Electrochemical method and apparatus for gas detection

Claim 1

IN A SYSTEM FOR THE ELECTROCHEMICAL DETECTION OF GAS UTILIZING A POLARIZED ELECTRIC CELL, WHEREIN ONE OF THE ELECTRODES IS ADAPTED TO BE DEPOLARIZED BY A GAS TO BE DETECTED, THE METHOD WHICH CONSISTS IN MEASURING THE TOTAL CHANGE IN ELECTRIC POWER OUTPUT OF THE CELL PRODUCED BY CHANGING FROM ONE KNOWN GAS CENTRATION TO ANOTHER KNOWN GAS CONCENTRATION, REPLACING THE KNOWN GASES BY THE GAS TO BE TESTED, MEASURING THE DIFFERENCE IN TOTAL ELECTRIC POWER OUTPUT BETWEEN THE GAS TO BE TESTED AND ONE OF THE KNOWN GAS CONCENTRATIONS FOR DETERMINING THE UNKNOWN CONCENTRATION OF THE TESTED FROM THE PROPORTIONALITY BETWEEN CHANGES OF POWER AND CHANGES OF CONCENTRATION.

Claim 3

A SYSTEM OF ELECTROCHEMICAL GAS DETECTION COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A DETECTOR ELEMENT CONSISTING OF A PRIMARY ELECTOCHEMICAL CELL CONTAINING A CATHODE AND AN ANODE, SAID CATHODE HAVING A MORE POSITIVE POTENTIAL THAN SAID ANODE, AND SAID CATHODE BEING POLARIZED CURRENT GENERATED BY SAID DETECTOR CELL ITSELF WITHOUT THE AID OF EXTERNAL POLARIZING CURRENT, AND MEANS FOR SUBSTANTIALLY DECREASING SAID POLARIZING CURRENT WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY INCREASING TERMINAL VOLTAGE, SAID MEANS COMPRISING: AN AUXILIARY SOURCE OF ELECTRIC POWER, A VOLTAGE DIVIDER CIRCUIT CONNECTED TO SAID SOURCE OF POWER HAVING A PART WHICH PROVIDES A FRACTIONAL VOLTAGE, THE SAID PART OF SAID VOLTAGE DIVIDER CIRCUIT HAVING A RESISTANCE THAT IS SMALL IN COMPARISON BOTH WITH THE TOTAL RESISTANCE OF THE DETECTOR CELL CIRCUIT AND WITH THE TOTAL RESISTANCE OF THE VOLTAGE DIVIDER CIRCUIT WHEREBY A FRACTION OF THE TERMINAL VOLTAGE OF SAID AUXILIARY SOURCE SMALLER THAN ANY UTILIZED POTENTIAL DERIVED FROM SAID DETECTOR CELL IS MADE AVAILABLE, AND CIRCUIT CONNECTIONS FROM THE POSITIVE SIDE OF THE PART OF SAID VOLTAGE DIVIDER CIRCUIT PRODUCING SAID FRACTIONAL VOLTAGE TO THE CATHODE OF THE DETECTOR CELL AND FROM THE NEGATIVE SIDE OF SAID PART OF SAID VOLTAGE DIVIDER CIRCUIT PRODUCING SAID FRACTIONAL VOLTAGE THROUGH AN ELECTRIC CURRENT MEASURING DEVICE TO THE ANODE OF THE DETECTOR CELL.

Claim 4

A SYSTEM OF ELECTROCHEMICAL GAS DETECTION COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A DETECTOR ELEMENT CONSISTING OF A PRIMARY ELECTOCHEMICAL CELL CONTAINING A CATHODE AND AN ANODE, SAID CATHODE HAVING A MORE POSITIVE POTENTIAL THAN SAID ANODE, AND SAID CATHODE BEING POLARIZED CURRENT GENERATED BY SAID DETECTOR CELL ITSELF WITHOUT THE AID OF EXTERNAL POLARIZING CURRENT, AND MEANS FOR SUBSTANTIALLY DECREASING SAID POLARIZING CURRENT WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY INCREASING TERMINAL VOLTAGE, SAID MEANS COMPRISING: AN AUXILIARY SOURCE OF ELECTRIC POWER, A VOLTAGE DIVIDER CIRCUIT CONNECTED TO SAID SOURCE OF POWER HAVING A PART WHICH PROVIDES A FRACTIONAL VOLTAGE, THE SAID PART OF SAID VOLTAGE DIVIDER CIRCUIT HAVING A RESISTANCE THAT IS SMALL IN COMPARISON BOTH WITH THE TOTAL RESISTANCE OF THE DETECTOR CELL CIRCUIT AND WITH THE TOTAL RESISTANCE OF THE VOLTAGE DIVIDER CIRCUIT WHEREBY A FRACTION OF THE TERMINAL VOLTAGE OF SAID AUXILIARY SOURCE SMALLER THAN ANY UTILIZED POTENTIAL DERIVED FROM SAID DETECTOR CELL IS MADE AVAILABLE, AND CIRCUIT CONNECTIONS FROM THE POSITIVE SIDE OF THE PART OF SAID VOLTAGE DIVIDER CIRCUIT PRODUCING SAID FRACTIONAL VOLTAGE TO THE CATHODE OF THE DETECTOR CELL AND FROM THE NEGATIVE SIDE OF SAID PART OF SAID VOLTAGE DIVIDER CIRCUIT PRODUCING SAID FRACTIONAL VOLTAGE THROUGH AN ELECTRIC CURRENT MEASURING DEVICE TO THE ANODE OF THE DETECTOR CELL.