With Impressed Current Means Patents (Class 204/425)
  • Patent number: 11933757
    Abstract: A gas sensor is equipped with a housing, an insulator retained by an inner periphery of the housing, a sensing device having a front end portion protruding from a front end surface of the insulator, and a protective cover which covers a front end portion of the sensing device. A pump electrode and a sensor electrode are disposed in a front end portion of the solid electrolyte body. The pump electrode is exposed to a measurement gas and regulates the concentration of oxygen in the measurement gas. The sensor electrode is exposed to the measurement gas and measures the concentration of a given gas component in the measurement gas after being regulated in concentration of oxygen by the pump electrode. A base end portion of the sensor electrode in a lengthwise direction is located closer to a base end side of the gas sensor than a front end surface of the housing is.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuusuke Kawamoto, Yuusuke Toudou, Takashi Araki
  • Patent number: 11525802
    Abstract: A gas sensor includes a sensor element, a detection device, a reference gas regulating device. The sensor element includes an element body having disposed therein a measurement-object gas flow section, a measurement-object-gas-side electrode disposed in or out of the element body, a reference electrode disposed within the element body, and a reference gas introducing section that allows a reference gas to be introduced thereinto and to flow therethrough to the reference electrode. The reference gas regulating device allows an oxygen pump-in current to flow between the reference electrode and the measurement-object-gas-side electrode to pump oxygen into around the reference electrode from around the measurement-object-gas-side electrode. A ratio R1/R2 of a reaction resistance R1 of the reference electrode to a diffusion resistance R2 of the reference gas introducing section is greater than or equal to 0.1 and less than or equal to 2.0.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2022
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Yusuke Watanabe, Shiho Iwai
  • Patent number: 11391690
    Abstract: A sensor element used to detect, using a limiting current method, the specific gas concentration in a rich-atmosphere measurement-object gas. The sensor element includes a layered body in which a measurement-object gas distribution portion is provided, an adjustment pump cell that has an adjustment pump electrode arranged in an oxygen concentration adjustment space in the measurement-object gas distribution portion. The adjustment pump electrode contains Pt and Au, and a Au/Pt ratio (=the area of a portion where Au is exposed/the area of a portion where Pt is exposed) measured using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is greater than or equal to 0.3 but not greater than 0.63.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Taku Okamoto, Nobukazu Ikoma, Osamu Nakasone
  • Patent number: 11275049
    Abstract: A gas sensor includes a structural body made from an oxygen ion conductive solid electrolyte, a gas introduction passage which is formed in the structural body and into which a gas to be measured is introduced, a main adjustment chamber that communicates with the gas introduction passage, and a measurement chamber that communicates with the main adjustment chamber. A buffer space that communicates with the gas introduction passage, and at least two diffusion rate control members that communicate with the buffer space, are provided between the gas introduction passage and the main adjustment chamber. The respective widths Wb1 and Wb2 of the diffusion rate control members are less than the respective widths Wa, Wc, and Wd of the gas introduction passage, the buffer space, and the main adjustment chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2022
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Yusuke Watanabe, Mika Kai, Shiho Iwai
  • Patent number: 11268929
    Abstract: A sensor element includes a porous reference gas introduction layer for introducing a reference gas as a reference for detecting a specific gas concentration of a measurement-object gas from an entrance and allowing the reference gas to flow to a reference electrode disposed at the back, wherein the reference gas introduction layer is divided by a partition position defined to be in the range of 50 to 95% of the full length of the reference gas introduction layer from the entrance toward the inside, into a back side portion and an entrance side portion, the reference electrode is accommodated in the back side portion, and the diffusion resistance Rb of the entrance side portion is higher than the diffusion resistance Ra of the back side portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventor: Yusuke Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11237129
