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:
Jan. 01, 2002
Filed:
May. 28, 1999
Tomohiro Mabuchi, Aichi, JP;
Shigeki Mori, Gifu, JP;
Satoshi Teramoto, Aichi, JP;
Takeshi Kawai, Aichi, JP;
NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd., Aichi, JP;
Abstract
A method of stabilizing pump current in a gas sensor through suppression of oscillations of the pump current which result from pulsations of measured gas is provided. The gas sensor includes an oxygen pump element, an oxygen concentration cell element and a measurement gap between the oxygen pump element and the oxygen concentration cell element, and is operative to control the pump current through the oxygen pump element so that an output voltage of the oxygen concentration cell element is constant in order that an oxygen concentration in the measurement gap is maintained constant and detect an oxygen concentration in the measured gas on the basis of the pump current. The method comprising adjusting an activity of electrodes of an oxygen pump element so as to change a responsiveness in control of the pump current and thereby reduce an amplitude of the oscillations of the pump current. There is also provided the above described type gas sensor wherein the activity of the electrodes of the oxygen pump element is adjusted so as to change a responsiveness in control of the pump current and thereby reduce the oscillations of the pump current.