Patent Description:
This invention relates to liquid samplers for extracting particulate-containing liquid samples for analysis and, more particularly, to liquid samplers used to extract and analyze liquid samples from commercial textile washers.

Operators in the commercial textile cleaning industry are continually challenged to process high volumes of textile articles that are often heavily soiled to produce hygienic and visually attractive items for reuse. Typical textiles that are processed in high volume commercial cleaning facilities include hospital articles (e.g., bed linens, surgical and patient garments, towels), hotel and hospitality articles (e.g., bed linens and toweling), and restaurant articles (e.g., table cloths, napkins).

Commercial textile cleaners typically use large, automated commercial washing machines to clean the textiles. These commercial washing machines may automatically add a series of different aqueous solutions to the textiles being processed, such as aqueous solutions containing quantities of alkaloid, detergent, bleach, starch, softener and/or sour, to clean and sanitize/disinfect the articles being processed. The concentration of the different chemical agents introduced into the washing machine during processing may be preprogrammed based on the expected level of soil on the textiles being processed and the characteristics of the textiles being processed (e.g., color, desire softness).

In practice, the type and extent of soil on a particular textile being washed can vary widely depending on the environment and conditions the textile was exposed to before being deposited for cleaning. For example, hospital linens received for washing may be no dirtier than those from a typical hotel room used in normal service. Alternatively, that set of hospital linens may be heavily contaminated with infectious biological fluids from a patient. The amount of washing time and/or concentration of chemical additives needed to properly clean and sanitize/disinfect the heavily contaminated linens can be significantly greater than the linens subject to normal use. If the amount of chemical additive preprogrammed to be introduced into the washer is too great to cover the most soiled articles possible, most wash cycles will overdose on chemical additive, resulting in excessive cleaning cost and wear on the articles being cleaned. By contrast, if the amount of chemical additive preprogrammed to be introduced into the washer is too little for the solid demands of the article being washed, the article may not be properly cleaned and sanitized/disinfected. <CIT> and <CIT> disclose a liquid sampling system for a textile washer with a fluid circuit and <CIT> discloses a liquid sampling system for a textile washer with a sensor and a liquid conveyance device sharing the same housing.

In general, this invention is directed to systems and techniques for extracting liquid samples for analysis from a larger source of the liquid. The liquid may be a particulate - containing liquid that carries solid matter entrained in the liquid. For example, in the case of aqueous liquid extracted from a washing machine, the liquid may contain dirt, sand, lint and/or other sheared textile material, and/or released remnants of soil deposited on the surface of the articles being cleaned. In practice, these solid materials carried in the liquid being sampled may have a tendency to plug or otherwise foul a sample extraction device. If a screen is placed between the source of liquid being sampled and the sample extraction device, the pores of the screen may plug with the solid material over time, rendering the sample extraction device in operable unless an operator intervenes to clean the screen.

In accordance with some examples, a sample extraction device may be configured to extract samples of liquid material from the larger source for analysis without passing the sample liquid through a screen that can be plugged. The sample extraction device may have a sensor housing and a liquid conveyance device. The sensor housing can contain one or more sensors for analyzing liquid extracted from the larger source. The sensor housing may be positioned between the larger source of liquid being sampled and the liquid conveyance device. The liquid conveyance device may generate a vacuum pressure to draw liquid from the larger source to the liquid conveyance device, causing the liquid sample to be drawn into the sensor housing positioned between the larger liquid source and the conveyance device. The liquid conveyance device may also generate a positive pressure to expel the liquid drawn toward the conveyance device back away from the conveyance device. For example, after drawing liquid into the sensor housing and holding the liquid for a period of time sufficient for the liquid to be analyzed, the liquid conveyance device may generate a positive pressure expelling the liquid from the sensor housing. This positive pressure may also expel any solid material drawn into the sensor housing with the liquid being analyzed, effectively purging the sensor housing of falling and/or plugging solid material.

While a liquid conveyance device used as part of a sampling system can have a variety of different configurations, in some examples, the liquid conveyance device includes a motive element that moves in one direction to create a vacuum drawing liquid into the sensor housing and moves in the reverse direction to discharge liquid out of the sensor housing. For example, the motive element may be implemented using a piston or a flexible membrane. The motive element may be configured to draw a volume of liquid into the liquid conveyance device greater than the volume of the sensor housing. This can help ensure that enough liquid is drawn from the liquid source to fill the sensor housing and/or that the entire volume of the sensor housing is substantially entirely flushed when expelling the sampled liquid out of the housing.

In some configurations, the sampling system may have a single fluid opening through which liquid being sampled is both drawn into the sampling system and expelled from the sampling system. That is, rather than having an inlet opening through which liquid is drawn into the system and a separate outlet opening through which the liquid is subsequently discharged, the system may be implemented with a single fluid opening that functions as both an inlet and an outlet depending on the direction of liquid flow. This arrangement can be useful to provide bidirectional flow through the sampling system, including the sensor housing of the sampling system. When so configured, liquid may be drawn from the liquid source (e.g., textile washer) through the single opening into the sensor housing for analysis. After being analyzed, the liquid may be expelled the back out of the sensor housing through the same opening, optionally returning to the liquid source from which it was drawn. This bidirectional flow pattern can provide agitation to release and remove solid material drawn into the sensor housing with the liquid being sampled, helping to purge the sensor housing of potentially fouling material.

According to claim <NUM>, a liquid sampling system for a textile washer is provided.

The present invention is generally directed to systems, devices, and techniques for extracting and analyzing liquid fluid from a piece of equipment containing the fluid. The equipment itself may not allow direct analysis of fluid inside of the equipment, necessitating that fluid be taken out of the equipment for analysis. For example, the operating conditions inside of the equipment may be too harsh to accommodate positioning a sensor inside of the equipment for direct measurement of the fluid in the equipment. Additionally or alternatively, the equipment may have been designed without the features needed for direct sensory measurement of liquid inside of the equipment. As a result, an external liquid sampling system may be useful to retrofit the equipment with sensory capabilities.