    Abstract: A sensor element includes a layered body that includes a measurement-object gas flowing portion which a measurement object gas is introduced and flowed in and a reference electrode that is formed inside of the layered body and a reference gas introducing layer made of a porous material that introduces a reference gas being used as a standard for detection of a specific gas concentration in the measurement-object gas and that flows the reference gas to the reference electrode, the reference gas introducing layer including an inlet portion serving as an inlet of the reference gas and one or more gas flowing spaces provided over a region from the inlet portion to the reference electrode in a direction in which the reference gas is flowed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Yusuke Watanabe, Shiho Iwai
  • Patent number: 11125719
    Abstract: A gas sensor is capable of measuring the concentrations of each of a plurality of target components in a gas being measured. The gas sensor has a sensor element, and one or more processors configured to control an oxygen concentration and to acquire a target component concentration. The oxygen concentration is controlled in a first chamber and a second chamber of a first sensor cell, and the oxygen concentration is also controlled in a second chamber of a second sensor cell. The concentration of a second target component is acquired on the basis of a difference ?Ip between a first pump current value and a second pump current value, and the concentration of a first target component is acquired by subtracting the concentration of the second target component from the second pump current value (total concentration).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventor: Kunihiko Nakagaki
  • Patent number: 11039851
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to the field of endoscopy. In particular, the present disclosure relates to systems and methods suitable for resecting or dissecting large areas of mucosal or submucosal tissue. The system may apply tension to and continuously manipulate mucosal tissue such that large lesions may be resected or dissected by a cutting element disposed at the distal end of an endoscope.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew Robert Jagelski, Shawn Ryan, Celine Mee Ling Chin, Norman C. May, Catherine Shimin Yee, Paul Smith, Ray Tong
  • Patent number: 11029018
    Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure include an integrated lighting system including a casing configured to detachably couple from a conventional air vent, a motion sensor configured to detect a presence of a person, a light source, and a processor configured to receive, from the motion sensor, an indication in response to the motion sensor detecting the presence of the person, and send, to the light source, an activation signal to activate the light source in response to receiving the indication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: Cardinal IP Holding, LLC
    Inventors: Anthony Steven Uriarte, Peter Michael Schmitz
  • Patent number: 11009481
    Abstract: Provided is a gas sensor achieving improvement in detection accuracy for a specific gas component and responsiveness for detecting the specific gas component. A guide body is provided at a base end section of a first inner circulation hole in an inner cover of the gas sensor. The base end section is located between a base end position P1 2 mm away from a tip end of a sensor element in an axial direction L towards a base end side L1 and a tip end position P2 2 mm away from the tip end towards a tip end side L2. The tip end is on the base end side L1 relative to an imaginary line K passing through a base end and a tip end on a surface on the tip end side of the guide body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi Araki, Mitsunobu Nakato
  • Patent number: 10969363
    Abstract: A sensor element includes: a main pump cell constituted by an inner pump electrode facing a first inner space into which a measurement gas is introduced, an external pump electrode provided on a surface of the sensor element, and a solid electrolyte located therebetween; and a measurement pump cell constituted by a measurement electrode facing a second inner space communicated with the first inner space and functioning as a reduction catalyst for NOx; and a solid electrolyte located therebetween. The inner pump electrode is a cermet made of Pt and ZrO2, the inner pump electrode has a porosity ranging from 1-5% and a thickness ranging from 5-20 ?m, a resistance of the main pump cell is equal to or smaller than 150?, and a diffusion resistance from the gas inlet to the inner pump electrode is ranging from 200-1000 cm?1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Yusuke Watanabe, Takayuki Sekiya
  • Patent number: 10930844
    Abstract: Variable-resistance devices and methods of forming the same include a variable-resistance layer, formed between a first terminal and a second terminal, that varies in resistance based on an oxygen concentration in the variable-resistance layer. An electrolyte layer that is stable at room temperature and that conducts oxygen ions in accordance with an applied voltage is positioned over the variable-resistance layer. A gate layer is configured to apply a voltage on the electrolyte layer and the variable-resistance layer and is positioned over the electrolyte layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Teodor K. Todorov, Douglas M. Bishop, Jianshi Tang, John Rozen
