Gas sensor with a configurable heating element, and methods exploiting the configurability
First Claim
1. A gas sensor, comprising:
- a gas-sensitive layer; and
a heating element to heat the gas-sensitive layer, the heating element comprising a heater track having first and second outer electric terminals and having at least one inner electric terminal located between the first and second outer electric terminals;
wherein;
the heating element is configurable in terms of a pattern of temperatures produced along the heater track, being designed to produce different profiles along the heater track upon application of respective different patterns of electric potentials to the at least one inner electric terminal and the first and second outer electric terminals; and
a control unit is provided to control which of the different patterns of electric potentials is applied to the at least one inner electric terminal and the first and second outer electric terminals of the heater track during use, the different patterns of electrical potentials being defined by respective different control profiles applied by the control unit.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
In a gas sensor having a gas-sensitive layer and a heating element to heat the gas-sensitive layer, the heating element comprises a heater track having first and second outer electric terminals and at least one inner electric terminal located between the outer electric terminals. The gas sensor includes a control unit configured to control the electric potentials that are applied to the electric terminals during use, and the control unit is configured to be capable of varying the set of electric potentials applied to the electric terminals. In certain applications the control unit may select the terminals to which power is applied, in order to assure the gas-sensitive layer is heated to a specified temperature. In certain applications the gas sensor has multiple measurement electrodes and the control unit selects the set of electric potentials so that different temperatures are attained at locations where different measurement electrodes are located.
4 Citations
14 Claims
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1. A gas sensor, comprising:
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a gas-sensitive layer; and a heating element to heat the gas-sensitive layer, the heating element comprising a heater track having first and second outer electric terminals and having at least one inner electric terminal located between the first and second outer electric terminals; wherein; the heating element is configurable in terms of a pattern of temperatures produced along the heater track, being designed to produce different profiles along the heater track upon application of respective different patterns of electric potentials to the at least one inner electric terminal and the first and second outer electric terminals; and a control unit is provided to control which of the different patterns of electric potentials is applied to the at least one inner electric terminal and the first and second outer electric terminals of the heater track during use, the different patterns of electrical potentials being defined by respective different control profiles applied by the control unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of calibrating a gas sensor comprising a gas-sensitive layer, a heating element to heat the gas-sensitive layer, the heating element comprising a heater track having first and second outer electric terminals and at least one inner electric terminal located between the first and second outer electric terminals, and the heating element being configurable in terms of a pattern of temperatures produced along the heater track, the heating element further being designed to produce different temperature profiles along the heater track profiles along the heater track upon application of respective different patterns of electric potentials to the at least one inner electric terminal and the first and second outer electric terminals, and a control unit to control which of the different patterns of electric potentials is applied to the at least one inner electrical terminal and the first and second outer electric terminals of the heater track during use, the different patterns of electric potentials being defined by respective different control profiles by the control unit, the method comprising:
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applying power between a pair of candidate electric terminals selected among the at least one inner electric terminal and the first and second outer electric terminals of the heater track; determining the temperature attained by the gas-sensitive layer when power is applied between the candidate electric terminals; comparing the determined temperature with a predetermined target temperature; and calibrating the control unit, based on a result of the comparing, to select a pair of terminals between which to apply power to heat the gas-sensitive layer to the predetermined target temperature. - View Dependent Claims (13)
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14. A method of operating a gas sensor comprising a gas-sensitive layer, a heating element to heat the gas-sensitive layer, the heating element comprising a heater track having first and second outer electric terminals and at least one inner electric terminal located between the first and second outer electric terminals and the heating element being configurable in terms of a pattern of temperatures produced along the heater track, the heating element further being designed to produce different temperature profiles along the heater track profiles along the heater track upon application of respective different patterns of electric potentials to the at least one inner electric terminal and the first and second outer electric terminals, a control unit to control which of the different patterns of electric potentials is applied to the at least one inner electric terminal and the first and second outer electric terminals of the heater track during use, the different patterns of electric potentials being defined by respective different control profiles applied by the control unit, and plural measurement electrodes disposed at different locations relative to electric terminals of the heater track, the method comprising:
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controlling, by the control unit, in accordance with a respective control profile, which of said different patterns of electric potentials is applied to the at least one inner electric terminal and the first and second outer electric terminals of the heater track, to produce along the heater track a temperature profile heating different ones of said plural measurement electrodes to different temperatures; and determining electrical characteristics of the gas-sensitive layer at said different temperatures by measuring a set of signals produced by said different ones of the plural measurement electrodes during heating of the plural measurement electrodes by said temperature profile.
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Specification