ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR ANALYZING AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS

• US 20080034845A1
• Filed: 01/15/2007
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hach Company (Veralto Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hach Company (Veralto Corp.)
• Inventors: Swanson, Teresa Lynn, Morris, David Alexander Nathaniel
• Granted Patent: US 8,703,057 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/61.41
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/77 by observing the effect on a chemical indicator
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/78 producing a change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 31/00 Investigating or analysing non-biological materials by the use of the chemical methods specified in the subgroup; Apparatus specially adapted for such methods
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 31/22 using chemical indicators G01N31/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/18 Water

Abstract

An electronic device for analyzing an aqueous solution may comprise a housing, one or more measurement circuits and a control circuit all arranged inside the housing. The housing may be configured to receive a test element. The one or more measurement circuits may be configured to produce one or more corresponding sets of measurement signals relating to an aqueous solution received on the test element. The control circuit may include a memory having instructions stored therein that are executable by the control circuit to process the one or more sets of measurement signals to determine one or more corresponding characteristics of the aqueous solution.

Claims

1-8. -8. (canceled)

15-29. -29. (canceled)

30. A device for analyzing aqueous solutions, comprising:

a portable hand-held housing configured to receive a test element, the test element comprising a plurality of test pads, each test pad responsive to a respective chemical characteristic of an aqueous solution received on the test pads.

a plurality of measurement circuits arranged inside the housing and configured to produce a corresponding plurality of measurement signals relating to the aqueous solution received on the test element,

a control circuit arranged inside the housing and including a memory having instructions stored therein that are executable by the control circuit to process each of the plurality of measurement signals to determine a corresponding plurality of different characteristics of the aqueous solution, and

a display on the housing providing an indication of the determined plurality of characteristics.

9. The device of claim 30 further comprising a test element placement member attached to the housing, the test element placement member configured to receive the test element with a predefined orientation.

10. The device of claim 9 further comprising a first radiation guide extending between the radiation source and the test element placement member, the first radiation guide having one open end juxtaposed over the radiation source and an opposite open end,

wherein the test element placement member is configured to receive the test element with a predefined orientation such that the opposite open end of the first radiation guide directs radiation from the radiation source to the color portion of the test element.

11. The device of claim 10 further comprising a second radiation guide extending between the radiation detection circuit and the test element placement member, the second radiation guide having one open end positioned over the radiation detection circuit and an opposite end positioned such that radiation reflection from the color portion of the test element, when the test element is received by the test element placement member with the predefined orientation, is directed through the second radiation guide and through the one end thereof.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein the first radiation guide defines a first axis centrally therethrough and the second radiation guide defines a second axis centrally therethrough,

and wherein the first and second radiation guides define an angle between the first axis and the second axis.

13. The device of claim 12 wherein the angle is an acute angle.

14. The device of claim 12 wherein the angle is about 45 degrees.

32. The device of claim 30 wherein the memory is configured to store therein at least one set of values of the plurality of different characteristics of the aqueous solution.

33. The device of claim 32 further comprising a switch,

wherein the control circuit is operable, according to the instructions, to be responsive to activation of the switch to display a set of values of the plurality of different characteristics of the aqueous solution that is stored in the memory.

34. The device of claim 33 wherein the control circuit is operable, according to the instructions, to be responsive to multiple activations of the switch to sequentially display different sets of values of the plurality of different characteristics of the aqueous solution that are stored in the memory.

35. The device of claim 30 further comprising a switch,

wherein the control circuit is operable, according to the instructions, to be responsive to activation of the switch to process each of the plurality of different sets of measurement signals to determine the corresponding plurality of different characteristics of the aqueous solution.

36. The device of claim 35 wherein the control circuit is further operable, according to the instructions, to be responsive to activation of the switch to store values of each of the plurality of different characteristics of the aqueous solution in the memory.

37. The device of claim 30 wherein the memory has stored therein a plurality of models each relating a different one of the plurality of sets of measurement signals to a corresponding one of the plurality of different characteristics of the aqueous solution,

and wherein the control circuit is operable, according to the instructions, to process each of the plurality of sets of measurement signals according to a corresponding one of the models to determine a corresponding one of the plurality of different characteristics of the aqueous solution.

38. The device of claim 30 wherein each of the plurality of measurement circuits is configured to produce a set of color signals relating to a color of a different color portion of the test element, the color of each of the different color portions of the test element resulting from exposure to the aqueous solution.

39. The device of claim 38 wherein the plurality of different characteristics of the aqueous solution include chlorine concentration, pH level and alkalinity concentration,

and wherein the memory has stored therein first, second and third models, the first model relating a first set of color signals produced by a first one of the plurality of measurement circuits to chlorine concentration values, the second model relating a second set of color signals produced by a second one of the plurality of measurement circuits to pH level values, and the third model relating a third set of color signals produced by a third one of the plurality of measurement circuits to alkalinity concentration values.

40. The device of claim 30 wherein the plurality of different characteristics of the aqueous solution include one or more of chlorine concentration, bromine concentration, pH level, alkalinity concentration, ammonia concentration, nitrite concentration, nitrate concentration, solution hardness, peracetic acid concentration, peroxide concentration and chloramine concentration.

49. The device of claim 30, further comprising:

the test element comprising the plurality of test pads attached to one side of a substrate;

a test element receiving port formed in the housing for receiving the test element onto a test element placement member within a slot, with the substrate covering the plurality of test pads within the slot.

