Fire detection with low power fet gas sensors

Gas sensors based on hybrid suspended gate field effect devices are used for the detection of specific gases occurring in test fires. This sensor type can be operated with a power consumption < 1 mW and is therefore best suited for the use in fire detectors. Different floating gate FET (FGFET) sensors designed for the detection of CO, CO2 and NO2 were tested in standard test fires regarding EN54. Significant sensor signals were obtained for all test fires enabling a reliable and fast detection of fires. In addition, a separation of fire types is possible by signal evaluation combining signals of different sensors. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.