Sensor Adapter

Abstract

A sensor adapter for a device for determining and/or monitoring at least one process variable of a medium in a container with a measuring probe, comprising: at least one adapter measuring probe with at least one adapter electrode, an adapter housing with structure for detachably fastening the sensor adapter on the device, and a contacting unit for the electrical contact of at least one electrode of the device with at least one adapter electrode of the sensor adapter.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A sensor adapter for a device for determining and/or monitoring at least one process variable of a medium in a container with a measuring probe, comprising at least: one adapter measuring probe with at least one adapter electrode; an adapter housing with means for detachably fastening the sensor adapter on the device; and a contacting unit for the electrical contact of at least one electrode of the device with at least one adapter electrode of the sensor adapter.

17. The sensor adapter according to claim 16, wherein: said one adapter measuring probe comprises at least one adapter sensor electrode and an adapter guard electrode.

18. The sensor adapter according to claim 16, wherein: the surface of said one adapter measuring probe facing the medium is designed in such a way that said at least one adapter electrode is in contact with the medium.

19. The sensor adapter according to claim 16, wherein: the surface of said one adapter measuring probe facing the medium is designed in such a way that it is manufactured electrically insulated, especially of an insulating material, in particular a plastic, for example PPS or PEEK.

20. The sensor adapter according to claim 16, wherein: said one adapter measuring probe has a geometry that differs from the geometry of said measuring probe

21. The sensor adapter according to claim 16, wherein: said one adapter measuring probe, especially with regard to the surface facing the medium, basically finishes in a front-flush manner, especially front-flush with said container.

22. The sensor adapter according to claim 20, wherein: the surface of the at least one adapter electrode of the measuring probe facing the medium is larger than the corresponding surface of at least one electrode of the measuring probe of the device.

23. The sensor adapter according to claim 16, wherein: the at least one adapter electrode is designed in a rotation symmetrical, especially ring-shaped manner.

24. The sensor adapter according to claim 16, wherein: said at least one adapter electrode has a convex shape in the area facing the medium.

25. The sensor adapter according to claim 16, wherein: the adapter measuring probe is constructed at least partly coaxially.

26. The sensor adapter according to claim 16, further comprising: a surge protection.

27. A device for determining and/or monitoring at least one process variable of a medium in a container, comprising at least one measuring probe with at least one electrode, an electronics unit and a sensor adapter comprising a sensor adapter for a device for determining and/or monitoring at least one process variable of a medium in a container with a measuring probe, comprising at least: one adapter measuring probe with at least one adapter electrode; an adapter housing with means for detachably fastening the sensor adapter on the device; and a contacting unit for the electrical contact of at least one electrode of the device with at least one adapter electrode of the sensor adapter.

28. The device according to claim 27, wherein: said sensor adapter may be connected with the device in a detachable manner.

29. The device according to claim 28, wherein: the process variable is given by a fill-level, the electric conductivity or the permittivity of the medium.

30. The use of a sensor adapter for a field device at least for determining and/or monitoring a process variable according to the capacitive and/or conductive measuring principle.

Description

[0035] The invention is described in more detail with reference to the following figures, FIG. 1 through FIG. 5. These show:

[0036] FIG. 1 a schematic representation of a measuring device working according to the capacitive and/or conductive measuring principle,

[0037] FIG. 2 a sensor adapter according to the invention (a) with a measuring probe that is electrically insulated against the medium, and (b) with an adapter electrode having a convex surface,

[0038] FIG. 3 a field device working in the conductive and/or the capacitive measuring mode with an adapter according to the invention (a) before and (b) after fastening the sensor adapter to the field device, and

