Patents by Inventor Lukas Burgi

Lukas Burgi has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20230358704
    Abstract: In a method for manufacturing an electrochemical gas sensor for sensing a target gas, a semi-manufactured gas sensor is provided. The semi-manufactured gas sensor comprises a substrate supporting an arrangement comprising a thin film of a thickness s?5 pm arranged between a sensing electrode configured to chemically interact with the target gas and a reference electrode facing the substrate. The thin film is an electronically non-conducting and ionically non-conducting ceramic or glass. The arrangement then is heated to an annealing temperature for irreversibly turning the thin film into an ionic conductor by incorporating mobile ions released from the sensing electrode in response to the heating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2021
    Publication date: November 9, 2023
    Inventors: Frank RÖCK, Marc GUBSER, Nicolas DAIX, Lukas BÜRGI, René HUMMEL
  • Publication number: 20230194450
    Abstract: A thermal sensor device serves for determining a concentration of a target gas in a gas sample that further comprises a disturbance gas. The thermal sensor device comprises first and second measurement structures (1, 2) comprising first and second temperature sensors (TS1, TS2) and a heater element (31) operable to cause heat transfer to the measurement structures through the gas sample. Processing circuitry provides heating power (P3) to the heater element and derives an output signal (S) based on a response of the temperature sensors to the heating power, the output signal being indicative of a concentration of the target gas in the gas sample. The first and second measurement structures have different heat dissipation capabilities, and the processing circuitry derives the output signal from a weighted difference of temperature signals from the first and second temperature sensors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2022
    Publication date: June 22, 2023
    Applicant: Sensirion AG
    Inventors: Andreas RÜEGG, David KILIANI, Matthias STUDER, Nicolas MOELLER, Mark HORNUNG, Lukas BÜRGI
  • Publication number: 20220307974
    Abstract: A photodetector comprises a substrate, and supported by the substrate, a configuration to act as optical resonator and to absorb incident radiation of a band, including infrared. The configuration comprises: a resonant frontside structure facing the incident radiation; a backside structure and arranged between the frontside structure and the substrate; and a layer of an active material made from a semiconducting material, and configured to convert at least part of the incident radiation of the band into charge carriers. The frontside structure or the backside structure is made from electrically conducting material and is in contact with the active material. The configuration is configured to selectively absorb the incident radiation of the band. The frontside structure or the backside structure that is in contact with the active material is contacted by electrical contacts for sensing the charge carriers in the active material. The active material comprises amorphous or polycrystalline material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2020
    Publication date: September 29, 2022
    Applicant: SENSIRION AG
    Inventors: Alexander DORODNYY, Alexander LOCHBAUM, Jürg LEUTHOLD, Lukas BÜRGI, Silvio GRAF
  • Publication number: 20220283123
    Abstract: A photoacoustic gas sensor device for determining a value indicative of a presence or a concentration of a component in a gas comprises a measurement cell enclosing a measurement volume and a gas permeable area in the measurement cell for a gas to enter the measurement volume. An electromagnetic radiation source is arranged to emit electromagnetic radiation into the measurement volume, and a pressure transducer is arranged to measure a sound wave generated by the component in response to an absorption of electromagnetic radiation by the component in the measurement volume. In one aspect, the gas permeable area is represented by a porous gas permeable membrane with an average pore size of the porous gas permeable membrane between 10 nm and 1 ?m. In another aspect the gas permeable area is represented by an area of the measurement cell containing holes reaching through an otherwise gas tight material of the measurement cell, with a diameter of the holes between 100 nm and 10 ?m.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2020
    Publication date: September 8, 2022
    Inventors: Lukas BÜRGI, Thomas UEHLINGER, Werner HUNZIKER
  • Patent number: 11371951
    Abstract: A gas sensor comprises a set of one or more sensor cells (SC) and a substrate (1). Each sensor cell (SC) of the set comprises a sensitive film (42) built from a sensitive material (4) covering an area of the substrate (1). One or more elevated structures (2) are manufactured in or around said area for preventing the sensitive material (4) to expand when being applied thereto.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2022
    Assignee: Sensirion AG
    Inventors: Felix Mayer, Markus Graf, Lukas Burgi, Martina Hitzbleck, Ulrich Muecke
  • Publication number: 20210188635