  • Patent number: 10914706
    Abstract: A sensor element includes: a first inner space into which a measurement gas is introduced from outside; a second inner space communicated with the first inner space; a main pump cell constituted by an inner pump electrode facing the first inner space, an external pump electrode on a surface of the sensor element, and a solid electrolyte located therebetween; a measurement electrode facing the second inner space and functioning as a reduction catalyst for NOx; and a measurement pump cell constituted by the measurement electrode, the external pump electrode, and a solid electrolyte located therebetween. The inner pump electrode is a cermet made of an Au—Pt alloy containing Au ranging from 0.6 wt % to 1.4 wt % and ZrO2, and has a thickness ranging from 5 ?m to 30 ?m, a porosity ranging from 5% to 40%, and an area ranging from 5 mm2 to 20 mm2.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Yusuke Watanabe, Takayuki Sekiya, Yuki Nakayama, Shota Kageyama
  • Patent number: 10908107
    Abstract: A nitrogen oxide gas sensor based on sulfur-doped graphene and a preparation method therefor. The method includes the following steps: 1) providing graphene and a micro heater platform substrate, and transferring the graphene onto the micro heater platform substrate; 2) putting the micro heater platform substrate covered with the graphene into a chemical vapor deposition reaction furnace; 3) performing gas feeding and exhausting treatment to the reaction furnace by using inert gas; 4) simultaneously feeding inert gas and hydrogen gas into the reaction furnace at a first temperature; 5) feeding inert gas, hydrogen gas and sulfur source gas into the reaction furnace at a second temperature for reaction to perform sulfur doping to the graphene; and 6) stopping feeding the sulfur source gas, and performing cooling in a hydrogen gas and insert gas shielding atmosphere.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: SHANGHAI INSTITUTE OF MICROSYSTEM AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE
    Inventors: Tie Li, Lianfeng Guo, Chen Liang, Yuelin Wang
  • Patent number: 10895553
    Abstract: Provided is a gas sensor improving accuracy of detection of specific gas in measurement gas, while maintaining high responsiveness in detection of the specific gas. A sensor element of a gas sensor includes a first solid electrolyte and second solid electrolyte having oxygen ionic conductivity, a measurement gas chamber into which measurement gas is introduced, a first reference gas chamber and second reference gas chamber into which reference gas is introduced, a first pump cell, a second pump cell, a sensor cell, and a heater. The sensor cell detects a specific gas component in the measurement gas having an oxygen concentration adjusted by the pump cells. The heater is located opposite to a second principal surface of the second solid electrolyte on which the sensor cell is formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Keisuke Mizutani, Keigo Mizutani, Mitsunobu Nakato, Takashi Araki
  • Patent number: 10895561
    Abstract: An embedding sensor module includes a cylinder and at least one flake sensor. A fluid tank is surrounded by the cylinder. The cylinder has a plurality of orifice connected to the fluid tank. The flake sensor is embedded in the fluid tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Jung-Hao Wang, Che-Hsin Lin, Wei-Sin Kao, Pai-Hao Wu, Chen-Hua Chu, Cheng-Hung San
  • Patent number: 10876994
    Abstract: A sensor element includes an element body having an elongate rectangular parallelepiped shape and including solid electrolyte layers with oxygen ion conductivity, an outer pump electrode disposed on a first surface of the element body, and a protective layer covering at least a part of a second surface of the element body on a side opposite to the first surface and including one or more exposed spaces (a lower space) to which the second surface is exposed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Takashi Hino, Mika Murakami, Koichi Masuda, Hironori Sakakibara
  • Patent number: 10866206
    Abstract: A sensor element includes an element body having an elongate rectangular parallelepiped shape and including solid electrolyte layers with oxygen ion conductivity, an outer pump electrode disposed on a first surface of the element body, and a protective layer covering at least a part of the first surface of the element body and including one or more exposed spaces (an upper space) to which the first surface is exposed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Takashi Hino, Mika Murakami, Koichi Masuda, Hironori Sakakibara
  • Patent number: 10852270
    Abstract: A sensor element includes an element body having an elongate rectangular parallelepiped shape and including solid electrolyte layers with oxygen ion conductivity, an outer pump electrode disposed on a first surface of the element body, and a protective layer covering at least a part of the first surface of the element body and including one or more spaces (an upper space) that are present apart from the first surface in a direction perpendicular to the first surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Takashi Hino, Mika Murakami, Koichi Masuda, Hironori Sakakibara
