Gas detecting device

{
  "publication_number": "US4617821A",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "A",
  "title": "Gas detecting device",
  "abstract": "A gas detecting device principally used for detecting liquor contained in expired gas of a driver of a car. The gas detecting device is of the type wherein an inlet opening for sucking expired gas of an object person for measurement is provided adjacent an end of a cylindrical member, and an air blower for attracting the expired gas thus sucked and a gas detecting element for detecting liquor in the expired gas are contained in said cylindrical member, and comprises an illuminating section connected to said power source for illuminating forwardly of said inlet opening of said cylindrical member. Thus, the gas detecting device is integrally provided with an illuminating function and a gas detecting function. The device may further comprise a convex lens located forwardly of the illuminating section for condensing light irradiated from the illuminating section whereby it is provided with a distance setting function for setting a distance between the object person for measurement and the gas detecting device in addition to the aforementioned two functions. The device may further comprise a switch having a movable contact connected to the power source, a first fixed contact connected to a light source of the distance setting section, and a second fixed contact connected to a heater contained in the detecting element whereby power consumption can be saved.",
  "claims": [
    "1. In a gas detecting device including a cylindrical member formed with an inlet opening through which exhalation gas of a person to be tested for alcohol level enters said cylindrical member, and an air blower for drawing the exhalation gas towards a gas detecting element contained in said cylindrical member and connected to a power source, the improvement which comprises an illuminating section located inside said cylindrical member and connected to said power source for providing illumination forwardly of said inlet opening of said cylindrical member, wherein said illuminating section includes a light source, a substantially conical reflecting plate for reflecting light from said light source, said reflecting plate having a forward opening through which light passes from the light source to illuminate the mouth of a person for measurement of exhalation gas with said gas detecting device spaced from the person in alignment with the mouth of said person by means of light from said light source.",
    "2. A gas detecting device according to claim 1, further comprising a switch having a movable contact connected to said power source, a first fixed contact connected to said light source, and a second fixed contact connected to a heater contained in said detecting element, said power source also being contained within the cylindrical member.",
    "3. In a gas detecting device including a cylindrical member formed with an inlet opening through which exhalation gas of a person to be tested for alcohol level enters said cylindrical member, and an air blower for drawing the exhalation gas towards a gas detecting element contained in said cylindrical member and connected to a power source, the improvement which comprises an illuminating section connected to said power source for providing illumination forwardly of said inlet opening of said cylindrical member, wherein said illuminating section includes a light source, a substantially conical reflecting plate for reflecting light from said light source, said reflecting plate having a forward opening, and a lens provided in the forward opening of said reflecting plate, wherein said lens in a convex lens having a focal distance such that said lens condenses light from said light source at the mouth of the person for measurement when said gas detecting device is spaced from the person for measurement by a distance determined at an inspection stage during production.",
    "4. In a gas detecting device including a cylindrical member formed with an inlet opening through which exhalation gas of a person to be tested for alcohol level enters said cylindrical member, and an air blower for drawing the exhalation gas towards a gas detecting element contained in said cylindrical member and connected to a power source, the improvement which comprises an illuminating section connected to said power source for providing illumination forwardly of said inlet opening of said cylindrical member, wherein said illuminating section includes a light source, a substantially conical reflecting plate for reflecting light from said light source, said reflecting plate having a forward opening, and a lens provided in the forward opening of said reflecting plate, wherein said lens is a flat lens having at a part thereof a convex lens section which has a focal distance such that said lens condenses light from said light source at the mouth of the person for measurement when said gas detecting device is spaced from the person for measurement by a distance determined at an inspection stage during production.",
    "5. A gas detecting device according to claim 4, wherein said convex lens section of said flat lens has a coloring member provided thereon which colors light passing through said convex lens section in a different color than a color of light which passes through the other part of said flat lens."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "1. Field of the Invention\n\nThis invention relates to a gas detecting device principally for detecting liquor contained in expired gas of a vehicle operator.\n\n2. Description of the Prior Art\n\nA gas detecting device of the type wherein expired gas of a driver of a car such as an automobile or a motorcycle is positively taken in and an indicator lamp is controlled to be lit up by a detecting circuit in response to a change in electric conductivity of a gas detecting element made of a semiconductor and provided in the detecting circuit in accordance with a well known semiconductor characteristic reaction of the detecting element itself when the expired gas taken into the device is contacted with the gas detecting element in order to facilitate detection of liquor present in the expired gas taken into the device, is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Publication Utility Model No. 52-35759.\n\nAccording to the gas detecting device, a volume in the detecting circuit is adjusted, prior to forwarding or shipment of the device, at an inspection stage of production steps such that the indicator lamp may be lit up when the device is positioned at a point spaced a predetermined distance (normally at a point spaced by a distance from 15 to 20 cm) from test alcohol of a predetermined fixed concentration.\n\nAccordingly, it is desirable that the gas detecting device is spaced, in actual use thereof, by such a distance as described above from a mouth of an object person for measurement who is a driver of a car.",
  "cpc": [
    "G01N 33/4972"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "G01N 33/497"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Nippon Seiki Co Ltd"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Meiso Yokoyama",
    "Makoto Takahashi",
    "Tsunehiko Nishiwaki",
    "Makoto Imai"
  ],
  "filing_date": "1985-02-13",
  "publication_date": "1986-10-21",
  "grant_date": "1986-10-21",
  "priority_date": "1984-02-24",
  "application_number": "US-70121785-A",
  "family_id": "27285320",
  "cited_by_count": 34,
  "citations": [
    "US3903726A",
    "US3877291A",
    "US4047893A",
    "US4090078A",
    "US4432041A"
  ]
}