US 7,320,746 B2
Concentration detector
Yoshihiro Sakayanagi, Susono (Japan)
Assigned to Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Toyota (Japan)
Filed on Jul. 27, 2004, as Appl. No. 10/899,122.
Claims priority of application No. 2003-208060 (JP), filed on Aug. 20, 2003.
Prior Publication US 2005/0040041 A1, Feb. 24, 2005
Int. Cl. G01N 27/41 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 204—425  [204/426; 205/781; 73/23.31] 5 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A concentration detector for detecting the concentration of a particular component in a gas, which component forms oxygen by decomposition, based upon the amount of oxygen formed by the decomposition of the particular component, comprising:
an oxygen-forming unit that forms oxygen by decomposing the particular component;
an oxygen-discharging unit that discharges oxygen from the gas before oxygen is formed by the oxygen-forming unit;
an oxygen-discharging capability-increasing unit that increases the oxygen-discharging capability of the oxygen-discharging unit when the rate of increase of the oxygen concentration in the gas is greater than a first predetermined rate before oxygen is formed by the oxygen-forming unit; and
an oxygen concentration-maintaining unit that maintains the oxygen concentration of the gas after the oxygen-discharging unit discharges oxygen from the gas.