Patent ID: 8044811

Claim:
A sensing device capable of determining a temperature of a liquid and an electrical conductivity of said liquid at said temperature, wherein said sensing device comprises at least one temperature sensor for providing temperature measurement data arranged such that said temperature sensor is physically isolated from said liquid when said sensing device is immersed in said liquid, said device further comprising: an electrical conductivity sensor arranged for providing conductivity measurement data for determining an electrical conductivity of said liquid; storage means containing one or more temperature response characteristics of said temperature sensor, each temperature response characteristic indicating temperature variations of said temperature sensor as a function of time in a temperature interval; a processor for processing said conductivity measurement data and said temperature measurement data of said electrical conductivity sensor and said at least one temperature sensor wherein said processor is arranged for: substantially instantly measuring said electrical conductivity, when said sensing device is immersed in said liquid, on the basis of said conductivity measurement data, and evaluating said temperature measurement data of said temperature sensor measured when said sensing device is immersed in said liquid, in a fraction of said temperature interval of said temperature characteristic between an initial temperature and an intermediate temperature measured by said temperature sensor after immersion in said liquid and thereby determining the temperature of said liquid using one or more of said stored temperature response characteristics.