  • Patent number: 10845332
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for monitoring a NOx sensor (10) having an oxygen-ion-conducting solid electrolyte and having at least one cavity (12), wherein at least one cavity (12) of the NOx sensor is flooded with a defined oxygen concentration during a self-diagnosis of the NOx sensor. The gradient of a pump current resulting therefrom is evaluated and, in the case of a deviation in comparison with reference values, possibly impaired dynamics of the NOx sensor are inferred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Eckehard Knoefler, Torsten Handler
  • Patent number: 10816500
    Abstract: A gas sensor capable of measuring a high concentration range is provided. A sensing electrode provided in a sensor element of a mixed-potential gas sensor for measuring the concentration of a predetermined component in a measurement gas is formed of a cermet including a noble metal and an oxygen-ion conductive solid electrolyte. The noble metal includes Pt and Au. A Au abundance ratio, which is an area ratio of a portion covered with Au to a portion at which Pt is exposed in a surface of noble metal particles forming the sensing electrode, is 0.1 or more and less than 0.3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Noriko Hirata, Taku Okamoto, Yuki Nakayama, Osamu Nakasone
  • Patent number: 10782263
    Abstract: An impedance in an electrochemical gas sensor can be measured by connecting at least one pin in an integrated circuit to at least one electrode in an electrochemical gas sensor, using a damping capacitor to connect the at least one pin in the integrated circuit to an electrical ground, applying a voltage to the electrochemical gas sensor to provide a bias voltage to at least one electrode in the electrochemical gas sensor, receiving a current from at least one electrode in the electrochemical gas sensor, determining a measured gas amount from the received current, activating a switch located within the integrated circuit to isolate the damping capacitor from the at least one pin in the integrated circuit, and measuring an impedance of the electrochemical gas sensor using an excitation signal while the at least one damping capacitor is isolated from the at least one electrode in the electrochemical gas sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: Analog Devices Global
    Inventors: Michael Looney, GuangYang Qu
  • Patent number: 10750611
    Abstract: An electrode embedded member includes a plate-shaped substrate having a front surface and a back surface and that is made of a ceramic, an inner electrode extending parallel to the front surface of the substrate and that is embedded in the substrate, a connection member extending parallel to the front surface of the substrate and that is disposed so as to overlap the inner electrode, and a terminal connected to the connection member. The electrode embedded member has a predetermined structure including at least one of the following: a first predetermined structure in which a thickness of at least a part of the connection member in a direction perpendicular to the front surface of the substrate is 0.2 mm or smaller; a second predetermined structure in which the connection member includes a cutout portion; and a third predetermined structure in which the connection member is composed of a mesh structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Atsushi Tsuchida
  • Patent number: 10731588
    Abstract: A control apparatus is provided for controlling an exhaust gas sensor. The exhaust gas sensor includes a first cell, a second cell configured to output electric current depending on the concentration of a measurement target component in exhaust gas from which oxygen has been removed by the first cell, and a heater configured to heat the first and second cells. The control apparatus includes a heater controlling unit, a current detecting unit configured to detect the electric current outputted from the second cell, and a deterioration determining unit. The deterioration determining unit causes the heater controlling unit to change output of the heater and thereby changes the temperature of the first cell. During the change in the output of the heater, the deterioration determining unit determines, based on an amount of change in the electric current detected by the current detecting unit, whether or not the second cell is deteriorated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yuki Murayama, Fumiya Nagata
  • Patent number: 10732147
    Abstract: A means of detecting the in-situ fuel-to-air-ratio (FAR) in a combustor or flame zone using a Fourier-based flame ionization probe is presented. The use of multiple excitation frequencies and its detection at certain frequencies or combinations of harmonics of those excitation frequencies, namely, the inter-modulation distortion, provides a novel means of extracting a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) FAR measurement in a combustor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: Intellihot, Inc.