In accordance with some examples described in this disclosure, a liquid sampling system is provided for extracting and analyzing liquid from one or more pieces of equipment housing the bulk of the liquid. The liquid sampling system can be used with any type of equipment that process liquid media, including those types of equipment where the liquid being processed contains intermixed solid matter that has a tendency to plug or foul filtration media. Example equipment with which the liquid sampling system may be used includes, but is not limited to, cooling water systems (e.g., cooling water towers), heat exchangers, petrochemical processing and extraction equipment, mining drainage and waste water systems, warewash machines, pool and spa systems, poultry chillers, produce flumes, food processing plants, pulp and paper streams and wastewater operations.

As one example, the sampling system may be used to extract samples of liquid from a textile washer to evaluate the characteristics of liquid and, correspondingly, to help determine and/or validate the chemical conditions under which the textiles being processed are cleaned. Liquid within a textile washer has been found, in some applications, to contain high levels of solid material that has a tendency to cause fouling and/or plugging problems. This solid material can include dirt, sand, lint and/or other sheared textile material, and/or released remnants of soil deposited on the surface of the articles being cleaned. The solid material that is dispersed throughout the liquid in these applications has a tendency to agglomerate and bind together, forming plugging challenges for a sampling apparatus over multiple sample extractions an extended service. Accordingly, example sampling system configurations are described below with reference to an example textile washing system in which the sampling system may be implemented. It should be appreciated, however, that the disclosure is not limited in this respect unless otherwise noted, and a sampling system can be used in other applications.

<FIG> is an illustration of an example textile washing system <NUM> that may utilize a liquid sampling system according to disclosure. System <NUM> includes a tunnel washer <NUM> and a liquid sampling system <NUM> that is in fluid communication with the tunnel washer <NUM>. Tunnel washer <NUM> has an inlet <NUM> that receives articles to be washed and an outlet <NUM> that discharges washed articles. As described in greater detail below, liquid sampling system <NUM> can extract a sample of liquid from an interior of tunnel washer <NUM> to analyze one or more characteristics of the liquid. The characteristic(s) of the liquid analyzed may indicate the chemical and/or biological conditions of the liquid within the washer. These characteristic(s) may be compared to one or more stored thresholds to validate that the appropriate amount of chemistry was added and present in the washer to achieve cleaning and/or sanitization/disinfection conditions needed for the articles being washed. If the conditions are not met, additional chemistry may be introduced into the washer while the articles are still being processed in the washer or the articles may be rewashed under appropriate treatment conditions.

Tunnel washer <NUM> may be implemented as a continuous batch tunnel washer that includes a screw or conveying member to continuously transport articles being washed from inlet <NUM> to outlet <NUM>, e.g., while periodically holding the articles within a section of the wash chamber for agitation before moving onto the next section. Wash liquid within the tunnel washer <NUM> may move in a co-current or counter-current direction through the washer. While <FIG> illustrates textile washing system <NUM> as having a tunnel washer, in other applications, the washing system may utilize a centrifuge washing machines provided with a rotatable washing drum or yet other type of apparatus that provides mechanical agitation between washing liquid and the articles being washed. For example, a textile washer used in washing system <NUM> may side-load textile washer with one or more processing chambers, an end loader washer/extractor, an open pocket washer/extractor, or yet other type of textile washing device.

When textile washing system <NUM> includes tunnel washer <NUM>, the interior of the tunnel washer may be divided into multiple zones, sections, pockets, or compartments, e.g., that provide processing chambers functioning as different stages of the washing process. For example, tunnel washer <NUM> may include multiple processing chambers 26A-26Z (collectively referred to as "processing chamber <NUM>") through which the textile articles being processed progresses during various wash and rinse cycles. Tunnel washer <NUM> is illustrated as having six processing chambers <NUM> but may have fewer processing chambers (e.g., three, four, five) or more processing chambers (e.g., <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or more).

To define the different processing stages <NUM> of tunnel washer <NUM>, an Archimedean screw may extend along the length of the tunnel washer with the helixes of the screw dividing the interior into different processing chamber. Tunnel washer <NUM> can be mounted on rollers, allowing the tunnel washer to oscillate back and forth to agitate laundry articles within a given processing chamber <NUM> for a period of time. Tunnel washer <NUM> may rotate <NUM> degrees periodically, causing the articles being processed to move from one processing chamber <NUM> to the next processing chamber. Alternatively, the screw may turn <NUM> degrees forward instead of the tunnel washer housing to move the articles being processed from one stage to the next.

In general, tunnel washer may include one or more wash chamber(s), one or more oxidizing chamber(s), and one or more rinse chamber(s) moving sequentially from inlet <NUM> to outlet <NUM>. Within the one or more wash chambers, the articles being washed may be wetted and washed in the initial break step with detergents, surfactants, chelants, water conditioners, and/or alkalis, in each case with heating or unheated. After being washed, the articles may be conveyed downstream to the oxidizing chamber(s). Within the oxidizing chamber(s), antimicrobial agents, bleaches, chelants, water conditioners, pH adjustment acids/bases, and/or quaternary ammonium compounds may be added to clean and sanitize/disinfect the articles. The articles being washed can then be conveyed further down the tunnel washer to the rinse (and/or sour and/or finishing) chamber(s). Within the rinse/sour/finishing chamber(s), the articles may be rinsed with clean water, pH adjusted by adding antichlors and/or sour materials containing acid components that neutralize alkaline residues on the fabric, treated with a fabric softening agent, and/or treated with a bacteriostatic, mildewcide, and/or antistatic agent. In some examples, a separate neutralization processing chamber is provided downstream of the rinse processing chamber(s) for adjusting the pH of the articles before discharge. At the outlet <NUM> of tunnel washer <NUM>, a water extractor or press may remove excess water from the articles being washed, allowing the damp articles to be sent further downstream for drying, ironing, and/or steam finishing.

