Apparatus for detecting a property of a liquid
AssigneeNippondenso Co., Ltd.
InventorsRie Ohsaki, Masayuki Goto, Yasuyoshi Toda
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In an apparatus for detecting a property of a liquid, light is emitted from a light emitting element towards an interface between a liquid to be measured and a prism in an interface channel. Reflected light from the interface is received by a light receiving device, and a refractive index of the liquid is obtained from the total reflection critical angle. A cleaning member capable of contacting the interface by the flow of the liquid is provided. The cleaning member may be a small body or a floating member, a tape/string member having one end fixed to a channel wall, or a wiper swingable by the flow of the liquid.
Claims7
An apparatus for detecting a property of a liquid, comprising:
- a unit in contact with a liquid to be measured, said unit emitting inspection light towards an interface between the light emitting unit and the liquid;
- a sensor for receiving light reflected at the interface;
- a unit for determining a property of the liquid by receiving an output signal from said light sensor;
- an accommodation chamber through which the liquid flows;
- and
- a cleaning member disposed in said accommodation chamber and including a freely movable part in contact with said interface on said light emitting unit moving in response to the flow of the liquid to wipe off a deposit on said interface, and wherein said cleaning member comprises a floating member which floats by the flow of the liquid,
- said cleaning member having a dimension which completely occupies neither a lateral cross-section of said accommodation chamber, nor a longitudinal cross-section of said accommodation chamber, so that said cleaning member can move freely in said accommodation chamber to collide against said interface on said light emitting unit in response to the flow of the liquid in said accommodation chamber.
An apparatus detecting a property of a liquid, comprising:
- a unit in contact with a liquid to be measured, said unit emitting inspection light towards an interface between the light emitting unit and the liquid;
- a sensor for receiving light reflected at the interface;
- a unit for determining a property of the liquid by receiving-an output signal from said light sensor;
- an accommodation chamber through which the liquid flows;
- and
- a cleaning member disposed in said accommodation chamber and including a freely movable part in contact with said interface on said light emitting unit moving in response to the flow of the liquid to wipe off a deposit on said interface,
- wherein said cleaning member has one end connected to said accommodation chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.