Sensor system, sensor array and process of using the sensor system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12117349-B2
Application number	US-202217706918-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 29, 2022
Priority date	Mar 30, 2021
Publication date	Oct 15, 2024
Grant date	Oct 15, 2024

Abstract

In an embodiment a sensor system includes a first sensor having a first thermistor configured to sense a change in heat flow and a first heater configured to heat the first thermistor and a second sensor having a second thermistor configured to sense a change in heat flow and a second heater configured to heat the second thermistor, wherein a heat conduction path between the first heater and the first thermistor has a higher thermal conductivity than a heat conduction path between the second heater and the second thermistor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sensor system comprising:
a first sensor having a first thermistor configured to sense a change in heat flow and a first heater configured to heat the first thermistor; and
a second sensor having a second thermistor configured to sense a change in heat flow and a second heater configured to heat the second thermistor,
wherein a heat conduction path between the first heater and the first thermistor has a higher thermal conductivity than a heat conduction path between the second heater and the second thermistor, and
wherein the heat conduction path in the first sensor is a path along which the heat is conductable between the first heater and the first thermistor, and the heat conduction path in the second sensor is a path along which the heat is conductable between the second heater and the second thermistor.

2. The sensor system according to claim 1 , wherein the heat conduction path between the first heater and the first thermistor includes the first thermistor itself and the heat conduction path between the second heater and the second thermistor includes the second thermistor itself, and wherein the first thermistor has a higher thermal conductivity than the second thermistor.

3. The sensor system according to claim 1 , wherein the heat conduction path between the first heater and the first thermistor includes a first interlayer arranged between the first heater and the first thermistor, and wherein the heat conduction path between the second heater and the second thermistor includes a second interlayer arranged between the second heater and the second thermistor.

4. The sensor system according to claim 3 , wherein the first interlayer has a higher thermal conductivity than the second interlayer.

5. The sensor system according to claim 3 , wherein the first interlayer and the second interlayer comprise a chemically similar material, and wherein the first interlayer has a higher degree of crystallinity and/or comprises crystallites with a larger average size than the second interlayer.

6. The sensor system according to claim 3 , wherein the first and second interlayers comprise a silicon oxide material.

7. The sensor system according to claim 3 , wherein the first interlayer has a thermal conductivity of 5 W/(m·K) or above and the second interlayer has a thermal conductivity of 1.4 W/(m·K) or below.

8. The sensor system according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second heaters is an arrangement of one or several conductors wound to a meander-like form within a spatial plane.

9. The sensor system according to claim 1 , wherein, under constant conditions or steady state conditions, the first heater together with a power supply for the first heater and the second heater together with a power supply for the second heater are configured to provide different temperatures to the first thermistor and the second thermistor.

10. A sensor array comprising:
at least two sensor systems according to claim 1 , which are configured to detect different detectants.

11. A method for using the sensor system according to claim 1 , the method comprising:
heating the first sensor and the second sensor to different temperatures, wherein one of the sensors acts as a measurement sensor and the other sensor acts as a reference sensor; and
exposing the sensor system to a gas atmosphere comprising a detectant; and
measuring a difference in temperature change between the measurement sensor and the reference sensor when compared to a steady state response of both sensors in a reference gas atmosphere without the detectant.

12. A sensor system comprising:
a first sensor having a first thermistor configured to sense a change in heat flow and a first heater configured to heat the first thermistor; and
a second sensor having a second thermistor configured to sense a change in heat flow and a second heater configured to heat the second thermistor,
wherein a heat conduction path between the first heater and the first thermistor has a higher thermal conductivity than a heat conduction path between the second heater and the second thermistor,
wherein the heat conduction path between the first heater and the first thermistor includes a first interlayer arranged between the first heater and the first thermistor,
wherein the heat conduction path between the second heater and the second thermistor includes a second interlayer arranged between the second heater and the second thermistor, and
wherein the first interlayer has a higher thermal conductivity than the second interlayer.

13. The sensor system according to claim 12 , wherein the first and second interlayers comprise a silicon oxide material.

14. The sensor system according to claim 12 , wherein the first interlayer has a thermal conductivity of 5 W/(m·K) or above and the second interlayer has a thermal conductivity of 1.4 W/(m·K) or below.

15. The sensor system according to claim 12 , wherein each of the first and second heaters is an arrangement of one or several conductors wound to a meander-like form within a spatial plane.

16. The sensor system according to claim 12 , wherein, under constant conditions or steady state conditions, the first heater together with a power supply for the first heater and the second heater together with a power supply for the second heater are configured to provide different temperatures to the first thermistor and the second thermistor.

17. A sensor system comprising:
a first sensor having a first thermistor configured to sense a change in heat flow and a first heater configured to heat the first thermistor; and
a second sensor having a second thermistor configured to sense a change in heat flow and a second heater configured to heat the second thermistor,
wherein a heat conduction path between the first heater and the first thermistor has a higher thermal conductivity than a heat conduction path between the second heater and the second thermistor,
wherein the heat conduction path between the first heater and the first thermistor includes a first interlayer arranged between the first heater and the first thermistor,
wherein the heat conduction path between the second heater and the second thermistor includes a second interlayer arranged between the second heater and the second thermistor,
wherein the first interlayer and the second interlayer comprise a chemically similar material, and
wherein the first interlayer has a higher degree of crystallinity and/or comprises crystallites with a larger average size than the second interlayer.

18. The sensor system according to claim 17 , wherein the first and second interlayers comprise a silicon oxide material.

19. The sensor system according to claim 17 , wherein the first interlayer has a thermal conductivity of 5 W/(m·K) or above and the second interlayer has a thermal conductivity of 1.4 W/(m·K) or below.

20. The sensor system according to claim 17 , wherein each of the first and second heaters is an arrangement of one or several conductors wound to a meander-like form within a spatial plane.

Assignees

• Tdk Corp

Inventors

• Barbul Andreas
• König Matthias

Classifications

• G01N27/16

  caused by burning or catalytic oxidation of surrounding material to be tested, e.g. of gas · CPC title

• G01N33/004

  CO or CO2 · CPC title

• G01K1/16 Primary

  Special arrangements for conducting heat from the object to the sensitive element · CPC title

• G01N25/32 Primary

  using thermoelectric elements · CPC title