Any types of fabric articles can be washed in textile washing system <NUM>. Example articles include clothing, linens, towels, blankets, and the like. The articles may be manufactured from natural fibers (e.g., wool, cashmere, cotton, silk, linen, hemp) and/or synthetic fibers (e.g., rayon, polyester, acrylic, acetate and nylon). Depending on the use environment of the articles, the articles may carry a variety of different types of soils. Example soils include dirt (e.g., sand), food and/or beverage deposits, bodily fluid (e.g., blood, fecal material), and/or other contaminants. Accordingly, liquid samples extracted from tunnel washer <NUM> may have greater than <NUM> weight percent solids, such as greater than <NUM> weight percent solids, or greater than <NUM> weight percent solids. For example, the liquid samples may have from <NUM> to <NUM> weight percent solids, such as from <NUM> to <NUM> weight percent solids, or from <NUM> to <NUM> weight percent solids. The solids may have an average size greater than <NUM> microns, such as an average size greater than <NUM> microns, an average size greater than <NUM> microns, or an average size greater than <NUM> microns. For example, at least <NUM>% of the solids may fall within a size distribution ranging from <NUM> microns to <NUM>. For applications involving larger solids, at least <NUM>% of the solids may fall within a size distribution ranging from. <NUM> microns to <NUM>. Other size ranges of solid materials in the liquid being sampled may be present depending on the application and nature of the fluid being sampled.

To evaluate one or more characteristics of liquid within tunnel washer <NUM>, textile washing system <NUM> includes liquid sampling system <NUM>. As will be described in greater detail below with respect to <FIG>, liquid sampling system <NUM> may include a sensor housing <NUM> and a liquid conveyance device <NUM>. Sensor housing <NUM> can define a cavity that receives liquid from tunnel washer <NUM> and allows one or more sensors <NUM> to interact with liquid in the cavity to determine one or more characteristics of the liquid. Liquid conveyance device <NUM> can draw liquid into sensor housing <NUM> for analysis and discharge liquid from the sensor housing after analysis is complete.

Textile washing system in the example of <FIG> also includes a controller <NUM>. Controller <NUM> is communicatively connected to liquid sample system <NUM> and, may also optionally be communicatively connected to tunnel washer <NUM>, as shown in the illustrated example. Controller <NUM> includes processor <NUM> and memory <NUM>. Controller <NUM> can communicate with controllable components in system <NUM> via wired and/or wireless connections. For example, controller <NUM> can communicate with liquid sampling system <NUM>, e.g., to receive signals generated by one or more sensors <NUM> analyzing liquid in sensor housing <NUM> and/or to control liquid conveyance device <NUM> to fill and discharge the sensor housing of liquid. In some configurations, controller <NUM> can also control tunnel washer <NUM>, e.g., in response to information generated by liquid sampling system <NUM> concerning one or more characteristics of liquid within the tunnel washer. When so implemented, controller <NUM> may control operational characteristics of the tunnel washer (e.g., wash residence time within a processing chamber, amount of agitation, the introduction and/or discharge of water and/or cleaning chemicals, detergent, etc.) in response to information generated by liquid sampling system <NUM>.

Processor <NUM> runs software stored in memory <NUM> to perform functions attributed to textile washing system <NUM> in this disclosure, including liquid sampling system <NUM> and any sensors <NUM> associated therewith. Components described as processors within controller <NUM>, or any other device described in this disclosure, may each include one or more processors, such as one or more microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic circuitry, or the like, either alone or in any suitable combination.

Memory <NUM> stores software and data used or generated by controller <NUM>. For example, memory <NUM> may store data used by controller <NUM> to control liquid sampling system <NUM> to extract a liquid sample using liquid conveyance device <NUM>, analyze the liquid sample using the one or more sensors <NUM> to determine one or more characteristics of the sample, and to further control liquid conveyance device <NUM> to discharge the analyzed sample. Memory <NUM> may store the determined characteristic(s) of the liquid, e.g., along with information associating the determined characteristic(s) to a particular batch textiles being washed and/or particular textile articles being washed in that batch. This information can be useful to validate the washing characteristics that a particular textile article was exposed to, e.g., giving downstream users of the article that the article was appropriately cleaned and/or sanitized/disinfected during the earlier washing process.

To sample liquid from tunnel washer <NUM> using liquid sampling device <NUM>, the liquid sampling system may be placed in fluid communication with the tunnel washer. Liquid sampling system <NUM> may be placed in fluid communication by establishing a flow pathway from an interior of the device from which the liquid sample is being extracted (e.g., tunnel washer <NUM>) to the liquid sampling system. In some configurations, sensor housing <NUM> of liquid sampling system <NUM> is connected directly to tunnel washer <NUM>, for example to provide a housing-to-housing connection without intervening conduit. In other configurations, a fluid conduit is connected on one end to tunnel washer <NUM> and the opposite end to liquid sampling system <NUM> (e.g., sensor housing <NUM> of the liquid sampling system). The fluid conduit may be a pipe or segment of tubing that allows fluid to be conveyed from one location to another location in the system. The material used to fabricate the conduits should be chemically compatible with the liquid to be conveyed and, in various examples, may be steel, stainless steel, or a polymer (e.g., polypropylene, polyethylene, polyvinylidene difluoride). In either configuration, a fluid line <NUM> (e.g., provided by a section of housing and/or an intermediate fluid conduit) may be provided between tunnel washer <NUM> and liquid sampling system <NUM>.

Depending on the configuration of tunnel washer <NUM>, the washer may have an existing port or valve connection that can be used to fluidly couple liquid sampling system <NUM> the tunnel washer. If tunnel washer <NUM> does not have an existing opening that can be used to make a fluid connection, a user may install a port on the tunnel washer for making the connection. The port on tunnel washer <NUM> used to provide fluid communication with liquid sampling system <NUM> may be located sufficiently low on the tunnel washer housing to be below the liquid level inside the housing, e.g., on a bottommost surface of the housing.

Liquid sampling system <NUM> may be fluidly coupled to one or more processing chambers <NUM> of tunnel washer <NUM>. For example, tunnel washer <NUM> may have multiple ports each of which provide fluid communication with a different processing chamber <NUM> of the tunnel washer. One or more fluid lines <NUM> can provide fluid communication between the different processing chambers <NUM> and liquid sampling device <NUM>. For example, a valve manifold may be used to control fluid communication between the multiple different processing chambers and liquid sampling system <NUM>. Liquid sampling system <NUM> may extract liquid from a select one of the processing chambers <NUM> by controlling the valve positioning of the valve manifold.

