ABSTRACT
Integrated sensor application is always preferable for hazardous environments like underground coal mines where continuous monitoring of hazardous gas is extremely required, and it is always preferable to have the signal-conditioning unit present on the same chip as per modern sensor technology so that any type of adverse situation can be taken care of. Electronic processing techniques can be used to combine the responses of the different gas sensors of a gas sensor array by reducing or cancelling the effect of the other interfering stimulus and considering only the causative stimulus to provide a sensor output that is related to the concentration of the target gas. The sensor interface should be flexible to accommodate different sensors and signal-conditioning circuitry, if required. A smart sensor interface integrated with a microcontroller helps the designers to develop an integrated approach.
