Contaminated Ventilator Air Flow Sensor Linked to Bacillus cereus Colonization of Newborns

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services conducted this investigation in response to the hospital's identification of an increased number of tracheal aspirates that were positive for B. cereus collected from newborns who were on ventilators during March–May, 2011. All tracheal aspirate culture results obtained in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) during January 2010–June 2011 were reviewed. NICU data was also searched for positive B. cereus culture from other specimens, such as blood, body fluids, or tissues. Investigators thoroughly evaluated respiratory management practices in the unit by direct observation, respiratory records review, and an interview with the respiratory therapist.
Several environmental cultures were obtained from the flow sensors of the unit's ventilators over the 1-month period. B. cereus isolates were forwarded to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to be molecularly characterized by using multilocus sequence typing (MLST). DNA was prepared from bacterial cultures as described. The DNA was used as a template in PCRs with the primers described on the Bacillus cereus MLST Web site for the 7 loci which define the MLST scheme. The sequences for the loci glpF, gmk, ilvD, pta, pur, pycA, and tpi were then assigned allele designations. The combination of the 7 alleles determines a given sequence type. A greater number of alleles that match between strains indicates a higher level of relatedness. Prevalence of B. cereus–positive specimens was compared by using the Mann-Whitney U test.
Retrospective analysis of tracheal aspirate culture results showed significant increase (p = 0.039) in B. cereus isolation between March and May, 2011. No Bacillus spp. were isolated from blood, other body fluids, or tissues during the study period. The chart review of the case-patients comprising the cluster of B. cereus colonization revealed that none received a diagnosis of clinical B. cereus infection. All patients were treated with vancomycin or tobramycin, or both, for indications not related to B. cereus in tracheal aspirate. One case-patient died 108 days later without evidence that B. cereus contributed to the outcome. All other case-patients recovered and were discharged.

Investigation of the ventilation procedures in the NICU revealed that most equipment used for respiratory care was disposable, designated for single-patient use. The Draeger Evita v500 ventilator was used for mechanical ventilation of infants who were intubated to treat severe respiratory compromise. The Draeger Evita V500 is a microprocessor controlled ventilator offering both mandatory and spontaneous ventilation modes for adult, pediatric, and neonatal patients. Heated and humidified gas flows from the ventilator unit, through the inspiratory circuit and NeoFlow air flow sensor to the patient through an endotracheal tube. Upon exhalation, gas flows back through the air flow sensor into the expiratory circuit and returns to the ventilator through the expiratory flow sensor and exhalation valve. In addition to the ventilator, reusable respiratory equipment comprised a proximal air flow sensor, expiratory flow sensor, exhalation valve, and circuit temperature probe. The sensor closest to the newborn's mouth was an air flow sensor located inside the disposable ventilation circuit. From 9 environmental cultures obtained from 9 air flow sensors, 1 was positive for Bacillus spp., and was later confirmed as B. cereus by the State Public Health Laboratory.

MLST was performed for 8 B. cereus isolates from case-patients and for 1 environmental isolate from the air flow sensor. We were able to fully characterize 4 of the 9 isolates. One locus for the remaining 5 strains did not yield an amplicon for sequencing after repeated attempts and, thus, could not be assigned a sequence type. The isolates that included sequence type (ST) 73 and ST94 were closely related to each other because they differed by merely 1 locus, gmk. The strains that were not fully typed because of the inability to obtain sequences for locus pta were also closely related to ST73 or ST94 because the other loci matched. There was 1 match between strains isolated from 1 case-patient and the air flow sensor, which was ST73. The contaminated air flow sensor was then sterilized by using a steam autoclave. A repeat culture of this sensor after sterilization was negative.
We found that air flow sensors were routinely disinfected by placing them in a container with 70% alcohol solution for 60 minutes. After discovery of the air flow sensor contaminated with B. cereus, the disinfection policy was changed. All air flow sensors were first soaked in Enzol enzymatic detergent solution and then sent for steam autoclave sterilization at 134°C (273.2°F). After implementation of new disinfection and sterilization procedures, no new cases of B. cereus tracheal colonization were identified in the nursery. In this cluster, contaminated proximal air flow sensors were the likely source of tracheal colonization with B. cereus in newborn infants, supported by a genetic match by MLST between a strain isolated from 1 case-patient and the contaminated air flow sensor.

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Research Report On Global Alcohol Tester Market Expected to Grow at CAGR in % by 2021

MRS Research Group added new research report on “Global Alcohol Tester Market 2015 Market Trends,Growth,Share,Size and Forecast to 2022” to its database.
The ‘Global Alcohol Tester Industry, 2015-2022 Market Research Report’ is the professional and comprehensive in-depth analysis of the global as well as China market. The report provides quantitative forecasting and trends analysis on the Alcohol Tester market status. The report also provides important and manufacturers and key sources includes in the study which guide and direct companies and individuals interest in the industry.
The global and China Alcohol Tester market is affected by many internal and external elements. The report represents synopsis of the industry including definition, types, applications, DROS, technology and others. The report has provides forward-looking insight of the experienced team of analysts and researchers. The report includes major competitors in global and China Alcohol Tester us sources, tool and techniques use to gather information like company profile, product specifications,future trends, value chain analysis and 2015-2022 revenue for each company.
The report helps to clear market picture with suitable schematics diagrams, statistical analysis, company profit, supply-demand and Chinese import–export. The global and China Alcohol Tester market is categorized on the basis of types, application, technology and end-users, geographywhichever is applicable.
The report has studies in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levelsand possible segmentation, dominant segments in terms of types, application, end-user, downstream demand, along with current market dynamics. Moreover, includes future projects in the market with most reliable information indispensable for marketplace.
Table of Content Of Alcohol Tester Market (Index) :
Chapter One Introduction of Alcohol Tester Industry
1.1 Brief Introduction of Alcohol Tester
1.2 Development of Alcohol Tester Industry
1.3 Status of Alcohol Tester Industry
Chapter Two Manufacturing Technology of Alcohol Tester
2.1 Development of Alcohol Tester Manufacturing Technology
2.2 Analysis of Alcohol Tester Manufacturing Technology
2.3 Trends of Alcohol Tester Manufacturing Technology
Chapter Three Analysis of Global Key Manufacturers
3.1 Company A
3.1.1 Company Profile
3.1.2 Product Information

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Automatic rearview mirror system using a photosensor array

