How Does an Alcohol Detector Sensor Work?

A portable measuring tool - an alcohol detector sensor, is a device designed to fix alcohol intoxication in a person. A modern breathalyzer is able not only to establish the fact of drinking strong drinks, but also to set the dose of alcohol consumed.

The principle of operation and controlled indicators

The principle of operation of the measuring device base on the capture by special sensors of particles of alcohol contained in the air exhaled from the lungs of the person tests. Moreover, according to the type of action, the sensors are divided into:

• semiconductor - having the greatest error;
• electrochemical - reliable and unpretentious, most widely good to use;
• Infrared - high-precision, not reacting to extraneous pairs, but unsuitable for mobile use.

The standard parameter that the alcohol detector sensor shows is the mass fraction of ethanol in mg contained in one liter of exhaled air. Intoxication records if the device shows 0.16 mg / liter and above.

The second indicator that assesses the degree of drunkenness is ppm, which shows how much alcohol in grams contains one liter of blood. The two indicators interrelate. Moreover, some breathalyzers automatically recalculate mg / liter in ppm: 0.35 ppm \u003d 0.16 mg / liter.

Classification of breathalyzers and verification of their correctness

According to the established methodology, it is customary to classify breathalyzers:

• professional - alcohol detector sensor good to use by traffic police officers, designed for a large number of measurements;
• individual - ideal for use as a self-control device;
• Special - good to use in the medical departments of some enterprises.

According to the accuracy of determining alcohol intoxication, professional breathalyzers consider the best. They design for long-term use, and are periodically tested in special metrological centers. The disadvantage of such devices is the high cost.

When the question is which breathalyzer to buy for the home, the best option would be an individual device with electrochemical sensors.

Moreover, the correctness of the testimony of the latter is easy to check at home using special alcohol detector sensor that determine the presence of alcohol in human saliva. Minus the method: you will need a “volunteer”, on which the readings of two “Alco indicators” compare.

Self-control will help you stay with “rights”

A simple instruction on how to use the breathalyzer will help you avoid trouble on the road. The scheme of actions is simple:

• turn on the device;
• wait for the device to warm up;
• exhale through a special mouthpiece;
• read the readings on the display;
• Cancel the trip, if the result is negative.

Moreover, it should remember that a household breathalyzer is a self-control device. It will not show how much more you can drink in order to completely deceive the state traffic inspector's alcohol detector sensor. But it is possible to reduce the quantitative indicators of intoxication if:

• immediately before the examination, take several full breaths and exhalations;
• in advance to take sorbents that remove alcohol from the body;
• before the trip to do physical exercises;
• have a hearty snack with hot food;
• and of course, the best way is not to provoke a traffic police officer to conduct an examination.

How long the breathalyzer will not show alcohol?

Most drivers show interest in knowing how long the alcohol detector sensor will not show alcohol when conducting an examination on the road. It all depends on the strength and dose of drinks consumed. Moreover, experimental data show that the breathalyzer will not detect a critical dose when consuming:

• 1 bottle of vodka after 17 hours;
• 6 bottles of weak beer after 2 pm;
• 2 bottles of wine after 15 hours.

If yesterday there was a fun feast. And in the morning, there is no breathalyzer at hand. Moreover, you can check the residual amount of alcohol “according to the folk”:

• breathe into a glass, strong fogging indicates the release of alcohol vapors;
• white plaque on the tongue, which is not present in everyday life. It will indicate alcohol intoxication;
• the strongest "dryness" in the mouth and an unpleasant persistent smell from it, called "fumes". A sign of strong alcohol abuses the day before. It is better to postpone the trip by car.

If I leave my alcohol detector sensor in the car, will anything happen?

It depends on the time of the year, as well as on how long the breathalyzer will lie in the car in the cold or heat. Like any electrical appliances. Breathalyzers do not recommend to store and even less good to use at extremely high or low temperatures.

Before using the device, be sure to bring it into a warm room and warm it up for at least 10-15 minutes. Otherwise, the accuracy of its measurements will be very low.

However, you should not store the alcohol detector sensor in the glove compartment of a car if you regularly leave it in the sun in the summer. The air temperature in the glove compartment in this case can rise above +60 ° C. Such an impact negatively affects the durability of the electronic circuits.

Can mouthpieces be reused to use?

When conducting official inspections at enterprises, as well as pre-trip inspections of drivers and medical examinations for alcohol intoxication. New disposable mouthpieces allow to be good to use. However, in private for self-testing, mouthpieces can reuse.

Moreover, to do this, after each test, they must thoroughly wash with warm soapy water or treated with a special disinfectant.

It should understand that one hundred percent accuracy and objectivity of the result of the analysis for alcohol gives only a new mouthpiece. Please remove from the sealed package immediately before the test.

What is alcohol detector sensor calibration?

This is a regular tuning procedure that is necessary for any breathalyzer at certain intervals. The procedure itself is quite simple. Moreover, an air mixture with a known concentration of ethanol vapor in it blows through the breathalyzer.

The breathalyzer analyzes it and gives the result, after which it adjusts up or down to match the reference value.

The accuracy of the alcohol vapor sensor in any breathalyzer decreases over time, as well as after each test. The results of the tests carried out gradually lose their objectivity and it becomes impossible to trust them.

Moreover, for traffic police alcohol detector sensor, as well as those good to use in enterprises and medical institutions. Timely calibration strictly requires and confirms by the relevant certificates. Test results that obtain using an uncalibrated breathalyzer are not legally binding.