Conductive Polymer Breath Alcohol Sensor Heating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing breath alcohol content measuring devices experience slow heating due to punctual heat introduction, leading to prolonged wait times for operation readiness, especially at low temperatures.
Innovation Solution
The base body is made of electrically conductive polymer material with distributed contact electrodes that can be supplied with electricity, ensuring rapid and homogeneous heating of the flow channel or mouthpiece.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a wire helix is used for heating the base body, then the heating unit can be simple in structure, but the heating of the flow channel becomes sluggish and non-uniform
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical wire helix heating system with an electrical heating system using contact electrodes and electrically conductive polymer material. This substitution enables rapid and uniform heating throughout the base body by distributing electrical current through the conductive material, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and heating effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and properties of the base body material by using electrically conductive polymer material instead of conventional non-conductive materials. This parameter change allows electrical current to flow through the base body, generating heat uniformly and rapidly, thereby improving heating speed while maintaining structural simplicity.
2Device complexity
If a wire helix is used for heating, then the heating unit is simple to implement, but the waiting time for device activation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical heating system replaces the slow thermal conduction of the wire helix with rapid electrical heating through contact electrodes. This substitution significantly reduces the waiting time for device activation while keeping the heating unit structurally simple, effectively resolving the time-loss contradiction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary heating of the base body and flow channel before the actual breath alcohol measurement is needed. The electrical heating system enables this preliminary action to occur quickly, ensuring the device is ready for immediate use and reducing the operational waiting time.
3Speed
If heating power is increased to speed up heating, then the heating speed improves, but the energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies heating locally and uniformly throughout the base body using distributed contact electrodes and electrically conductive polymer material. This localized quality approach ensures that heat is generated where needed without requiring excessive overall power, achieving fast heating with moderate energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
By changing the electrical conductivity parameter of the base body material, the system enables efficient electrical heating. The conductive polymer material allows current to flow uniformly, generating heat rapidly but efficiently, thus achieving high heating speed without proportionally high energy consumption.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach allows for quick activation of the device even at low temperatures, ensuring accurate measurements by maintaining the breathing air temperature above condensation levels, thus reducing waiting times in critical applications like vehicle interlock systems.
Implementation Method 1
the base body consists of an electrically conductive polymer material and that a number of contact electrodes bear against the base body and/or are embedded in it, with the contact electrodes each having electrical Lines can be supplied with electricity
Implementation Method 2
a temperature sensor unit for measuring a temperature of the breathing air flow
Implementation Method 3
the formation of the base body from an electrically conductive polymer material ensures relatively rapid and homogeneous heating of the flow channel or the mouthpiece. The condensation of the breathing air flow is effectively counteracted
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a breath alcohol content measuring device with a base body containing a flow channel for the breath airflow, with an interchangeable mouthpiece for receiving the breath airflow of a person, which is connected to the base body at an upstream end of the flow channel, with an alcohol sensor unit associated with the base body for measuring the alcohol content of the breath airflow and a temperature sensor unit for measuring the temperature of the breath airflow, with a heating unit for heating the flow channel, with a control unit for processing measurement signals provided by the temperature sensor unit and for controlling the heating unit.wherein the base body and/or the alcohol content sensor unit consists of an electrically conductive polymer material at least in an area adjacent to the flow channel, and wherein a number of contact electrodes are contacted on the base body and/or the alcohol content sensor unit, the contact electrodes each being supplied with electric current via electrical conductors.