AGITATOR FOR MEASURING PROCESS PARAMETERS IN A WIRELESS AND/OR BATTERY-FREE MANNER

Abstract

An agitator is configured to move within a vessel in order to circulate at least one substance, the agitator including at least one sensor, the sensor being configured to detect parameters of the circulating process and/or parameters of the substance and/or parameters of an reaction and/or parameters of the agitator, and agitator being configured to supply energy to at least one sensor in a wireless manner and to transmit sensor signals to an evaluating device.

The invention further relates to an agitator system with such an agitator and a method for detecting and measuring, respectively, process parameters in a wireless and/or battery-free manner.

Claims

1. An agitator, wherein the agitator is configured to move within a vessel in order to circulate at least one substance, wherein the agitator comprises at least one sensor which is configured to detect parameters of the circulating process and/or parameters of the substance and/or parameters of a reaction and/or parameters of the agitator, and wherein the agitator is configured to transmit sensor signals of the at least one sensor to an evaluating device in a wireless manner, wherein the at least one sensor is configured to detect the parameters in an intermittent manner, wherein the agitator comprises at least one further sensor being configured to detect parameters of the circulating process and/or detect parameters of the agitator, wherein the sensors are arranged at different points of the agitator, and sensors detecting the parameters of the agitator itself are arranged at points where high mechanical loads occur, and sensors detecting parameters of a concentration of the substances to be circulated are arranged in the vicinity of extremities of a rotating circulator of the agitator.

2. The agitator according to claim 1, wherein the agitator is configured to receive an energy which may be used for operating the at least one sensor in a wireless manner.

3. The agitator according to claim 1, wherein the agitator comprises a transmission device which is configured to output and/or transmit the detected parameters in a wireless manner.

4. The agitator according to claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is configured to detect one or more of the following parameters such as: temperature, pressure, humidity, magnetic field strength/flux, pH-value, acceleration, concentration of a substance or mixture of substances, and the like.

5. The agitator according to claim 1, wherein the agitator is configured to be driven in a contactless manner.

6. The agitator according to claim 1, comprising: a circulator; a coupling device connected to the circulator in a first region thereof and comprising a second region of the coupling device spaced apart from the first region, the device being configured to be coupled to an antenna for transmitting sensor signals and/or energy and/or a mechanical drive.

7. The agitator according to claim 6, wherein only the first region of the coupling device is configured to be immersed in a substance to be agitated.

8. The agitator according to claim 6, wherein the antenna for transmitting sensor signals is arranged closer to the second region of the coupling device comprising the mechanical drive than the at least one sensor.

9. An agitator system comprising: an agitator according to claim 1; a vessel configured to receive the agitator and the substances to be agitated by the agitator; a drive configured drive the agitator.

10. The agitator system according to claim 9, wherein the agitator system comprises a transmission device with a stationary antenna coupled to an evaluating device.

11. The agitator system according to claim 10, wherein the stationary antenna is arranged around a mechanical coupling device, and/or wherein the stationary antenna comprises a winding arranged around the mechanical coupling device.

12. The agitator system according to claim 9, wherein the agitator comprises an antenna arranged around the mechanical coupling device for transmitting the sensor signals to the stationary antenna; and/or wherein the agitator comprises an antenna for transmitting the sensor signals to the stationary antenna comprising a winding arranged around the mechanical coupling device.

13. The agitator system according to claim 10, wherein an antenna of the agitator and an antenna coupled to the evaluating device are arranged such that an electric non-conductive region of the vessel is located between the antennas.

14. The agitator system according to claim 10, wherein the antenna of the agitator and/or the antenna of the evaluating device are surrounded by an enclosure made of a mechanically and/or chemically resistant material.

15. The agitator system according to claim 10, wherein the agitator system comprises an evaluating device which is established to evaluate the parameters detected by the at least one sensor.

16. The agitator system according to claim 10, wherein the evaluating device is configured to receive the parameters being transmitted by the transmission device of the agitator in a contactless manner.

17. The agitator system according to claim 9, wherein the drive is configured to drive the agitator in a contactless manner.

18. A method for agitating at least one substance, wherein an agitator according to claim 1 is moved within a vessel in order to circulate at least one substance, and wherein, during movement of the agitator, a sensor signal received by a sensor arranged in or at the agitator is transmitted to an evaluating device in a wireless manner, wherein the at least one sensor detects the parameters in an intermittent manner, wherein at least one further sensor detects parameters of the circulating process and/or detect parameters of the agitator, wherein the sensors are arranged at different points of the agitator, and sensors detecting the parameters of the agitator itself are arranged at points where high mechanical loads occur, and sensors detecting parameters of a concentration of the substances to be circulated are arranged in the vicinity of extremities of a rotating circulator of the agitator.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein, during movement of the agitator, the sensor being arranged in or at the agitator is located in a region of the agitator which is surrounded by the at least one substance to be agitated, and wherein, at least during movement of the agitator, an antenna via which the sensor signals are transmitted to the evaluating device in a wireless manner, is located at least partially outside a region which is surrounded by the at least one substance to be agitated.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Embodiments of the present invention will be detailed subsequently referring to the appended drawings, in which:

[0033] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an agitator according to an embodiment;

[0034] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an agitator system with an agitator according to an advantageous embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0035] In the following, embodiments are described in more detail with reference to the figures, with elements having the same or similar function being indicated by the same reference signs.

