, flow meter, chamber and a second, detector tube, test chamber mounted in operative position on said face;
means defining an air passage through the system including said first and second chambers in series between inlet and exhaust ports, the exhaust port exhausting to atmosphere, said means including a first valve remotely controllable between open and closed positions to control air flow through said passage and means for coupling the inlet portion to a source of high pressure compressed air;
a pressure regulator connected in series with the air passage adjacent the inlet port for reducing the pressure of compressed air applied at the inlet port to a predetermined level slightly above atmospheric pressure;
means for operating said system in a PURGE mode to clear the air passage of prior art samples;
means coupled in series with the air passage for adjusting the rate of flow through said air passage during the PURGE mode, including a manually operable flow control valve mounted adjacent said first chamber;
and
means for operating said system in a TEST mode, including means for retaining a preselected detector tube within the detector tube test chamber coupled in series with the air passage adjacent the exhaust port and further including an automatic timer located within the housing and coupled to remotely control the first valve, the timer being preset to determine different, alternatively selectable, time intervals for the flow of air through said air passage in order to cause a predetermined sample of air corresponding to the test being run to flow through the detector tube during the TEST mode operating interval.

5 more elements

An air purity monitoring system for monitoring compressed air for respiratory use comprising:

a housing having an external mounting panel;
means defining an air passage through the system between an inlet coupling for coupling to a high pressure source of compressed air and an exhaust port which exhausts to atmosphere;
a pressure regulator coupled in the air passage adjacent the inlet coupling for reducing the pressure of compressed air from said source to a predetermined level slightly above atmosphere pressure;
a first valve in series with the air passage, said valve being remotely controllable from the external panel;
a manually controllable second valve in series in the air passage for controlling flow rate therethrough;
a flow meter serially mounted in the air passage and calibrated to indicate rate of air flow through the air passage;
a detector tube test chamber coupled in series in the air passage for mounting a detector tube to receive air flowing through the air passage prior to exhausting through the exhaust port;
a plurality of switches coupled to control the first valve in a PURGE mode and in a TEST mode, respectively, said switches including at least two test switches for selectively actuating the first valve for different preselected time intervals in testing for different contaminants;
wherein the flow meter, the detector tube test chamber, the second valve, and the plurality of switches are mounted on an exterior face of the mounting panel in positions accessible from the exterior of the housing and the second valve is integrally mounted in an assembly containing the flow meter.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.