Retrofittable Sensor Unit for Diverse Applications

Publication ID: 24-11857134_0002_PTD

Published: November 07, 2025

Category:New Applications & Use Cases

Legal Citation

pr1or.art Inc., “Retrofittable Sensor Unit for Diverse Applications,” Published Technical Disclosure No. 24-11857134_0002_PTD, Published November 07, 2025, available at https://archive.pr1or.art/24-11857134_0002_PTD

This technical disclosure describes improvements that would be readily apparent to a Person Having Ordinary Skill In The Art (PHOSITA) when considered in combination with the foundational architecture disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 11,857,134.

Summary of the Inventive Concept

A versatile sensor unit for controlling dosing devices in various industries, including water treatment, agriculture, food processing, and pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Background and Problem Solved

The original patent disclosed a retrofittable sensor unit for controlling dosing devices in cleaning machines. However, the limitations of this technology were confined to a single industry. The new inventive concept addresses the need for a more adaptable and flexible sensor unit that can be applied to diverse industries, solving the problem of limited applicability.

Detailed Description of the Inventive Concept

The retrofittable sensor unit consists of an acquisition module, a communication unit, and an energy conversion system. The acquisition module includes a viscosity sensor, a turbidity sensor, and a plurality of optical sensors for capturing images. The communication unit transmits dosing commands to a dosing device based on the determined condition of the substance being monitored. The energy conversion system includes a dynamo for generating electrical energy. The new inventive concept expands the applicability of this technology to various industries, including monitoring water quality in swimming pools, optimizing crop yields in precision agriculture, controlling the consistency of food products, monitoring wastewater quality, and ensuring pharmaceutical product quality.

Novelty and Inventive Step

The new inventive concept's novelty lies in its adaptability to diverse industries, which is non-obvious compared to the original patent's limited application to cleaning machines. The inventive step is the recognition of the potential for this technology to be applied to a wide range of industries, requiring minimal modifications to the sensor unit's components.

Alternative Embodiments and Variations

Alternative embodiments of the inventive concept could include variations in the acquisition module's sensor configuration, different communication protocols, and alternative energy conversion systems. These variations would enable the retrofittable sensor unit to be tailored to specific industry requirements, ensuring broad conceptual coverage.

Potential Commercial Applications and Market

The retrofittable sensor unit has significant commercial potential in various industries, including water treatment, agriculture, food processing, and pharmaceutical manufacturing. The target market includes companies operating in these industries, as well as manufacturers of dosing devices and equipment.

CPC Classifications

Section	Class	Group
A	A47	A47L15/4297
A	A47	A47L15/0055
A	A47	A47L15/449
D	D06	D06F33/57
D	D06	D06F34/22
D	D06	D06F2103/02
D	D06	D06F2103/18
D	D06	D06F2103/20
D	D06	D06F2105/42
D	D06	D06F2105/58

Section 103 Obviousness Analysis (PHOSITA)

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Field of Art

Sensor systems for monitoring and controlling industrial processes, with expertise in fluid analysis, measurement technologies, and retrofittable sensing solutions across domains like cleaning equipment, water treatment, and manufacturing

Person of Ordinary Skill (PHOSITA) Profile

An engineer with advanced degree in mechanical or electrical engineering, specialized in sensor integration, measurement technologies, and cross-domain industrial monitoring systems, familiar with sensor miniaturization, wireless communication, and adaptive sensing platforms

Obviousness Rationale

A person having ordinary skill would recognize the fundamental sensor architecture disclosed in US 11857134 is generically applicable across multiple industrial domains. The core technical elements - viscosity sensing, optical imaging, wireless communication, and energy harvesting - represent modular, adaptable technologies that can be readily reconfigured for different monitoring applications. The PTD demonstrates predictable extensions of the source patent's core technological concept by applying identical sensor integration strategies to alternative industrial contexts.

Obvious Combinations & Variations

Source Patent Element

Viscosity and turbidity sensors in a cleaning machine context

PTD Variation

Applying identical sensor configuration to swimming pool water quality monitoring

Obviousness Reasoning

Viscosity and turbidity measurement represents a known technique for fluid condition assessment, with predictable transferability across fluid monitoring scenarios

Source Patent Element

Optical sensors for capturing article conditions in cleaning machine

PTD Variation

Using optical sensors for crop imaging in precision agriculture

Obviousness Reasoning

Image-based condition monitoring is a well-established technique, and adapting optical sensing to agricultural contexts represents a straightforward design choice with predictable technological transfer

Source Patent Element

Wireless communication unit for transmitting dosing commands

PTD Variation

Extending communication protocols to pharmaceutical manufacturing process control

Obviousness Reasoning

Wireless command transmission is a generic control mechanism applicable across industrial domains, representing an obvious technological adaptation

Source Patent Element

Dynamo-based energy conversion system in washing machine context

PTD Variation

Implementing similar energy harvesting in agricultural or industrial monitoring equipment

Obviousness Reasoning

Energy harvesting through mechanical rotation is a known technique, and its application to different mechanical systems represents a predictable engineering solution

Source Patent Element

Retrofittable sensor unit design for cleaning machines

PTD Variation

Adapting modular sensor unit architecture to wastewater treatment monitoring

Obviousness Reasoning

Modular sensor integration represents a standard engineering approach, with predictable transferability across industrial monitoring contexts

35 U.S.C. § 103 Summary: Based on the teachings of US 11857134, the present published technical disclosure demonstrates that the claimed variations in sensor unit deployment across diverse industrial domains would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in sensor integration and industrial monitoring technologies. The disclosed adaptations represent predictable technological extensions utilizing known sensing techniques, communication protocols, and energy harvesting strategies, thereby rendering subsequent claims of novelty invalid under 35 U.S.C. § 103.

Original Patent Information

Patent Number	US 11,857,134
Title	Retrofittable sensor unit for controlling a dosing device
Assignee(s)	Henkel AG & Co. KGaA