Fine and Ultrafine Air Pollution sensor
“The negative consequences to health from aerosol pollution consisting of particles smaller than 300nm are beginning to be more widely recognized. However, the technology for detecting those particulates is still expensive and not widely available. AirSpeQ’s mission is to change that.”
BERKELEY, Calif. (PRWEB) August 02, 2021
Aerodyne Microsystems Inc dba AirSpeQ, a fine and ultrafine air pollution sensor company based out of Berkeley, California is excited to announce that it has been granted two additional patents for its innovative thin film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) based particulate matter (PM) air pollution mass sensors.
US patents 10,921,224 and 11,047,777 are the second set of two patents granted to the company. The company has three more patents pending.
Patent 10,921,224 is a system for detecting and analyzing particles in an air stream includes an inlet, a particle concentrator and a particle discriminator having an air channel with a cross-sectional geometry that changes within at least one of the inlet, particle concentrator and particle discriminator. The system may have a sheath air stage including a port for providing sample air, at least one sheath air inlet port for providing sheath air, and a sheath air combining region. The system may include an airflow compression stage having a varying air channel that narrows as the air stream traverses the airflow compression stage to pre-concentrate particles within an interior region of the air stream. The system may include an airflow expansion stage having an air channel that widens to slow the airstream and particle velocities. A portion of the air channel height may be narrowed to allow 1 larger thermophoretic force to be generated.
US Patent 11,047,777 is a system for concentrating particles in an air stream that includes an air channel having a first open end and a second open end. The air channel may be enclosed by a channel wall extending from at least the first open to the second open end. Two or more heater elements may be positioned between the first open end the and second open end. The heater elements may be positioned near a periphery of the air channel and cooperatively configured to force particles in the air stream away from the periphery and towards an interior region of the air channel. Particles in the air stream may be thermophoretically forced towards the interior region of the air channel when the heater elements are heated and thermal gradients emanating from the heater elements are generated.
AirSpeQ’s National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant supplemental Technical and Business Assistance (TABA) funding supported office actions that resulted in the granting of these two patents. “NSF is proud to support the technology of the future by thinking beyond incremental developments and funding the most creative, impactful ideas across all markets and areas of science and engineering,” said Andrea Belz, Division Director of the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships at NSF. “With the support of our research funds, any deep technology startup or small business can guide basic science into meaningful solutions that address tremendous needs.”
AirSpeQ has won industry accolades including the NASA Earth Space Air Prize, the Top 100 Red Herring companies in North America, the Edison Award in 2020 and the Talents Taipei 2020 competition. David Woolsey, Chief Technology Officer and named inventor noted: “The negative consequences to health from aerosol pollution consisting of particles smaller than 300nm are beginning to be more widely recognized. However, the technology for detecting those particulates is still expensive and not widely available. AirSpeQ’s mission is to change that.”
About Aerodyne Microsystems Inc, dba AirSpeQ: AirSpeQ was founded at the end of 2015 and began operations early 2016. AirSpeQ is committed to protecting human health and the planet with its affordable high-quality fine and ultrafine air pollution sensors. Based on patented Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) and film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) technology, it leverages over twelve years of research and development at the University of California at Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The company has received funding from NASA, NIH and NSF. For more information visit http://www.airspeq.com or watch a short introductory video at https://www.airspeq.com/intro-video