Chemical analysis of urine and feces vapor
First Claim
1. A gas sensor system for use in, or in the vicinity of, a toilet, for detecting a target gas arising from use of the toilet, comprising:
- a controlled gas release device for releasing a further gas at a controlled rate;
a gas sensor for detecting a concentration of at least the target gas arising from use of the toilet and the further gas; and
a controller for processing the detected concentration of the target gas and the further gas, wherein the controller is adapted to obtain a concentration of the target gas relative to a baseline concentration of the further gas through;
(∫
[a(t)−
a0]dt/∫
[r0−
r(t)]dt)Sr/Sa where ∫
represents integration over a sensing time period, a0 is a sensed concentration of the target gas at a start of a sensing cycle, a(t) is a sensed concentration of the target gas over time, r0 is a sensed concentration of the further gas at the start of the sensing cycle, r(t) is a sensed concentration of the further gas over time, Sa is a sensitivity of the gas sensor to the target gas, and Sr is a sensitivity of the gas sensor to the further gas.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A gas sensor system is for use in, or in the vicinity of, a toilet, for detecting a target gas. A gas sensor detects a concentration of at least the target gas and a further, reference, gas which is received from a controlled gas release device. These concentrations are processed to obtain a concentration of the target gas relative to the concentration of the further gas by combining a change in the detected concentration of the target gas, a change in the detected concentration of the further gas, the sensitivity of the gas sensor system to the target gas and the sensitivity of the gas sensor system to the further gas. This approach avoids the need for extensive calibration operations to tune the sensor response to the environment in which it is used.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A gas sensor system for use in, or in the vicinity of, a toilet, for detecting a target gas arising from use of the toilet, comprising:
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a controlled gas release device for releasing a further gas at a controlled rate; a gas sensor for detecting a concentration of at least the target gas arising from use of the toilet and the further gas; and a controller for processing the detected concentration of the target gas and the further gas, wherein the controller is adapted to obtain a concentration of the target gas relative to a baseline concentration of the further gas through;
(∫
[a(t)−
a0]dt/∫
[r0−
r(t)]dt)Sr/Sa where ∫
represents integration over a sensing time period, a0 is a sensed concentration of the target gas at a start of a sensing cycle, a(t) is a sensed concentration of the target gas over time, r0 is a sensed concentration of the further gas at the start of the sensing cycle, r(t) is a sensed concentration of the further gas over time, Sa is a sensitivity of the gas sensor to the target gas, and Sr is a sensitivity of the gas sensor to the further gas. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A gas sensing method for detecting a target gas system in or in the vicinity of a toilet and arising from use of the toilet, comprising:
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receiving the target gas and receiving a further gas from a controlled gas release device which releases the further gas at a controlled rate; detecting a concentration of at least the target gas and the further gas; and processing the detected concentration of the target gas and the further gas, thereby to obtain a concentration of the target gas relative to a baseline concentration of the further gas through;
(∫
[a(t)−
a0]dt/∫
[r0−
r(t)]dt)Sr/Sa where ∫
represents integration over a sensing time period, a0 is a sensed concentration of the target gas at a start of a sensing cycle, a(t) is a sensed concentration of the target gas over time, r0 is a sensed concentration of the further gas at the start of the sensing cycle, r(t) is a sensed concentration of the further gas over time, Sa is a sensitivity of the gas sensor to the target gas, and Sr is a sensitivity of the gas sensor to the further gas. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification