Method and device for detecting two parameters of a fluid

• US 20060186897A1
• Filed: 02/13/2006
• Published: 08/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Niemann, Markus
• Application Number:
  US11/353,417
• Publication Number:
  US 20060186897A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/633
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 11/16 by measuring damping effect upon oscillatory body
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2011/0066 electrical properties
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/228 Circuits therefor measuring capacitance per se G01R27/26

Abstract

An oscillator is excited by a primary oscillator, and the excited oscillator is immersed in a fluid having two parameters, the first parameter of the fluid damping the excited oscillator via a first phase delay, and the second parameter damping the excited oscillator via a second phase delay. The oscillation of the excited and damped oscillator is detected as the oscillation signal. The oscillation signal is mixed with a phase-shifted signal generated from the excitation signal via a third phase delay which corresponds to either the first or the second phase delay. The mixed signal is averaged over time to determine the first or the second parameter according to the selection of the phase delay.

Claims

1. A method for detecting a first and a second parameter of a fluid with a sensor apparatus including an oscillator, comprising:

exciting the oscillator by an excitation signal of a primary oscillator;

exciting the oscillator via two parameters while the oscillator is in contact with the fluid, the first parameter of the fluid damping the excited oscillator via a first phase delay, and the second parameter damping the excited oscillator via a second phase delay;

detecting an oscillation signal of the excited and damped oscillator;

generating a first phase-shifted signal via a third phase delay from the excitation signal, the third phase delay equal to one of (a) the first phase delay and (b) the second phase delay;

mixing the oscillation signal with the first phase-shifted signal to generate a first mixed signal; and

averaging over time the first mixed signal to determine one of (a) the first parameter and (b) the second parameter of the fluid according to the third phase delay.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, one of (a) sequentially and (b) in parallel to the detection, mixing and averaging over time of the first signals:

generating a second phase-shifted signal via a fourth phase delay from the excitation signal, the fourth phase delay being the second phase delay from one of (a) the first phase delay and (b) the second phase delay which was not selected;

mixing the oscillation signal with the second phase-shifted signal to generate a second mixed signal; and

averaging over time the second mixed signal to determine the other parameter of the fluid according to the fourth phase delay.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the oscillator includes an oscillation circuit, a current, which flows from a ground to the oscillation circuit via a sensor resistor, determined for detecting the oscillation signal of the excited oscillating circuit.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of (a) a third phase-shifted signal is generated so that it is phase-shifted 90°

in relation to the excitation signal and (b) a fourth phase-shifted signal is generated so that it is phase-shifted 0°

in relation thereto.

5. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

modulating the excitation signal by a central frequency;

obtaining a control signal by mixing one of (a) the first mixed signal and (b) the second mixed signal with the modulation signal; and

supplying the control signal to the primary oscillator apparatus to regulate the central frequency in resonance with a resonant frequency of the oscillator

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the oscillator is excited in the exciting step in a resonant manner.

7. A device, comprising:

an oscillator connected to a primary oscillator to transmit an excitation signal of the primary oscillator to the oscillator;

a detection apparatus connected to sensor apparatus to detect an oscillation signal of an oscillating circuit;

a first delay unit arranged between a mixer apparatus and the primary oscillator to generate a third phase-shifted signal and supply the third phase-shifted signal to the mixer apparatus, which is connected to the sensor apparatus and is adapted to transmit first mixed signal to a first filter apparatus to average the first mixed signal over time.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the device is adapted to perform a method for detecting a first and a second parameter of a fluid with the sensor apparatus, the method including:

exciting the oscillator by the excitation signal of the primary oscillator;

exciting the oscillator via two parameters while the oscillator is in contact with the fluid, the first parameter of the fluid damping the excited oscillator via a first phase delay, and the second parameter damping the excited oscillator via a second phase delay;

detecting the oscillation signal of the excited and damped oscillator;

generating the first phase-shifted signal via a third phase delay from the excitation signal, the third phase delay equal to one of (a) the first phase delay and (b) the second phase delay;

mixing the oscillation signal with the first phase-shifted signal to generate the first mixed signal; and

averaging over time the first mixed signal to determine one of (a) the first parameter and (b) the second parameter of the fluid according to the third phase delay.

9. The device according to claim 7, wherein the oscillator includes a quartz.

10. The device according to claim 7, wherein the first delay unit includes a device having a settable phase delay.

11. The device according to claim 7, further comprising a second mixer apparatus connected to the detection apparatus and the primary oscillator to mix the oscillation signal with the excitation signal to generate a second mixed signal.

12. A device for performing a method for detecting a first and a second parameter of a fluid with a sensor apparatus including an oscillator, comprising:

means for exciting the oscillator by an excitation signal of a primary oscillator;

means for exciting the oscillator via two parameters while the oscillator is in contact with the fluid, the first parameter of the fluid damping the excited oscillator via a first phase delay, and the second parameter damping the excited oscillator via a second phase delay;

means for detecting an oscillation signal of the excited and damped oscillator;

means for generating a first phase-shifted signal via a third phase delay from the excitation signal, the third phase delay equal to one of (a) the first phase delay and (b) the second phase delay;

means for mixing the oscillation signal with the first phase-shifted signal to generate a first mixed signal; and

means for averaging over time the first mixed signal to determine one of (a) the first parameter and (b) the second parameter of the fluid according to the third phase delay.