Method of measuring concentrations of odors and a device therefor
US4770027A · kind A · utility
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 26, 1986 |
| Grant date | Sep 13, 1988 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 26, 2006 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N33/02
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The invention involves the measurement of the total concentration of odors of an article such as foodstuff, fruits and beverages as an indication of their specific quality such as freshness and maturity. An odorimetric device includes a non-selective odor detector disposed within an odorimetric chamber and a heater means for heating the odor detector to a predetermined operating temperature. The odor detector is comprised of a sintered body or film of a highly purified n-type metal oxide semiconductor formed on a substrate by vapor deposition. In one embodiment, the total concentration of odors of an object that is monitored as a function of time may be compared with a reference value or pattern to evaluate the quality of the object. In a second embodiment, the odor detector is comprised of a plurality of like odor detector elements with their sensing characteristics staggered due to different operating temperatures set by their associated heater elements, each odor detector element generating a signal indicative of the total concentration of the odors. The use of this composite odor detector enables a more reliable determination of the quality of an object in reference to a refere…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.