Microsensor for measuring the position of liquids in capillaries
First Claim
1. A sensor element for electrically measuring the position of liquid levels, comprising:
- a substrate; and
a plurality of electrodes adapted to be contacted individually and mounted on the substrate, wherein the electrodes comprise sensor-active partial electrodes that are networked with electrically connections, and wherein the partial electrodes of two respective electrodes are always positioned opposite one another, separated by a distance, to form partial electrode pairs, and the electrode pairs thus formed recur periodically over a length of the sensor element wherein the electrodes are essentially electrically insulated from each other.
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Abstract
A sensor element for electrically measuring the position of liquid levels, comprising a substrate (2) and a plurality of electrodes (3) that can be contacted individually and that are mounted on the substrate, characterized in that the electrodes comprise sensor-active partial electrodes (5) that are networked with electrical connections (7), with the partial electrodes of two respective electrodes always being positioned opposite one another, separated by a distance, as partial electrode pairs (11) and with the electrode pairs (8) thus formed recurring periodically over the length of the sensor. Quasi-digital measuring methods are derived from the behavior of the impedance of the electrode pairs, whereby the liquid level is measured by detecting a conductivity boundary in a capillary filling.
87 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A sensor element for electrically measuring the position of liquid levels, comprising:
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a substrate; and
a plurality of electrodes adapted to be contacted individually and mounted on the substrate, wherein the electrodes comprise sensor-active partial electrodes that are networked with electrically connections, and wherein the partial electrodes of two respective electrodes are always positioned opposite one another, separated by a distance, to form partial electrode pairs, and the electrode pairs thus formed recur periodically over a length of the sensor element wherein the electrodes are essentially electrically insulated from each other. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. An arrangement for measuring a capillary filling, including a sensor element for electrically measuring the position of liquid levels, comprising
a substrate; - and
a plurality of electrodes adapted to be contacted individually and mounted on the substrate, wherein the electrodes comprise sensor-active partial electrodes that are networked with electrically connections, and wherein the partial electrodes of two respective electrodes are always positioned opposite one another, separated by a distance, to form partial electrode pairs, and the electrode pairs thus formed recur periodically over a length of the sensor element, wherein the sensor element is attached to a capillary in such a way that the sensor-active partial electrodes are situated inside the capillary and the electrically connection options are situated outside the capillary, and that at least one conductivity boundary of the capillary filling is located in the region of the sensor element. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9)
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10. A method for measuring liquid levels using a sensor element for electrically measuring the position of liquid levels, comprising
a substrate; - and
a plurality of electrodes adopted to be contacted individually and that are mounted on the substrate, wherein the electrodes comprise sensor-active partial electrodes that are networked with electrically connections, wherein the partial electrodes of two respective electrodes are always positioned opposite one another, separated by a distance, to form partial electrode pairs, and the electrode pairs thus formed recur periodically over a length of the sensor element comprising the steps of;
determining which electrode pairs are covered and which are not covered by an operating liquid by measuring the resistance of each individual electrode pair in an idle state of the operating liquid;
comparing the resistance values to characteristic minimum and maximum values for liquid coverage or no liquid coverage; and
detecting from this information the position of the liquid level or of a bubble on a specific electrode pair wherein the electrodes are electrically insulated from each other. - View Dependent Claims (12, 14, 15, 16, 19)
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11. A method for measuring liquid levels using a sensor element for electrically measuring the position of liquid levels, said sensor element including a substrate;
- and a plurality of electrodes adapted to be contacted individually and mounted on the substrate,
wherein the electrodes comprise sensor-active partial electrodes that are networked with electrically connections, and wherein the partial electrodes of two respective electrodes are always positioned opposite one another, separated by a distance, to form partial electrode pairs, and the electrode pairs thus formed recur periodically over a length of the sensor element said method comprising the steps of;
comparing the intermediate value lying between the minimum and maximum resistance value of the electrode pair to a reference resistance curve of the electrode pair; and
obtaining the position of a conductivity boundary for a specific partial electrode pair from said step of comparing, wherein the electrodes are electrically insulated from each other. - View Dependent Claims (18)
- and a plurality of electrodes adapted to be contacted individually and mounted on the substrate,
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13. A method for measuring liquid levels using a sensor element for electrically measuring the position of liquid levels, wherein the sensor element includes a substrate;
- and a plurality of electrodes adapted to be contacted individually and mounted on the substrate, wherein the electrodes comprise sensor-active partial electrodes that are networked with electrically connections, and wherein the partial electrodes of two respective electrodes are always positioned opposite one another, separated by a distance, to form partial electrode pairs, and the electrode pairs thus formed recur periodically over a length of the sensor element, said method comprising the steps of;
determining jumps in the resistance values upon movement of a bubble by parallel monitoring of the resistance values of all electrode pairs; and
determining the path distance traveled by the bubble from the number of jumps. - View Dependent Claims (17)
- and a plurality of electrodes adapted to be contacted individually and mounted on the substrate, wherein the electrodes comprise sensor-active partial electrodes that are networked with electrically connections, and wherein the partial electrodes of two respective electrodes are always positioned opposite one another, separated by a distance, to form partial electrode pairs, and the electrode pairs thus formed recur periodically over a length of the sensor element, said method comprising the steps of;
Specification