Patent · US Expired

Saw vapor sensor apparatus and multicomponent signal processing

US5465608A · kind A · utility

26Cited by
11References
13Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 30, 1993
Grant dateNov 14, 1995
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 30, 2013

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01N2291/0423
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A method and apparatus for the identification and quantification of a vapor, or a number of vapors, in air mixtures is discussed. The method includes calibration of a vapor responsive sensor, or a plurality of vapor responsive sensors, to known concentrations of the vapors of interest or to known concentrations of potential interfering vapors. The calibrations result in sensor response vectors which are derived from the transient signals observed as the vapors are sorbed and desorbed on the sensors. Detection of vapors in complex mixtures is effected by subjecting the apparatus to the mixture and measuring the sensor response, or plurality of sensor responses, and then applying multidimensional statistical analysis or filtering methods to this data, using the precalibrated response vectors as the basis set for deconvolution. The sensors disclosed are Surface Acoustic Wave sensors (SAWs), and include variations of temperature programmed SAWs, SAWs with various combinations of chemically selective coatings, and arrays of temperature programmed and coated SAWs.

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