Patent · US Expired

Sensing element and detection system employing such element for detection of environmental borne material

US3989463A · kind A · utility

6Cited by
6References
25Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 26, 1975
Grant dateNov 2, 1976
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 26, 1995

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01N27/227
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An air pollutant and/or fire combustion sensing apparatus includes a pair of sensing electrodes separated by a free space to define a capacitance unit. At least one of the electrodes includes a corrosion-resistant, conductive material which interacts with air borne products to alter the permittivity and/or charge transfer characteristic of the unit. The material is in the form of a highly corrosion-resistant metal selected from a metal or metal alloy including at least one of the metals selected from the Group VIII, periods 4, 5, and 6 of the periodic table, particularly rhodium and stainless steel. Carbon and copper respond to produce a detectible output. An amplifying and alarm circuit is connected to the capacitance unit, and responds to either an increase or a decrease in the capacitance as a result of the interaction with the sensing electrode material. The circuit includes a thermally stabilized field effect transistor as a buffer input amplifier connected in differential configuration to produce a high input impedance and a high gain. The transistor is connected to a high gain DC operational amplifier having a feedback compensation network to compensate for thermal and low f…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.