US 7,359,055 B2 · Optical sensor for determining the concentrations of dyes and/or particles in liquid or gaseous media and method for operating the same

Abstract

The invention relates to an optical sensor (1) for determining particle and/or dye concentrations in liquid or gaseous media and to a method for operating the same. The optical sensor (1) comprises at least one measuring head. The measuring head consists of an emitter unit (2) with a semiconductor emitting element (9), which emits visible emission light beams (8), and with a receiver unit (3) with a semiconductor receiving element (10). The portion of the emission light beams (8), which pass through an absorption section containing liquid or gaseous medium, is guided onto the receiving element (10). An evaluating unit (6) is coupled to the measuring head via electric leads (4, 4′), and the received signals, which are present at the output of the semiconductor receiving element (10), are evaluated inside said evaluating unit in order to determine the particle or die concentration.

Claims28

Dependent claims

An optical sensor for determining concentration of dyes and/or particles in liquid or gaseous media, comprising:

at least one measuring head with a transmitting unit (2), provided with at least one semiconductor transmitting element (9) which emits visible light rays (8), as well as a receiving unit (3) provided with at least one semiconductor receiving element (10) onto which the portion of transmitted light rays (8) is guided which penetrates an absorption section filled with a liquid or gaseous medium;
and
an evaluation unit (6) which is connected via electrical supply lines (4, 4′) to the measuring head and is used for evaluating the receiving signals present at the output of the semiconductor receiving element (10) for determining the dye concentration and/or the particle concentration where the transmitting unit (2) and the receiving unit (3) are secured to the at least one measuring head defining the absorption section and can be secured adjustably in different positions on the at least one measuring head.

A method for operating an optical sensor having a semiconductor transmitting element (9) which emits light rays and a semiconductor receiving element (10) onto which the emitted light rays are guided where the emitted light rays penetrate an absorption section filled with liquids or gaseous medium, characterized by the following methods steps:

realizing reference measurements with known dye concentrations or particle concentrations during a calibration operation, using reference media arranged in the absorption section, for determining a sensor-specific and dye-specific and/or particle-specific reference extinction value Ecal;
subsequently determining extinction values Emeas that form actual measuring variables for liquid or gaseous media arranged in the absorption section;
and, following this, determining the dye concentration or particle concentration in the respective liquid or gaseous medium by relating the measured extinction value Emeas to the reference extinction value Ecal,
where the reference extinction value is formed according to the equation Ecal=1 g (Io/Ical), wherein Io and Ical represent the signals received at the semiconductor receiving element (10) for a dye-free and/or particle-free reference medium arranged in the absorption section and a reference medium with a predetermined dye concentration and/or particle concentration Ccal of the dye and/or particles to be determined.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Optical sensor for determining the concentrations of dyes and/or particles in liquid or gaseous media and method for operating the same

Life of this patent

Optical sensor for determining the concentrations of dyes and/or particles in liquid or gaseous media and method for operating the same

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims28