Patent ID: 8734210

Claim:
An autonomous ventilation system comprising: a variable-speed exhaust fan operable to remove an air contaminant from an area; a controller coupled to the variable-speed exhaust fan and operable to adjust the speed of the exhaust fan; an exhaust hood coupled to the exhaust fan, the exhaust hood operable to direct the air contaminant to the exhaust fan; and a spillage probe assembly adjacent to an edge of the exhaust hood, the spillage probe assembly including: an open housing that attaches the spillage probe assembly to the exhaust hood having a first side and a second opposite side attached to the exhaust hood and a third side connected to the first and second sides distal the exhaust hood, the open housing being constructed so as to allow air escaping the exhaust hood to pass through at least a portion thereof; a spillage sensor arranged within a spillage zone, which is adjacent to the exhaust hood and at or above said edge of the exhaust hood, the spillage sensor being configured to detect a change in an environmental parameter in the spillage zone due to the air escaping the exhaust hood and to communicate information relating to detected changes in the environmental parameter to the controller; and a sensor support extending between the first and second sides that couples the spillage sensor to the open housing, the sensor support being configured such that the spillage sensor can be slidably repositioned along the housing, wherein the controller is further operable to adjust the speed of the fan in response to information relating to changes in the environmental parameter detected by the spillage sensor.