Masayoshi Kaneyasu

Smell Identification Using a Thick-Film Hybrid Gas Sensor

An analytical method and experimental results of identifying and quantifying smells using an electronic system composed of an integrated sensor and a microcomputer are described. The integrated sensor with six different elements on an alumina substrate was fabricated by using thick-film techniques. The elements are kept at around 400°C by a Pt heater mounted on the sensor back. Since each element was made from different semiconductor oxides, they possess different sensitivities to material odors and the integrated sensor can develop specific patterns corresponding to each odor as a histogram of conductance ratios for each element. The microcomputer identifies the scent on the basis of similarities calculated by comparing standard patterns stored in the memory and a sample pattern developed by the integrated sensor. The scent is then quantified by using the sensor element with the highest sensitivity to the smell identified. The experimental results show that smells can be successfully identified and quantified with the electronic System.

An Advanced Engine Knock Detection Module Performs Higher Accurate Mbt Control And Fuel Consumption Improvement

When knock occurs in an engine, vibrations composed of several specific resonant frequencies occur. Some of these resonant frequencies are missed stochastically because specific resonant frequencies are caused by different resonant vibration modes in a combustion cylinder. This paper presents a multi-spectrum method which greatly improves knock detection accuracy by detecting the knock resonance frequencies. The developed knock detection module makes knock control possible throughout the entire engine speed for each engine cylinder. The experimental results show that sensitive knock detection and effective knock reduction control are obtained using the multi-spectrum method.