Capacitive single plate bubble detector
AssigneeBaxter Corporation Englewood
InventorsYuriy Konstantinovich Umanskiy, David Lee Holien, Brian William Ward
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A single plate capacitive bubble detection sensor. The detector may employ a single active plate. A parasitic capacitance of the active plate relative to the environment may be monitored without reference to any particular ground source. In this regard, highly sensitive measurements may be made of a tube disposed adjacent to the active plate to detect, for example, the presence of air, liquid, or a change between liquid and air in the tube.
Claims17
A capacitive sensor for detection of a change in a material flowing in a tube for communicating a liquid, comprising:
- a sensor body comprising a sensor portion having a reference surface on a first side of the sensor body that is adapted for adjacent positioning of a tube relative to the reference surface such that the tube is disposed adjacent to only the first side of the sensor body along the reference surface;
- an active plate comprising a conductive material that is disposed at and extends relative to the reference surface of the sensor portion, wherein the sensor portion of the sensor body is devoid of any ground sources in an area coextensive with the extent of the active plate;
- a measurement module, executed by a processor, in operative communication with the active plate to measure a parasitic capacitance of the active plate in relation to an environment surrounding the active plate without reference to any particular ground source, wherein a change in a material flowing in the tube disposed adjacent to the sensor portion results in the parasitic capacitance of the active plate relative to the environment to change, such that the change in parasitic capacitance is detectable by the measurement module.
A device for detection of a change in a material flowing in a tube for communicating a liquid, comprising:
- a capacitive sensor comprising:
- a sensor body comprising a sensor portion having a reference surface on a first side of the sensor body an active plate comprising a conductive material that is disposed at and extends relative to the reference surface of the sensor portion, wherein the sensor portion of the sensor body is devoid of any ground sources in an area coextensive with the extent of the active plate, and a measurement module, executed by a processor, in operative communication with the active plate to measure a parasitic capacitance of the active plate in relation to an environment surrounding the active plate without reference to any particular ground source;
- and a tubing block for engagement of a plurality of tubes, wherein the tubing block is moveable relative to the sensor body to dispose a corresponding one of the plurality of tubes relative to the reference surface such that the corresponding one of the plurality of tubes is disposed adjacent to only the first side of the sensor body along the reference surface, and wherein a change in a material flowing in the corresponding one of the plurality of tubes disposed adjacent to the sensor portion results in the parasitic capacitance of the active sensor relative to the environment to change such that the change in parasitic capacitance is detectable by the measurement module.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.