    Abstract: A device for holding a target gas comprises a compartment configured to hold the target gas. The device further comprises a gas generator configured and arranged to release the target gas in the compartment in response to a control signal. The device further comprises a reference sensor sensitive to the target gas and arranged to supply a sensor signal representing a concentration of the target gas in the compartment. A control unit is provided and configured to control the release of the target gas from the gas generator by way of the control signal, dependent on the sensor signal. The gas generator and the reference sensor are arranged in the compartment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2020
    Publication date: June 24, 2021
    Inventors: Matthias Streiff, Frank Röck, Lukas Bürgi
  • Patent number: 10241107
    Abstract: A portable electronic device comprises a chemical sensor that is sensitive to a concentration of a chemical analyte and at least two auxiliary sensors that are sensitive to parameters that are different from the concentration of the chemical analyte. The portable electronic device comprises a control device that receives signals from the chemical sensor and from the auxiliary sensors at a plurality of points in time distributed over a measurement period and correlates the time dependencies of these signals to obtain a corrected reading of the first chemical sensor. The portable electronic device may be employed for breath analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: Sensirion AG
    Inventors: Lukas Bürgi, Felix Mayer, Samuel Wehrli
  • Publication number: 20170292926
    Abstract: A portable electronic device comprises a housing and a chemical sensor arranged inside the housing which chemical sensor is adapted to measure a property of at least one analyte. The device further comprises an opening in the housing for exposing the chemical sensor to the fluid to be analyzed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2017
    Publication date: October 12, 2017
    Inventors: Felix MAYER, Markus GRAF, Lukas BURGI, Dominic BONI
  • Patent number: 9772319
    Abstract: A chemical sensor (10) is described with at least one layer of a metal oxide (11) arranged between two current injecting electrodes (16,16?) with the length (L) of the layer of a metal oxide between the current injecting electrodes being less than 50 microns and one or a pair of voltage sensing electrodes (17) connected to the layer of a metal oxide (11) with the electrodes (16,16?,17) forming a 3- or 4-terminal arrangement for determining the resistance changes of layer material (11) excluding series resistances such as contact resistances close to or at at least one of the current injecting electrodes (16) from the resistance measurement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: Sensirion AG
    Inventors: Lukas Burgi, Marc Von Waldkirch, Felix Mayer
  • Patent number: 9772317
    Abstract: In a method for operating a portable electronic device comprising a chemical sensor, at least one reference reading is taken by the chemical sensor at least one predetermined point in time. At least one compensation value is determined based on at least one reference value wherein each reference value is derived from a result of a corresponding reference reading. A result of an operational reading of the chemical sensor is modified by the at least one compensation value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: Sensirion AG
    Inventors: Felix Mayer, Lukas Bürgi, Dominic Böni
  • Patent number: 9562915
    Abstract: A breath analyzer is described with at least one chemical sensor sensitive to the concentration of a component in a sample of exhaled breath including a compensator for compensating for the effect of variations in the amount of exhaled breath between the user and the sensor location with the chemical sensor being integrated into a portable electronic device, particularly with the sensor being located in an air duct with an opening to the exterior of the housing of the analyzer with the total area of the opening being sufficiently small to restrict effectively mass transport between the exterior and the sensor and/or wherein the compensation includes the compensation for different responses of sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: Sensirion AG
    Inventors: Lukas Burgi, Felix Mayer, Frank Roeck
  • Patent number: 9518970
    Abstract: A measuring device is provided for determining the type and/or concentration a gaseous analyte from a set of analytes in a gaseous carrier. It comprises a housing having a passage to a cavity. A gas sensor with a heated metal-oxide sensing layer is arranged in the cavity. In order to gain a better understanding of the type of the analyte, diffusion effects are exploited by taking into account that the diffusion process through the passage as well as the catalytic reaction rate at the metal-oxide sensing layer depend on the type of the analyte. These material parameters can be determined by taking several measurements in a non-steady state of the concentration of the analyte within the cavity or while varying the reaction rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2016
    Assignee: Sensirion AG
    Inventors: Lukas Burgi, Frank Roeck
  • Patent number: 9508823
    Abstract: In a method for manufacturing a chemical sensor with multiple sensor cells, a substrate is provided and an expansion inhibitor is applied to the substrate for preventing a sensitive material to be applied to an area on the substrate for building a sensitive film of a sensor cell to expand from said area. The sensitive material is provided and the sensitive film is built by contactless dispensing the sensitive material to said area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: Sensirion AG