A system apparatus, structure and method for controlling a plurality of variable reflectance mirrors (or mirror segments), including a rearview mirror and side view mirrors, which change their reflectance level in response to a plurality of drive voltages applied thereto, for an automotive vehicle. The system includes a light sensing device and a control circuit formed as a single VLSI CMOS circuit. The light sensing device comprises a photosensor array having a field of view encompassing a rear window area and at least a portion of at least one side window area of the vehicle. The logic and control circuit determines a background light signal from photosensor element signals generated by the photosensor elements in the photosensor array indicative of light levels incident on the photosensor elements. The circuit also determines a peak light signal in three different zones or sub-arrays of the photosensor array. The zones or sub-arrays may correspond to three mirrors or mirror segments. The peak light signals in each of the zones and a common background light signal are used to determine independent and separate control signals, which are then output to separate mirror drive circuits for independently controlling the reflectance level of the rearview mirror and the left and right side view mirrors, or alternatively the segments of a mirror.
Description
This application is a divisional of application Ser. No. 08/023,918 filed Feb. 26, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,550,677.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an automatic rearview mirror system for automotive vehicles which automatically changes reflectance level in response to glare causing light, and more particularly relates to an improved automatic rearview mirror system using only a rearwardly facing sensor.
2. Description of Related Art
Automatic rearview mirrors and mirror systems have been devised for varying the reflectance level of a variable reflectance rearview mirror by reducing the reflectance automatically in response to annoying glare light, as seen rearwardly of the rearview mirror or mirrors by a driver of the vehicle, and by increasing automatically the reflectance to a normal or maximum reflectance level when the annoying glare light subsides. These automatic mirrors have been changed over the years in an effort to improve their performance characteristics and associated level of glare protection.
Early automatic rearview mirrors used a rearwardly facing sensor and control circuit to change mirror reflectance. One example of such a "single-sensor" type mirror is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,266,856. In these prior art single-sensor type mirrors, the rear glare light was incident on a rearwardly facing sensor or photocell, such as a photodiode, photoresistor or phototransistor. These mirrors suffered from various problems, however, including the problem that these mirrors would become increasingly sensitive and even "lock-up" in their minimum reflectance level or state as the driver encountered significantly higher light levels in town or city driving. This required the driver to repeatedly adjust the mirror's sensitivity control to prevent such problems.
To overcome the problems of single-sensor type mirrors, a non-rearwardly facing photocell for sensing "ambient" light was added. It was believed that the desired reflectance necessary to relieve the driver from glare depended not only on glare light but also on ambient light. Accordingly, these "two-sensor" type mirrors used two separate photocells, one generally facing rearwardly and one generally facing forwardly (or other non-rearwardly facing direction) of the mirror or vehicle. The signals from these two photocells were then compared in some fashion, and when, for example, the glare light from the rear was comparatively high with respect to the "ambient" light, a control circuit would apply a control signal to reduce mirror reflectance. Some examples are described in German Laid-Open Patent No. 3,041,692; Japanese Laid-Open Patent No. 58-19941; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,601,614; 3,612,666; 3,680,951; 3,746,430; 4,443,057; 4,580,875; 4,690,508; and 4,917,477. In many of these prior art automatic rearview mirrors, light generally forward of the mirror or vehicle was incident on the second photocell.
These arrangements, however, also had problems. In some of these mirrors the forwardly facing or "ambient" light sensor was inaccurate because it did not correctly measure ambient light levels since it did not include light generally rearward of the mirror or vehicle. Some examples include the devices described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,443,057 and 4,917,477. Other prior art devices overcame these deficiencies by providing a control circuit which correctly measured ambient light as a combination of both the forward and rear light levels. Examples of this significantly different approach are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,793,690 and 4,886,960.
The prior art two-sensor type systems generally provided improved performance over prior art single-sensor type systems but were also more complex and costly. In part, this was because using separate forwardly and rearwardly facing photocells required that the performance characteristics of the two separate photocells, such as photoresistors, be matched appropriately to ensure consistent performance under various operating conditions. Matching photocells such as photoresistors, however, generally involves complex, expensive and time consuming operations and procedures.
Both the prior art single-sensor and two-sensor type mirrors presented additional problems when they were also used to control the exterior side view mirrors. This is because such prior art systems used a common control or drive signal to change the reflectance level of both the interior rearview mirror and the exterior left and/or right side view mirrors by substantially the same amount. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,669,826, for example, a single-sensor type mirror system used two rearwardly facing photodiodes to control both an interior rearview mirror and the left and/or right side view mirrors based on the direction of incident light from the rear. Another example includes the two-sensor type system described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,477.
In rearview mirror systems, however, each of the interior rearview and exterior side view mirrors may reflect different source light levels. More specifically, the inside rearview mirror, left side view mirror and right side view mirror each enable the driver to view a different portion or zone of the total rearward area. Of course, there may be some overlap of the image information contained in each of the three zones. The situation is further complicated with multi-lane traffic because each of the mirrors reflects different light levels caused by the headlights of the vehicles which are following, passing or being passed. As a result, in the prior art systems, when the reflectance level of the interior rearview mirror was reduced to decrease the glare of headlights reflected therein, the reflectance level of the exterior left and right side view mirrors was also reduced by substantially the same amount, even though, for example, the side view mirrors might not be reflecting the same level of glare light, if any. Accordingly, rear vision in the exterior left and right side view mirrors could be improperly reduced.
Other prior art two-sensor type systems used a common ambient light sensor and several rearwardly facing sensors, one for each of the mirrors. An example is the alternate system also described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,477. This approach is not satisfactory, however, because it reduces system reliability and increases complexity and cost.
Finally, some prior anti-glare mirrors used several sensors to control the segments of a variable reflectance mirror. One example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,632,509, which discloses a single-sensor type mirror using three rearwardly facing photocells to control three mirror segments depending on the direction of incident light from the rear. See also U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,883. These prior mirror systems generally have the same problems as the other single-sensor type mirrors. Some other anti-glare mirrors are generally disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,986,022; 4,614,415; and 4,672,457.
Consequently, there is a need for an automatic rearview mirror system for an automotive vehicle having improved reliability and low cost, which accurately determines or otherwise discriminates light levels that the driver will experience as glare without the need for a separate forwardly facing photocell. In addition, as noted above, there is also a need for an automatic rearview mirror system of high reliability and low cost, which accurately determines light levels that the driver will experience as glare, and which can control independently the reflectance of a plurality of mirrors according to the light levels actually reflected by each of the rearview and exterior side view mirrors without the need for additional and separate rearwardly facing photocells. There is also a need for an automatic rearview mirror system that can independently control the segments of a variable reflectance mirror while accurately determining light levels that the driver will experience as glare in each segment of the mirror without the need for additional and separate forwardly and rearwardly facing photocells.

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Bosch oxygen sensor marks 40 years on market

Robert Bosch LLC is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its invention of the automotive oxygen sensor and is marking the production of its one billionth oxygen sensor.
An integral part of today’s sophisticated vehicles, automotive oxygen sensors are now a standard feature on all gasoline and most diesel engines worldwide. No other vehicle component stands for “clean driving” as much as the automotive oxygen sensor does, keeping the fuel system running efficiently to protect the environment from harmful emissions while helping to save fuel cost, according to Bosch.
“Since pioneering this technology four decades ago, Bosch has continued to lead the way in automotive oxygen sensor design and innovation,” says Eric Yagley, senior product manager oxygen sensors for Robert Bosch LLC, Automotive Aftermarket North America. “Today’s Bosch Wideband oxygen sensor has a more sophisticated sensing element that provides a signal to the vehicle’s ECU that is proportional to the amount of oxygen in the exhaust.”
The automotive oxygen sensor was developed by Bosch as emissions systems were beginning to be established in the 1970s. At that time, a growing need to meet new stringent emission standards resulted in countless rounds of testing and development, and ultimately the first automotive oxygen sensor, the Bosch Lambda Sensor, was created.
As an early adopter of the technology, Volvo was the first manufacturer to equip its vehicles with automotive oxygen sensors, starting with the 1976 Volvo Lambda Sonde. In the years since, automotive oxygen sensors have become an essential part of the modern emissions system which monitors and regulates the combustion process, with many applications utilizing multiple oxygen sensors in the vehicle exhaust system.
The company says one of the best testaments to the quality of Bosch oxygen sensors came in 2012. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series made the switch from carbureted to fuel-injected engines, and Bosch became the exclusive oxygen sensor of NASCAR. In 2016, Bosch extended its partnership with NASCAR to include fuel pumps and injectors as well.
Bosch offers a full coverage program of aftermarket automotive oxygen sensors, produced on the same manufacturing lines as Bosch OE sensors. These aftermarket sensors feature OE form, fit and function to meet or exceed manufacturer specifications. Bosch Oxygen Sensors are jointly engineered and manufactured in the United States and Germany.