In other examples, liquid sampling system <NUM> may be in fluid communication with only a single processing chamber. In these examples, the fluid characteristics of only the single processing chamber <NUM> of tunnel washer <NUM> in fluid communication with liquid sampling system <NUM> may be monitored. Alternatively, multiple liquid sampling systems <NUM> may be implemented in textile washing system <NUM>. Each of the multiple liquid sampling systems <NUM> may have the design features of a liquid sampling system as described herein. Each of the multiple liquid sampling systems <NUM> may be fluidly connected to a different processing chamber <NUM>. In this way, the fluid characteristics of liquids from different processing chambers <NUM> of tunnel washer <NUM> may be monitored. When textile washing system <NUM> is implemented using multiple liquid sampling systems <NUM>, each liquid sampling system may have its own controller (e.g., which in turn communicates with a system controller) and/or a single controller may control all the liquid sampling systems. In either case, multiple liquid sampling systems <NUM> may be mounted on a shared mobile cart, allowing the multiple liquid sampling systems to be transported together as a system.

While liquid sampling system <NUM> can be used to extract liquid from any location for analysis, in some examples, the liquid sampling system is fluidly connected to a wash processing chamber <NUM> of tunnel washer <NUM>. For example, when tunnel washer <NUM> includes multiple processing chambers <NUM> that include a wash processing chamber, an oxidizing processing chamber, and a rinse processing chamber (with additional processing chambers optionally present), liquid sampling system <NUM> may be fluidly connected to a wash processing chamber. In general, tunnel washer <NUM> may have one or more wash processing chambers <NUM> where chemistry is introduced to clean and/or sanitize/disinfect the textile articles being cleaned.

The amount of chemistry introduced into the one or more wash processing chambers <NUM> may be effective to ensure that the textile articles washed using tunnel washer <NUM> are cleaned and sanitized/disinfected through the wash process. The amount of chemistry to be introduced into the one or more wash processing chambers to achieve the desired level of cleaning and/or sanitization/disinfection may vary depending on the types and amounts of soil present on the articles being cleaned. The amount of chemistry consumed during the washing process may vary depending on the types and amount of soil present on the articles being cleaned. Accordingly, monitoring the characteristics of the liquid in one or more wash processing chambers <NUM> of tunnel washer <NUM> may be useful to determine if a threshold level of chemistry is present in the liquid in which the textiles are being washed.

In operation, controller <NUM> can control liquid sampling system <NUM> to extract a liquid sample from the processing chamber <NUM> to which the liquid sampling system is fluidly connected. For example, controller <NUM> can control liquid conveyance device <NUM> to draw liquid from processing chamber <NUM> via fluid line <NUM> into sensor housing <NUM>. Controller <NUM> can further control one or more sensors <NUM> of liquid sampling system <NUM> to analyze one or more characteristics of the fluid drawn into sensor housing <NUM>. Controller <NUM> can subsequently control liquid conveyance device <NUM> to discharge the liquid in sensor housing <NUM> having undergone analysis back out of the sensor housing. In some applications, liquid drawn from processing chamber <NUM> is discharged back into the same processing chamber after having undergone analysis. In other applications, the liquid having undergone analysis is discharged to a drain or other disposal location.

Although not illustrated in the example of <FIG>, a valve may be interposed between tunnel washer <NUM> and liquid sampling system <NUM>, e.g., along fluid line <NUM>. Controller <NUM> may control the valve to open fluid line <NUM> for extracting a sample from processing chamber <NUM>, close the valve while the fluid sample is undergoing analysis, and reopen the valve to discharge the analyzed fluid sample back through fluid line <NUM>. In other configurations, system <NUM> may not have a valve interposed between tunnel washer <NUM> and liquid sampling system <NUM>. Rather, fluid line <NUM> may be in direct fluid connection with tunnel washer <NUM> thought the extraction, sampling, and discharge processes. When so configured, liquid conveyance device <NUM> can cycle to draw liquid into the sampling system, hold the drawn liquid in the system during sampling (while maintaining fluid contact via fluid line <NUM>), and cycle again to discharge the liquid back into the tunnel washer. The cycling may be controlled, for example, by controller <NUM> controlling an air source that pneumatically drives liquid conveyance device <NUM>.

Controller <NUM> can control liquid sampling system <NUM> to extract and analyze liquid samples with any desired frequency. In one configuration, controller <NUM> controls liquid sampling system <NUM> to extract and analyze one liquid sample from processing chamber <NUM> during each batch of textiles processed in the washer. In another configuration, controller <NUM> controls liquid sampling system <NUM> to extract and analyze multiple liquid samples from processing chamber <NUM> during each batch of textiles being processed in the washer. For example, controller <NUM> may control liquid sampling system <NUM> to repeatedly extract, analyze, and discharge liquid from a given processing chamber <NUM> while textile articles being washed remain in that processing chamber undergoing washing. As examples, controller <NUM> may control liquid sampling system <NUM> to extract, analyze, and discharge a sample at least once every minute, such as at least once every <NUM> seconds, at least once every <NUM> seconds, or at least once every <NUM> seconds. Additionally or alternatively, controller <NUM> may include a user interface that allows an operator to interact with the controller to control liquid sampling system <NUM> on demand to extract and analyze liquid sample as desired.

Operating under the control of controller <NUM>, the one or more sensors <NUM> of liquid sampling system <NUM> can analyze one or more characteristics of the liquid drawn into the liquid sampling system. Example types of sensors that may be used as sensors <NUM> on liquid sampling system <NUM> include a temperature sensor, a pH sensor, a conductivity sensor, an optical sensor, and combinations thereof. The sensor(s) <NUM> may be used to determine a concentration of one or more chemical components present in the liquid. In the example configuration of <FIG>, for instance, sensor(s) <NUM> may determine a one or more characteristics relating to the cleaning and/or sanitizing/disinfection efficacy of the liquid undergoing analysis. Such characteristics may include the concentration of one or more cleaning and/or antimicrobial agents intended to be present in the liquid, a pH of the liquid, a temperature of the liquid, a turbidity of the liquid (e.g., which may include a soil level in the liquid), an oxidative reductive potential (ORP) of the liquid (e.g., conductivity probe measurements), and/or a total dissolved solids level of the liquid.