[0036] In FIG. 1, a highly simplified embodiment of an agitator 100 according to an embodiment of the invention is shown. The agitator 100 includes two sensors 110, 120 arranged at/in blades or paddles of the agitator 100. The blades or paddles form a circulator 130 of the agitator 100 for the at least one substance to be circulated. The number of sensors 110, 120 is not reduced to two, but may be increased or decreased to meet the needs for detecting and evaluating useful parameters. The two sensors 110 and 120, respectively, may be sensors of the same type or of different types. In the case of sensors 110, 120 of the same type, for example, a plausibility check may be performed during the detection and evaluation of the parameters detected by the sensors 110, 120. A plausibility check is also possible if the parameters of the respective sensors 110, 120 are in a causal relationship. The agitator 100 shown in FIG. 1 has a coupling device 150 which may be used to connect the agitator to a mechanical drive, for example. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1, the agitator 100 may be driven by, for example, a magnetic or electric inductive drive 500 without having to be coupled to a drive via a mechanical connection. The drive 500 is shown in FIG. 1 in a highly simplified form as a plate. A contactless drive 500 is particularly advantageous when, due to contact of a substance to be circulated with the agitator 100 or its drive, an undesired interaction occurs which could influence parameters detected by the sensors 110, 120. In addition, the agitator 100 according to the embodiment of FIG. 1 may be configured to be particularly compact. In the present embodiment of FIG. 1, the agitator 100 further comprises a transmission device 160, with which a contactless transmission of signals or of the parameters detected by the sensors 110, 120 is possible. The coupling device 150 is additionally or alternatively configured to receive energy for the sensors 110, 120 and/or the transmission device 160. This is particularly advantageous as it eliminates the need for batteries in the agitator 100 which would be destroyed at high temperatures. The transmission device 160 is configured to transmit the detected parameters of the sensors 110, 120 to an evaluating device 400 for further processing—for example, via an antenna 450. In the present embodiment of FIG. 1, the transmission device 160 is configured as a wireless transmitter or transmitter-receiver.

[0037] In another embodiment not shown here, the coupling device 150 and the transmission device 160 are one single device. In intermittent operation, this single device may then, for example, transmit energy and transmit parameters simultaneously. This may again save installation space which may be used, for example, for further sensors to be accommodated in the agitator 100. Alternatively, the agitator 100 may be made even more compact and smaller compared to such agitators that are powered by a battery.

[0038] Furthermore, in yet another embodiment not shown here, installation space saved due to the lack of batteries can be provided for the accommodation of a calculation logic, wherein the detected parameters of the sensors 110, 120 are already evaluated by the calculation logic integrated in the agitator 100 and may be transmitted directly to an evaluating device 400.

[0039] FIG. 2 illustrates another embodiment of an agitator 100 integrated into an agitator system 1000. Furthermore, the agitator system includes a vessel 200 which is configured to receive the agitator 100 and the substances 300 to be circulated by the agitator 100. The agitator system 1000 further includes a drive 500, which is indicated in FIG. 2 as an interrupted axle—having a predetermined direction of rotation. The drive 500 may be, for example, an electric motor that drives the axle of the agitator 100. Furthermore, the agitator system 1000 comprises an evaluating device 400 which may, via a stationary antenna 450 as coupling device be coupled to a stationary antenna 155 of the coupling device 150 of the agitator 100. In the present case, the antenna 450 of the evaluating device 400 or the antenna 155 of the agitator 100 is stationary and arranged coaxially or concentrically around the driving axle of the agitator 100. Such an arrangement is advantageous if the agitator 100 or its sensors 110, 120 are located in an electrically conductive vessel 200, for example a metallic vessel. For contactless or wireless transmission, there should be no electrically conductive wall between the transmission device 160 and the evaluating device 400. In the present embodiment of FIG. 2, the vessel 200 is a metallic cylinder in which at least one substance 300 is circulated by the blades or paddles of the agitator 100. In this case, the agitator 100 comprises a circulator 130 with two blades and an axle which is connected to the agitator 100 and may be mechanically connected to the drive 500. In this case, the sensors 110, 120 are arranged in a region 151 of the axle of the drive 500 which is below a level of the at least one substance 300 to be circulated. In other words, a region 151 of the agitator 100 used for detecting the parameters of the substance 300 using the sensors 110, 120 is immersed in the substance 300. The coupling device 150 or antenna 160 for transmitting the sensor signals and/or energy is arranged in a region 152 above the substance level, so that the antenna 160 does not come into contact or is not in contact with the substance 300.

[0040] The coupling device 150 of the agitator 100 is configured to receive energy for the sensors 110, 120 and to transmit energy to them. Accordingly, it is not necessary in the embodiment according to FIG. 2 to provide batteries in the vicinity of the sensors 110, 120. As already described above, batteries may be destroyed especially at high temperatures of the substances 300 to be circulated, which can occur, for example, during an exothermic reaction, whereby detection and transmission of parameters that are detected by the sensors 110, 120 is no longer possible.

[0041] The signals or parameters of the substances 300 received by the evaluating device 400 may be evaluated for further use and/or may serve to control the circulating process within the vessel 200 of the agitator system 1000. For example, according to an advantageous embodiment, a reaction of one or more substances 300 taking place in the vessel 200 may be influenced in real time, by the evaluating device 400 controlling the drive 500 of the agitator 100 or a heating device of the vessel 200 via an interface—not shown here.

[0042] According to another advantageous embodiment, the agitator 100, the coupling device 150 and the antenna 155 of the agitator 100, respectively, and/or the antenna 450 of the evaluating device 400 may be protected from reactive substances 300 by enclosing the same with a chemically and/or mechanically resistant material.

[0043] While this invention has been described in terms of several embodiments, there are alterations, permutations, and equivalents which fall within the scope of this invention. It should also be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing the methods and compositions of the present invention. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims be interpreted as including all such alterations, permutations and equivalents as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.