Chemical-specific sensor for monitoring amounts of volatile solvent during a drying cycle of a dry cleaning process
First Claim
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1. An article cleaning apparatus comprising:
- an air management mechanism;
a cleaning basket assembly;
a fluid regeneration device;
a working fluid device coupled to said fluid regeneration device, said cleaning basket assembly, and said air management mechanism, a clean fluid device coupled to said cleaning basket assembly and said fluid regeneration device;
a controller coupled to said air management mechanism, said cleaning basket assembly, said working fluid device, said regeneration device, and said clean fluid device;
wherein said controller is configured to control a cleaning process, including at least a solvent cleaning process, wherein said solvent cleaning process utilizes a solvent based cleaning fluid comprising cyclic siloxane solvent; and
a solvent vapor sensor coupled to the controller to determine amounts of solvent vapor that may flow during said solvent cleaning process.
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Abstract
A solvent vapor sensor for determining amounts of solvent vapor flowing during a solvent dry cleaning process is provided. The solvent cleaning process utilizes a solvent based cleaning fluid primarily made up of cyclic siloxane solvent. The solvent vapor sensor, i.e., a chemical specific sensor, may be configured in various forms, such as a spectroscopic sensor, a piezo-based sensor, a strain-gauge based sensor, and a capacitive sensor.
85 Citations
21 Claims
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1. An article cleaning apparatus comprising:
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an air management mechanism;
a cleaning basket assembly;
a fluid regeneration device;
a working fluid device coupled to said fluid regeneration device, said cleaning basket assembly, and said air management mechanism, a clean fluid device coupled to said cleaning basket assembly and said fluid regeneration device;
a controller coupled to said air management mechanism, said cleaning basket assembly, said working fluid device, said regeneration device, and said clean fluid device;
wherein said controller is configured to control a cleaning process, including at least a solvent cleaning process, wherein said solvent cleaning process utilizes a solvent based cleaning fluid comprising cyclic siloxane solvent; and
a solvent vapor sensor coupled to the controller to determine amounts of solvent vapor that may flow during said solvent cleaning process. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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- 11. A solvent vapor sensor for determining amounts of solvent vapor flowing during a solvent dry cleaning process, wherein said solvent cleaning process utilizes a solvent based cleaning fluid comprising cyclic siloxane solvent.
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21. An article cleaning apparatus comprising:
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a controller configured to control a cleaning process, including at least a solvent cleaning process, wherein said solvent cleaning process utilizes a solvent based volatile cleaning fluid comprising cyclic siloxane solvent; and
a chemical-specific sensor configured to monitor amounts of the volatile solvent fluid, and coupled to the controller to control a drying cycle for extracting a desired level of moisture from the articles.
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Specification
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Current AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
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Original AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
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InventorsFyvie, Thomas Joseph, Mani, Vanita, Hallman, Darren Lee, Carnahan, James Claude
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Application NumberUS10/657,874Publication NumberTime in Patent OfficeDaysField of SearchUS Class Current8/142CPC Class CodesD06F 43/08 Associated apparatus for ha...D06F 43/086 Recovering the solvent from...
