Photoacoustic gas sensors and method of operating a photoacoustic gas sensor

US11156547B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Infineon Technologies AG · DE

Inventors

• Matthias Eberl · Schweinhub, DE
• Franz Jost · Stuttgart, DE
• Ilie Marian I. Poenaru · Bucharest, RO

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 10, 2019
• Grant date: Oct 26, 2021
• Expiry date: Dec 22, 2039

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01N2291/021
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A photoacoustic gas sensor is provided. The photoacoustic gas sensor includes a hermetically sealed housing filled with a reference gas. Further, the photoacoustic gas sensor includes a microphone system arranged inside the housing. The microphone system is configured to generate a first microphone signal comprising a first signal component related to a photoacoustic excitation of the reference gas and a second microphone signal comprising a second signal component related to the photoacoustic excitation. The photoacoustic gas sensor additionally includes a circuit configured to generate an output signal based on the first microphone signal and the second microphone signal by destructively superimposing a third signal component of the first microphone signal related to mechanical vibrations of the photoacoustic gas sensor and a fourth signal component of the second microphone signal related to the mechanical vibrations.