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The Most Incredible CO2 Sensor in the World

Detecting carbon dioxide emissions has always been a little hit and miss when it comes to larger areas: the sensor technology we currently have isn’t well-suited to large areas, and it’s extremely expensive.
This is, of course one of the multitudes of reasons why fossil fuels have been able to hold off the energy lobby for so long. This has left environmentalists searching for a better way to police the pollutant and now they may have found one.
It’s so simple that it is almost confounding that this hasn’t existed all along: the Hemholtz Centre for Environmental Research has designed a simple carbon dioxide sensor (CO2 sensor) based on the principle of diffusion. In case you, like me, chose to skate through your chemistry class in the last term of your senior year perpetually hung over, diffusion is the movement of particles from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration. This means that certain gases will always move through a membrane faster than others, allowing you to measure concentrations on either side and, using the rate of transfer, establish the concentration in the surrounding atmosphere.
These MeGa (Membrane-based Gas sensors) are presently planned to be used in fields like landfill monitoring, where it was previously prohibitively expensive to use sensors to keep track of emissions. They may be adapted for use in other applications however, such as gas pipelines, sewers, bodies of water, and, most exciting, at least to those of you that believe in carbon sequestration, drilling and capture of carbon dioxide.
This technology of course, has great implications far beyond industrial use. The scientific team that developed it suggests a wide variety of commercial uses will be established and that they will be able to scale down their invention for use in small spaces like private homes and scientific labs. The main victory here however, is that information gathered before this was merely a projection, now the data is far superior; finding the hottest spots on the planet for carbon emissions is the first step to cutting them back.

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The Oxygen Sensor and How it Works

An oxygen sensor is also known as an (O2 Sensor) which is a vital component of any vehicle’s emission system.

Some old vehicles have fuel injection systems, while all new vehicles have them, in which a computer will regulate the amount of fuel that is delivered to the engine. The computer will communicate with the sensors throughout the system to determine how much fuel to deliver to the engine and of course, how frequently.

The oxygen sensor is found in the exhaust manifold.

One end of the oxygen sensor will detect the oxygen levels in the exhaust flow. The other end will connect to the wiring that gives all the information to the computer.

The computer will then use the sensor readings to make sure that the engine is getting the right amount of fuel. If there is too much or too little fuel, the readings from the oxygen sensor will change, and this will then make the computer readjust the amount of fuel that is being delivered to the engine.

An oxygen sensor will fail from time to time. Whenever the sensor malfunctions, all the important feedback about the engine performance will then be lost. This will then cause the computer that runs the electronic fuel injection system to have absolutely no idea of how much fuel to deliver to the engine.

An O2 sensor always has a mileage rating. This indicates to us how long the sensor is expected to last. There are a few different ways of finding this information.

A vehicle owner’s manual or a shop manual should state what the lifespan of the oxygen sensor is expected to be. If none of these books are available then the dealership will be able to look up the information for a specific vehicle. Also auto parts stores will have the information. In general the oxygen sensor should last approximately 30,000 miles in older vehicles and 60,000 miles in newer vehicles if not more, but be sure to check your cars manual or techincal service bulletin for the right time to change it.

When you find out the mileage rating for the O2 sensor in your vehicle, it is always a good idea to keep all records of when any mechanical work is done on the vehicle. Therefore if you know at least when the sensor was replaced in the first place you will know when it needs to be replaced again.

If you replace the oxygen sensor regularly it will help:

- Maintain your gas mileage.

- Help prevent other related car troubles.

- Helps prevent failed emission tests due to malfunctioning oxygen sensors

- Help prevent poorly running engines with rich gasoline mixes.

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Mesoporous catalytic filters for semiconductor gas sensors

 An effective way to improve sensor selectivity and stability is the use of catalytic filters to block interfering and poisoning gas molecules from reaching the sensor surface.

Mesoporous silica with high resistivity and hugh surface areas are ideally suited as a base material for this application. When impregnated with proper catalysts, mesoporous silica has a great potential to eliminate responses to undesired gases even of thin-film and or micro-machined sensors. In this paper, we report our initial results on thick film SnO -based gas sensors covered with a catalytic filter consisting of Pd and Pt loaded mesoporous silica. Results indicate that selective oxidation of CO in the catalytic filter leads to the elimination of CO interference to a CH sensor with no perceptible deterioration in sensing performance.

While semiconductor gas sensors exhibit high sensitivity(small change in gas composition causes dramatic change in resistance), their stability and selectivity still remain unsatisfactory for many applications. In general, electrical properties of semiconducting sensing elements are influenced not only by the gaseous species to be detected but also by other gas molecules in the sample gas mixture, especially those having similar physico-chemical properties as the target gas. Moreover, undesired gas molecules may be irreversibly adsorbed on the oxide surface, leading to sensor response drift.

Selectivity enhancement is usually achieved by the following three approaches: an improvement of the sensing material properties, the adaptation of the sensor working conditions to the target gas and the assembly of different sensors on arrays involving posterior signal treatments. The improvement of the sensing material properties and optimisation of the working conditions mainly take profit of the different activation energy of the gas reaction on the sensing element surface w1–3x.

In micro-machined substrates a modulation of the temperature is also considered in order to obtain a more complete set of data for the different target interfering gases. The same technique is used to prevent poisoning by cyclic cleaning of the oxide surface at higher temperature than that of operation. Gas sensor arrays allow a much more complete sketch of the atmosphere composition to be built by means of a larger amount of parameters, which require more or less complicated signal treatments ideally incorporated in the same chip w4x.

Another effective way of improving selectivity is to take advantage of selective gas diffusion process by using filters w1,5–10x. In this way, influence of interfering gases can be avoided by blocking these species from reaching sensor surface. While filters may improve selectivity and stability of semiconductor gas sensors, it may lower the sensor detection limit w9x.

Until now, the most used filters are passive membranes having different diffusion parameters according to the adsorption affinity of the gas molecules on the sieve material and the pore-molecule size relationship.These kind of adsorbent filters may become saturated for large interfering gas concentrations if no mechanism of gas reaction or desorption are anticipated w10x.

Selective catalytic reaction mechanism in the filtering membrane are expected to overcome these limitations,by means of catalytic conversion of the interfering species into innocuous molecules. Catalytic sieves have already been employed in the form of dielectric oxides, thin metal layers or of dispersed catalytic elements on oxide semiconductor materials. The use of high resistive oxides without the distribution of highly active catalytic elements requires high operation temperatures, which may not always fit the most appropriate conditions to optimize the sensor response to the target gas. Low catalytic activity will also require fabrication of thick enough filters to eliminate the interfering gases, which could lead to longer response times.

Metallic membranes are reported to show exceptional selectivity properties w11x. Nevertheless, on the one hand, in semiconductor devices this may short circuit the system or influence the base sensor resistance if not correctly electrically isolated from the film. Furthermore, metal atoms may diffuse and consequently affect the stability of the device w5,8x. On the other hand, catalytic properties of the noble metals are not fully exploited in such a continuous structure; however, as extensively
reported in catalytic literature, a high dispersion of supported active phases would increase its catalytic efficiency w12x.

