Methods and Systems for Determining a Target Gas Concentration in a Fluid Environment
AssigneeH2Scan Corporation
InventorsDylan Thomas, Tim Howard
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method of determining a target gas concentrations in a fluid environment using a gas sensor that improves the efficiency and accuracy of the gas sensor's measurements by taking measurements of electrical characteristics of the gas sensor at different temperatures, taking measurements during a transition between a first temperature and a second temperature, taking more frequent measurements, detecting when the gas sensor has reached equilibrium, using multiple sensors, accounting for offsets and drifts, reducing the time the sensor is not live, using various algorithms, or any combination thereof.
Claims25
A method of determining a target gas concentration of a target gas in a fluid environment, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) exposing a gas sensor to the fluid environment, the gas sensor having an electrical characteristic that varies as a function of the target gas concentration;
- (b) during step (a) modulating the temperature of the gas sensor, wherein the modulation is in a form of a repeating thermal waveform that induces a magnitude-frequency response in the electrical characteristics;
- (c) monitoring the electrical characteristics during step (b);
- and
- (d) calculating the target gas concentration as a function of the magnitude-frequency response of the electrical characteristics of the gas sensor.
A method of determining a target gas concentration of a target gas in a fluid environment, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) exposing a gas sensor to the fluid environment, the gas sensor having an electrical characteristic that varies as a function of the target gas concentration;
- (b) during step (a) modulating the temperature of the gas sensor, wherein the modulation is in a form of a repeating thermal waveform that induces a phase-frequency response in the electrical characteristics;
- (c) monitoring the electrical characteristics during step (b);
- and
- (d) calculating the target gas concentration as a function of the phase-frequency response of the electrical characteristics of the gas sensor.
A method of determining a target gas concentration of a target gas in a fluid environment, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) exposing a gas sensor to the fluid environment, the gas sensor having an electrical characteristic that varies as a function of the target gas concentration;
- (b) during step (a) modulating the temperature of the gas sensor, wherein the modulation is in a form of a repeating thermal waveform that induces a frequency response in the electrical characteristics;
- (c) monitoring the electrical characteristics during step (b);
- and
- (d) calculating the target gas concentration as a function of the frequency response of the electrical characteristics of the gas sensor.
A method of determining a target gas concentration of a target gas in a fluid environment, comprising:
- (a) exposing a first gas sensor to the fluid environment, the first gas sensor having an electrical characteristic that varies as a function of the target gas concentration;
- (b) exposing a second gas sensor to the fluid environment, the second gas sensor having an electrical characteristic that varies as a function of the target gas concentration;
- (c) alternately controlling the temperature of the second gas sensor between a first temperature and a second temperature while the second gas sensor is exposed to the fluid environment, wherein the temperature of the second gas sensor remains at the first temperature over a first period of time, transitions from the first temperature to the second temperature over a second period of time, remains at the second temperature over a third period of time, and transitions from the second temperature to a third temperature over a fourth period of time;
- (d) monitoring the electrical characteristic of the second gas sensor during the second and fourth periods of time;
- and
- (e) calculating the target gas concentration as a function of the electrical characteristic of the first gas sensor, wherein data from the second gas sensor is used to correct for baseline sensor drift of the first gas sensor.
The device of claim of 21, wherein the first gas sensor operates at two temperatures, and further comprising alternately controlling the temperature of the first gas sensor between a first temperature and a second temperature while the first gas sensor is exposed to the fluid environment, wherein the temperature of the first gas sensor remains at the first temperature over a first period of time, transitions from the first temperature to the second temperature over a second period of time, remains at the second temperature over a third period of time, and transitions from the second temperature to a third temperature over a fourth period of time;
- wherein the temperatures of the first gas sensor and the second gas sensor are staggered such that when the first gas sensor is in the first period of time or third period of time of the first gas sensor, the second gas sensor is in the second period of time or the fourth period of time of the second gas sensor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.