US 11,874,287 B2
Auto-aligning cable sensor
Adrian Stacey, Cambridge (GB); Daren Huttlestone, Royston (GB); and Edmund Grace, Cottenham (GB)
Assigned to The Automation Partnership (Cambridge) Limited, Royston (GB)
Appl. No. 17/040,908
Filed by The Automation Partnership (Cambridge) Limited, Royston (GB)
PCT Filed Mar. 21, 2019, PCT No. PCT/EP2019/057092
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 23, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/185445, PCT Pub. Date Oct. 3, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 18164441 (EP), filed on Mar. 27, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0018523 A1, Jan. 21, 2021
Int. Cl. G01N 35/00 (2006.01); C12M 1/00 (2006.01); C12M 1/34 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 35/00584 (2013.01) [C12M 23/50 (2013.01); C12M 41/36 (2013.01); G01N 35/0099 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An auto-aligning cable sensor for performing measurements on a medium contained in a vessel, wherein the cable sensor includes:
a cable which has an end sensor and which is adapted to be carried by a mounting fixture, the mounting fixture and the vessel being movable into a measurement position relative to each other such that a contact face of the sensor end is held in alignment against a surface of the vessel by a pressing force, thereby enabling the end sensor to sense a characteristic of the medium contained in the vessel; and
an elastically deformable coupling member which is arranged to mediate transfer of the pressing force from the mounting fixture to the cable and thence to the end sensor when the mounting fixture and the vessel are moved into the measurement position, the coupling member deforming under the pressing force such that the cable can flex to tilt the end sensor relative to the surface of the vessel to accommodate misalignment of the contact face and the surface of the vessel.