System and method for a sonde sensor cleaning system

Abstract

A sonde cleaning brush is disclosed that has a plurality of bristles extending from the brush surface. The bristles have a stiffener attached to the bristles causing the stiffness of the bristles to increase along the length of the brush while preserving the flexibility of the bristles perpendicular to the brush length. There may be one or more stiffeners attached to the brush bristles.

1 . A method for replacing a cleaning brush in a sonde cleaning arm assembly, comprising:
 removing a clip configured to hold the cleaning brush in the cleaning arm assembly;   removing the cleaning brush from the cleaning arm assembly;   installing a replacement cleaning brush into the cleaning arm assembly;   reattaching the clip to the cleaning arm assembly such that the replacement brush is held in place in the cleaning arm assembly.   
   
   
       2 . A sonde cleaning brush, comprising:
 a brush body, the brush body including a bottom surface and a length;   a plurality of bristles extending from the bottom surface of the brush body, the plurality of bristles including a plurality of first bristle ends attached to the brush body and a second plurality of bristle ends forming a working brush face opposite the plurality of first bristle ends; and   one or more stiffeners that surround and bind all bristles of the plurality of bristles at one or more stiffener positions located between the brush body and the working brush face.   
   
   
       3 . The sonde cleaning brush of  claim 2  where the sonde cleaning brush has a cleaning direction that is generally perpendicular to the brush body length and where the plurality of bristles form an angle θ with respect to the cleaning direction. 
   
   
       4 . The sonde cleaning brush of  claim 3  where the angle θ with respect to the cleaning direction is approximately 110 degrees. 
   
   
       5 . The sonde cleaning brush of  claim 2  where the plurality of bristles are coated with an anti-fouling compound. 
   
   
       6 . The sonde cleaning brush of  claim 2  where the stiffener is closer to the bristle tips than to the bottom surface of the brush body. 
   
   
       7 . The sonde cleaning brush of  claim 2  where the stiffener is configured to provide a varying level of bristle stiffness along the length of the brush. 
   
   
       8 . (canceled) 
   
   
       9 . A sonde cleaning arm assembly, comprising:
 a cleaning arm configured to attach to a driver in a sonde whereby the cleaning arm rotates in a cleaning direction;   a brush comprising:
 a brush body including a bottom surface and a length; 
 a plurality of bristles extending from the bottom surface of the brush body, the plurality of bristles including a plurality of first bristle ends attached to the brush body and a second plurality of bristle ends forming a working brush face opposite the plurality of first bristle ends; and 
 one or more stiffeners that surround and bind all bristles of the plurality of bristles at one or more stiffener positions located between the brush body and the working brush face; and 
   a clip snapped to the cleaning arm where the clip is configured to hold the brush to the cleaning arm.   
   
   
       10 . The sonde cleaning arm assembly of  claim 9  where the bristles are coated with an anti-fouling compound. 
   
   
       11 . The sonde cleaning brush of  claim 9  where the bristles are angled by a predetermined amount θ off of a plane perpendicular to the cleaning direction. 
   
   
       12 . The sonde cleaning arm assembly of  claim 9  where θ is equal to approximately 20 degrees. 
   
   
       13 . A method for cleaning a sonde, comprising:
 brushing an active sensor element of a sensor installed in a sonde with a cleaning brush in a cleaning direction, where the cleaning brush has a plurality of bristles having a first end attached to a brush base and a second end opposite the first end and where a stiffener is attached between the first end and the second end of the bristles.   
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 13  where the bristles are tilted at an angle with respect to a plane that is perpendicular to the cleaning direction. 
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 14  where the angle is equal to approximately 20 degrees. 
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 13  where the active sensor element is a window. 
   
   
       17 . A method, comprising:
 tracking the performance of a cleaning brush used to clean the active sensor elements for a sensor installed in a sonde;   signaling when the performance of the cleaning brush falls below a predetermined threshold.   
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 17  where the performance is tracked by cleaning a first sensor with the cleaning brush and leaving a second sensor un-cleaned and comparing the response time between the first and second sensors. 
   
   
       19 . (canceled) 
   
   
       20 . (canceled)