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Fluorescent optical liquid-level sensor

An optical method of detecting a liquid level is presented that uses fluorescence radiation generated in an impurity-doped glass or plastic slab. In operation, the slab is inserted into the liquid and pump light is coupled into it so that the light is guided by the slab-air interface above the liquid and escapes into the liquid just below its surface.

Since the fluorescence is generated only in that section of the slab above the liquid, the fluorescence power will monotonically decrease with increasing liquid level. Thus, a relationship can be established between any signal proportional to it and the liquid level. 

Because optical fibers link the pump source and the detector of fluorescence radiation to the sensor, no electrical connections are needed in or near the liquid. Their absence vastly decreases the hazard associated with placing a liquid level sensor in a potentially explosive environment.

A laboratory prototype, consisting of a methyl styrene slab doped with an organic dye, has been built and successfully tested in water. Its response to liquid level when pumped by a tunable argon-ion laser at 476, 488, and 496 nm, and by a blue LED, is presented and shown to be consistent with theory. The fluorescence spectra, optical efficiency,

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Global Alcohol Tester Market 2016-2021 : Industry Research Trends, Sales, Growth, Demand Review & Forecast

2015-2021 Alcohol Tester Market Research Report analyzed the world's main region market conditions, including the product price, profit, capacity, Production, Sales, Demand, Supply, Analysis and industry growth rate etc.

Industry 2015-2021 survives not only by considering present scenarios but also by forecasting the future and getting ready for it. Alcohol Tester industry 2015-2021 has been growing steadily since few years, but future may reveal dark sides to the market too. To get ready for this and to avoid this and nurture further in future this report study the patterns prevailing in Alcohol Tester market since a long time.

The report is formed on the basis of factual and statistical data which has been analyzed byexperts of the Alcohol Tester industry 2015-2021. This report is a manifestation of probable future of Alcohol Tester industry 2015-2021 considering past, present scenario and anticipated innovations and changes in the market.With the help of this report, companies active in Alcohol Tester industry 2015-2021 can plan their strategies. They can consider this report to decide future activities new product launch, R&D initiatives, acquisitions, financial modeling and so on.

The report takes in to consideration both micro and macro factors of the economy that play key role in influencing Alcohol Tester industry 2015-2021. Companies operating in Alcohol Tester market find this report useful to get an exact idea of their position in the industry 2015-2021.

This competitively priced report consists of an array of charts, statistical data, tables, graphs, and models to pictorially analyze the industry 2015-2021 and deliver easy to understand data in detail. Apart from this, the report tells how attractive the industry 2015-2021 is based on the analyzed information. This helps client to grasp the picture easily and understand which industry 2015-2021 shows the potential for growth.

Table Of Content (Index) On Alcohol Tester Market:

Chapter One Introduction of Alcohol Tester Industry
1.1 Brief Introduction of Alcohol Tester
1.2 Development of Alcohol Tester Industry
1.3 Status of Alcohol Tester Industry

Chapter Two Manufacturing Technology of Alcohol Tester
2.1 Development of Alcohol Tester Manufacturing Technology
2.2 Analysis of Alcohol Tester Manufacturing Technology
2.3 Trends of Alcohol Tester Manufacturing Technology

Chapter Three Analysis of Global Key Manufacturers
3.1 Company A
3.1.1 Company Profile
3.1.2 Product Information
3.1.3 2011-2015 Production Information
3.1.4 Contact Information
3.2 Company B

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Patterning, integration and characterisation of polymer optical oxygen sensors

This paper describes a process for the layer-by-layer fabrication and integration of luminescent dye-based optical oxygen sensors into microfluidic devices. Application of oxygen-sensitive platinum(ii) octaethylporphyrin ketone fluorescent dye dissolved in polystyrene onto glass substrates by spin-coating was studied.

Soft lithography with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) stamps and reactive ion etching in oxygen plasma were used to produce sensor patterns with a minimum feature size of 25 microm. Sensors patterns were integrated into a PDMS microfluidic device by plasma bonding. No degradation of the sensor response as a result of the lithography and pattern-transfer processes was detected. Gaseous and dissolved oxygen (DO) detection was characterised using fluorescence microscopy. The intensity signal ratio of the sensor films was found to increase almost two-fold from 3.6 to 6.8 by reducing film thickness from 1.3 microm to 0.6 microm.

Calibration of DO measurement showed linear Stern-Volmer behaviour that was constant for flow rates from 0.5 to 2 mL min(-1). The calibrated sensors were subsequently used to demonstrate laterally resolved detection of oxygen inside a microfluidic channel. The fabrication process provides a novel, easy to use method for the repeatable integration of optical oxygen sensors into cell-culture and lab-on-a-chip devices.

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FAU’s I-SENSE, Dioxide Materials to Jointly Develop Low-Power CO2 Sensors for HVAC Applications

Just as the summer is heating up, Florida Atlantic University’s Institute for Sensing and Embedded Network Systems Engineering (I-SENSE) and Dioxide Materials™ have formed a unique partnership to develop and evaluate a novel low-cost, low-power, wireless CO2 sensing system for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) applications. The technology that emerges from this joint project will help to significantly lower the amount of energy businesses and homes use for HVAC.
Located in the Research Park at FAU, Dioxide Materials™, in collaboration with FAU’s I-SENSE, has received a Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to work on the project. This project builds on a private/public partnership that leverages the complementary skill sets and associated innovations of both organizations.
Dioxide Materials™ has developed low-cost, low-power CO2 sensors for building HVAC applications. Their technology employs electrochemical sensors, similar to those in a household carbon monoxide (CO) alarm, making the sensor sensitive to carbon dioxide rather than carbon monoxide. The sensors can be manufactured much less expensively than the current generation of CO2 sensors and can run on batteries.
Currently, Dioxide Materials™ has working sensors, but needs the electronics and communications systems to connect the sensors to a building’s direct digital control (DDC) systems. I-SENSE is a leader in the design and application of low-cost, low-power telemetry platforms and sensor network systems. Together, the team will develop the electronics and software necessary to interface Dioxide Materials’ sensors to a building’s DDC system. This new technology will help to lower the amount of energy homes and businesses use for HVAC based on whole-building CO2 monitoring without the need for expensive building rewiring.
Most current HVAC systems are designed to supply constant ventilation based on the design occupancy of the space. However, this method often results in significant wastes of energy and energy dollars. Demand control ventilation (DCV), the automated process that adjusts the volume of fresh air or outside air into a building, saves energy and electricity costs by using CO2 sensors to measure the air quality and occupancy in each room, and adjusting the HVAC system accordingly. Although DCV is often seen in the construction of new multisensory LEED buildings, it has been slow to be adopted in commercial retrofits or remodeling projects, small commercial buildings and residential complexes.
“Our project will focus on robust, networked CO2 sensing and HVAC system integration; we are excited to partner with Dioxide Materials™ to help them develop and test these innovative CO2 sensors,” said Jason Hallstrom, Ph.D., director of FAU’s I-SENSE and a professor in the College of Engineering and Computer Science at FAU. “We expect this technology to substantially reduce the costs that are associated with installing DCV systems in commercial and residential buildings.”
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, demand control ventilation using CO2 sensors could reduce the energy costs of heating and cooling a building by 10 to 30 percent.
“By leveraging our expertise with FAU’s I-SENSE scientists and engineers, we can have a tremendous impact on reducing energy waste in buildings,” said Rich Masel, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Dioxide Materials™. “Having CO2 sensors in each room so that cooling and heating are based on the number of people in the room rather than running at a constant temperature, will prevent energy losses from over ventilation, while maintaining indoor air quality.”
FAU’s I-SENSE is a leader in the design and application of low-cost, low-power telemetry platforms and sensor network systems. I-SENSE serves as a clearinghouse for sensing, communication, and data management technologies, providing expertise, engineering support, and project management services through its research, engineering and administrative cores.
Dioxide Materials™ is developing a new generation of low-cost, low-powered CO2 electrochemical sensors for demand controlled ventilation (DCV) of HVAC systems. The devices are microscale versions of the CO2 electrolyzers being developed for CO2 conversion and use the company’s patent pending CO2 conversion catalysts to create an electrical signal that is proportional to the amount of CO2 in the air. Dioxide Materials' low-power CO2 sensors meet the battery operating lifetime requirement, eliminating the need for costly rewiring, and, unlike infrared-based sensors, are compatible with wireless thermostats.

