Nox sensor

• US 6,143,165 A
• Filed: 03/16/1998
• Issued: 11/07/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Riken
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Riken
• Inventors: Miura, Norio, Kurosawa, Hideyuki, Yamazoe, Noboru, Hasei, Masaharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung, T.
• Application Number:
  US09/039,248
• Time in Patent Office: 967 Days
• Field of Search: 204/421-429, 205/781, 205/783, 205/783.5, 205/784, 205/784.5, 205/785
• US Class Current: 205/781
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/4074 for detection of gases other than oxygen

Abstract

The present invention discloses a NOx sensor consisting of at least a pair of electrodes formed in touch with an ion conductive solid electrolyte; wherein the first electrode is composed of oxides of a metal (Cr, Mo or W) selected from 6a Group or a substance containing said oxides and an electric conductive material and the concentration of NOx in the test gas is detected by the change of the electromotive force between the first and second electrodes.

Claims

1. A method of detecting nitrogen oxide concentration in a gas which comprises:

providing a nitrogen oxide sensor comprising

a solid electrolyte substrate;

a single pair of electrodes, a first electrode of said pair of electrodes formed on one side of said substrate and a second electrode of said pair of electrodes formed on another side of said substrate, and a conductor formed on said first electrode;

wherein said first electrode consists of a metal oxide of a metal selected from Group 6b, or a mixture of these metal oxides, and said second electrode consists of a noble metal or a conductive ceramic;

exposing said first electrode to a first gas which contains a nitrogen oxide and oxygen and exposing said second electrode to a second gas which contains at least oxygen, wherein concentration of nitrogen oxide in said first gas is detected by converting an amount of nitrogen oxide concentration into an electromotive force level between the first and second electrodes wherein the electromotive force linearly increases in response to an increase, in terms of a logarithm, of NO₂ concentration and linearly decreases in response to an increase, in terms of a logarithm, of NO concentration; and

measuring the nitrogen oxide concentration in said first gas by determining the electromotive force between said first and said second electrode.

2. A method of detecting nitrogen oxide concentration in a gas containing oxygen which comprises:

providing a nitrogen oxide sensor comprising

a solid electrolyte substrate;

a single pair of electrodes, a first and second electrode of said pair of electrodes formed on a same side of said substrate, and a conductor formed on said first electrode;

wherein said first electrode consists of a metal oxide of a metal from Group 6b, or a mixture of these metal oxides, and said second electrode consists of a noble metal or a conductive ceramic;

exposing both of said electrodes to a same gas including a nitrogen oxide and oxygen, wherein concentration of nitrogen oxide in said gas is detected by converting an amount of nitrogen oxide concentration into an electromotive force level between the first and second electrodes wherein the electromotive force linearly increases in response to an increase, in terms of a logarithm, of NO₂ concentration and linearly decreases in response to an increase, in terms of a logarithm, of NO concentration; and

measuring the nitrogen oxide concentration in said same gas by determining the electromotive force between said first and said second electrode.