Cleaning device for cleaning an outer portion of a sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12259316-B2
Application number	US-202218064996-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 13, 2022
Priority date	Dec 15, 2021
Publication date	Mar 25, 2025
Grant date	Mar 25, 2025

Abstract

A cleaning device for cleaning an outer portion of a sensor includes: a pump connected to an air supply line; a pressure accumulator connected to the pump in a housing of the cleaning device, which can be mounted on the sensor; and an exhaust air duct with a pressure-controlled valve connected to the pressure accumulator and connected to at least one nozzle which is aligned on the outer portion to be cleaned. The cleaning device is configured to perform pressure-surge cleaning operations in which air drawn in by the pump is compressed in the pressure accumulator, and the compressed air in the pressure accumulator is expelled as a pressure surge via the at least one nozzle when pressure exerted by the compressed air enclosed in the pressure accumulator exceeds a pressure value required to temporarily open the pressure-controlled valve.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cleaning device for cleaning an outer portion of a sensor, which is in contact with a medium during a measuring mode, for measuring a measured variable of the medium, the cleaning device comprising:
a housing defining a volume therein;
a pump connected on an input side to a supply line adapted as an air supply line;
a pressure accumulator connected on an output side to the pump and disposed in the housing, which housing is mounted or is configured to be mounted on the sensor; and
an exhaust air duct including a pressure-controlled valve, the exhaust air duct connected to the pressure accumulator and connected to or configured to be connected to at least one nozzle, which is aligned or configured to be aligned with the outer portion to be cleaned,
wherein the cleaning device is configured to perform cleaning processes, which each include at least one pressure-surge cleaning in which:
air drawn in by the pump via the supply line is compressed in the pressure accumulator; and
at least a portion of the compressed air in the pressure accumulator is expelled as a pressure surge output via the least one nozzle connected to the exhaust air duct when a pressure of the compressed air in the pressure accumulator exceeds a pressure value required to open the pressure-controlled valve, wherein the pressure-controlled valve is configured such that, as the pressure surge output decreases the pressure in the pressure accumulator abruptly, the pressure-controlled valve automatically closes again.

2. The cleaning device of claim 1 , wherein:
the pump and the pressure accumulator are disposed in the housing of the cleaning device; and/or
the cleaning device is either a component of a measuring device comprising the sensor and the cleaning device or a device that is capable of being mounted on the sensor, which device comprises at least one of the least one nozzle and/or the exhaust air duct, which can be connected to the least one nozzle configured as a component of the sensor.

3. The cleaning device of claim 1 , further comprising:
an extension integrally formed on the housing, in which extension the least one nozzle is disposed; or
two extensions integrally formed on opposite sides of the housing; or
two extensions integrally formed on opposite sides of the housing that, when the cleaning device is connected to the sensor, engage an exterior of at least a portion of the sensor, wherein the at least one nozzle is disposed in at least one of the two extensions.

4. The cleaning device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a wiper configured to perform wiper cleanings of the outer portion of the sensor and operable via a wiper drive.

5. The cleaning device of claim 4 , wherein the wiper drive is an electric wiper drive or a pneumatic wiper drive.

6. The cleaning device of claim 4 , wherein each cleaning process comprises at least one pressure-surge cleaning and ends with a wiper cleaning performed by the wiper.

7. The cleaning device of claim 4 , wherein:
the wiper drive comprises a piston disposed in a piston housing, the housing including a first chamber and a second chamber, separated from the first chamber by the piston;
the piston is connected to a shaft of the wiper via a mechanical converter such that a movement of the piston from a first end position, in which the piston abuts a first stop that delimits the first chamber on a side facing away from the second chamber, into a second end position, in which the piston abuts a second stop opposite the first stop, causes a rotary movement of a wiper arm corresponding thereto from a starting wiper position into an end wiper position; and
the pump is connected to an inlet of the piston housing that opens into the first chamber via a discharge line connected on the output side to the pump.

8. The cleaning device of claim 7 , wherein the first chamber defines the pressure accumulator, and wherein the cleaning device is configured such that the pressure-controlled valve is opened by a pressure present in the first chamber when the piston, moved by the pressure present in the first chamber, reaches the second end position.

9. The cleaning device of claim 7 , wherein:
the exhaust air duct is disposed in the piston housing and opens into a recess that is open towards an interior of the piston housing or into a recess defined by a section of a bore extending through the piston housing or of a branch channel extending around the interior of the piston housing, and
the recess is arranged at a position within the piston housing such that a lower edge of the recess facing the second stop adjoins an upper side of an outer edge of the piston facing the first chamber when the piston is in the second end position.

10. The cleaning device of claim 7 , further comprising a spring including at least one spring element, wherein the spring is configured such that the spring is tensioned by the movement of the piston from the first end position to the second end position and such that the piston is moved back to the first end position by a spring force of the tensioned spring when the pressure in the first chamber drops due to the pressure surge output via the pressure-controlled valve.

11. The cleaning device of claim 10 , wherein the spring is:
a compression spring disposed in the second chamber;
a tension spring disposed in the first chamber; or
a spring disposed outside the piston housing and/or connected to a spindle of the converter or the wiper,
wherein the at least one spring element is a compression spring element, a clamping spring element, a coil spring element, a diaphragm adapted as a spring element, or a plurality of coupled spring elements.

12. The cleaning device of claim 7 , further comprising:
a supply air regulator configured to temporarily close and subsequently reopen the inlet into the first chamber during each pressure-surge cleaning performed with the cleaning device; or
a supply air regulator comprising a gate valve and a return spring, wherein:
the gate valve is disposed displaceably in a recess in a housing wall region of the piston housing through which the inlet passes;
the recess includes a closed end region and an open end region, which is opposite the closed end region and is connected to an interior of the piston housing via an opening or via an opening defined by a portion of a branch channel extending around the interior of the piston housing;
the opening is arranged at a position within the piston housing such that a lower edge of the opening facing the second stop adjoins an upper side of an outer edge of the piston facing the first chamber when the piston is in the second end position;
the gate valve is configured such that a pressure present in the first chamber pushes the gate valve into a locking position, thereby closing the inlet when the piston reaches the second end position;
the return spring is configured and arranged in the recess such that the return spring is tensioned by displacement of the gate valve into the locking position and pushes the gate valve into a passage position when a compressive force exerted by the opening on the gate valve falls below a restoring force of the tensioned return spring; and
the gate valve includes a passage channel extending through the gate valve, the passage channel aligned and arranged to define a channel disposed in the inlet and connecting the first chamber to the discharge line connected on the output side to the pump when the gate valve is in the passage position.

13. The cleaning device of claim 7 , wherein:
the second chamber is configured as a closed chamber; or
the second chamber is configu

Assignees

• Endress Hauser Conducta Gmbh Co Kg

Inventors

• Meyer Hans
• Vaca Torres Alejandro
• Buchfink Marvin

Classifications

• G01N2021/151

  Gas blown · CPC title

• G01N2021/152

  Scraping; Brushing; Moving band · CPC title

• B08B1/32

  using rotary cleaning members · CPC title

• B08B13/00

  Accessories or details of general applicability for machines or apparatus for cleaning · CPC title

• G01N21/15 Primary

  Preventing contamination of the components of the optical system or obstruction of the light path · CPC title