A method of reducing power consumption in portable devices includes providing a sensor producing a sensing signal indicative of sensed entity and powering the sensor. Powering the sensor includes providing a first power value for a first time interval, providing a second power value for a second time interval, the second power value being different from the first power value, and discontinuing powering for a third time interval.

A process and electronic hardware and software system for rapidly heating and cooling an active sensing layer of a gas sensor is provided. A series of high-energy pulses is run through a CNT electrically-active layer, heating the layer to varying temperatures. The influence by various gases on the electrical conductivity of the layer can be used to identify gases (e.g., water vapor, alcohol, methane, O.sub.2, CO.sub.2, and CO). Advantageously, the same structure can also be used as a nanoheater, either within or outside the context of the gas sensor. The device can acquire a unique gas spectra in seconds, and thus accurately determine gas type and mixtures of gases based on a library of known spectra.

A sensor is driven at a first heating power value. The sensor generates a sensing signal that is indicative of a sensed entity. A possible onset of a sensor contamination condition is detected as a function of the sensing signal generated by the sensor. If such detecting fails to indicate onset of a sensor contamination condition, the sensor continues to be driven at the first heating power value. However, if such detecting indicates onset of a sensor contamination condition, a protection mode is activated. In the protection mode, the sensor is driven at a second heating power value for a protection interval, where the second heating power value is lower than the first heating power value. Furthermore, the operation may refrain from supplying power to the sensor for a further protection interval, wherein the further protection interval is longer than the protection interval.

A gas sensor and the drive circuit for the sensor are installed within a mobile electronic device. The gas sensor is intermittently heated to an operating temperature for detecting gases and kept at an ambient temperature for other periods. When a sensor of the mobile electronic device detects that the device is placed in a closed space, the heating of the metal oxide semiconductor is halted. When the sensor detects that the mobile electronic device has been taken out from the closed space, the heating of the metal oxide semiconductor is resumed. The poisoning of the gas sensor by siloxanes or the like is prevented.

A gas detection device includes a flow path in which a gas flows in a predetermined direction, at least one first-type gas sensor that includes a heater for heating the gas, and at least one second-type gas sensor that does not include a heater for heating the gas. The first-type gas sensor is positioned upstream of the second-type gas sensor in the flow path.

A method for operating a gas sensor device for ascertaining information about an air quality. The method includes: providing a gas sensor device including at least one gas-sensitive electrical sensor resistor, a heater for the controlled heating of the sensor resistor, a detection device for detecting the resistance value of the sensor resistor, and a signal processing device for the sensor signal; heating the sensor resistor using the heater alternatingly in a first heating mode in a first operating phase and a second heating mode in a second operating phase, each heating mode including a sequence of heating pulses so that the sensor resistor is heated at predetermined temporal intervals for a predetermined duration to a predetermined operating temperature, an essentially identical operating temperature being selected for the at least two different heating modes; detecting the resistance value of the sensor resistor and generating a sensor signal.

A fluid sensor comprises a sensor material configured to come into contact at a surface region of same with a fluid and to obtain a first temporal change of a resistance value of the sensor material on the basis of the contact in a first sensor configuration and to obtain a second temporal change of the resistance value of the sensor material on the basis of the contact in a second sensor configuration. The fluid sensor comprises an output element configured to provide a sensor signal on the basis of the first and second temporal change of the resistance value.

Disclosed herein is a method of providing a structure having two electrodes connected by nanowires, exposing the structure to an analyte that can adsorb onto the nanowires, and passing an electrical current through the nanowires to heat the nanowires to desorb the analyte. Also disclosed herein is an apparatus having the above structure; a current source electrically connected to the electrodes, and a detector to detect the analyte.

According to one embodiment, a gas sensor includes a film structure including a gas sensitive film and a heater film heating the gas sensitive film, a physical quantity sensing section sensing a predetermined physical quantity which varies based on storage of a gas to be carried out by the gas sensitive film, a voltage generation section generating a first voltage for heating the gas sensitive film at a first temperature and a second voltage for heating the gas sensitive film at a second temperature higher than the first temperature, and a voltage switching section switching between the first voltage and the second voltage to be supplied to the heater film.

The invention relates to a method for the identification of an analyte in a sample fluid. The method comprises the performance of a set of measurements on at least two sensors of different types. Sensors of different types may comprise Gas Chromatography sensors, CMOS gas sensors, a combination thereof, or more generally sensors in which it is possible to control a first physical parameter and measure, for different values of the first parameter, a second physical parameter representative of at least a concentration of the analyte. The method comprises the detection of maxima of the second parameter, the access to databases in order to find reference values of the first parameters in which maxima are found, and the comparison of values at which maxima are found and reference values, on the two sensors.