Patent ID: 8038937

Claim:
A device with bio-fouling control for autonomous monitoring of a fluid environment, comprising: at least one sensor unit operationally controllable to operate in accordance with a predetermined sampling cycle, said sampling cycle including at least one sampling time period followed by an anti-fouling treatment time period, a sensor envelope positioned in a surrounding relationship with said at least one sensor unit and defining a chamber containing said at least one sensor unit, said sensor envelope having at least one window formed therein, at least one source of an anti-fouling matter, and a control unit operatively coupled to said sensor envelope and said at least one source of the anti-fouling matter, wherein said control unit actuates said sensor envelope to control opening and closing of said at least one window formed therein to provide fluid communication between said at least one sensor unit and a fluid to be sampled within said chamber during said at least one sampling time period, and further activates said at least one source of the anti-fouling matter to create an anti-fouling environment in said chamber during said anti-fouling treatment time period.