Abstract: A ceramic heater, heat exchange unit, and warm water washing toilet seat are provided having excellent temperature rise characteristics and a shortened heating time to reach a predetermined water temperature. A ceramic heater having a pattern watt density of 50 W/cm2 and above, and a surface watt density of 25 W/cm2 and above has a short start-up time and excellent temperature rise characteristics. Further, the thickness of a core is reduced to between 0.5 mm and 1.9 mm (circular tube thickness is between 1 mm and 2.4 mm), which enables efficient transfer of heat from the ceramic heater to water flowing in the circular tube. Accordingly, a gap between a heat exchanger and the ceramic heater is not necessarily narrowed, such that air bubbles are not likely trapped and breakage of the ceramic heater by thermal shock can be suppressed.

Abstract: Disclosed is an aspiration state monitoring device including a rechargeable battery, a memory that stores aspiration data indicating aspiration state of a living body, and a monitoring side attachment unit detachably attached to a base device. The monitoring side attachment unit has a monitoring side charge conducting section that receives electric power from the base device and charges the rechargeable battery, and a monitoring side communication conducting section which transmits the aspiration data stored in the memory to the base device.

Abstract: A ceramic heater, a heat exchange unit, and a warm water washing toilet seat are provided which have excellent temperature rise characteristics and can reduce the time required to reach a predetermined water temperature. A ceramic heater (5) has a pattern watt density of 50 W/cm2 and above, and a surface watt density of 25 W/cm2 and above. Accordingly, the ceramic heater (5) has a short start-up time and excellent temperature rise characteristics. Further, the thickness of a core is reduced to between 0.5 mm and 1.9 mm (accordingly, circular tube thickness is between 1 mm and 2.4 mm), and this enables heat from the ceramic heater (5) can be efficiently transmitted to water that flows in the circular tube, making the ceramic heater (5) excellent in temperature rise characteristics. Accordingly, a gap between a heat exchanger (3) and the ceramic heater (5) is not necessary to be excessively narrowed.

Abstract: A respiration sensor to be attached on a surface of a living body for detecting a respiration state of the living body comprises a detecting element for outputting a signal corresponding to at least one of the respiration states of breathing and snoring of the living body and a substrate for retaining the detecting element at a predetermined detection position apart from the surface of the living body. The detecting element is arranged so that breath from both a mouth and a nose is brought into contact therewith.

Abstract: A flat limiting-current sensor 10 includes a solid electrolyte substrate 22, a negative electrode 34a and a positive electrode 32a. The negative and positive electrodes 34a and 32a, respectively, are disposed on the same side of the solid electrolyte substrate 22. A voltage of 0.8 V is applied between the negative electrode 34a and the positive electrode 32a in order to determine oxygen concentration. The ratio between the area of the negative electrode 34a and the area of the positive electrode 32a is set to 1:2, thereby reducing element resistance to 74% that of the case where the negative electrode and the positive electrode assume the same area. Thus, the measurement accuracy of the flat limiting-current sensor 10 is improved.

Abstract: A flat limiting-current sensor 10 includes a solid electrolyte substrate 22, a negative electrode 34a and a positive electrode 32a. The negative and positive electrodes 34a and 32a, respectively, are disposed on the same side of the solid electrolyte substrate 22. A voltage of 0.8 V is applied between the negative electrode 34a and the positive electrode 32a in order to determine oxygen concentration. The ratio between the area of the negative electrode 34a and the area of the positive electrode 32a is set to 1:2, thereby reducing element resistance to 74% that of the case where the negative electrode and the positive electrode assume the same area. Thus, the measurement accuracy of the flat limiting-current sensor 10 is improved.

Abstract: A sensor cleaning method and a detection apparatus enabling easy and correct measurement for an uninterrupted prolonged time duration of the gas concentration.The method is based on the value of a limiting current generated on applying a dc voltage across a pair of positive and negative electrodes of a sensor in which the electrodes are formed of a porous material and arranged in intimate contact with the surface of a solid electrolyte substrate exhibiting oxygen ion conductivity and in which pores of the negative electrode are used simultaneously as gas diffusion limiting holes for limiting the amount of diffusion of the gas for measurement. If the limiting current characteristics of sensor versus applied voltage are deteriorated, a voltage opposite to that used during measurement is applied for restoring the characteristics to a normal value.

Abstract: In a method of measuring humidity by using an electrochemical cell, the method comprises applying a voltage across the pair of electrodes to obtain a characteristic curve between the voltage applied and electrical current. The characteristic curve starts with a first flat portion in which a first diffusion limit current remains generally constant within a predetermined voltage range and passes through a point of inflection in which a second differential derivative of the characteristic curve falls on zero at certain voltage, and ends up with a second flat portion in which a second diffusion limit current remains generally constant within a predetermined voltage range. The point of the inflection is uniquely determined regardless of a humidity level of the gas at a constant temperature and oxygen concentration.

Abstract: In a method of measuring humidity of an oxygen-containing gas by using an electrochemical cell, firstly an voltage is applied across the pair of the electrodes to obtain a characteristic curve between an intensity of the voltage and that of electrical current, the characteristic curve continuously originating from a first flat portion in which a first diffusion limit current generally remains constant within a predetermined voltage range, and ending up in a second flat portion in which a second diffusion limit current generally remains constant within a predetermined voltage range. Secondly each value of the first diffusion limit current and the second diffusion limit current is read out, and an arithmetic ratio of the first diffusion limit current to the second diffusion limit current is calculated to obtain the humidity of the gas.

Abstract: A humidity detector using a ceramic sensor and a heater to periodically clean the sensor. The output of the sensor is sampled and held while the heater is on. When the detector is turned on, the heater is not started until the sensor has been sampled and held. The timer controlling this operation can be externally reset. When the ceramic sensor is temperature corrected, the humidity output indicates a dew point at a fixed temperature. By adjusting this fixed temperature dew point output according to a sensed temperature, the dew point can be detected.