1. A sensor (100) for sensing airborne particles larger than 10 nm, comprising a passage (110, 112, 114) with open ends, the passage having disposed in it:
a discharge electrode (120) for generating airborne unipolar ions in the passage;
an air-pervious counter electrode (124, 324) adapted to attract said airborne ions;
an air-pervious screening electrode (128; 372, 374) located downstream of the discharge electrode; and
a particle sensing section (114) for sensing electrically charged airborne particles in the passage, the particle sensing section being located downstream of the screening electrode,
wherein:
the counter electrode is located downstream of the discharge electrode and upstream of the screening electrode in the passage, thereby being adapted to cause a downstream net flow of airborne ions for thereby generating a downstream airflow; and
the screening electrode is adapted to subject airborne ions to an electrostatic force in a second direction, distinct from the downstream direction, for separating airborne ions from the airflow.
2. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the second direction makes an angle of at least 90 degrees with the downstream direction.
3. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the screening electrode comprises at least two parallel conducting electrode elements (372, 374), the electric field between the screening electrode elements alternating in the course of time between a first screening field strength and a second screening field strength, wherein the first screening field strength is selected so that substantially all airborne ions precipitate before leaving the screening electrode and at most 20% of the electrically charged airborne particles in the airflow precipitate before leaving the screening electrode; and the second screening field strength is higher than the first screening field strength and selected so that a portion of all charged airborne particles having a size larger than a predetermined particle size pass through the screening electrode.
4. The sensor according to claim 1, further comprising an optical particle detection unit (380) arranged to optically detect airborne particles in the airflow and to release a measurement signal indicative of the concentration of the optically detected particles.
5. The sensor according to claim 1, further comprising means for removing ozone from the airflow through said passage, which means is located in the passage downstream of the discharge electrode.
6. A sensor according to claim 1, which is operable in a calibration mode, wherein the measured signal of the electric current meter (136, 248) with the discharge electrode (120) being deactivated is used as a zero level for subsequent measurements with the discharge electrode being activated.
7. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein at least one end of the passage is provided with a shielding plate.
8. The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the particle sensing section comprises:
means (130, 132; 242, 244) for subjecting the airflow to an electric field for inducing electrostatic precipitation of electrically charged airborne particles on a precipitation surface (132; 244); and
an electric current meter (136) electrically connected to the precipitation surface, for generating a measurement signal indicative of the charge of any electrically charged airborne particles that precipitate on the precipitation surface.
9. The sensor according to claim 8, wherein the means for subjecting the airflow to an electric field comprises at least two parallel conducting electrode elements (130, 132), at least one of which comprises the precipitation surface.
10. The sensor according to claim 8, wherein the means for subjecting the airflow to an electric field is adapted to create an electric field perpendicular to the downstream direction.
11. The sensor according to claim 1, further comprising an evaluation unit capable of receiving the measurement signal or signals, the evaluation unit being adapted to output a signal indicative of at least one in a group comprising:
a length concentration of airborne particles in the airflow;
a number concentration of airborne particles with a diameter larger than 10 nm in the airflow;
a number-averaged particle size of airborne particles larger than 10 nm in the airflow; and
a concentration of optically-detected airborne particles in the airflow.
12. The sensor according to claim 11, wherein the evaluation unit is capable of calculating from its output signal, in the course of time, a cumulative number that is proportional to either:
an approximate total amount of airborne particles larger than 10 nm, that has precipitated inside the particle sensing section since a predetermined point in time; or
an approximate total amount of airborne particles that has been detected by the optical particle detection unit since a predetermined point in time.
13. An air handling system comprising:
a sensor (418) according to any one of the previous claims for providing an output signal indicative of a concentration of airborne particles,
an air processing unit (410); and
a controller (416) arranged to control the air processing unit on the basis of the output signal of the sensor.
14. A method (500) for sensing airborne particles larger than 10 nm in an air sample in a passage with open ends, the method comprising the steps of:
generating (512) airborne unipolar ions;
applying (514) a first electric field adapted to subject generated airborne ions to an electrostatic force along the passage into a first direction, thereby causing a movement of the air sample in the first direction and charging airborne particles in the air sample;
passing (516) the air sample through an air-pervious counter electrode adapted to remove part of the airborne ions from the air sample;
applying (518) a second electric field adapted to subject remaining airborne ions to an electrostatic force in a second direction, distinct from the first direction, for separating airborne ions from the air sample;
applying (520) a third electric field for precipitating airborne charged particles onto a precipitation surface in the passage; and
measuring (522) the charge of the precipitated charged particles on the precipitation surface.
15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising the step of optically detecting (510) airborne particles in the air sample.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A display apparatus comprising:
a display;
a connector configured to connect to an upgrading apparatus configured to provide at least one upgrading function to the display apparatus; and
a controller configured to control the display to display a first user interface (UI) screen generated by the upgrading apparatus, the first UI screen comprising a list of the at least one upgrading function.
