Sensor apparatus for measuring volatile organic compounds
US6493638B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 1, 2000 |
| Grant date | Dec 10, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 1, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N33/0031
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An apparatus for measuring volatile organic compounds in a gas includes a sensor chamber having a housing with a gas inlet, a gas outlet, and a gas flow path from the gas inlet to the gas outlet, a set of baffles within the housing and positioned in the gas flow path, and a set of sensors within the housing and positioned in the gas flow path. Each sensor has an electrically conductive polymer whose electrical properties are dependent upon the presence of specific volatile organic compounds in the gas flow. Desirably, the set of baffles and the set of sensors are cooperatively positioned such that the time for gas to flow from the gas inlet to each of the sensors is substantially the same. The apparatus further includes a pump that removes the gas from the gas outlet of the housing, and an electronic circuit that measures the electrical properties of each of the sensors.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.