50. The device of claim 49, wherein the substrate is black.

51. The device of claim 49, further comprising:

the measurement circuits comprising color detection circuitry operative to interrogate the test element by directing light through the test element placement member onto each of the respective test pads when the test element is disposed in the test element receiving port and by receiving color-responsive reflected light from each of the respective test pads back through the test element placement member; and

the control circuit determining the respective plurality of characteristics in response to the color-responsive reflected light from each respective test pad.

52. The device of claim 51, wherein:

a single test element comprises one substrate and three attached test pads, one each of the test pads color responsive respectively to a chlorine value, a pH value and an alkalinity value of the aqueous solution;

the measurement circuits and control circuit cooperating to determine each of the chlorine value, the pH value and the alkalinity value of the aqueous solution when the single test element is disposed in the test element receiving port; and

the display providing an indication of each of the chlorine value, the pH value and the alkalinity value of the aqueous solution upon interrogation of the single test element.

31. (canceled)

41-48. -48. (canceled)

53. A testing system for testing a chemical characteristic of an aqueous solution, the system comprising;

a portable, hand-held instrument comprising a housing;

a display on the housing;

a slot formed in the housing at an outer surface thereof;

a test element placement member attached to the housing and defining a central surface of the slot to close the slot, with the slot and test element placement member defining a test element receiving port;

a test element comprising a substrate supporting at least one test pad responsive in color to the chemical characteristic of the aqueous solution wetting the test pad, the test element configured for receipt within the test element receiving port with the at least one test pad disposed against the test element placement member and with the substrate covering the at least one test pad within the slot;

a color detector for detecting the color of the at least one test pad, the color detector comprising a light generating element and a light receiving element disposed within the housing to direct light from the light generating element, through the test element placement member, to be reflected from the at least one test pad in response to the color of the test pad, back through the test element placement member and onto the light receiving element;

circuitry disposed within the housing and associated with the light receiving element for determining the chemical characteristic of the aqueous solution in response to the reflected light received by the light receiving element; and

the display being associated with the circuitry and displaying an indication responsive to the determined chemical characteristic of the aqueous solution.

54. The system of claim 53, wherein the test element substrate comprises a black material.

55. The system of claim 53, further comprising a radiation guide member disposed between the test element placement member and the light generating and receiving elements.

56. The system of claim 55, wherein the radiation guide member directs light along a first path from the light generating element toward the at least one test pad and along a second path from the at least one test pad toward the light receiving element, and

wherein the radiation guide member minimizes light transmission between the first and second paths.

57. The system of claim 55, wherein the radiation guide member is formed of pigmented nylon.

58. The system of claim 55, wherein the radiation guide member comprises:

a first cavity receiving the light generating element;

a second cavity receiving the light receiving element; and

a wall separating the first and second cavities effective to minimize light transmission there between.

59. The system of claim 58, wherein the radiation guide member comprises:

a first passageway extending from the first cavity to provide light communication between the light generating element and the test element placement member; and

a second passageway extending from the second cavity to provide light communication between the test element placement member and the light receiving element.

60. The system of claim 59, further comprising:

the first passageway comprising a first axis extending through a central portion of the light generating element and through a central portion of the at least one test pad; and

the second passageway comprising a second axis disposed at an angle relative to the first axis and extending through a central portion of the light receiving element and through the central portion of the at least one test pad.

61. The system of claim 53, wherein the light generating element and the light receiving element are disposed on a single circuit board disposed within the housing generally adjacent the test element placement member.

62. The system of claim 61 further comprising:

the test element comprises a plurality of test pads, each test pad responsive in color to a respective chemical characteristic of the aqueous solution;

a plurality of light generating elements and light receiving elements, one set of light generating and light receiving elements associated with each test pad for receiving light reflected from each respective test pad for interrogation of all of the test pads when the test element is placed into the test element receiving port;

the sets of light generating and receiving elements being mounted on the single circuit board generally adjacent the test element placement member;

the circuitry being associated with the light receiving elements for determining the respective chemical characteristics of the aqueous solution; and

the display operative to display respective indications responsive to the respective determined chemical characteristics.

63. A testing system for testing a chemical characteristic of an aqueous solution, the system comprising:

a test pad responsive in color to a characteristic of an aqueous solution wetting the test pad;

a portable, hand-held housing;

circuitry in the housing for generating radiation for interrogating the test pad, for receiving radiation reflected from the test pad, and for generating a display responsive to the reflected radiation and indicative of a characteristic of the aqueous solution;

a slot formed in the housing proximate portions of the circuitry generating the radiation and receiving the reflected radiation;

a radiation-transmissive test element placement member attached to the housing at a bottom of the slot to close the slot and to define a test element receiving port for receiving the test pad, the test element placement member effective to isolate the circuitry from the aqueous solution wetting the test pad while permitting the generated radiation to pass out of the housing and the reflected radiation to pass back into the housing; and

a substrate attached to the test pad and covering the test pad when the test pad is disposed on the test element placement member within the test element receiving port.

64. The system of claim 63, wherein the substrate comprises a black material.

65. The system of claim 63, further comprising:

the circuitry comprising a plurality of radiation sources and a respective plurality of associated radiation detection circuits disposed on a single printed circuit board proximate the radiation-transmissive test element placement member; and

a plurality of test pads corresponding to the respective plurality of radiation sources and detection circuits attached to and covered by the substrate when disposed on the test element placement member within the test element receiving port;

the circuitry effective to generate a display indicative of a plurality of chemical characteristics of the aqueous solution wetting the test pads.