Development of an Integrated In-Vehicle Driver Breath Ethanol System Based on α-Fe2O3 Sensing Material

Abstract

Alcohol abuse is the dominant cause of fatal car accidents (about 25% of all road deaths in Europe). The large-scale implementation of systems aimed at the realization of in-vehicle driver breath ethanol detection is therefore in high demand. For this reason, we devoted our attention to the design of an inexpensive and reliable breath alcohol sensor for use in an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS). The main challenge in the development of this sensor is related to the complexity of breath composition and its high humidity content, coupled with the high dilution of breath reaching the sensor. In this work, a simple α-Fe2O3 film-based sensor was developed and validated in laboratory tests. Tests were also performed by placing the ethanol sensor within the casing of the upper steering column of a car to simulate real driving conditions. Using an array provided with the developed ethanol sensor and humidity, temperature and CO2 sensors, it was possible to differentiate the signal of a driver’s breath before and after alcohol consumption.