[0039] FIG. 4 a sensor adapter according to the invention with surge protection

[0040] FIG. 1 shows the measuring device 1 according to the state of the art which can be used to monitor a process variable such as, for example, a given fill-level by means of a capacitive or conductive measuring method. A measuring probe 2 is inserted into a container 3 which is at least partly filled with a medium 4. In this case, it has been introduced into the container 3 via an opening 3a on the top of said container. In the example shown here, the measuring probe 2 protrudes into the container 3. However, it is understood that front-flush measuring probes are also possible, which mainly finish with the enclosing walls of the container 3, which may be advantageous especially in the case of tubes or containers with small?. In this example, the measuring probe 2 itself consists of a sensor electrode 5 and a guard electrode 6. Both electrodes are electrically connected to an electronics unit 7 which is responsible for the detection, evaluation and/or supply of the signal. In particular, the electronics unit 7 determines and/or monitors the respective process variable on the basis of the response signals generated in capacitive and conductive operating mode such as whether a given fill-level of the medium 3 in container 2 is exceeded or not reached, and generates an appropriate message and/or triggers an appropriate switching operation.

[0041] Without loss of generality, the following description refers to a device 1 and a sensor adapter 8 with a measuring probe 2 consisting of at least one sensor electrode 5 and a guard electrode 6. It is understood, however, that other arrangements of a measuring probe 2 and the respective adapter measuring probe 9 corresponding to this measuring probe 2 are possible and also fail within the scope of this invention.

[0042] FIG. 2a shows a sensor adapter 8 according to the invention in an arrangement with a measuring probe 2 that is electrically insulated against the medium 3. The adapter measuring probe 9 substantially lines up with the walls of the container. In general, this is therefore a front-flush adapter measuring probe which comprises an adapter sensor electrode 10, and adapter guard electrode 11 and an adapter ground connection 12. In principle, the adapter ground connection may also be omitted in favor or a compact arrangement in such a way that the ground connection is achieved via the sensor ground connection [not shown]. The adapter housing 13 has a screw thread 14 for a detachable connection of the sensor adapter 8 to the device 1, and another screw thread 15 for a detachable connection of the sensor adapter 8 to a container 2.

[0043] A second embodiment variant for a sensor adapter according to the invention 8 is shown in FIG. 2b. In contrast to the embodiment according to FIG. 2a, the sensor adapter in FIG. 2b has an adapter measuring probe 9 with medium contact. Reference signs that have already been addressed will not be considered below. The adapter sensor electrode 10 is shown here in a convex design. This leads to a further increase in the electrode surface facing the medium 3 and thus to increased sensitivity with regard to the measurement.

[0044] The adapter sensor electrode 10, the adapter guard electrode and the adapter ground connection 12 are respectively executed as two-part components. In addition to the exterior electrode parts 10a, 11a, 12a arranged in the exterior area 16, respective interior electrode parts 10b, 11b, 12b are arranged in the interior area 16 of the sensor adapter 8, which are contacted to one another respectively via an electrical contacting 18a, 18b, 18c through the housing 13 of the sensor adapter 8. The adapter measuring probe 9 is contacted to a respective measuring probe 4 of the respective device 1 via the interior electrode parts 10b, 11b, 12b. The interior electrode parts 10b, 11b, 12b may in this either function as the contacting unit themselves, or a separate contacting unit [not shown specifically] may be attached to each of the adapter electrodes 10, 11, 12, for example, as combined cutting and bending sheets that generate an electrical and mechanical contact between the electrodes 10, 11, 12 of the adapter measuring probe 9 and the respective complementary electrode 5, 6 of the measuring probe 2 of the device 1 by means of a spring effect.

[0045] Finally, FIG. 3a shows a field device 1 operating according to the conductive and/or capacitive measuring mode with a substantially front-flush measuring probe 2 and a sensor adapter 8 arranged in an opening 3a of the container 3. The electronics unit 6 of the measuring device 1 in this case is enclosed in a housing 19 in a compact arrangement together with the measuring probe 2. On the housing side opposite the measuring probe 2, there is a connection plug 20 to connect the measuring device 1, for example, to a process control system (not shown). Any reference signs that have already been illustrated are not addressed again in context with FIG. 3 either.

[0046] The screw thread 15 for attaching the sensor adapter 8 to the container 3 is designed in such a way that it is complementary to the screw thread 15a included on the container 3. Similarly, the screw thread 14 for attaching the sensor adapter 8 on the device 1 is arranged in such a way that it is complementary to the screw thread on the measuring device 1.

[0047] The measuring probe 2 of the measuring device shows a sensor electrode 5, a guard electrode 6 and a ground connection 22. Correspondingly, the adapter measuring probe 9 has an adapter sensor electrode 10, an adapter guard electrode and an adapter ground connection 12 coordinated with the electrodes 5, 6, 22 of the measuring device 1, and, as in FIG. 2a, it is designed in such a way that the electrodes 10, 11, 12 are electrically insulated against the medium 3.

[0048] FIG. 3b shows the sensor adapter 8 and the measuring device 1 from FIG. 3a, whereas the sensor adapter 8 is also attached to the measuring device 1 for FIG. 3b. In order to achieve greater clarity, not all reference signs from FIG. 3a are repeated in the depiction of FIG. 3b.

[0049] The contact between the electrodes 5, 6, 22 of the measuring device 1 and the adapter electrodes 10, 11, 12 of the sensor adapter 8 is achieved by the contactings 21a, 21b, 21c. Those may be combined cutting and bending sheets that create an electrical and mechanical contact by a spring effect through screwing the measuring device 1 into the sensor adapter 8. Alternatively, a contacting in case of two-part design electrodes 10, 11, 12 of the sensor adapter 8 may also occur via the respective electrode interior parts 10a, 11a, 11b.

[0050] FIG. 4 then shows another arrangement for a sensor adapter 8 according to the invention. This sensor adapter has a measuring probe 9 with medium contact with an adapter sensor electrode 10, an adapter guard electrode and an adapter ground connection, similar to FIG. 2b. In contrast to FIG. 2b, however, the adapter sensor electrode firstly is not designed in a convex arrangement. Furthermore, a surge protection 22 in the form or a bleeder is integrated into the sensor adapter 8 from FIG. 4. The electrodes 10, 11, 12 of the adapter measuring probe 9 are executed in a two-part design as in FIG. 2b, i.e. they consist of the exterior electrode parts 10a, 11a, 12a arranged in the exterior area 16, and the interior electrode parts 10b, 11b, 12b arranged in the interior area 16 of the sensor adapter 8. In contrast to FIG. 2b, the contactings 18a, 18b, 18c between the exterior electrode parts 10a, 11a, 12a and the interior electrode parts 101b, 11b, 12b are also executed in a two-part design in such a way that the exterior electrode parts 10a, 11a, 12a and the interior electrode parts 101b, 11b, 12b are connected to each other via the surge protection 22.

REFERENCE SYMBOLS

[0051] 1 Device/field device

[0052] 2 Measuring probe

[0053] 3 Container, 3a opening in container

[0054] 4 Medium

[0055] 5 Sensor electrode

[0056] 6 Guard electrode

[0057] 7 Electronic unit

[0058] 8 Sensor adapter

[0059] 9 Adapter measuring probe

[0060] 10 Adapter sensor electrode

[0061] 11 Adapter guard electrode

[0062] 12 Adapter ground connection

[0063] 13 Adapter housing

[0064] 14 Screw thread for a detachable connection of the adapter to the device

[0065] 15 Screw thread for a detachable connection of the adapter to the container

[0066] 16 Exterior area

[0067] 17 Interior area

[0068] 18 a, b, c contacting between the electrode parts of the sensor adapter

[0069] 19 Device housing

[0070] 20 Connecting plug

[0071] 21 a, b, c contacting for contacting the electrodes of the measuring probe to the electrodes of the adapter measuring probe

[0072] 22 Surge protection