Liquid characteristic information determined based on information measured by sensor <NUM> may be stored in memory <NUM> of controller <NUM>. In some examples, controller <NUM> may control tunnel washer <NUM> based on the measured property. Additionally or alternatively, controller <NUM> may transmit information concerning the measured characteristic / property to a remote computing device. For example, controller <NUM> may be implemented using one or more controllers, which may be located at the facility site containing washer <NUM>. Controller <NUM> may communicate with one or more remote computing devices <NUM> via a network <NUM>. For example, controller <NUM> may communicate with a geographically distributed cloud computing network, which may perform any or all of the functions attributed to controller <NUM> in this disclosure.

Network <NUM> can be configured to couple one computing device to another computing device to enable the devices to communicate together. Network <NUM> may be enabled to employ any form of computer readable media for communicating information from one electronic device to another. Also, network <NUM> may include a wireless interface, and/or a wired interface, such as the Internet, in addition to local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), direct connections, such as through a universal serial bus (USB) port, other forms of computer-readable media, or any combination thereof. On an interconnected set of LANs, including those based on differing architectures and protocols, a router may act as a link between LANs, enabling messages to be sent from one to another. Communication links within LANs may include twisted wire pair or coaxial cable, while communication links between networks may utilize analog telephone lines, full or fractional dedicated digital lines, Integrated Services Digital Networks (ISDNs), Digital Subscriber Lines (DSLs), wireless links including cellular and satellite links, or other communications links. Furthermore, remote computers and other related electronic devices may be remotely connected to either LANs or WANs via a modem and temporary telephone link.

In operation, liquid conveyance device <NUM> can generate a vacuum pressure to draw liquid into sensor housing <NUM> for analysis and subsequently generate a pressure to discharge the liquid in the sensor housing back out of the sensor housing. Accordingly, liquid conveyance device <NUM> may include a motive element, which may be a movable component within the device for generating a vacuum and/or positive pressures. For example, the motive element may move in one direction away from the sensor housing <NUM> to generate a vacuum drawing liquid from tunnel washer <NUM> into the sensor housing <NUM>. The motive element may subsequently move in an opposite direction toward sensor housing <NUM> to generate a positive pressure pushing liquid in sensor housing <NUM> back out of the housing, e.g., and into tunnel washer <NUM>. In different examples, liquid conveyance device <NUM> may be implemented using a positive displacement pump motive element, such as a piston or diaphragm.

<FIG> is a sectional side view of an example configuration of liquid sampling system <NUM> illustrating an example configuration of sensor housing <NUM> and liquid conveyance device <NUM>. In this example, sensor housing has a first opening <NUM> that can be connected to fluid line <NUM> to provide an inlet to the sensor housing from tunnel washer <NUM>. Sensor housing <NUM> also includes a second opening <NUM>, which is illustrated as being positioned on an opposite end of the sensor housing although may be located at any suitable position relative to first opening <NUM>. Liquid conveyance device <NUM> is in fluid communication with second opening <NUM> of sensor housing <NUM>. In some examples, a housing <NUM> of liquid conveyance device <NUM> is connected directly to sensor housing <NUM>, e.g., to provide a housing-to-housing connection between second opening <NUM> of the sensor housing and an inlet opening of housing <NUM> without intervening conduit. In other examples, a fluid conduit is used to fluidly connect opening <NUM> of sensor housing <NUM> to a corresponding opening of housing <NUM> of liquid conveyance device <NUM>. In either case, the liquid conveyance device <NUM> can be in pressure communication with sensor housing <NUM> to draw liquid into the sensor housing and expel liquid from the sensor housing.

In the illustrated configuration of <FIG>, liquid conveyance device <NUM> is illustrated as having a piston <NUM> that is configured to translate back and forth within the pump housing <NUM>. When piston <NUM> translates in a first direction (e.g., X-direction indicated on <FIG>) such that the, piston is retracted in housing <NUM>, the piston can generate a vacuum that draws liquid from tunnel washer <NUM> into sensor housing <NUM>. The vacuum pressure may communicate with the tunnel washer via fluid line <NUM>, first opening <NUM>, and second opening <NUM> to which fluid conveyance device <NUM> is connected. After the fluid is analyzed within sensor housing <NUM>, piston <NUM> can translate in a reverse direction (e.g., negative X-direction indicated on <FIG>) to generate a positive pressure that expels the liquid out of the sensor housing via opening <NUM>. The positive pressure generated by liquid conveyance device <NUM> may communicate with sensor housing <NUM> via the second opening <NUM> to which the fluid conveyance device is connected, forcing liquid in the sensor housing <NUM> back out via first opening <NUM>. Liquid conveyance device <NUM> may include a vent <NUM> on an opposite side of piston <NUM> from the liquid side for venting air to and/or from housing <NUM> during actuation of the motive element.

Thus, in the illustrated arrangement, liquid extracted from tunnel washer <NUM> both enters and exits sensor housing <NUM> via the same opening <NUM>. The liquid discharged from sensor housing <NUM> may be pushed back through fluid line <NUM> in a reverse direction from the direction in which the liquid was drawn into the sensor housing. In some applications, fluid line <NUM> is a single lumen line such that fluid pushed out of sensor housing <NUM> into fluid line <NUM> via opening <NUM> is pushed back to the processing chamber <NUM> from which the liquid was originally extracted. In other applications, fluid line <NUM> may have a branch or diversion to a drain or other discharge location, allowing liquid drawn into sensor housing <NUM> to be discharged from the housing without being reintroduced into the processing chamber <NUM> of tunnel washer <NUM>. In still further examples, sensor housing <NUM> may have an additional opening separate from first opening <NUM> and second opening <NUM> that functions as a discharge outlet, e.g., connected to a discharge fluid line different than the fluid line <NUM>. In these examples, fluid line <NUM> and opening <NUM> may function as inlets to draw liquid into sensor housing <NUM>, while the separate opening in fluid line may function as outlets for discharging liquid from the sensor housing.

