FLUID MONITORING SYSTEM FOR MONITORING A PRESENCE OR A CONDITION OF A FLUID USING ITS PERMITTIVITY AND METHOD THEREFORE

Abstract

A monitoring system monitors a presence or condition of a particular fluid in a device for storing or conducting the fluid using permittivity properties of the fluid. The system includes: the device for storing or conducting the fluid; a detector component being an integral part of the device and having a component body and a passive antenna deposited on a surface of the component body; and a reader device having a reader antenna. The reader device emits an electromagnetic output signal with a predefined output power and over a predefined frequency range via the reader antenna to the passive antenna and measures a reflected signal over the predefined frequency range, which is reflected from the passive antenna. The reader device also compares the reflected signal with at least one reference signal of at least one reference fluid to determine the presence or the condition of the particular fluid.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A fluid monitoring system for monitoring a presence or a condition of a particular fluid in a device for storing or conducting the fluid using the permittivity properties of the fluid, the system comprising: the device for storing or conducting the fluid; a detector component being an integral part of the device and comprising a component body and a passive antenna which is deposited on a surface of the component body; and a reader device comprising a reader device antenna, wherein the reader device is adapted to emit an electromagnetic output signal with a predefined output power and over a predefined frequency range via the reader device antenna to the passive antenna of the detector component and to measure a reflected signal over the predefined frequency range, which is reflected from the passive antenna, and wherein the reader device is further adapted to compare the measured reflected signal with at least one reference signal of at least one known reference fluid to determine the presence or the condition of the particular fluid in the device.

17. The fluid monitoring system according to claim 16, wherein the detector component is a sealing component of the device.

18. The fluid monitoring system according to claim 16, wherein the reader device is adapted to calculate the reflection coefficients over the predefined frequency range using the reflected signal and the output signal.

19. The fluid monitoring system according to claim 16, wherein the component body is made of elastomeric material or a membrane of plastic selected from a group consisting of polybenzimidazole (PBI), polyimide (PI), thermoplastic polyimide (TPI), polyamideimide (PAI), polyethersulfone (PES), polyphenylene sulfon (PPSU), polyetherimide (PEI), polysulfone (PSU), polyetherketone (PEK), polyaryletherketone (PAEK), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), perfluoroalkoxy polymer (PFA), ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), polychlortrifluoroethylene (PCTFE), polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF), polybuteneterephthalate (PBT) or polyetheretherketone (PEEK).

20. The fluid monitoring system according to claim 16, wherein the passive antenna is a double split-ring resonator with two concentrically arranged rings.

21. The fluid monitoring system according to claim 16, wherein the passive antenna is deposited by printing, coating or laminating technologies.

22. The fluid monitoring system according to claim 16, wherein the passive antenna deposited on the surface of the component body is covered with a dielectric layer of a dielectric foil or a dielectric ink or lacquer different to the material of the component body.

23. The fluid monitoring system according to claim 16, wherein the material of the passive antenna is a stretchable material.

24. The fluid monitoring system according to claim 16, wherein the predefined frequency range of the output signal is 400 MHz to 1600 MHz or around 2.4 GHz.

25. The fluid monitoring system according to claim 16, wherein the reader device antenna is a circularly polarized antenna.

26. The fluid monitoring system according to claim 16, wherein the at least one reference signal is at least one predetermined reflection signal for air, water, or any fluid, which is a desired or a non-desired fluid in the device.

27. The fluid monitoring system according to claim 16, wherein the device for storing or conducting the particular fluid is a storage container or a device for dosing or pumping a fluid.

28. The fluid monitoring system according to claim 16, wherein the passive antenna is in the form of a split-ring resonator.

29. The fluid monitoring system according to claim 16, wherein the component body is made of a thermoset elastomer or a thermoplastic elastomer.

30. The fluid monitoring system according to claim 16, wherein the material of the passive antenna is a stretchable ink or paste.

31. A sealing component for the fluid monitoring system according to claim 16, wherein the sealing component is the detector component of the device for storing or conducting the fluid, and comprises a component body made of an elastomeric material or of a membrane of plastic selected from the group of polybenzimidazole (PBI), polyimide (PI), thermoplastic polyimide (TPI), polyamideimide (PAI), polyethersulfone (PES), polyphenylene sulfon (PPSU), polyetherimide (PEI), polysulfone (PSU), polyetherketone (PEK), polyaryletherketone (PAEK), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), perfluoroalkoxy polymer (PFA), ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), polychlortrifluoroethylene (PCTFE), polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF), polybuteneterephthalate (PBT) and polyetheretherketone (PEEK), and a passive antenna which is deposited on a surface of the component body.

