Sensor array for toxic gas detection

An instrument for indeifying at least one hazardous component in a gas sample, comprising

• sensing means including an array of sensors,
• means for introducing to said sensing means a gas sample suspected of containing at least one hazardous component,
• said array including plural sensors having differing electrical responses to said at least one component or a derivative thereof dependent on the chemical interaction of asid at least one component or a derivative thereof with each of said sensors and also dependent on an operational condition of at least one of said plurality of sensors,
• means for changing said operational condition during the exposure of said sensors to the gas sample to provide a plurality of different responses from said at least one sensor,
• means for forming a response pattern from said sensing means upon exposure to said sample,
• means for providing a plurality of previously established response patterns including a previously established response pattern for identifying said at least one component, and
• means for comparing the formed response pattern with at least one previously established response pattern to identify said at least one component.

An instrument for identifying and estimating the concentrations of a plurality of components in a gas sample, comprising:

• sensing means including an array of differently selective sensors,
• means for introducing to said sensing means a gas sample suspected of containing one or more components of a predetermined number of components that are detectable by said array, the number of said sensors being greater than one and fewer than said predetermined number of components,
• means for forming a multi-channel response pattern from said sensing means upon exposure to said sample,
• means fo comparing said formed pattern with a set of previously established patterns,
• said comparing means including means for eliminating those of said previously established response patterns which call for significant signals in those channels in which said formed pattern has no significant signal,
• and means for processing the remaining ones of said previously established response patterns so as to identify and estimate the concentration of each of said one or more components in said sample.