The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 18, 2001
Filed:
Sep. 03, 1999
Nobuhide Kato, Ama-gun, JP;
Yasuhiko Hamada, Nagoya, JP;
NGK Insulators, Ltd., , JP;
Abstract
Disclosed is a method for controlling a gas sensor comprising the steps of pumping-processing oxygen contained in a measurement gas introduced from external space into a first chamber by using a main pumping cell so that a partial pressure of oxygen in the first chamber is controlled to have a predetermined value at which a predetermined gas component as a measurement objective is not decomposable; decomposing the predetermined gas component contained in the measurement gas in a second chamber by the aid of a catalytic action and/or electrolysis by using a detecting pumping cell to pumping-process oxygen produced during the decomposition; and measuring the predetermined gas component contained in the measurement gas on the basis of a pumping current which flows during the pumping process; wherein the oxygen to be pumped out by the detecting pumping cell is pumped out toward an inner pumping electrode which is fixed to have a base electric potential (ground electric potential), of the main pumping cell. Accordingly, it is possible to facilitate miniaturization of a control circuit system of the gas sensor and reduction of the weight thereof.