GASEOUS COMPONENT DETECTOR

摘要

PURPOSE:To detect an air-fuel ratio with high accuracy without having any influence of the temperature of waste gas, by using a gaseous component detection element made of a transition metallic oxide and carrying a catalyst on this detection element. CONSTITUTION:The first and the second lead wires 8 and 9 are inserted into a lower holding body 2 and an upper holding body 5 of a housing 1 and electrodes 10 and 11 are connected to the tip ends of the wires 8 and 9. A gaseous component detection element 13 made of a transition metallic oxide such as titanium oxide etc. is provided between the electrodes 10 and 11 and a catalyst 14 such as platinum is stuck to its surface. On occasion of detecting the gas, characteristic for an air-fuel ratio of an electric resistance value of the element 13 is varied suddently by the action of the catalyst 14 bordering on some air-fuel ratio and accordingly, the detection is carried out with high accuracy without making compensation for a temperature of waste gas by decreasing a detection error of the air-fuel ratio in very small. Also, a response property is improved by the catalyst 14 even when the temperature is low.