Sensor arrangement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10598626-B2
Application number	US-201715420120-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2017
Priority date	Feb 1, 2016
Publication date	Mar 24, 2020
Grant date	Mar 24, 2020

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a sensor arrangement including a housing, connectable to a process container and including a guiding passageway formed therein, and a sensor body displaceable in the guiding passageway between a first position and a second position, wherein the sensor body has at least one end section, which can be moved out of the housing and which includes at least one sensor element serving for registering a measured variable of a measured medium, wherein the at least one sensor element is arranged in the first position of the sensor body within a chamber formed in the housing and, in the second position of the sensor body, outside of the housing, and wherein the at least one end section of the sensor body has a base and a peripheral surface, wherein the at least one sensor element forms a part of the peripheral surface.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sensor arrangement comprising:
a housing connectable with a process container and including a guiding passageway and a chamber formed therein; and
a sensor body displaceable in the guiding passageway in an axial direction between a first position and a second position, the sensor body having at least one end section that can be translated out of the housing, the at least one end section including at least one sensor element configured to register a measured variable of a measured medium,
wherein, in the first position of the sensor body, the at least one sensor element is arranged within the chamber and, in the second position of the sensor body, outside of the housing, and
wherein the at least one end section of the sensor body includes a base and a peripheral surface, and the at least one sensor element is integrated into a housing wall of the sensor body that forms a part of the peripheral surface.

2. The sensor arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor element is either one-piece with the housing wall or connected by material bonding with an opening of the housing wall such that the at least one sensor element closes the opening of the housing wall.

3. The sensor arrangement of claim 2 , wherein the at least one sensor element comprises a membrane, which closes the chamber surrounded by the housing wall.

4. The sensor arrangement of claim 3 , wherein the at least one sensor element is structured as an annular insert in the housing wall, extending around a rotational symmetry axis of the housing wall.

5. The sensor arrangement of claim 4 , wherein a housing part has a cylindrical or annular shape and the at least one sensor element closes the housing part on an end as an appendage of the housing part, wherein the appendage is a capsule-shaped appendage or an appendage embodied as an annular cup.

6. The sensor arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the sensor arrangement is a potentiometric sensor arrangement having a measuring half cell and a reference half cell.

7. The sensor arrangement of claim 6 , wherein a measuring half cell chamber and a reference half cell chamber are formed in the sensor body.

8. The sensor arrangement of claim 7 , wherein a portion of a wall of the measuring half cell chamber forms at least one part of the peripheral surface of the end section of the sensor body, and wherein the at least one sensor element includes an ion-selective membrane integrated into the portion of the wall of the measuring half cell chamber forming the part of the peripheral surface of the end section.

9. The sensor arrangement of claim 8 , wherein the ion-selective membrane is a pH glass membrane.

10. The sensor arrangement of claim 7 , wherein a portion of a wall of the reference half cell chamber forms at least one part of the peripheral surface of the end section of the sensor body, the portion of the wall of the reference half cell chamber having an electrochemical diaphragm arranged therein.

11. The sensor arrangement of claim 7 , wherein the at least one end section of the sensor body is cylindrical, and wherein the measuring half cell chamber or the reference half cell chamber is formed in a first annular housing part of the sensor body, which surrounds at least one section of a second housing part of the sensor body.

12. The sensor arrangement of claim 7 , wherein the sensor body has a plurality of cylindrical end sections structured to translate from the housing and extend substantially parallel to one another, wherein each of the end sections includes one section of a housing part of the sensor body, and wherein the measuring half cell chamber is formed in a housing part forming a first end section, and the reference half cell chamber is formed in a separate housing part forming a second end section.

13. The sensor arrangement of claim 12 , wherein a further housing part of the sensor body forming a third end section includes a temperature sensor element.

14. The sensor arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the at least one end section of the sensor body includes a temperature sensor element.

15. The sensor arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the chamber formed in the housing is formed between the guiding passageway and the peripheral surface of the at least one end section of the sensor body, and wherein the chamber is bounded by a sealing element extending peripherally around the end section of the sensor body.

16. The sensor arrangement of claim 15 , wherein the sealing element is disposed in the housing and bears against the peripheral surface of the at least one end section of the sensor body, and wherein the at least one sensor element travels over the sealing element as the sensor body translates from the first position into the second position.

17. The sensor arrangement of claim 16 , wherein the at least one sealing element includes a peripheral protrusion structured to wipe off substances clinging to the peripheral surface or the at least one sensor element.

18. The sensor arrangement of claim 1 , the sensor arrangement further comprising:
a closable liquid inlet in fluid communication with the chamber through the housing; and
a closable liquid outlet in fluid communication with the chamber through the housing.

19. The sensor arrangement of claim 18 , wherein the chamber contains a calibration liquid or an electrolyte solution that contacts the at least one sensor element when the sensor body is in the first position.

Assignees

• Endress Hauser Conducta Gmbh Co Kg
• Endress Conducta Gmbh Co Kg

Inventors

• Wunderlich Ingrid
• Hanko Michael
• Fanselow Christian

Classifications

• G01N27/4035

  Combination of a single ion-sensing electrode and a single reference electrode (G01N27/406 and G01N27/413 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01N27/333 Primary

  Ion-selective electrodes or membranes (glass electrodes G01N27/36) · CPC title

• G01N27/4161

  measuring the voltage and using a constant current supply, e.g. chronopotentiometry · CPC title