    Inventors: Sridhar Deivasigamani, Sivaprasad Akasam, Quang-Viet Nguyen
  • Patent number: 10627382
    Abstract: A method is presented for checking the functional capability of a nitrogen oxide sensor (10) which has a first chamber (12) and a second chamber (14), wherein the first chamber has a first oxygen pump cell (20) and the second chamber has a second pump cell (34), in a normal operating mode of the nitrogen oxide sensor (10), an oxygen concentration level in the first chamber is reduced to a predetermined first value with the first pump cell, and an oxygen concentration level in the second chamber is reduced to a second value with the second pump cell, said second value being lower than the first value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Eckehard Knoefler, Torsten Handler
  • Patent number: 10620153
    Abstract: A nitrogen oxide based gas sensor includes: a substrate provided with a beam structure having a MEMS structure; a heater disposed on the substrate; a lower electrode disposed on the heater, a solid electrolyte layer disposed on the lower electrode; an upper electrode disposed on a surface of the solid electrolyte layer facing the lower electrode and configured to introduce a measurement target gas; a cavity portion formed in the substrate; and a gas flow path disposed so as to connect the cavity portion and the lower electrode, wherein the gas sensor is configured to detect a concentration of nitrogen oxide in the measurement target gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: ROHM CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Shunsuke Akasaka
  • Patent number: 10564120
    Abstract: A gas concentration detection device includes a pump cell, a sensor cell, a monitor cell, a sensor current detection unit detecting a current outputted by the sensor cell, a monitor current detection unit detecting a current outputted by the monitor cell, a voltage adjustment unit adjusting a pump cell voltage applied to the pump cell, and a sensitivity determination unit determining a gas sensitivity of at least one of the sensor cell or the monitor cell. The voltage adjustment unit changes the pump cell voltage from a target voltage into a detection voltage where the concentration of the residual oxygen supplied to the sensor cell and the monitor cell is increased. The sensitivity determination unit determines the gas sensitivity based on a detection current detected by at least one of the sensor current detection unit or the monitor current detection unit in accordance with the concentration of the residual oxygen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Ryozo Kayama, Yukihiro Yamashita
  • Patent number: 10526945
    Abstract: A microchip oxygen sensor for sensing exhaust gases from a combustion process, and related methods. The microchip oxygen sensor includes a dielectric substrate and a heater pattern affixed to the substrate. A first electrode is affixed to the substrate and has a first plurality of fingers forming a first comb. A second electrode is affixed to the substrate and has a second plurality of fingers forming a second comb. The second electrode is disposed in spaced relation to the first electrode such that the first and second combs face each other. A semiconducting layer is disposed over the first and second electrodes so as form a physical semiconductor bridge between the first and second electrodes. The semiconducting layer comprises an n-type semiconducting material or a p-type semiconducting material. A porous dielectric protective layer, advantageously containing a catalytic precious metal, may cover the semiconducting layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: Kerdea Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Ken Ervin Fosaaen
  • Patent number: 10520466
    Abstract: A gas sensor that is unlikely to have Au evaporation from an external electrode even when used under a high temperature atmosphere is provided. The gas sensor includes a sensor element mainly made of an oxygen-ion conductive solid electrolyte; an external electrode provided on the sensor element and containing a Pt—Au alloy; and an electrode evaporation preventing film provided on the sensor element while being insulated from the sensor element and separated from the external electrode, and made of Au or a Pt—Au alloy having an Au composition ratio not smaller than an Au composition ratio of the Pt—Au alloy contained in the external electrode. A protection cover is provided so that at least part of the sensor element, at which the external electrode and the electrode evaporation preventing film is positioned, is inside the protection cover, and so that a measurement gas is introduced inside the protection cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Taku Okamoto, Yuki Nakayama, Noriko Hirata
  • Patent number: 10481122
    Abstract: A gas sensor element comprises a solid electrolyte layer; a detection electrode provided on one surface of the solid electrolyte layer; a reference electrode provided on another surface of the solid electrolyte layer; a first layer provided on a side where the other surface of the solid electrolyte layer is present, and having a reference gas flow path; and a heater layer provided on a side opposite to a side where the solid electrolyte layer is provided. In the gas sensor element, an introduction flow path is formed as a flow path for guiding the reference gas from outer surfaces of the gas sensor element to the reference gas flow path. The introduction flow path has an opening provided at an outer surface that is perpendicular to a stacking direction of the gas sensor element and is provided on a side opposite to the heater layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: NGK Spark Plug Co., LTD.
