# US 11,307,159 B2 · Ionic-conducting resistor for exhaust constituent sensors > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,307,159 B2 - Document ID: US11307159B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/598,457 - Filed: 2017-05-18 - Published: 2018-11-22 - Granted: 2022-04-19 - Earliest claimed: 2017-05-18 - Assignees: Delphi Technologies IP Limited - Applicants: Delphi Technologies IP Limited - Inventors: Alfredo Ibarra Covarrubias; Kaius K. Polikarpus - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11307159B2 ## CPC - G01N 27/16: caused by burning or catalytic oxidation of surrounding material to be tested, e.g. of gas - F01N 11/007: {the diagnostic devices measuring oxygen or air concentration downstream of the exhaust apparatus} - G01M 15/102: {by monitoring exhaust gases} - G01N 27/125: {Composition of the body, e.g. the composition of its sensitive layer} - G01N 27/4067: {Means for heating or controlling the temperature of the solid electrolyte} - G01N 27/4071: {using sensor elements of laminated structure} - G01N 27/4175: {Calibrating or checking the analyser} - G01N 33/0037: {NOx} - G01N 33/0054: {Ammonia} - H10N 70/24: {based on migration or redistribution of ionic species, e.g. anions, vacancies} - H10N 70/823: {adapted for essentially horizontal current flow, e.g. bridge type devices} - H10N 70/8416: {adapted for supplying ionic species} - H10N 70/8613: {Heating or cooling means other than resistive heating electrodes, e.g. heater in parallel} - H10N 70/8836: {Complex metal oxides, e.g. perovskites, spinels} - F01N 2550/22: of electric heaters for exhaust systems or their power supply - F01N 2560/025: for measuring or detecting O2, e.g. lambda sensors - F01N 2560/12: Other sensor principles, e.g. using electro conductivity of substrate or radio frequency - Y02A 50/20: Air quality improvement or preservation, e.g. vehicle emission control or emission reduction by using catalytic converters - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) - F01N: GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES (arrangements in connection with gas exhaust of propulsion units in vehicles B60K13/00; combustion-air intake silencers specially adapted for, or arranged on, internal-combustion engines F02M35/00; protecting against, or damping, noise in general G10K11/16) - G01M: TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES OR STRUCTURES; TESTING OF STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - H10N: ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - Y02A: TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE ## Abstract A resistor-assembly includes a substrate, a heater, a resistor-element, and conductive-leads. The substrate is formed of a ceramic-material. The heater heats the resistor-assembly. The resistor-element is formed of an ion-conducting material that overlies the substrate. The conductive-leads are formed of a catalytic-metal that are in communication with a gas and in electrical contact with the resistor-element. The resistor-element is characterized by a resistance-value influenced by an oxygen-presence in the gas when the resistor-element is heated by the heater such that a resistor-temperature is greater than a temperature-threshold. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A resistor-assembly, comprising: a substrate formed of a ceramic-material; a heater that heats the resistor-assembly; a resistor-element formed of an ion-conducting material that has a resistance-value which is influenced by an oxygen-presence in a gas when the resistor-element is heated by the heater above a temperature-threshold, wherein the resistor-element overlies the substrate, and wherein said substrate is located between the heater and the resistor-element; and conductive-leads formed of a catalytic-metal that are in communication with the gas and in electrical contact with the resistor-element. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The resistor-assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the resistor-element conducts oxygen-ions when the resistor-element is heated above the temperature-threshold. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The resistor-assembly in accordance with claim 2, wherein the ion-conducting material includes an oxide of an element selected from a list that includes zirconium (Zr), cerium (Ce), uranium (U), and thorium (Th). ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The resistor-assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the ceramic-material includes an aluminum oxide. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The resistor-assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the catalytic-metal includes platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), rhodium (Rh), silver (Ag), nickel (Ni), gold (Au), and alloys thereof. ### Claim 6 A gas-sensing-device suitable for use to control an internal combustion engine, said device comprising: a substrate formed of a ceramic-material; a heater which heats the device in response to receiving electrical energy; a sensing-element in thermal communication with the heater, wherein the sensing-element detects oxygen in an exhaust-stream and outputs a sensing-signal based on a concentration of the oxygen in the exhaust-stream; a resistor-element in thermal communication with the heater, said resistor-element formed of an ion-conducting material that has a resistance-value which is influenced by an oxygen-presence in a gas when the resistor-element is heated by the heater above a temperature-threshold, wherein the resistor-element overlies the substrate, and wherein said substrate is located between the heater and the resistor-element; and conductive-leads formed of a catalytic-metal that are in communication with the gas and in electrical contact with the resistor-element, whereby the concentration of the oxygen in the exhaust-stream is indicated based on the resistance-value and the sensing-signal. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The device in accordance with claim 6, wherein the device includes a controller in electrical communication with the heater, the sensing-element, and the resistor-element, said controller controls the electrical energy supplied to the heater, determines the resistance-value of the resistor-element, determines the sensing-signal of the sensing-element, and indicates the concentration of the oxygen in the exhaust-stream. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The device in accordance with claim 6, wherein the resistor-element conducts oxygen-ions when the resistor-element is heated above the temperature-threshold. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The device in accordance with claim 8, wherein the ion-conducting material includes an oxide of an element selected from a list consisting of zirconium (Zr), cerium (Ce), uranium (U), and thorium (Th). ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The device in accordance with claim 6, wherein the ceramic-material includes an aluminum oxide. ### Claim 11 (depends on 6) The device in accordance with claim 6, wherein the catalytic-metal includes platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), rhodium (Rh), silver (Ag), nickel (Ni), gold (Au) and alloys thereof. ### Claim 12 (depends on 6) The device in accordance with claim 6, further comprising a protective-layer which overlays the resistor-element, the protective-layer including a cover-layer with an aperture extending therethrough such that the aperture is aligned with the resistor-element. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The device of claim 12, wherein the protective-layer also includes a glass-seal within the aperture. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The device of claim 13, wherein: the cover-layer contacts the resistor-element and the substrate; and the glass-seal contacts the resistor-element. ### Claim 15 (depends on 6) The device of claim 6, wherein the conductive leads are exposed to a channel which contains the gas.