Patent ID: 7249490

Claim:
A gas sensor assembly for detecting a constituent in a gaseous stream, the assembly comprising: (a) a mounting surface; (b) a sensor mounted on the mounting surface, said sensor capable of generating a detectable signal in the presence of said constituent; and (c) an enclosing structure comprising: (i) a walled component having a pair of vertically spaced ends, the walled component mounted at one end on said mounting surface and circumscribing said sensor; and (ii) a gas-permeable membrane attached at the other end of said walled component, thereby defining an interior volume within said enclosing structure, said gas-permeable membrane having optical properties that inhibit passage of light into said interior volume; whereby flowing the gaseous stream across said gas-permeable membrane infuses a portion of the gaseous stream into said interior volume containing said sensor, wherein said mounting surface is formed on a flexible circuit, said flexible circuit having a central portion and two end portions, at least one of said end portions capable of being folded under said central portion such that said central portion does not contact underlying components of said sensor assembly.