Multi-zone immersion temperature measuring device

Abstract

FIELD: control and measuring equipment.SUBSTANCE: invention relates to the control and measurement of temperature fields of several environments simultaneously. The multi-zone submersible device includes a number of temperature sensors located on rigid links that form a telescopic structure, capable of moving relative to each other, which allows for the required arrangement of the temperature sensors at specified distances from each other along a straight line, and a device for reading measurement results from the temperature sensors, and / or recording measurement results in memory, and / or transmitting measurement results via communication channels or via Bluetooth to a computer.EFFECT: simultaneous, precise, and contactless measurement of temperature in gaseous and bulk media, as well as at the contact boundaries of the aforementioned media (i.e., in several media), for example, the ambient air temperature, the temperature on the surface, and the temperature inside the snow mass.1 cl, 3 dwg

Description

[0001] The invention relates to control and measuring equipment, namely to the control and measurement of temperature fields of several environments simultaneously.

[0002] A combined instrument for meteorological measurements (the E.N. Zima meteorometer) (utility model patent RU32292, published September 10, 2003) is known. It contains a number of sensors for meteorological parameters, such as temperature, air humidity, and atmospheric pressure. Each unit for measuring and displaying meteorological parameters includes a connected analog-to-digital converter and a digital indicator. Digital indicators for all meteorological parameters are integrated into the instrument panel. A disadvantage of this device is that it only measures the parameters and characteristics of the air in the surface layer. It is impossible to measure the temperature inside any of the studied environments.

[0003] Also known is a multi-point sensor for determining the existing temperature profile of a medium (patent for invention US20190003894, published 03.01.2019), comprising a tubular casing with a closed end region; at least two cylindrical spacers made of a high-thermal-conductivity material and located axially from each other within the casing. Cable thermocouples or cable resistance thermometers can be used as sensing elements in the proposed design. In addition to thermocouples, more sensitive sensor components, such as resistance thermometers, can also be used. However, the use of a design with heat-conducting spacers results in the formation of sections of the outer casing that cannot bend in the installation area.

[0004] Also, the following factors can be attributed to the disadvantages of this design: the difficulty of assembling a probe with more than four control zones; the difficulty of manufacturing the spacers themselves from special types of heat-conducting ceramics.

[0005] Patent CN110836729 (published February 25, 2020) is a multi-point temperature sensor, where the temperature sensors are arranged in a row along the junction box. The main disadvantage of this design is the fixed distance between the temperature sensors, which limits its information capabilities when measuring medium volumes with different geometric dimensions, as well as when detailing temperature measurement values ​​for individual sections of the measured medium. Patent US 20230296548 (published September 21, 2023) and patent CN 106872073 (published June 20, 2017) have a similar disadvantage.

[0006] Of the known technical solutions, the closest in terms of the set of essential features to the claimed object is the device:

[0007] Invention Patent CN 101908262 (published December 8, 2010), in which the temperature measurement depth in the monitored volume is varied by removing or adding individual sections containing temperature sensors. A disadvantage of this design is the fixed distance between individual temperature sensors and their uniform distribution across the depth of the measured volume.

[0008] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a simple technological device capable of operating as a set of temperature sensors, with a variable measurement depth, in which the relative distance between the temperature sensors can be varied.

[0009] The device provides simultaneous, precise, and contactless temperature measurement in gaseous and bulk media, as well as at the interfaces of these media (i.e., in multiple media), such as ambient air temperature, surface temperature, and temperature within snow. This is achieved by increasing the number of measurement zones, while the temperature sensors themselves are aligned and can be positioned at varying distances from each other. This is achieved by allowing relative mechanical movement of individual links, which are rigid structural elements on each of which the temperature sensors are mounted. This increases the information yield of the proposed device while maintaining its reliability.

[0010] The multi-zone submersible device includes a set of rigid links mechanically connected in such a way that each of the lower links can perform a rectilinear movement relative to the higher link, on each link at a given distance from its lower edge, temperature sensors are fixedly installed, communication between adjacent links of the submersible device is realized due to sliding contact, the sliding contacts provide continuous data transmission and power supply to the temperature sensors installed on each of the moving links of the multi-zone submersible device, a device for reading measurement results from temperature sensors and / or recording measurement results in memory and / or transmitting measurement results via communication channels or using Bluetooth to a computer.

[0011] The device receives data from temperature sensors placed throughout the entire (or required) depth, at a specified relative position in gaseous and bulk media, as well as at the interfaces between these media. The received data is converted into a digital array, which is stored in the device's memory and / or transmitted via communication channels. In addition to the temperature readings (ambient, within the test medium, and on its surface), the date and time of the temperature measurements are also stored in the memory.

[0012] The invention is explained by a general view of the device (Fig. 1), which shows: a Bluetooth USB Adapter wireless communication module / unit (1), a microcontroller (2), a module / power supply (3), a locking switch button (4), a rigid telescopic tip (5) with a number of resistive temperature sensors (6), located at an equal distance from each other and filled with acrylate (acrylic, with the formation of a strong elastic film that retains its properties in a wide temperature range).

[0013] The minimum distance between individual temperature sensors when the immersion device links are not extended relative to each other is 25 mm. The number of sensors and the distance at which they can be located without changing the design depends on the precision factor, such as time, as well as the observer's objectives.

[0014] The device's telescopic tip is designed as a rigid guide. This allows for varying the measurement depth. Otherwise, functional modifications unrelated to the design will be required. The use of resistive temperature sensors in the design allows for measurements at temperatures as low as -70°C.

[0015] Figure 2 shows: sliding contact (7); temperature sensor (6); rigid guide of an individual link (8).

[0016] The device operates as follows. It is powered by a 9 V DC supply. The telescopic tip, with a series of resistive temperature sensors, is positioned so that the sensors interact with all the media being studied. The depth of the tip insertion and the distance between the sensors depend on the observer's objectives. Data is continuously transmitted wirelessly via Bluetooth and / or WiFi.

[0017] To test its functionality, a prototype of the proposed multi-zone immersion temperature measurement device was manufactured. A series of field tests were conducted on the prototype, which demonstrated that the sensor is both functional and promising (Fig. 3. a, b).

Claims

A multi-zone immersion temperature measuring device containing temperature sensors, characterized in that it includes a telescopic tip formed by a set of rigid movable links mechanically connected in such a way that each of the lower links can perform a rectilinear movement relative to the higher link, and on each link at a given distance from its lower edge, resistive temperature sensors are fixedly mounted, made with the possibility of being located in one line, wherein the connection between adjacent links of the telescopic tip is realized due to a sliding contact, ensuring continuous data transmission and power supply of the resistive temperature sensors mounted on each of the movable links, and the outputs of the resistive temperature sensors are connected to a device for reading the results of measurements from them, and / or to a device for recording the results of measurements in memory,and / or with a device for transmitting measurement results via communication channels or via Bluetooth to a computer.

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