Patent ID: 8147302

Claim:
A system for monitoring air quality conditions and controlling air flow in an environment that includes an airflow control device that controls at least one airflow volume, the system comprising: a multipoint air sampling system comprising one or more sensors that detect one or more of air comfort parameters or air contaminants, the sensors generating output signals indicative of the level of the detected air comfort parameters or air contaminants, wherein at least one of the sensors is a shared sensor that senses contaminants in the air that has been collected from a plurality of separate locations, the separate locations including an at least partially enclosed area and at least one location containing outside air or supply air; a signal processing controller that receives the sensor output signals and in response generates one or more blended air quality parameter signals and provides one or more of such blended air quality parameter signals to the airflow control device, to control at least the supply airflow volume provided to the at least partially enclosed area, wherein at least one of the blended air quality parameter signals comprises a differential air quality parameter signal that represents the magnitude of the difference between the sensed value of at least one air contaminant in the at least partially enclosed area and the sensed value of the same air contaminant in one of the outside air or the supply air, the signal processing controller comprising one or more demultiplexers that develop separate signals representing each sensed air contaminant in each of the separate locations; wherein the signal processing controller generates signals that cause the airflow control device to increase the supply air volume when the differential air quality parameter signal is greater than a threshold signal value or exhibits a predetermined signal pattern comprising a rapid increase in the sensed air contaminant.