Date of Award
2008
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Engineering Science
Program
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Supervisor
Dr. Jayshri Sabarinathan
Second Advisor
Dr. Eric Savory
Third Advisor
Dr. James Scott
Abstract
Mould is a growing concern for homeowners, as it can cause extreme damage to houses, costing homeowners large sums of money. Mould is not only a concern due to its destructiveness, but also because it can cause serious health risks. Currently there is no effective way of monitoring the growth of mould. Therefore an optoelectronic sensor was designed, built, and tested to fill this need. The sensor was designed and built using off-the-shelf components. It is able to monitor mould growth in real time, through the change in light reflectance, while situated inside a wall cavity of a house. 16 mould sensors were lab tested and calibrated and were installed into the control building at Insurance Research Lab for Better Homes, located near the London airport. With the help of other sensors, such as temperature, moisture, and relative humidity researchers hope to be able to propose factors that allow mould to grow in homes. The sensor will also help in understanding what building materials are more prone to mould growth. The focus of this thesis will be on the development of the sensor and its data acquisition system. The initial results obtained are very promising and the mould sensor will lead to important research results in the future.
Recommended Citation
Sauer, Anna M., "Mould Spy: The Fabrication and Validation of a Mould Sensor" (2008). Digitized Theses. 4855.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/digitizedtheses/4855