    Inventors: Felix Mayer, Markus Graf, Lukas Burgi
  • Publication number: 20150050430
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing an integrated metal oxide gas sensor is described including the steps of depositing a composition with metal oxide particles or precursors thereof at the desired location on a substrate including electronic components followed by a step of heating the substrate whereby the heating step is designed such that it creates a local temperature difference between the location of the deposited composition and the location of more temperature sensitive parts of the sensor such as the electronic components and is interrupted before the temperature of the substrate at the location of the electronic components reaches a threshold above which the more sensitive parts can be damaged.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2014
    Publication date: February 19, 2015
    Inventors: Ulrich MUECKE, Lukas BURGI, Felix MAYER
  • Publication number: 20150033827
    Abstract: A chemical sensor (10) is described with at least one layer of a metal oxide (11) arranged between two current injecting electrodes (16,16) with the length (L) of the layer of a metal oxide between the current injecting electrodes being less than 50 microns and one or a pair of voltage sensing electrodes (17) connected to the layer of a metal oxide (11) with the electrodes (16,16?,17) forming a 3- or 4-terminal arrangement for determining the resistance changes of layer material (11) excluding series resistances such as contact resistances close to or at at least one of the current injecting electrodes (16) from the resistance measurement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2014
    Publication date: February 5, 2015
    Inventors: Lukas BURGI, Marc Von Waldkirch, Felix Mayer
  • Publication number: 20140377877
    Abstract: A portable electronic device comprises a chemical sensor that is sensitive to a concentration of a chemical analyte and at least two auxiliary sensors that are sensitive to parameters that are different from the concentration of the chemical analyte. The portable electronic device comprises a control device that receives signals from the chemical sensor and from the auxiliary sensors at a plurality of points in time distributed over a measurement period and correlates the time dependencies of these signals to obtain a corrected reading of the first chemical sensor. The portable electronic device may be employed for breath analysis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2014
    Publication date: December 25, 2014
    Inventors: Lukas BÜRGI, Felix MAYER, Samuel WEHRLI
  • Publication number: 20140308770
    Abstract: In a method for manufacturing a chemical sensor with multiple sensor cells, a substrate is provided and an expansion inhibitor is applied to the substrate for preventing a sensitive material to be applied to an area on the substrate for building a sensitive film of a sensor cell to expand from said area. The sensitive material is provided and the sensitive film is built by contactless dispensing the sensitive material to said area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2014
    Publication date: October 16, 2014
    Inventors: Felix Mayer, Markus Graf, Lukas Burgi
  • Publication number: 20140264642
    Abstract: A gas sensor comprises a set of one or more sensor cells (SC) and a substrate (1). Each sensor cell (SC) of the set comprises a sensitive film (42) built from a sensitive material (4) covering an area of the substrate (1). One or more elevated structures (2) are manufactured in or around said area for preventing the sensitive material (4) to expand when being applied thereto.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2014
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Inventors: Felix MAYER, Markus GRAF, Lukas BURGI
  • Publication number: 20140234172
    Abstract: A breath analyzer is described with at least one chemical sensor sensitive to the concentration of a component in a sample of exhaled breath including a compensator for compensating for the effect of variations in the amount of exhaled breath between the user and the sensor location with the chemical sensor being integrated into a portable electronic device, particularly with the sensor being located in an air duct with an opening to the exterior of the housing of the analyser with the total area of the opening being sufficiently small to restrict effectively mass transport between the exterior and the sensor and/or wherein the compensation includes the compensation for different responses of sensors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2014
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Inventors: Lukas BURGI, Felix MAYER, Frank ROCK
  • Patent number: 8802568
    Abstract: In a method for manufacturing a chemical sensor with multiple sensor cells, a substrate is provided and an expansion inhibitor is applied to the substrate for preventing a sensitive material to be applied to an area on the substrate for building a sensitive film of a sensor cell to expand from said area. The sensitive material is provided and the sensitive film is built by contactless dispensing the sensitive material to said area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Sensirion AG
    Inventors: Felix Mayer, Markus Graf, Lukas Burgi