Although sensor housing can have a variety of different inlet and outlet opening configurations, configuring the sensor housing with a shared opening <NUM> through which liquid is both drawn into the sensor housing and discharge the sensor housing can be useful to prevent plugging and the accumulation of fouling material in the sensor housing. In operation, the material drawn into sensor housing <NUM> may contain solid particulates and other fouling material. By drawing liquid into sensor housing <NUM> and subsequently discharging the liquid from the same opening, a back-and-forth pulsating pressure may be applied. It has been found, in some applications, that this back-and-forth pulsating pressure and fluid movement has a tendency to purge solid material drawn into the sensor housing with a liquid sample for analysis, helping to prevent plugging of the liquid sampling system.

Liquid drawn into sensor housing <NUM> can be analyzed by one or more sensors <NUM>, which is illustrated in <FIG> as a first sensor 36A and a second sensor 36B. First sensor 36A may be a sensor that includes a probe extending into sensor housing <NUM> and physically contacts liquid within the sensor housing, e.g., such as a temperature sensor, conductivity sensor, a pH sensor, and/or other direct contact sensor. Second sensor 36B, by contrast, may be a non-contact sensor that analyzes liquid within sensor housing <NUM> without physically contacting liquid. For example, second sensor 36B may be an optical sensor that includes an emitter and a detector to detect one or more optical characteristics of the liquid in sensor housing <NUM>. It should be appreciated that the sensors illustrated in <FIG> are merely examples, and a liquid sampling system according to the disclosure may include a different number and/or different types of sensors without departing from the scope of disclosure.

In the example of <FIG>, pump housing <NUM> of liquid conveyance device <NUM> is illustrated as being oriented horizontally with respect to gravity while sensor housing <NUM> is oriented vertically with respect to gravity. In other configurations, sensor housing <NUM> and/or pump housing <NUM> may have different orientations with respect to each other and/or with respect to gravity. For example, <FIG> is a sectional side view of another example configuration of liquid sampling system <NUM>, where like reference numerals refer to like elements discussed above with respect to <FIG>.

As shown in the example of <FIG>, liquid sampling system <NUM> is also implemented using liquid conveyance device <NUM> that includes a piston <NUM> that translates within a pump housing <NUM>. In this configuration, however, pump housing <NUM> is oriented vertically with respect to gravity (e.g., such that an opening <NUM> in the housing that communicates with second opening <NUM> of sensor housing <NUM> is positioned downward with respect to gravity). This alternative orientation of pump housing <NUM> has been found to be useful, in some applications, where the liquid drawn into sensor housing <NUM> and correspondingly pump housing <NUM> contains abrasive solid material. For example, when the liquid material being processed contains dirt, sand, or other grit, this particulate material may have a tendency to be drawn into pump housing <NUM> during the process of filling sensor housing <NUM>. The particulate material may fall downwardly with respect to gravity while the liquid is retained in pump housing <NUM> (e.g., while a stationary volume of fluid in sensor housing <NUM> is undergoing analysis). When pump housing <NUM> is oriented horizontally, this particulate material may abrade piston <NUM> as it translates forward in piston housing <NUM>, e.g., with the particulate material falling to the bottom of pump housing <NUM> wearing the bottom surface of the piston as it translates forward. Over time with repeated actuations of piston <NUM>, this particulate material may have a tendency to degrade the piston to the point of failure, e.g., such that the piston <NUM> no longer seals with the inner wall surface of pump housing <NUM>.

By orienting pump housing <NUM> vertically with respect to gravity in such applications (e.g., such that the inlet and/or outlet opening <NUM> of the pump housing is pointed downwardly with respect to gravity) particulate material drawn into the pump housing may fall to the outlet end <NUM> of the pump housing <NUM>. As a result, the particulate material may not abrade piston <NUM> as it translates in pump housing <NUM>. To help further protect piston <NUM>, one or more stops <NUM> may be provided. The stops <NUM> may be spaced from outlet end <NUM> of pump housing <NUM> a distance, such as a distance of at least <NUM>, such as at least <NUM>, or at least <NUM> (e.g., a distance ranging from <NUM> to <NUM>).

Stop <NUM> may be a projection that the face of piston <NUM> contacts, preventing the piston from advancing fully to the outlet end <NUM> of pump housing <NUM>. The space between stop <NUM> and outlet end <NUM> may provide a region that in which particulate material can collect in pump housing <NUM> without interfering with piston <NUM>. During cycling of the piston, such collective material may be expected to be pushed out of the pump housing <NUM>. Although stop <NUM> is illustrated in the orientation arrangement of <FIG>, such a feature may be used in the orientation arrangement of <FIG> or yet other configurations as described herein. Further, although stop <NUM> is illustrated as being an internal stop that projects across a cross-section of pump housing <NUM>, stop <NUM> may alternatively be implemented as an external feature that interacts with piston <NUM> and/or a drive mechanism of the piston.

<FIG> is a sectional side view of yet another example configuration of liquid sampling system <NUM>, where like reference numerals refer to like elements discussed above with respect to <FIG> and <FIG>. In the example of <FIG>, liquid sampling system <NUM> is shown being implemented using liquid conveyance device <NUM> that includes a membrane or diaphragm <NUM> that is configured to flex within the pump housing <NUM> to create a vacuum to draw liquid into sensor housing <NUM> and generate a pressure to push liquid out of the housing. Pump housing <NUM> with diaphragm <NUM> with can be oriented in any suitable way relative to sensor housing <NUM>, including horizontally as discussed with respect to <FIG> or vertically with opening <NUM> pointing downwardly as discussed with respect to <FIG>.