32. A method for monitoring a presence or a condition of a particular fluid in a device for storing or conducting the fluid using the fluid monitoring system of claim 16, the method comprising: a. emitting an electromagnetic output signal with a predefined output power and over a predefined frequency range via the reader device antenna to the passive antenna of the detector component; b. measuring a reflected signal reflected from the passive antenna; c. comparing the measured reflected signal with at least one reference signal of at least one known reference fluid to determine the presence or the condition of the particular fluid in the device.

33. The method according to claim 32, wherein reflection coefficients over the predefined frequency range are calculated using the reflected signal and the output signal.

Description

BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE FIGURES

[0031] The invention is described in greater detail below with reference to embodiments that are illustrated in the figures. The figures show:

[0032] FIG. 1 a passive antenna of a fluid monitoring system in the form of a double split-ring resonator with two concentrically arranged rings;

[0033] FIG. 2 a schematic representation of a fluid monitoring system;

[0034] FIG. 3 a test container for monitoring a fluid using the fluid monitoring system; and

[0035] FIG. 4 a graph with different reflection measurements for different fluids.

EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0036] FIG. 1 shows an example of a circular double split-ring resonator with two concentric split-rings 30, 31, which may be used as passive antenna 3 in a fluid monitoring system as depicted in FIG. 2.

[0037] The geometrical parameter of the double split-ring resonator may be in the following ranges: radius of outer ring r: 30 to 60 mm, preferably about 46 mm; width of outer ring w1: 1 to 3 mm, preferably about 2 mm; width of inner ring w2: 1 to 3 mm, preferably about 2 mm; width of gap between rings wg: 1 to 3 mm, preferably 1.8 mm; gap size of outer ring d1: 1 to 3 mm, preferably about 1.8 mm; gap size of inner ring d2: 1 to 3 mm, preferably about 1.8 mm; layer thickness of rings h: 10 to 100 micrometres.

[0038] The fluid monitoring system comprises a detector or sensor component 1 including the passive antenna 3 and a reader device 5, which can emit an electromagnetic output signal 7 with a predefined output power and over a predefined frequency range. The output signal 7 is emitted via a reader device antenna 6 of the reader device 5, which is typically in the form of a circular polarized antenna. The reader device 5 may include a network analyser.

[0039] The reflected signal 8, which is reflected from the passive antenna 3 depends on the resonance frequencies of the passive antenna 3, which in turn is affected by the fluid 9 present near the passive antenna 3. The permittivity of the fluid 9 influences the electric field between the rings 30, 31 and thereby changes the resonance frequencies. The changes of resonance frequencies are best seen by so called reflection coefficients measured of the emitted frequency range (see FIG. 4).

[0040] The reader device calculates the reflection coefficients over the predefined frequency range using the reflected signal 8 and the output signal 7. The reflection coefficient, often referred to as S11 and given in dB, is the ratio of the reflected signal 8 over the output signal 7. Changes in permittivity of the fluid near the passive antenna alters the resonance frequency of the split-ring resonator, by changing the electric field around the split-ring resonator, which in turn leads to shifts in resonance peaks 81, 81′, 81″ as shown in the graph of FIG. 4. The resonance peaks 81, 81′, 81″ in FIG. 4 refer to different fluid samples. These signals may be used as known reference signals in a library of reference signals for comparison with the measured signal of the particular fluid in the device.

[0041] In general, the parameters of the passive antenna 3 are set to obtain a high responsiveness of the output signal or reflection coefficient in a predefined frequency range, typically 400 MHz to 1600 MHz, preferably 800 MHz to 1000 MHz, or around 2.4 GHz. The frequency range also depends on restriction of respective authorities. The power of the output signal is adjusted to obtain good reflection signals.

[0042] FIG. 3 shows a simple device 10 or container for measuring the reflection coefficients of the fluid 9 using the fluid monitoring system. The device 10 comprises a container wall 11 and the sensor or detector component 1.

[0043] The detector component 1 comprises a component body 2 and the passive antenna 3, which is deposited on a surface 4 of the component body 2, which is facing to the fluid 9. If the component body 2 is made of elastomeric material, the detector component 1 may be used as sealing component in a device 10.

TABLE-US-00001 Reference Signs 1 detector component, sensor component 2 component body 3 passive antenna 30 split-ring resonator 31 split-ring resonator 4 surface 5 reader device 6 reader device antenna 7 output signal 8 reflected signal 9 fluid 10 device (containing, conducting or processing fluid) 11 container wall 81, 81′, 81″ resonance peak