US 8,883,079 B2Granted

Aquatic environment water-quality monitor having a submersible chemical indicator wheel

AssigneeStep Ahead Innovations, Inc.

InventorJames E. Clark

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A water-quality monitoring system for an aquatic environment that includes a monitoring unit and a chemical indicator wheel designed and configured to be submerged in the water being monitored. The chemical indicator wheel includes a holder that supports a number of chemical indicators selected for use in measuring levels of constituents of the water. When in use, the wheel is drivingly engaged with a monitoring/measuring unit that includes at least one reader for reading the chemical indicators. In some embodiments, each apparatus includes a plurality of immobilized-dye-based chemical indicators that undergo an optically detectable physical change as levels of one or more constituents of the water change. Also disclosed are a variety of features that can be used to provide the monitoring system with additional functionalities.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A water-quality monitoring system for monitoring quality of water in an aquatic environment, comprising:

a chemical indicator wheel designed and configured to be submerged in the water of the aquatic environment during monitoring of changes in levels of one or more constituents of the water, said chemical indicator wheel including:
a holder having a rotational axis;
and
a plurality of chemical indicators fixedly supported by said holder, wherein said plurality of chemical indicators are designed and configured to continuously undergo optically detectable changes in response to increasing and decreasing changes over time in levels of corresponding respective differing constituents of the water;
and
a monitoring unit that includes:
an optical reader designed and configured to acquire optical readings of each of said plurality of indicators;
and
a drive system designed and configured to drive said chemical indicator wheel to at least one reading position for each of said plurality of chemical indicators, wherein said optical reader can take a reading of each of said plurality of chemical indicators while the chemical indicator wheel is submerged in the water of the aquatic environment.

6 more elements

A water-quality monitoring unit for monitoring quality of water in an aquatic environment, wherein the monitoring unit is designed and configured to rotatably drive a chemical indicator wheel designed and configured to be submerged in the water of the aquatic environment during monitoring of changes in levels of one or more constituents in the water, the chemical indicator wheel having a rotational axis and including a plurality of chemical indicators designed and configured to undergo optically detectable changes in response to increasing and decreasing changes over time in levels of corresponding respective differing constituents of the water, the monitoring unit including:

an optical reader designed and configured to acquire optical readings of each of the plurality of indicators;
and
a drive system designed and configured to drive said chemical indicator wheel to at least one reading position for each of said plurality of chemical indicators, wherein said optical reader can take a reading each of said plurality of chemical indicators while the chemical indicator wheel is submerged in the water of the aquatic environment.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/713,537Filed 13 Dec 2012 · continuation
Priority: 12 Dec 2011
Published: US 2014/0017143 A116 Jan 2014
Granted: 11 Nov 2014
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification42 codes

G01N 21/77
Systems in which material is subjected to a chemical reaction, the progress or the result of the reaction being investigated: by observing the…
C02F 1/008
Treatment of water, waste water, or sewage: control or steering systems not provided for elsewhere in subclass C02F
G01N 21/15
Arrangements or apparatus for facilitating the optical investigation: preventing contamination of the components of the optical system or…
G01N 21/78
By observing the effect on a chemical indicator: producing a change of colour