Diaphragm <NUM> may flex away from opening <NUM> (e.g., in the negative Z-direction indicated on <FIG>) to create a vacuum, drawing liquid into sensor housing <NUM>. Diaphragm <NUM> may further flex towards opening <NUM> (e.g., in the positive Z-direction indicated on <FIG>) to create a pressure pulse, pushing the liquid in sensor housing <NUM> back out of the housing. Diaphragm <NUM> may be formed of a flexible material, such as a rubber, thermoplastic, or polytetrafluoroethylene material.

Configuring liquid conveyance device <NUM> with a diaphragm <NUM> instead of a piston <NUM> or element that translates along the length of the pump housing <NUM> may be useful when dealing with solid-containing liquids carrying abrasive particulates. Diaphragm <NUM> may be secured about its periphery to pump housing <NUM>, e.g., such that the diaphragm flexes inside the housing but remains anchored and stationary about its perimeter. As a result, if abrasive particulate enters pump housing <NUM>, the particulate is not allowed to interact in a space between the motive element (diaphragm <NUM>) and the surface of the wall. This can be useful to maintain prolonged operation of liquid conveyance device <NUM> between any routine maintenance that may be typically provided.

Independent of the specific configuration of liquid conveyance device <NUM>, pump housing <NUM> of the liquid conveyance device may be sized relative to sensor housing <NUM>. To repeatedly measure the characteristics of different samples of fluid, liquid conveyance device <NUM> may substantially completely purge the sensor housing <NUM> of liquid and refill it with fresh liquid during cycling. Accordingly, liquid conveyance device <NUM> may be sized to draw a volume of liquid greater than the volume of sensor housing <NUM>. The volume of sensor housing <NUM> may be considered the amount of liquid that can be held in the sensor housing went completely full.

By configuring liquid conveyance device <NUM> to draw a volume of liquid greater than the volume of sensor housing <NUM>, the liquid conveyance device may pull at least as much liquid as is needed to fill the sensor housing. Further, as liquid conveyance device <NUM> may typically draw more than the volume of sensor housing <NUM>, additional liquid may be drawn past sensor housing <NUM> and into the liquid conveyance device itself (e.g., via the second opening <NUM> and opening <NUM> of pump housing <NUM> in communication therewith). Additionally or alternatively, additional liquid drawn by liquid conveyance device <NUM> may account for any volume of liquid contained in fluid line <NUM> and/or any fluid line between sensor housing <NUM> and liquid conveyance device <NUM>.

For example, the capacity of liquid conveyance device <NUM> may be effective to completely fill the fluid space between the source of liquid from which the sample is being extracted (e.g., processing chamber <NUM> of tunnel washer <NUM>) and the liquid conveyance device <NUM>. This capacity of liquid conveyance device <NUM> may further be effective to completely purge the fluid space between liquid conveyance device <NUM> and the discharge location following analysis liquid sample, which may be back to the original source. The amount of fluid space between the source and liquid conveyance device <NUM> may be the combined capacity of fluid line <NUM> and sensor housing <NUM>. While liquid conveyance device <NUM> may typically operate to completely fill sensor housing <NUM> with liquid for analysis, in other examples, the liquid conveyance device may only partially fill the sensor housing, e.g., with an amount of liquid suitable for one or more sensors <NUM> to interact with the liquid.

The amount of liquid drawn and/or discharged by liquid conveyance device <NUM> may be controlled by controlling the size of pump housing <NUM> and the distance the motive element (e.g., piston <NUM>, diaphragm <NUM>) travels in the housing. In some examples, the motive element of liquid conveyance device is configured to draw a volume of liquid at least <NUM> times the volume of sensor housing <NUM>, such as at least twice the volume of the sensor housing. For example, a ratio of the volume of liquid drawn by liquid conveyance device <NUM> divided by the volume of sensor housing <NUM> may range from <NUM> to <NUM>, such as from <NUM> to <NUM>, <NUM> to <NUM>, or <NUM> to <NUM>.

The specific size and dimensions of sensor housing <NUM> and pump housing <NUM> may vary depending on the desired application. In some examples, however, sensor housing <NUM> may have a volume ranging from <NUM> to <NUM>. In such an application, liquid conveyance device <NUM> may be designed to draw a volume of liquid ranging from <NUM> to <NUM> during operation. When sensor housing <NUM> is connected to a source by fluid line <NUM>, the fluid line may have a volume or liquid capacity less than the volume of the sensor housing. Additionally or alternatively, when liquid conveyance device <NUM> is connected to sensor housing <NUM> by a fluid line, this fluid line may have a volume or liquid capacity less than the volume of the sensor housing. Otherwise, if one or more fluid lines in the system are long and/or have a larger capacity, the capacity of liquid conveyance device <NUM> may be adjusted to account for the long holding volume within the one or more lines.

Liquid conveyance device <NUM> may be powered by any suitable power source, such as electrical power or pneumatic power. In some configurations, a motive fluid such as pressurized air or hydraulic fluid is used to drive the motive element inside of pump housing <NUM> to translate back and forth. Independent of the type of power source used to drive liquid conveyance device <NUM>, the liquid conveyance device may generate a vacuum pressure sufficient to draw liquid from the source to fill sensor housing <NUM> and subsequently generate a positive pressure sufficient to purge the liquid from the sensor housing. In some applications, liquid conveyance device <NUM> is configured to pressurize liquid drawn into the sensor housing <NUM> to a pressure greater than <NUM>,<NUM> bar (<NUM> psig), such as greater than <NUM>,<NUM> bar (<NUM> psig), or greater than <NUM>,<NUM> bar (<NUM> psig). Configuring liquid conveyance device <NUM> to generate a sufficiently high pressure for expelling liquid from sensor housing <NUM> can be useful to help purge solid materials, particulates, or other debris drawn into the sensor housing back out of the sensor housing.

