Bubble Detector

Simple SummaryContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

The invention describes a simply constructed and reliable bubble detector for electrically conductive liquids. It works by generating an electrical field in the liquid with a transmitting and a receiving electrode. Objects like bubbles, which have different conductivity than the liquid, are detected because their movement changes the electrical field. The change is detected by simple electronics that compare signals from the electrodes, making the device sensitive, robust, and easy to manufacture.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Medical devices for monitoring air bubbles in blood during heart-lung machine operation or dialysis.
• Detection of gas bubbles or foreign objects in industrial liquid flows, such as in chemical, water treatment, or beverage production.
• Monitoring and quality control in laboratory automation and filling/dosing systems to ensure homogeneous, bubble-free fluids.
• Determining the content of solid particles or mixtures in slurries and suspensions, such as monitoring stone content in water during transport.
• Controlling the filling of containers, like ensuring no bubbles in tubes filled with pasty products (e.g., toothpaste production).
• Automotive fuel composition sensors (Flex-Fuel sensors), where different fuels are distinguished by conductivity changes.
• Condition monitoring of engine or hydraulic oils by detecting changes in electrical properties due to contamination or aging.
• Detection and analysis of multiphase flows in microfluidics, such as differentiating between liquid and gas or two immiscible liquids in micro-channels.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Simple construction reduces cost and complexity compared to optical or ultrasonic bubble detectors.
• Highly sensitive and reliable detection of bubbles or objects that differ in conductivity from the base liquid.
• Works with opaque liquids, and does not require transparent containers, unlike optical sensing methods.
• Effective even in large-diameter pipes or vessels, with integral measurement over the entire cross-section.
• Not susceptible to signal drift due to temperature variations, thanks to built-in compensation (gradiometer).
• Flexible electrode design for various vessel shapes and sizes.
• Minimal electronic signal processing is required for operation, enabling integration into compact devices.
• Versatile detection for gas, liquid, or solid inclusions, and adaptable to a wide range of industrial, medical, and automotive applications.

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Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

The aim of the invention is to create a simply designed, reliably measuring bubble detector. Said aim is achieved by a bubble detector comprising a device for determining objects such as bubbles flowing in a liquid. The device is formed such that flowing bubbles and the like are detected in the electrically conductive liquid by measuring an induced change in the electrical field in the liquid. The bubble detector comprises a transmitting electrode and a receiving electrode, by means of which the electrical field in the liquid is generated. The device further comprises an electronic readout system, which can determine a change in a potential profile, that is, a change in an electrical field generated by means of the two electrodes, by subtraction. Such subtraction can be implemented electronically with minimum efforts. A simply designed bubble detector can therefore be provided, by means of which an object or medium flowing in the electrically conductive liquid, such as flowing bubbles, can be detected reliably and quickly.