2. The display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a user input configured to receive a user selection of at least one upgrading function from the list of the at least one upgrading function,
wherein the controller is further configured to control the selected at least one upgrading function to be performed.
3. The display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to control the upgrading apparatus to generate a second UI screen comprising a list of the selected at least one upgrading function.
4. The display apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the selected at least one upgrading function is changed according to a user input, and
wherein the controller is further configured to control the upgrading function corresponding to the changed selection to be performed.
5. A display apparatus comprising:
an image processor configured to process an image signal;
a display configured to display a processed image of the processed image signal;
a connector configured to connect to an upgrading apparatus configured to provide at least one upgrading function to the display apparatus; and
a controller configured to control the display to display a first user interface (UI) screen generated by the upgrading apparatus, the first UI screen comprising a list of the at least one upgrading function,
wherein the controller is further configured to control the display to display a main screen generated by the controller overlapped with an overlay screen generated by the upgrading apparatus.
6. The display apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising an overlay generator,
wherein the controller is further configured to control the display to display the main screen overlapped with at least one of the overlay screen generated by the overlay generator and the overlay screen generated by the upgrading apparatus.
7. The display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
an overlay generator configured to generate a first overlay screen; and
an overlay decoder configured to decode overlay screen data encoded by the upgrading apparatus,
wherein the controller is further configured to control the overlay decoder to decode the encoded overlay screen data, to control the overlay generator to generate a second overlay screen, and to control the display to display a main screen overlapped with the second overlay screen.
8. The display apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to control the display to display the main screen overlapped at least one of the first overlay screen and the second overlay screen.
9. An upgrading apparatus of a display system, the display system having a display apparatus, the upgrading apparatus comprising:
a connector which is connectable to the display apparatus;
a user interface (UI) generator; and
a controller configured to provide at least one upgrading function to the display apparatus, to control the UI generator to generate a first UI screen comprising a list of the at least one upgrading function, and to transmit the generated first UI screen to the display apparatus, when the display apparatus is connected to the upgrading apparatus.
10. The upgrading apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to control the UI generator to generate a second UI screen comprising a list of at least one selected upgrading function selected from among the at least one upgrading function as a result of a user selection input to the display apparatus.
11. The upgrading apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to control the UI generator to generate a third UI screen comprising a list of upgrading function which corresponds to a changed selection in response to the user selection input to the display apparatus being changed.
12. The upgrading apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising an overlay generator configured to generate an overlay screen,
wherein the controller is further configured to control the overlay generator to generate an overlay screen and to transmit the generated overlay screen to the display apparatus through the connector.
13. The upgrading apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising an overlay encoder configured to encode overlay screen data,
wherein the controller is further configured to control the overlay encoder to encode the overlay screen data, and to transmit the encoded overlay screen data to the display apparatus through the connector.
14. The upgrading apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to provide the at least one upgrading function to the display apparatus by processing an image resolution higher than an image resolution that the display apparatus is configured to process.
15. A method of controlling a display apparatus, the method comprising:
connecting an upgrading apparatus configured to provide at least one upgrading function to the display apparatus;
generating a user interface (UI) screen comprising a list of the at least one upgrading function; and
receiving the UI screen generated by the upgrading apparatus and displaying the UI screen on the display.
16. The control method according to claim 15, further comprising receiving a user selection regarding at least one of the at least one upgrading function.
17. The control method according to claim 16, further comprising controlling the at least one of the at least one upgrading function to be performed upon selection by the user.
18. A method of controlling an upgrading apparatus of a display system, the display system comprising a display apparatus connected to the upgrading apparatus, the method comprising:
generating a first UI screen comprising a list of at least one upgrading function, the upgrading apparatus configured to provide the at least one upgrading function to the display apparatus; and
transmitting the first UI screen to the display apparatus in response to the display apparatus being connected to the upgrading apparatus.
19. The control method according to claim 18, further comprising generating a second UI screen comprising a list of at least one selected upgrading function selected according to a user selection input to the display apparatus.
20. The control method according to claim 19, further comprising generating a third UI screen comprising a list of at least one changed upgrading function which corresponds to a changed selection in response to a change in the user selection input to the display apparatus.
21. A display system comprising:
a display apparatus comprising a display; and
an upgrading apparatus connected to the display apparatus, the upgrading apparatus configured to provide at least one upgrading function to the display apparatus,
wherein the display apparatus is configured to receive a user interface (UI) screen generated by the upgrading apparatus, the first UI screen comprising a list of the at least one upgrading function, and to display the list on the display.
22. The display system according to claim 21, wherein the upgrading apparatus is further configured to encode overlay screen data, and
wherein the display apparatus is further configured to receive the encoded overlay screen data, decode the encoded overlay screen data, and display an overlay screen overlapping a main screen on the display, the overlay screen generated on the basis of the decoded overlay screen data.
23. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connector is configured to directly and physically connect to the upgrading apparatus and complies with one of high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), Component, and Low Voltage Differential Signaling (LVDS).