Saturation filtering NDIR gas sensing methodology

Abstract

NDIR gas sensing methodology is advanced which renders the output of an NDIR gas sensor, when implemented with this new methodology, to remain stable or drift-free over time. Furthermore, the output of such a sensor will also be independent of the temperature of an environ wherein the sensor is in physical contact. This method utilizes the same narrow band-pass spectral filter for the detection of the gas of interest for both the signal and the reference channels. By so doing, the two channels always receive radiation of the same spectral content from the infrared source of the sensor convoluted with that from any external elements exposed to the sensor. While the same sample chamber through which the gas of interest to be detected flows is shared by the two channels, the detector package for the reference channel is hermetically sealed with 100% of the gas to be detected instead of 100% N2 as for the signal detector. In so doing, the reference channel is rendered almost completely “blind” to the presence or absence of the gas of interest flowing in the common sample chamber thereby creating an absorption bias or difference between the two channels enabling the concentration of the gas of interest to be detected by ratioing the outputs of the two channels via calibration.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.