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Thermal mass flow controller having orthogonal thermal mass flow sensor

A thermal mass flow controller having a thermal mass flow meter with an orthogonal thermal mass flow sensor includes a base defining a primary fluid flow path therein for carrying a flow of fluid to be metered. A pressure dropping bypass is positioned in the primary fluid flow path. A flow measuring portion of a thermal mass flow sensor is oriented substantially transversely or orthogonally with respect to and is in communication with the primary fluid flow path. The flow measuring portion includes a portion of an electrical bridge for determining a temperature of the sensor and produces a mass flow rate signal in response thereto. A valve is connected to an outlet of the primary flow path to control the flow of fluid in response to the mass flow rate signal.

Descrizione

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/608,218 filed Feb. 28, 1996 now abandoned, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/461,398 filed Jun. 5, 1995 now abandoned, which is a continuation of 08/361,855 filed Dec. 22, 1994 now abandoned, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/137,879 filed Oct. 15, 1993 now abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 07/962,290, filed Oct. 16, 1992 for Thermal Mass Flow Controller Having Orthogonal Thermal Mass Flow Sensor now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to a thermal mass flow controller and in particular relates to a thermal mass flow controller having a portion of a sensing element oriented transversely with respect to a bypass flow path extending through the thermal mass flow controller.

Thermal mass flow controllers and thermal mass flow meters are employed in the semiconductor industry and in other industries for measuring the rate of flow of a quantity of gas employed in a piece of equipment for the manufacture of a semiconductor wafer and the like. Such thermal mass flow controllers often are used in gas shelves of diffusion furnaces, chemical vapor deposition systems, plasma etching systems, sputtering systems and the like to meter precisely amounts of reactant and carrier gases to a working chamber of the equipment. The thermal mass flow controllers are used to meter precisely the amounts of reactant and carrier gases to be delivered to a treatment chamber of the equipment. Such treatment chambers may comprise process tubes or process chambers. Such gases may include hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, argon, silane, dichlorosilane, ammonia, phosphorus oxychloride, diborane, boron tribromide, arsine, phosphine, sulfur hexafluoride and the like. Oftentimes, multiple gas sources are employed in conjunction with a particular treatment chamber. For instance, silane may be used in the treatment chamber for chemical vapor deposition of polycrystalline silicon, also known as polysilicon, in combination with one or more doping agents. As a result, each of the process tubes or process chambers in a particular piece of equipment may have multiple reactant gas delivery lines connected and must, of necessity, have multiple mass flow controllers connected in the gas lines to meter appropriate amounts of the reactant and carrier gases process gases to the treatment chamber. The use of such multiple mass flow controllers, of course, expands the size of the gas shelves used for these types of equipment.

The manufacture of modern semiconductors having finer and finer microelectronic features has necessitated that the acceptable contamination levels within clean rooms in which such manufacturing takes place have continuously been reduced in order to provide adequate wafer yields. As a result, the expense involved in the construction of such clean rooms has steadily increased and is anticipated to continue increasing. As such clean rooms are expanded in size due to the relative amount of floor space or foot-prints occupied by equipment, their corresponding cost of course also increases. Thus, the equipment size for a given throughput through a particular clean room is an economic consideration which is always of importance to a wafer fabricator.

Concomitant with the space requirements for clean rooms is a requirement that footprint considerations often require that mass flow controllers be capable of use in a variety of orientations. Unfortunately, in most cases, conventional thermal mass flow controllers may only be used with their bypass and sensors both positioned substantially horizontally to avoid introducing unwanted convective effects into the sensor which would result in perturbation of the mass flow controller readings.

One approach to solving the convection problem is to allow a flow controller for instance to be oriented vertically, as set forth in PCT application PCT/US91/04208, published Dec. 26, 1991, corresponding to U.S. application Ser. No. 07/537,571, filed Jun. 14, 1990 now abandoned and corresponding U.S. application Ser. No. 07/614,093, filed Nov. 14, 1990 now abandoned all for Thermal Mass Flow Meter, assigned to the instant assignee. Those applications disclose a thermal mass flow meter having a sensor which allows the bypass flow path to be oriented in a substantially vertical direction without the necessity of the sensor being oriented in a substantially horizontal direction. The mass flow controller, however, like other prior art mass flow controllers may only be used in a vertically oriented direction. That is, it has a single preferred direction in which it may be oriented. It may not be used in a variety of attitudes other than with the bypass position substantially vertically.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,213 to Blechinger et al. discloses a mass airflow meter in a bypass which is transverse to the main air flow path.

What is needed then is a thermal mass flow controller which is compact and may be positioned in a variety of orientations with introducing convective perturbations in the flow controller reading.

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Some Technologies Introduces an Automatic Calibration, Gas Management and Record Keeping Station for Portable Breath Alcohol Testers

Some Technologies - a leading manufacturer of evidential breath alcohol testers and passive alcohol screening devices, is pleased to announce an Automatic Calibration, Gas Management and Record Keeping Station for Portable Breath Alcohol Testers.
For the first time in portable breath alcohol testing, the easycal station automates routine breathalyzer calibration and compliance based verification checks and record keeping. Users realize time and cost savings from the elimination of manual calibration sequences, from reduced gas usage, and from automated record keeping. Easycal eliminates the possibility of accidental calibration errors from careless, inattentive or inexperienced calibration technicians.
Easycal also simplifies calibration gas management by keeping track of gas usage, cylinder expiry date, altitude correction factors and gas standards so you don't have to. All instrument calibration and cal-check events are securely retained and can be printed or exported according to DOT evidential breath testing regulations or state law enforcement requirements.

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Color controller integrates RGB photosensor

Avago Technologies has announced a color controller with an integrated color photosensor for backlighting LCDs, touted to be the industry's first such product. According to the company, the new ADJD-J823 enables more accurate and consistent RGB LED backlighting and richer colors than conventional technology. This solution is suitable for use in digital cameras, cell phones, PDAs, portable DVD players and display screens measuring 7 inches diagonal or smaller.
The device has a small footprint and low profile that allows it to easily fit into portable LCD devices where board space is limited, Avago said. The 5-by-5-by-0.75mm illumination and color management (ICM) device operates at voltages as low as 2.5V.
The new device is a CMOS mixed-signal IC with integrated RGB photosensors designed to be the closed loop optical feedback device of an RGB LED-based backlighting system. It also has a wide gain control and uses an algorithm to automatically select the optimum gain.
A typical system consists of an array of RGB LEDs, LED drivers and the color controller. The device samples the light output from the RGB LED array, processes the color information and adjusts the light output from the RGB LEDs until the target color is achieved. To do this, the device integrates an RGB photosensor array, an ADC front-end, a color data processing logic core and a high-resolution 12bit PWM output generator. By employing a feedback system and the color controller, the light output produced by the LED array maintains its color over time and temperature.
"By integrating the sensor and controller into one package, we are expanding the benefits of color management to the growing array of applications using color LCD screens in smaller consumer electronics," said Lee Soo Ghee, vice president and general manager for Avago's Optoelectronic Products Division.
Avago said the use of LED backlighting with the company's ICM control in LCD TVs has been proven to offer 25 percent richer colors than conventional cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) backlighting. In addition, LED backlighting totally eliminates the traces of mercury found in CCFLs to meet European Union RoHS mandates, the company said.