With further reference to <FIG>, controller <NUM> can control operation of liquid sampling system <NUM> to extract and analyze a liquid sample and subsequently discharge the liquid sample from the system. For example, controller <NUM> can control the motive element (e.g., piston <NUM>, diaphragm <NUM>) of the liquid conveyance device to draw liquid from processing chamber <NUM> of tunnel washer <NUM> into sensor housing <NUM>. Controller <NUM> may control the motive element by controlling a power source (e.g., motive fluid) that drives movement of the motive element. Controller <NUM> may hold the liquid drawn into sensor housing <NUM> for a period of time sufficient for the one or more sensors to measure one or more properties of the liquid drawn into the sensor housing. Controller <NUM> may hold the liquid in sensor housing <NUM> by maintaining the motive element in a retracted position. The amount of time needed for a sensor to measure a corresponding property of the liquid may vary depending on the type of sensor from a fraction of a second (e.g., <NUM> second or less, such as <NUM> seconds or less, or <NUM> seconds or less) to more than a second (e.g., from <NUM> second to <NUM> minute, such as from <NUM> second to <NUM> seconds, or from <NUM> second to <NUM> seconds).

Upon controller <NUM> receiving a signal from sensor <NUM> indicating that the property of the liquid has been measured, the controller can control the motive element to discharge the liquid from sensor housing <NUM> back out of the housing. Again, controller <NUM> may control the motive element by controlling a power source that drives movement of the motive element.

With some types of sensors <NUM>, it is desirable to keep the sensor fluid wet between uses to prevent a sensor element from drying out. Accordingly, when not in active sampling mode, controller <NUM> may control liquid sampling system <NUM> to keep sensor housing <NUM> liquid full rather than discharging the liquid from the housing after analysis. Controller <NUM> may subsequently purge the liquid from the sensor housing before performing a subsequent liquid sample extraction and analysis. Additionally or alternatively, liquid sampling system <NUM> may be implemented as a closed system that does not introduce air into sensor housing <NUM> between sample extractions (e.g., beside any air leakage that may normally occur because of manufacturing tolerances). When so configured, sensor(s) <NUM> may remain wetted even between samples even if sensor housing <NUM> is evacuated of liquid following analysis of a liquid sample.

A liquid sampling system according to the disclosure can be useful for extracting samples of liquid from a source where the samples contain solid materials, such as agglomerates, particulates, or other materials that will be drawn into a sensor chamber and have a tendency to cause plugging and/or fouling problems. The liquid sampling system may be implemented with a sensor housing positioned between a liquid source and a liquid conveyance device that provides alternating negative and positive pressure. The resulting back and forth liquid flow created by this arrangement can help release and remove the undesired solid materials that may be drawn into the sensor housing, helping to keep the sensor housing clean for repeated and subsequent samplings.

To avoid premature plugging, a liquid sampling system according to disclosure may be implemented as a filtration-free system that is devoid of any filtration elements (e.g., screen) that liquid flows through between the source and the sensor housing. By eliminating a filtration element, additional solid material that may otherwise be filtered out may be drawn into the sensor housing. However, this solid material drawn into the sensor housing may be purged back out of the housing when pressure is applied to discharge the liquid sensor housing during cycling. While a liquid sampling system according to disclosure may be implemented without a filtration element, it should be appreciated that a filtration element may optionally be used in the disclosure is not limited in this respect. For example, a filtration element with comparatively large pores may be located along fluid line <NUM> and/or at tunnel washer <NUM> to help prevent large particulate from entering the liquid sampling system.

The techniques described in this disclosure, including functions performed by a controller, control unit, or control system, may be implemented within one or more of a general purpose microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate array (FPGA), programmable logic devices (PLDs), or other equivalent logic devices. Accordingly, the terms "processor" or "controller," as used herein, may refer to any one or more of the foregoing structures or any other structure suitable for implementation of the techniques described herein.

The various components illustrated herein may be realized by any suitable combination of hardware, software, and firmware. In the figures, various components are depicted as separate units or modules. However, all or several of the various components described with reference to these figures may be integrated into combined units or modules within common hardware, firmware, and/or software. Accordingly, the representation of features as components, units or modules is intended to highlight particular functional features for ease of illustration, and does not necessarily require realization of such features by separate hardware, firmware, or software components. In some cases, various units may be implemented as programmable processes performed by one or more processors or controllers.

Any features described herein as modules, devices, or components may be implemented together in an integrated logic device or separately as discrete but interoperable logic devices. In various aspects, such components may be formed at least in part as one or more integrated circuit devices, which may be referred to collectively as an integrated circuit device, such as an integrated circuit chip or chipset. Such circuitry may be provided in a single integrated circuit chip device or in multiple, interoperable integrated circuit chip devices.

If implemented in part by software, the techniques may be realized at least in part by a computer-readable data storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium) comprising code with instructions that, when executed by one or more processors or controllers, performs one or more of the methods and functions described in this disclosure. The computer-readable storage medium may form part of a computer program product, which may include packaging materials. The computer-readable medium may comprise random access memory (RAM) such as synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), read-only memory (ROM), non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), embedded dynamic random access memory (eDRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), flash memory, magnetic or optical data storage media. Any software that is utilized may be executed by one or more processors, such as one or more DSP's, general purpose microprocessors, ASIC's, FPGA's, or other equivalent integrated or discrete logic circuitry.

Claim 1:
A liquid sampling system (<NUM>) for a textile washer comprising:
a textile washer having a processing chamber (<NUM>);
a liquid sampling system having a fluid line (<NUM>) in fluid communication with the processing chamber (<NUM>) of the textile washer, the liquid sampling system including:
a sensor housing (<NUM>) having a first opening (<NUM>) connected to the fluid line (<NUM>) and a second opening (<NUM>);
at least one sensor (<NUM>) positioned to measure a property of a liquid drawn into the sensor housing (<NUM>); and
a liquid conveyance device (<NUM>) having an opening in fluid communication with the second opening (<NUM>) of the sensor housing (<NUM>) and a motive element,
the motive element being configured to draw a volume of liquid into the liquid conveyance device (<NUM>) through the opening, thereby drawing liquid from the processing chamber (<NUM>) of the textile washer via the fluid line (<NUM>) and into the sensor housing (<NUM>), and
the motive element being configured to subsequently discharge the volume of liquid from the liquid conveyance device (<NUM>) back out through the opening, thereby pushing the liquid in the sensor housing (<NUM>) out of the sensor housing (<NUM>).