Gas sensor calibration method

Abstract

The invention relates to simplifying calibration of gas sensors, including gas sensors which are portable and for home use, consumer use or medical use including breath gas sensors, where the calibration against samples of a measured gas having a concentration above the null value, is only performed once to establish a set of calibration ratios of measured known gas concentration readings over null sample readings. Thereafter, in use, the ratio of unknown gas concentration in a test sample to a null value (preferably ambient air) is determined without recalibration, and that ratio is compared with the set of calibration ratios to determine the unknown gas concentration by interpolation or extrapolation.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of measuring a target gas concentration in an unknown sample by a gas sensor, where the gas sensor is calibrated once and then need not be calibrated at the time of measuring said gas concentration, comprising:
 a) establishing at least one calibration sample reading on the gas sensor for a calibration sample with a known concentration of target gas;   b) establishing with the gas sensor a null reading for a first null sample with a concentration of target gas near zero;   c) determining a calibration ratio of the calibration sample reading and the null sample reading; and   d) determining a test sample reading on the gas sensor for a test sample with an unknown concentration of the target gas;   e) determining a test ratio of the test sample reading; and   f) comparing the test ratio to the calibration ratio to determine the concentration of the target gas in the unknown sample by extrapolation or interpolation.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein several calibration sample readings are determined for several calibration samples each with a different known concentration of target gas, and several calibration ratios are determined from each calibration sample reading over a null reading, and the test ratio is compared with the calibration ratios to determine the target gas concentration in the test sample by interpolation. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the gas sensor is a catalytic bead sensor, a photoionization detector, an infrared point detector, an infrared image sensor, a semiconductor sensor, or a holographic gas sensor. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the gas sensor is a chemiresistor. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein several readings are determined over a specified period for both the calibration sample chemiresistor readings and the test sample chemiresistor readings. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein the chemiresistor readings are represented by a change in a time signal. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the target gas is hydrogen, methane, hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, nitric oxide, methane, ethanol, isoprene, acetone, isoprene, pentane, ethane or ethylene. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the test sample is exhaled air. 
     
     
         9 . A method of measuring a target gas concentration in an unknown sample by a chemiresistor gas sensor, where the chemiresistor is calibrated once and then need not be calibrated at the time of measuring said gas concentration, comprising:
 a) establishing at least one calibration sample reading on the chemiresistor for a calibration sample with a known concentration of target gas;   b) establishing with the chemiresistor a null reading for a first null sample with a concentration of target gas near zero;   c) determining a calibration ratio of the calibration sample reading and the null sample reading;   d) determining a test sample reading on the chemiresistor for a test sample with an unknown concentration of the target gas;   e) determining a test ratio of the test sample reading;   f) comparing the test ratio to the calibration ratio to determine the concentration of the target gas in the unknown sample by extrapolation or interpolation; and   g) determining a second test sample reading on the chemiresistor for a second test sample with an unknown concentration of the target gas to determine the test ratio, and comparing the test ratio to the calibration ratio without repeating steps a to c.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the chemiresistor readings are represented by a change in a time signal. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the target gas is hydrogen, methane, hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, nitric oxide, methane, ethanol, isoprene, acetone, isoprene, pentane, ethane or ethylene. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the test sample is exhaled air.