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access icon free Development of integrated microsystem for hydrogen gas detection

  • Author(s): Swapan Das 1 ; Chandan K. Sarkar 2 ; Sunipa Roy 1
    • View affiliations
  • Source: Volume 12, Issue 4, July 2018, p. 453 – 459
    DOI:  10.1049/iet-cds.2017.0243 , Print ISSN 1751-858X, Online ISSN 1751-8598
© The Institution of Engineering and Technology
Received 05/07/2017, Accepted 30/01/2018, Revised 07/12/2017, Published 05/02/2018

A low-power microelectromechanical system-based metal–oxide gas sensor along with integrated signal conditioning unit is presented in this study to detect and quantify the variation of H2 gas concentrations. The interface circuit controls the sensor operating temperature, measures the H2 gas concentration, contributes a user-friendly interface and can be used with any suitable sensor network. A PIC16F877A microcontroller has been used for this purpose. The temperature of the sensors was stabilised by controlling the actuating voltage of the microheater. Temperatures of the microheater depend on the output voltage of the digital-to-analogue converter (DAC) and were measured by sampling the heater resistance through the use of a voltage divider and analogue-to-digital converters (ADCs). A microcontroller accordingly adjusts the output of DAC's in order to apply the appropriate steering voltage to the heaters. The method employed to measure the concentration of gases is to sample the voltage drop over the resistances of the sensors by ADCs. Alarming system for safety measure was also implemented in this design. The preventive action was taken by introducing an additional feature of wireless communication by sending short message service via global system for mobile modem to the designated emergency number.

Inspec keywords: temperature measurement; chemical variables measurement; microcontrollers; low-power electronics; signal conditioning circuits; gas sensors; analogue-digital conversion; temperature sensors; microsensors; voltage dividers

Other keywords: alarming system; H2; integrated microsystem; integrated signal conditioning unit; gas concentration measurement; low-power microelectromechanical system; voltage divider; microheater; mobile modem; digital-to-analogue converter; analogue-to-digital converters; ADC; interface circuit controls; hydrogen gas detection; metal-oxide gas sensor; heater resistance; actuating voltage control; voltage drop; DAC; PIC16F877A microcontroller; wireless communication

Subjects: MEMS and NEMS device technology; Signal processing and conditioning equipment and techniques; Thermal variables measurement; Thermometry; Chemical sensors; A/D and D/A convertors; Chemical variables measurement; Chemical sensors; Microprocessors and microcomputers; Microsensors and nanosensors; Micromechanical and nanomechanical devices and systems; Other analogue circuits

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