Apparatus for sensing at least one parameter in water

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9841392-B2
Application number	US-201314392030-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 19, 2013
Priority date	Sep 20, 2012
Publication date	Dec 12, 2017
Grant date	Dec 12, 2017

Abstract

Apparatus ( 2 ) for sensing at least one parameter in water, which apparatus ( 2 ) comprises: (i) a conductivity sensor ( 6 ) for sensing conductivity in water; (ii) the conductivity sensor ( 6 ) is an electrode-based conductivity sensor having bare electrodes ( 12 ) which contact the water; (iii) there are at least four of the electrodes ( 12 ); (iv) the conductivity sensor ( 6 ) is fabricated on a substrate ( 14 ) using photolithography and etching; (v) the conductivity sensor ( 6 ) is an open cell sensor having a physically unconstrained electric field; (vi) the conductivity sensor ( 6 ) is of a dot construction comprising a dot and a surrounding formation; (vii) the conductivity sensor ( 6 ) has two electrodes which are for current stimulation and which geometrically bound and enclose another two electrodes which are for voltage sensing; and (viii) the conductivity sensor ( 6 ) is a laminar construction on the substrate ( 14 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Apparatus for sensing at least one parameter in water, which apparatus comprises:
(i) a conductivity sensor for sensing conductivity in water;
(ii) a temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the water;
(iii) the conductivity sensor is an electrode-based conductivity sensor having bare electrodes which contact the water;
(iv) there are at least four of the electrodes;
(v) the conductivity sensor and the temperature sensor are on a substrate;
(vi) the temperature sensor comprises electrically resistive paths on opposite sides of the substrate;
(vii) the temperature sensor comprises strain compensation means for minimising error in the temperature sensor caused by stress on the substrate;
(viii) the temperature sensor is electrically insulated and protected from the water with an insulation layer and water barrier layer;
(ix) the temperature sensor is double, sided and is in direct contact with water on both sides;
(x) the conductivity sensor is an open cell sensor having a physically unconstrained electrical field;
(xi) the conductivity sensor is of a dot construction comprising a dot and a surrounding formation;
(xii) the conductivity sensor has two electrodes which are for current stimulation and which geometrically bound and enclose another two electrodes which are for voltage sensing;
(xiii) the conductivity sensor is a laminar construction on the substrate; and
(xiv) the conductivity sensor and the temperature sensor have a protection layer or protection layers providing both electrical insulation and a water barrier, and also covering areas of conducting materials that require protection from contact with the water.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the substrate includes a dissolved oxygen sensor for sensing dissolved oxygen in the water.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the substrate is a glass substrate.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the surrounding formation is a ring, an ellipse, a square, a triangle or an arc.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the electrodes are made of platinum, palladium, a noble metal, or titanium nitride.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1 and including a depth sensor for sensing the depth of the water.

Assignees

• Univ Southampton

Inventors

• Morgan Hywel
• Mowlem Matthew Charles
• Huang Xi

Classifications

• G01N33/18

  Water · CPC title

• G01K13/00

  Thermometers specially adapted for specific purposes · CPC title

• G01N27/06 Primary

  of a liquid (involving electrolysis G01N27/26) · CPC title

• G01F23/00

  Indicating or measuring liquid level or level of fluent solid material, e.g. indicating in terms of volume or indicating by means of an alarm · CPC title

• G01N33/1806

  Biological oxygen demand [BOD] or chemical oxygen demand [COD] · CPC title