Patent ID: 6010615
Filing Date: 2000-01-04
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
A gas sensor comprising:a main pumping means for pumping-processing oxygen contained in a measurement gas introduced from external space into a processing space formed and comparted by an external solid electrolyte contacting with said external space so that a partial pressure of oxygen in said processing space is controlled to have a predetermined value at which a predetermined gas component as a measurement objective is not decomposable; anda detecting pumping means for decomposing said predetermined gas component contained in said measurement gas after being pumping-processed by said main pumping means by the aid of a catalytic action and/or electrolysis, and pumping-processing oxygen produced by said decomposition, wherein:said predetermined gas component contained in said measurement gas is measured on the basis of a pumping current which is allowed to flow through said detecting pumping means in accordance with said pumping process effected by said detecting pumping means; andsaid detecting pumping means having means for pumping out said oxygen toward an electrode of said main pumping means which is fixed to have a base electric potential.