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Model of transient response of semiconductor gas sensors

A model of the transient response of a semiconductor gas sensor under modulation heating has been successfully constructed.

The model consists of the heat conduction process from the heater to the sensor surface, the reaction process on the sensor surface, and the diffusion process near the sensor surface which provides a supply of flammable gas.

The calculated sensor response agreed well with experimental results obtained with a pulsed power supply to the heater. Because we can predict the sensor transient response, the model will be useful in distinguishing kinds of gases and odors by using the transient response of semiconductor gas sensors.

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Self-commissioning NDIR gas sensors

Two detectors of the same kind, each having an identical neutral band-pass filter to the target gas, are installed next to Signal channel and Reference channel detectors as pairs in an AB designed NDIR gas sensor layout, which are called Standard Signal channel detector and Standard Reference channel detector. “Standard” GAMMA is the ratio of Standard signal channel detector output over that of Standard Reference channel detector. “Standard” GAMMA is independent of the measurement Physics of NDIR gas sensors, is dependent only upon the performance characteristics of the sensor component and is also independent of the presence of any amount of target gas in the sample chamber. Consequently, “Standard” GAMMA can be used to proportionally correct and update GAMMA of the sensor as its components age over time thereby rendering such an AB designed NDIR gas sensor self-commissioning or staying accurate over time after initial calibration.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/149,738, the disclosure of which is specifically incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is in the field of measuring instruments, and specifically relates to a configuration design and method for an NDIR gas sensor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Output instability or drift over time leading to measurement inaccuracies has long been a major deficiency for gas sensors irrespective of what technology or methodology is used for their conception or realization. Output software correction may alleviate the problem somewhat but it is in many instances inaccurate and not even always applicable. It has long been the objective of many researchers in this field to overcome this problem fundamentally and for good.

Recently the present author in U.S. Pat. No. 8,143,581, the disclosure of which is specifically incorporated by reference herein, advanced the teaching of an Absorption Biased NDIR Gas Sensing Methodology which is capable of eliminating substantially all the NDIR gas sensor output drifts over time without the need for re-calibration. As it turns out, the solution to solving this output drift problems for gas sensors actually lies deeper than the availability of superior NDIR gas sensor types even though they can indeed be designed to be capable of maintaining measurement accuracy over time. The fact of the matter is that people have experienced gas sensor output instability for such a long time in the past that when output stable sensors really come along nobody believes it. Until such time that stable gas sensors become widely available and users begin to consider their performance as trustworthy and truly believable, the real need today must be viewed from a completely different perspective, which is to be able to come up with a fast, inexpensive and simple methodology that can easily check the accuracy of gas sensors and inexpensively re-calibrate them when they are found to be inaccurate.

In U.S. application Ser. No. 13/149,738, filed May 31, 2011, of which this application is a continuation-in-part application, the present author advanced the teaching of a novel Re-calibration Methodology for simply and easily re-calibrating Absorption Biased (AB) designed NDIR gas sensors without the need of standard gases. With the recent advent of the Absorption Biased (AB) gas sensing methodology for realizing NDIR gas sensors whose outputs are significantly drift-free over time and also the advent of a complementing methodology that can check and re-calibrate AB designed NDIR gas sensors simply and easily without the need of standard gases, one would think that the gas sensor industry at large, particularly the HVAC industry, would be relatively satisfied and happily go forward in growing its business. But, unfortunately, this is not the case at all. While the HVAC industry is still trying to deal with their old and on-going problem of sensor inaccuracies over time, already the industry is pushing forward in finding new and better solutions for optimizing energy expenditure and achieving superior comfort level for occupants in buildings. One rather obvious approach widely being investigated and considered everywhere today is the grouping of all sensors in a building together into a computer network. These sensors can actually interact and work with one another in an efficient manner with self-commissioning, self-tuning, self-diagnostic and correction, and even self-configuring features. By so doing the energy requirement for buildings can be reduced to an absolute minimum while the comfort level and safety for occupants in the buildings can also be greatly increased.

No doubt from the standpoint of computer networking hardware and smart software availability today, this approach is clearly workable. However, when all the sensors are to be left alone by themselves to interact with one another over time in buildings, the obvious question to ask is whether these sensors are indeed ready to take on this self-policing task of always staying accurate. In other words, who is there to check whether the outputs of some of these sensors are actually staying accurate over time and if not, what are the consequences for the maintenance status of the buildings and the comfort level and safety of their occupants? Thus, while computer hardware and system networking software may be ready for this futuristic approach to building controls, it is very clear that not all the sensors needed to perform perfectly in this approach are here today to meet the challenge. In particular, gas sensors such as CO₂ and dew point might be relatively accurate over time but for how long before they become inaccurate? But would there be anybody or any mechanism scheduled in the networking controls system to perform the checking or re-calibrating tasks for them? To put it bluntly, until such time that all the required sensors in the networking controls system can be self-commissioning or in other words can render themselves capable of automatically staying accurate all the time, the futuristic building controls approach with the use of computer networking and relevant software to connect all the sensors in the system together working interactively simply will not work.

It is the object of the present invention to advance a configuration design and methodology for AB designed NDIR gas sensors such that they can become self-commissioning or in other words capable of automatically maintaining their measurement accuracy indefinitely over time after initial calibration. This invention is achieved via extending the previously disclosed Absorption Biased methodology of U.S. Pat. No. 8,143,581 and Re-calibration methodology without the need of standard gases (U.S. Ser. No. 13/149,738, Wong) for NDIR gas sensors.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is generally directed to a self-calibrating NDIR gas sensor and its use in which an infrared source illuminates a signal channel that is longer than a reference channel while electronics are used to calculate a chosen gas concentration in a sample chamber containing the two channels. The difference in length between the two channels creates an absorption bias between outputs of a signal detector and a reference detector, each of the two detectors having an identical narrow band pass filter with the same Center Wavelength (“CWL”), Full Width Half Maximum (FWHM) and transmittance efficiency at the CWL. A second pair of detectors, called standard detectors, are placed in the two channels, and both of these standard detectors have an identical standard narrow band pass filter with the same Center Wavelength (“CWL”), Full Width Half Maximum (FWHM) and transmittance efficiency at the CWL and the CWL of the standard narrow band pass filter is a neutral wavelength. The electronics of the sensor is calibrated by use of a calibration curve generated by using a normalized ratio of the signal channel output to the reference channel output that starts at unity when there is zero concentration of the chosen gas. The calibration curve is self-calibrated by using a stored standard gamma ratio obtained at a first period of time and a measured standard gamma ratio obtained at a second period of time after the first period of time, the standard gamma ratio being the ratio of a standard signal output from a standard signal detector to a standard reference output from a standard reference detector.