    Inventors: Ai Igarashi, Kouji Toida, Shun Sakuma
  • Patent number: 10429344
    Abstract: A method and a device are described for detecting at least a portion of a measuring gas component containing bound oxygen in a gas mixture, in particular in an exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine, in a measuring gas chamber by detecting a portion of oxygen that is generated by a reduction of the measuring gas component containing the bound oxygen, in the presence of molecular oxygen, in the device, which includes at least one first pump cell, one reference cell, and one second pump cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Dirk Daecke, Jan Dominique Makowski, Moritz Waldorf, Reinhard Hein, Andreas Dreyer, Peter Oechtering
  • Patent number: 10393696
    Abstract: A gas sensor includes a sensor element. The sensor element includes; a solid electrolyte body that has oxygen ion conductivity and includes a first main surface exposed to a gas to be measured and a second main surface exposed to a reference gas; a sensor electrode that is provided on the first main surface and detects a specific gas component in the gas to be measured; and a reference electrode that is provided on the second main surface. The sensor electrode is made of a Pt—Rh alloy that contains 30 mass % to 70 mass % Pt and 70 mass % to 30 mass % Rh, when an overall noble metal component is 100 mass %. A variation amount of the Rh content of the Pt—Rh alloy from an outermost surface to a depth of 350 nm in a thickness direction of the sensor electrode is within a range of up to 10 mass %.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yusuke Todo, Mitsunobu Nakato, Hiroaki Yoto, Hiroki Ichikawa
  • Patent number: 10288580
    Abstract: A NOx sensor is provided which decreases a change rate of an oxygen ion current in a sensor electrode and shortens an activation time of the sensor electrode. The NOx sensor is equipped with a solid electrolyte body, a pump electrode working to regulate an oxygen concentration in measurement gas G, and a sensor electrode working to measure the concentration of NOx in the measurement gas G. A metallic component of the sensor electrode is a Pt—Rh alloy. The mass ratio of Pt to Rh in the whole of the sensor electrode is Pt:Rh=70:30 to 35:65. The percentage of Rh in the Pt—Rh alloy in a surface layer of the sensor electrode is higher than that in the whole of the sensor electrode by an atomic composition percentage of 4 to 10 atom %.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mitsunobu Nakatou, Kumi Sawaguchi, Keigo Mizutani, Takashi Araki
  • Patent number: 10267762
    Abstract: A sensor element includes an element body having an elongate rectangular parallelepiped shape and including solid electrolyte layers with oxygen ion conductivity, an outer pump electrode disposed on a first surface of the element body, and a protective layer covering at least a part of a second surface of the element body on a side opposite to the first surface and including one or more spaces (a lower space) that are present apart from the second surface in a direction perpendicular to the second surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Takashi Hino, Mika Murakami, Koichi Masuda, Hironori Sakakibara
  • Patent number: 10261060
    Abstract: A sensor control apparatus controls a gas sensor including an electromotive force cell (a detection cell) and an oxygen pump cell. The sensor control apparatus includes an AD conversion section (31); a PID computation section (61); a first signal generation section (63) which generates a DAC control signal S1 (a pump current control signal) based on the results of PID performed by the PID computation section (61); a current DA conversion section (35); and a first signal generation section (63), a second signal generation section (65), and a signal output section (67) configured to selectively set a combination of the results of the computations performed by the PID computation section (61) and to generate a gas detection signal S2 based on the set combination of the computation results.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yuzo Higuchi
  • Patent number: 10241074
    Abstract: Provided is a gas sensor having excellent detection sensitivity and responsiveness. In a sensor element, 3.5?D2/D1?6 is satisfied, where D1 is a value of a diffusion resistance of a measurement gas via a main gas distribution part extending from an outside edge position of a first gas inlet to the second internal space, and D2 is a value of a diffusion resistance of a measurement gas flowing via a second gas inlet that causes the outside and the second internal space to communicate with each other. The concentration of a predetermined gas component contained in the measurement gas through the second gas inlet is determined on the basis of a potential difference between the sensing electrode and a reference electrode, while pumping oxygen in or out for the measurement gas via the main gas distribution part such that the oxygen concentration of the second internal space is maintained at 1 vol % or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Osamu Nakasone, Takayuki Sakurai, Satoshi Nishikawa, Noriko Hirata, Yuki Nakayama
  • Patent number: 10215725
    Abstract: In a sensor element, a fourth diffusion rate-controlling portion includes a diffusion rate-controlling portion. The diffusion rate-controlling portion is formed between one or more and three or less surfaces, e.g., an upper surface, of upper, lower, left and right inner peripheral surfaces of a measurement-object gas flowing portion and a partition wall. A measurement electrode is formed on one, e.g., a lower surface, of upper, lower, left and right inner peripheral surfaces of a third inner cavity, the one surface being different in orientation from the Csurface along which the diffusion rate-controlling portion is formed. The diffusion rate-controlling portion and the measurement electrode may be formed on surfaces opposite to each other. A distance L between the measurement electrode and the diffusion rate-controlling portion may be 0.1 mm or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takayuki Sekiya, Mika Murakami, Naoya Saito
