STUDY OF FIRE-ALARM SYSTEM USING PLURAL SEMICONDUCTOR AND QUARTZ-RESONATOR GAS SENSORS

Recognition of an output pattern from many sensors with different characteristics is promising for realizing an artificial odour-sensing system from the biomimetic viewpoint. The authors have applied the method to a fire alarm so that its reliability could be raised. Although it is easy to discriminate the smell of burnt paper from those of unburnt kerosene and gasoline, the smell of burnt paper cannot be distinguished from that of burnt cigarette when five tin oxide gas sensors are used. The introduction of a quartz resonator coated with lipid is useful to enlarge the pattern separation.