Such an NDIR gas sensor can be made to detect a second gas by including a second signal detector and a second reference detector that function similarly to the signal and reference detector, except that they are designed to detect a different gas. This additional pair of detectors will each have an identical second chosen gas narrow band pass filter with the same Center Wavelength (“CWL”), Full Width Half Maximum (FWHM) and transmittance efficiency at the CWL and will have its own calibration curve generated by using a second chosen gas normalized ratio of the second chosen gas signal output to the second chosen gas reference output that starts at unity when there is zero concentration of the second chosen gas. As was the case with a single gas detection sensor, the second gas calibration curve is self-calibrated by using the stored standard gamma ratio and the measured standard gamma ratio.

The NDIR gas sensor can also be recalibrated by comparing the sample concentration of a gas it is detecting to a second gas measurement of such gas determined by a secondary gas standard and then adjusting the normalized ratio of the signal output to the reference output for the gas based upon a reversed calibration curve algorithm that is a non-linear equation if a difference between the sample concentration of the gas and the second gas measurement exceeds a preselected threshold.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an NDIR gas sensor that self-calibrates itself.

This and further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in connection with the drawings and the detailed description of the invention set forth below.

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Gas Sensors Market size was valued at USD 1.9 Billion in 2014 and is forecast to reach USD 2.89 Billion by 2022

"Gas sensors devices are effectively used for maintaining the safety level especially in toxic environment condition. These sensors check the level of toxic gases mainly in industrial environments for avoiding any mishap."

Market Size - $ 1.9 Billion in 2014, Market Growth - CAGR of 5.4%, Market Trends – Increasing demand for compact and low power consumption sensors

Gas Sensors Market Size was USD 1.9 billion in 2014 and is predicted to achieve USD 2.9 billion in 2022 as estimated by Global Market Insights, Inc.  These devices are effectively used for maintaining the safety level especially in toxic environment condition. These sensors check the level of toxic gases mainly in industrial environments for avoiding any mishap. With a focus on security measures for preventing gas leakages, an exponential growth on this product is predicted. In addition, government norms for ensuring the health and security of workers are anticipated to increase demand over the projected period. Oxygen sensors are widely used in vehicles for maintenance of air quality. And also the effort to control emission across Asia Pacific is going to give a significant boost to the regional industry. Let’s take a look on some of the figures forecasting the future of sensors and their importance in near future.

Nitrogen oxide sensors touched USD 150 million in 2014 and are anticipated to rise at CAGR of 6.5% from 2015 to 2022. Medical gas sensors market share had exceeded 10% of global revenue in 2014. In addition to this, CO2 gas sensor size was gone above USD 500 million in 2014 and is estimated to fuel up to USD 800 million in the year 2022. Latin America market has noticed 10% of global rise in 2014. Europe is expected to rise at a CAGR of over 4.5% in the coming years. These rising digits are not going to stop in future because of wide use of sensors in numerous industries.

Apart from above mentioned sensors and their statistics, semiconductor gas sensing technology is also widely used for checking the gas level by measuring the change in resistance of semiconductor.  It contributed to 18% of overall gas sensors industry in 2014. Along with cost effective feature, these sensors are known for eliminating toxic and combustible gases present in the environment.

Chief manufacturers of sensors include Alphasense, Membrapor, Dynament, Figaro Engineering, City Technology and Dynament. All of them have dominated the market accounting for over 50% of the industry in 2014. In addition to new product development, companies working in this sector have adopted long-term agreements, along with mergers and acquisitions as primary growth strategies.

However, use of shale gas especially in electricity production may challenge the growth rate. It has emerged as an eco-friendly way of electricity production over the power generated through coal. But as per the predictions of market trends, these products are going to thrive in next coming years.

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Liquid level sensor market in global (USA, EU, Japan & Chinese) sales and consumption from 2016 to 2021 examined in new market research report

The 'Global and Chinese Liquid Level Sensor Industry, 2011-2021 Market Research Report' is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the global Liquid Level Sensor industry with a focus on the Chinese market. The report provides key statistics on the market status of the Liquid Level Sensor manufacturers and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the industry.

Then, the report explores the international and Chinese major industry players in detail. In this part, the report presents the company profile, product specifications, capacity, production value, and 2011-2016 market shares for each company.
The total market is further divided by company, by country, and by application/type for the competitive landscape analysis. The report then estimates 2016-2021 market development trends of Liquid Level Sensor industry.

Analysis of upstream raw materials, downstream demand, and current market dynamics is also carried out. In the end, the report makes some important proposals for a new project of Liquid Level Sensor Industry before evaluating its feasibility.

Overall, the report provides an in-depth insight of 2011-2021 global and Chinese Liquid Level Sensor industry covering all important parameters.

Major Points in Table of Content
Chapter One Introduction of Liquid Level Sensor Industry
1.1 Brief Introduction of Liquid Level Sensor
1.2 Development of Liquid Level Sensor Industry
1.3 Status of Liquid Level Sensor Industry
Chapter Two Manufacturing Technology of Liquid Level Sensor
2.1 Development of Liquid Level Sensor Manufacturing Technology
2.2 Analysis of Liquid Level Sensor Manufacturing Technology
2.3 Trends of Liquid Level Sensor Manufacturing Technology
Chapter Three Analysis of Global Key Manufacturers
3.1 Company A
3.1.1 Company Profile
3.1.2 Product Information
3.1.3 2011-2016 Production Information
3.1.4 Contact Information
3.2 Company B
3.2.1 Company Profile
3.2.2 Product Information
3.2.3 2011-2016 Production Information
3.2.4 Contact Information
3.3 Company C
3.2.1 Company Profile
3.3.2 Product Information
3.3.3 2011-2016 Production Information
3.3.4 Contact Information
3.4 Company D
3.4.1 Company Profile
3.4.2 Product Information
3.4.3 2011-2016 Production Information
3.4.4 Contact Information
3.5 Company E
3.5.1 Company Profile
3.5.2 Product Information
3.5.3 2011-2016 Production Information
3.5.4 Contact Information
3.6 Company F
3.6.1 Company Profile
3.6.2 Product Information
3.5.3 2011-2016 Production Information
3.6.4 Contact Information
3.7 Company G
3.7.1 Company Profile
3.7.2 Product Information
3.7.3 2011-2016 Production Information
3.7.4 Contact Information
3.8 Company H
3.8.1 Company Profile
3.8.2 Product Information
3.8.3 2011-2016 Production Information
3.8.4 Contact Information
......
......
Chapter Four 2011-2016 Global and Chinese Market of Liquid Level Sensor
4.1 2011-2016 Global Capacity, Production and Production Value of Liquid Level Sensor Industry
4.2 2011-2016 Global Cost and Profit of Liquid Level Sensor Industry
4.3 Market Comparison of Global and Chinese Liquid Level Sensor Industry
4.4 2011-2016 Global and Chinese Supply and Consumption of Liquid Level Sensor
4.5 2011-2016 Chinese Import and Export of Liquid Level Sensor
Chapter Five Market Status of Liquid Level Sensor Industry
5.1 Market Competition of Liquid Level Sensor Industry by Company
5.2 Market Competition of Liquid Level Sensor Industry by Country (USA, EU, Japan, Chinese.)
5.3 Market Analysis of Liquid Level Sensor Consumption by Application/Type
Chapter Six 2016-2021 Market Forecast of Global and Chinese Liquid Level Sensor Industry
6.1 2016-2021 Global and Chinese Capacity, Production, and Production Value of Liquid Level Sensor
6.2 2016-2021 Liquid Level Sensor Industry Cost and Profit Estimation
6.3 2016-2021 Global and Chinese Market Share of Liquid Level Sensor
6.4 2016-2021 Global and Chinese Supply and Consumption of Liquid Level Sensor
6.5 2016-2021 Chinese Import and Export of Liquid Level Sensor
Chapter Seven Analysis of Liquid Level Sensor Industry Chain
7.1 Industry Chain Structure
7.2 Upstream Raw Materials
7.3 Downstream Industry
Chapter Eight Global and Chinese Economic Impact on Liquid Level Sensor Industry
8.1 Global and Chinese Macroeconomic Environment Analysis
8.1.1 Global Macroeconomic Analysis
8.1.2 Chinese Macroeconomic Analysis
8.2 Global and Chinese Macroeconomic Environment Development Trend
8.2.1 Global Macroeconomic Outlook
8.2.2 Chinese Macroeconomic Outlook
8.3 Effects to Liquid Level Sensor Industry
Chapter Nine Market Dynamics of Liquid Level Sensor Industry
9.1 Liquid Level Sensor Industry News
9.2 Liquid Level Sensor Industry Development Challenges
9.3 Liquid Level Sensor Industry Development Opportunities
Chapter Ten Proposals for New Project
10.1 Market Entry Strategies
10.2 Countermeasures of Economic Impact
10.3 Marketing Channels
10.4 Feasibility Studies of New Project Investment
Chapter Eleven Research Conclusions of Global and Chinese Liquid Level Sensor Industry