  • Patent number: 10196958
    Abstract: A method for diagnosing the degree of deterioration of a catalyst disposed in an exhaust path of an internal combustion engine and oxidizes or adsorbs a target gas, including at least one of a hydrocarbon gas and a carbon monoxide gas in an exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine, is adapted to determine whether deterioration exceeding an acceptable level of a catalyst occurs or not by comparing the concentration of a target gas detected downstream from the catalyst in the exhaust path when a diagnosis-gas atmosphere containing a target gas higher in concentration than a target gas during a steady-operation state of the internal combustion engine is intentionally produced and introduced into the catalyst with a threshold value corresponding to the temperature of a catalyst at the timing which the diagnosis-gas atmosphere is introduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Osamu Nakasone, Noriko Hirata, Yuki Nakayama
  • Patent number: 10168295
    Abstract: A sensing electrode for sensing a predetermined gas component of a measurement gas, which is provided in a mixed-potential gas sensor that measures the concentration of the predetermined gas component, is formed of a cermet containing a noble metal and an oxygen-ion conductive solid electrolyte. The noble metal comprises Pt and Au. An Au abundance ratio, which is an area ratio of a portion covered with Au to a portion at which Pt is exposed in a surface of noble metal particles forming the sensing electrode, is 0.3 or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Osamu Nakasone, Takayuki Sakurai, Satoshi Nishikawa, Shotaro Niizuma, Noriko Hirata, Yuki Nakayama
  • Patent number: 10138782
    Abstract: A microchip oxygen sensor for sensing exhaust gases from a combustion process, and related methods. The microchip oxygen sensor includes a dielectric substrate and a heater pattern affixed to the substrate. A first electrode is affixed to the substrate and has a first plurality of fingers forming a first comb. A second electrode is affixed to the substrate and has a second plurality of fingers forming a second comb. The second electrode is disposed in spaced relation to the first electrode such that the first and second combs face each other. A semiconducting layer is disposed over the first and second electrodes so as form a physical semiconductor bridge between the first and second electrodes. The semiconducting layer comprises an n-type semiconducting material or a p-type semiconducting material. A porous dielectric protective layer, advantageously containing a catalytic precious metal, may cover the semiconducting layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: KERDEA TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventor: Ken Ervin Fosaaen
  • Patent number: 10094803
    Abstract: A method and device for diagnosing a measuring ability of an exhaust gas sensor in an exhaust gas channel of an internal combustion engine. A sensor design including a storage volume in a reference gas channel, at least one first electrode facing an electrode cavity connected to the exhaust gas channel, and a second electrode facing the reference gas channel is used as the exhaust gas sensor. Such a high voltage is applied between the first electrode and the second electrode during a first phase that the reference gas channel is filled with additional oxygen as a result of decomposition of water and/or carbon dioxide, and a pump current from the first electrode to the second electrode is used to evaluate the measuring ability during a second phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Goetz Reinhardt, Martin Buchholz
  • Patent number: 9964513
    Abstract: A catalytic conversion characteristic of a catalyst, which indicates a relationship between an air-to-fuel ratio and a catalytic conversion efficiency of the catalyst, includes a second air-to-fuel ratio point, which is a point of starting an outflow of NOx from the catalyst and is located on a rich side of a first air-to-fuel ratio point that forms an equilibrium point for a rich component and oxygen. A constant current circuit, which induces a flow of an electric current from an exhaust side electrode to an atmosphere side electrode through a solid electrolyte layer in a sensor element, is connected to the sensor element. A microcomputer controls a current value of the electric current, which is induced by the constant current circuit, based on a difference between the first air-to-fuel ratio point and the second air-to-fuel ratio point at the catalyst.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mikiyasu Matsuoka, Shingo Nakata, Takao Mishima
  • Patent number: 9939348
    Abstract: A method for diagnosing the degree of deterioration of a catalyst disposed in an exhaust path of an internal combustion engine and oxidizes or adsorbs a target gas, including at least one of a hydrocarbon gas and a carbon monoxide gas, in an exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine, is adapted to determine whether deterioration exceeding an acceptable level of a catalyst occurs or not by comparing, at any timing when the internal combustion engine is in a state of a steady operation, the concentration of a target gas detected downstream from the catalyst in the exhaust path with a threshold value of the concentration of a target gas corresponding to the temperature of a catalyst at the timing which is previously defined according to an allowable range of an index value representing the degree of oxidation or adsorption at the catalyst corresponding to the temperature of a catalyst at the timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Osamu Nakasone, Noriko Hirata, Yuki Nakayama
