A hydrogen sensor includes a substrate, an insulating part formed on the substrate and provided with a plurality of holes, a first catalyst part formed on an upper end of the insulating part to accelerate the reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, a second catalyst part formed on a surface of the holes to accelerate the reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, and a heater part disposed inside the insulating part to heat the first catalyst part and the second catalyst part, and having an temperature increased by reaction heat generated by the reaction between hydrogen and oxygen.

Provided is an FET-type sensor array. In the FET-type sensor array, a plurality of FET-type sensors are arranged at arbitrary distances from one reference point, and the same areas of the FET-type sensors are arranged to face the reference point. The FET-type sensors includes a control electrode, a floating electrode, a sensing material layer arranged between the control electrode and the floating electrode, and source and drain regions formed on both sides of a lower portion of the floating electrode. In the FET-type sensor array, through miniaturisation of FET-type sensors constituting the sensor array and new design of air layers in the peripheries of micro-heaters built in the sensors and sensing material layers, power consumption of the micro-heaters can be reduced. In addition, the sensors can be efficiently arranged to reduce the area occupied by the sensor array, and the sensing material can also be heated by the adjacent micro-heaters, so that the total power consumption can also be reduced.

We disclose a micro-hotplate comprising a substrate comprising an etched portion and a substrate portion and a dielectric region over the substrate. The dielectric region comprises first and second portions. The first portion is adjacent to the etched portion of the substrate and the second portion is adjacent to the substrate portion of the substrate. The micro-hotplate further comprises a heater formed in the dielectric region, and a ring structure formed within and/or over the dielectric region such that the ring structure is coupled with the first and second portions of the dielectric region.

We disclose herein an environmental sensor system comprising an environmental sensor comprising a first heater and a second heater in which the first heater is configured to consume a lower power compared to the second heater. The system also comprises a controller coupled with the environmental sensor. The controller is configured to detect if a measured value of a targeted environmental parameter is present. The controller is configured to switch on at least one of the first and second heaters based on the presence and/or result of the measured value of the targeted environmental parameter.

A gas detector includes a gas detection element having a protection layer formed of an oxide film mainly containing tantalum oxide (Ta.sub.2O.sub.5). Since the protection layer has excellent condensed-water resistance, even when water droplets adhere thereto, the morphology thereof does not change from dense to porous. Thus, since a change in property of the protection layer, which would otherwise be caused by adhesion of water droplets, can be reduced in the gas detector, even when water droplets adhere to the outermost surface layer of the gas detection element, impurities can be prevented from entering the protection layer (the outermost surface layer), whereby a change in thermal capacity of the gas detection element can be reduced. Thus, the gas detection element of the gas detector has excellent alkali resistance and condensed-water resistance.

A gas detector includes a gas detection element having a protection layer formed of an oxide film mainly containing tantalum oxide (Ta.sub.2O.sub.5). Since the protection layer has excellent condensed-water resistance, even when water droplets adhere thereto, the morphology thereof does not change from dense to porous. Thus, since a change in property of the protection layer, which would otherwise be caused by adhesion of water droplets, can be reduced in the gas detector, even when water droplets adhere to the outermost surface layer of the gas detection element, impurities can be prevented from entering the protection layer (the outermost surface layer), whereby a change in thermal capacity of the gas detection element can be reduced. Thus, the gas detection element of the gas detector has excellent alkali resistance and condensed-water resistance.

A system for determining one or more properties of one or more gases. The system comprises sensors configured to measure thermal conductivity and exothermic responses of a sample at multiple temperatures. Sensor responses to exposure to a gas sample at two or more temperatures are compensated and analyzed by a subsystem. The subsystem is configured to determine a thermal conductivity of the gas sample at each of the two or more temperatures and determine at least one component of the gas sample based at least in part on the thermal conductivity value of the sample at each of the two or more temperatures. Related systems and methods of determining one or more properties of a sample are also disclosed.

The present invention provides an explosion-proof miniaturized combustible gas sensor, comprising: a metal casing having an accommodation space therein; a wire mesh, a vertical surface perpendicular to a side surface where the wire mesh is located and the other side surface opposite thereto being used as a transfer surface of the combustible gas; a heat insulation module embedded in the metal casing; a detection module sensitive to a combustible gas; a compensation module insensitive to a combustible gas and matching the detection module; where the detection module has a higher catalytic combustion activity than the compensation module; a sealant, where a bonding length of the sealant in the accommodation space of the metal casing is used as an effective bonding surface, and the effective bonding surface is perpendicular to the transfer surface. The present invention has the advantages of a miniaturized size, good explosion-proof property and reliable performance.

The present invention provides an explosion-proof miniaturized combustible gas sensor, comprising: a metal casing having an accommodation space therein; a wire mesh, a vertical surface perpendicular to a side surface where the wire mesh is located and the other side surface opposite thereto being used as a transfer surface of the combustible gas; a heat insulation module embedded in the metal casing; a detection module sensitive to a combustible gas; a compensation module insensitive to a combustible gas and matching the detection module; where the detection module has a higher catalytic combustion activity than the compensation module; a sealant, where a bonding length of the sealant in the accommodation space of the metal casing is used as an effective bonding surface, and the effective bonding surface is perpendicular to the transfer surface. The present invention has the advantages of a miniaturized size, good explosion-proof property and reliable performance.

Provided is a sensing system that has a long life span. The sensing system includes a first detector (1) and a second detector (2) that detect at least one type of detection target which is included in a first concept which is common to both of detection targets, and which is included in a subordinate concept of the first concept; and a controller (3) that controls, according to a detected value from any one of the first detector (1) and the second detector (2), start, stop, or a detection condition of detection operations of the other detector.