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Automatic Carbon Dioxide-Methane Gas Sensor Based on the Solubility of Gases in Water

Biogas methane content is a relevant variable in anaerobic digestion processing where knowledge of process kinetics or an early indicator of digester failure is needed. The contribution of this work is the development of a novel, simple and low cost automatic carbon dioxide-methane gas sensor based on the solubility of gases in water as the precursor of a sensor for biogas quality monitoring. The device described in this work was used for determining the composition of binary mixtures, such as carbon dioxide-methane, in the range of 0–100%. The design and implementation of a digital signal processor and control system into a low-cost Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) platform has permitted the successful application of data acquisition, data distribution and digital data processing, making the construction of a standalone carbon dioxide-methane gas sensor possible.

Low-cost chemical analysis sensors can have a great impact in fields such as environmental preservation and energy efficiency. There is a growing market for this kind of sensor, especially for low-cost and reliable sensors focused on carbon dioxide (CO₂)-methane (CH₄) mixtures in biogas quality monitoring applications. Currently, the most studied method to transform waste into energy is anaerobic digestion, which can convert a variety of wastes, such as agricultural waste from animals and plants and municipal waste, into a full energy product such as biogas. The preferred technology for the analysis of single components in raw biogas, specifically to determine the CH₄ and CO₂ content, is optical sensors, which detect infrared absorption in the characteristic wavelengths for these molecules. In the literature, biogas composition has been measured with gas infrared analyzers, such as those used by Sedlačík and Dvořáčková, who utilized a GASCARD II infrared gas sensor from Edinburgh Instruments; Nordberg et al., who used a Model 6500 visible/near-infrared scanning monochromator from FOSS NIRSystems and Steyer et al. , who used a Siemens Ultramat 22P, which works on the principle of the nondispersive absorption of infrared light. Additionally, semiconductor diode lasers for use in the mid-infrared spectral region based upon lead-salt operating near 7.8 μm have also been used for methane measurements. However, there are two main drawbacks to the sensors outlined above: high cost and difficulty of installation at all biogas production sites. For comparison, the cost of a commercial FTIR spectrophotometer is near $20,000 USD, while the estimated cost of the gas sensor described here is approximately $5,000 USD. The described sensor is also easy to build and operate.

Methods for the acquisition of biogas methane content based in a variety of measurement principles have been reported in the literature. For example, Mandal et al. determined biogas quality using flame temperature as the measurement principle. In this case, the steady-state flame temperature was measured using a system consisting of a thermocouple probe and an analog temperature indicator. In addition, Rego and Mendes  and Rego et al. described a permselective gas sensor for determining the composition of carbon dioxide-methane mixtures in the 0–100% range. The sensor consisted of a permselective membrane, a pressure transducer for measuring the permeate pressure and a needle valve for controlling the permeate outlet to the atmosphere. Furthermore, Rozzi et al. used a thermostatically controlled cell containing 0.1 mol · L⁻¹ sodium bicarbonate in which the pH was monitored by an Orion combination glass electrode and an Orion Model 601A specific ion meter. When the pH reading had stabilized, gas samples were taken using a syringe and analyzed for CO₂ and CH₄ content using gas-solid chromatography on molecular sieves with nitrogen as the carrier gas and a katharometer for the detector.
Carlson and Martisson presented a technique to quantify variations in ultrasound pulse shape caused by interactions between the constituents of a two-component gas mixture as an alternative method to extract information concerning the molar fraction of a gas in a binary mixture. Additionally, Tardy et al. developed a dynamic thermal conductivity sensor for gas detection based on the transient thermal response of a SiC micro-plate slightly heated by a screen-printed Pt resistance. This device was intended for specific application in the determination of the specific gases in a mixture.
Gonzalez et al. used a device that passed the produced biogas through an Erlenmeyer flask filled with a 20% NaOH solution followed by a tube filled with soda lime pellets. The gas then passed through a Mariotte flask system containing water for the quantification of methane production. The displaced water was collected in a plastic container on a pressure sensor (QB 745, DS-Europe) for continuous monitoring of CH₄ production.
A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is an array of basic logic blocks where the user can define its interconnectivity, making it programmable in a fully open architecture. Therefore, an FPGA provides the advantages of a general-purpose processor and a specialized circuit that can be reconfigured as many times as necessary until the required functionality is achieved. The speed and size of the FPGA are comparable with the Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), but the FPGA is more versatile and its design cycle is shorter because of its reconfigurability. FPGA applications go beyond the simple implementation of digital logic; they can be used for the implementation of specific architectures for speeding up some algorithms. A specific structure for an algorithm implemented into an FPGA could have 10–100 times higher performance than its implementation on a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) or microprocessor.
Due to the sequential processing data flow on commercially available DSPs and microprocessors, the increase in sampling rate, mathematical processing, or versatility can impose severe restrictions on processor performance. Therefore, other alternatives for signal processing must be considered to achieve real-time data acquisition and data pre-processing. Moreover, FPGA devices have been gaining market share in system on chip (SOC) applications because they can integrate processing units defined by the user and related peripheral logic in the hardware, combining open architectures that do not depend on the manufacturer or specific platforms. However, DSPs and microprocessors have a fixed sequential construction for computation, which can easily be overloaded when the processing time between samples is significantly reduced, as in high-speed control, while FPGAs have a natural parallel architecture for high-speed computation. Along with the advantages previously cited, FPGA development is performed under Hardware Description Language (HDL), making the design portable and platform independent, which is not the case for commercially available DSPs or microprocessors.

In this paper, the development of a low-cost automatic carbon dioxide-methane gas sensor based on the principle of the solubility of gaseous species in water is reported. The novelty of this work is two-fold. First, a physical principle, never used before, is applied for binary mixture quantification, drastically reducing the cost and complexity of the equipment and facilitating on-line monitoring. Second, the hardware implemented in the FPGA has the capacity for data acquisition, data distribution, data processing, data communication and control, adding functionality and autonomy to the automatic carbon dioxide-methane gas sensor and allowing it to be deployed in the field.

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