  • Patent number: 9891139
    Abstract: A system for diagnosing the degree of deterioration of a catalyst disposed in an exhaust path of an internal combustion engine and oxidizes or adsorbs a target gas in an exhaust gas, includes a temperature sensor measuring a temperature of the exhaust gas at the upstream from a catalyst in an exhaust path and a gas sensor detecting a target gas at the downstream of the exhaust path and outputting an output value in accordance with a concentration of the target gas, wherein a control element is configured to diagnose the degree of deterioration in the catalyst, based on at least the output value in the gas sensor, the temperature of the catalyst identified based on a measurement value in the temperature sensor, and the threshold value at the temperature of the catalyst.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Osamu Nakasone, Noriko Hirata, Yuki Nakayama
  • Patent number: 9891188
    Abstract: A gas concentration detecting device includes a gas concentration detecting element and an electronic control unit. The gas concentration detecting element includes a first electrochemical cell and a second electrochemical cell. The electronic control unit is configured to detect the concentration of the sulfur oxide contained in the test gas based on a first detected value correlated with a current flowing through the first electrochemical cell acquired when a first removing voltage is applied to the second electrochemical cell and a measuring voltage is applied to the first electrochemical cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tatsuhiro Hashida, Kazuhiro Wakao, Keiichiro Aoki
  • Patent number: 9857330
    Abstract: A method is provided for diagnosing a reference channel of a broadband lambda probe that is used to determine an oxygen concentration in an exhaust gas, at least one sensor element having a pump cell and a Nernst cell being used; in one measurement mode, a regulated pumping current flowing through the pump cell to determine the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas, and thus an exchange of oxygen ions between a measuring cell and the exhaust gas being achieved, and a lambda value in the measuring cell being regulated to a value of 1; the lambda value in the measuring cell being monitored through the Nernst cell, and the value of the pumping current required for that purpose being dependent on the oxygen concentration and thus on the lambda value of the exhaust gas to be determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventor: Bernhard Ledermann
  • Patent number: 9851250
    Abstract: A gas concentration sensor is includes an integrated die-form electromagnetic radiation source and an integrated die-form infrared detector. In one or more implementations, the gas concentration sensor includes a package substrate defining at least one aperture, a gas permeable mesh coupled to the package substrate and covering at least a portion of the at least one aperture, a die-form electromagnetic radiation source positioned in an interior region of the package substrate, a die-form detector positioned in the interior region of the package substrate, and control circuitry operably coupled to the die-form detector and configured to detect and calibrate one or more signal outputs from the die-form detector to determine a gas concentration within the interior region of the package substrate. The gas concentration sensor can be configured for specific detection of various gases through control of the spectral wavelengths emitted by the electromagnetic radiation source(s) and/or detected by the detector(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Arvin Emadi, Arkadii V. Samoilov, Nicole D. Kerness
  • Patent number: 9829457
    Abstract: A sensor element for detecting a parameter of a gas mixture in a gas chamber, having a first electrode and a first diffusion barrier layer arranged to be coupled to said first electrode in a predetermined first region, and arranged such that the gas mixture of the gas chamber only impinges on the first electrode in the first region via the first diffusion barrier layer. In addition, the sensor element has a second electrode arranged such that the gas mixture of the gas chamber impinges on the second electrode in a further first region. The sensor element includes a solid electrolyte designed to be coupled to the first and the second electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2017
    Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH
    Inventors: Torsten Reitmeier, Andreas Wildgen
  • Patent number: 9816958
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a NOx sensor for accurately obtaining the resistance value of a heater. When a second layer is laminated immediately above a first layer on which the heater for electrically heating the proximity of an inner space of the NOx sensor and two heater leads having substantially same shape which are energizing paths to the heater are formed, the second layer on which at least one of leads is formed out of a first lead for electrically connecting a reference electrode to outside, a second lead for electrically connecting a measuring electrode to outside, and a third lead for electrically connecting a plurality of pump electrodes to outside, the lead formed on the second layer is arranged so as not to overlap any of two heater leads in a laminating direction of the first layer and the second layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: NGK Insulators, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroki Fujita, Hiroyuki Shindo