Self-Calibrating Liquid Level Transmitter
First Claim
1. A fluid level sensing apparatus for placement in a container comprising:
- a sensor further comprising an electrically conductive first body, an insulating layer having a thickness disposed over the first body to cover a first surface contact area, an electrically conductive second body having a second surface contact area disposed in opposition to the first body;
a container progressively filled with a fluid in order to change a fluid level, wherein the fluid electrically couples a first fraction of the first surface contact area and a second fraction of the second surface contact area;
a means for energizing the first body and the second body at a voltage; and
a means for detecting the variability in voltage as the fluid level changes, wherein the thickness of the insulating layer varies along the first surface contact area as the level fluid changes to create forced variations in the voltage detected by the means for detecting the variability of the voltage.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present disclosure generally relates to a capacitance sensing apparatus equipped with self-calibrating capacity and method of use thereof. The disclosure contemplates the determination using a secondary means of precise fluid levels according to five possible embodiments, and the use of the determined fluid level to recalibrate the capacitance sensing apparatus along its continuous analog level, namely, a variation of the thickness of the insulation of a capacitance sensing apparatus, the variation of the surface geometry of the capacitance sensing apparatus, the use of a dual-probe sensor including a probe with a varied surface geometry, the use of an electromagnetic sensor adjoining the capacitance sensor, and the variation of the electromechanical sensor to serve as a capacitance sensing apparatus. The disclosure also contemplates methods for using the sensing apparatus previously disclosed to measure a fluid level using a self-calibrating capacitance sensing apparatus. Finally, the present disclosure contemplates the use of an improved mathematical method associated with a variability measurement, such as an exponential smoothing method, to determining locally discrete changes in the variability measurement of the capacitance in order to determine a fixed fluid level.
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Citations
64 Claims
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1. A fluid level sensing apparatus for placement in a container comprising:
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a sensor further comprising an electrically conductive first body, an insulating layer having a thickness disposed over the first body to cover a first surface contact area, an electrically conductive second body having a second surface contact area disposed in opposition to the first body;
a container progressively filled with a fluid in order to change a fluid level, wherein the fluid electrically couples a first fraction of the first surface contact area and a second fraction of the second surface contact area;
a means for energizing the first body and the second body at a voltage; and
a means for detecting the variability in voltage as the fluid level changes, wherein the thickness of the insulating layer varies along the first surface contact area as the level fluid changes to create forced variations in the voltage detected by the means for detecting the variability of the voltage. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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9. A fluid level sensing apparatus for placement in a container comprising:
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a sensor further comprising an electrically conductive first body having an irregular surface geometry, an insulating layer disposed placed over the first body to cover a first surface contact area, an electrically conductive second body having a second surface contact area disposed in opposition to the first body;
a container progressively filled with a fluid in order to change a fluid level, wherein the fluid electrically couples a first fraction of the first surface contact area and a second fraction of the second surface contact area;
a means for energizing the first body and the second body at a voltage; and
a means for detecting the variability in voltage as the fluid level changes, wherein the irregular surface geometry of the first body varies along the first surface contact area as the fluid level changes to create forced variations in the voltage detected by the means for detecting the variability of the voltage.
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16. A fluid level sensing apparatus for placement in a container comprising:
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a sensor further comprising an electrically conductive first body having a first surface contact area, an electrically conductive third body having a third surface contact area, an electrically conductive second body having a second surface contact area disposed in opposition to the first and the third bodies;
a container progressively filled with a fluid in order to change a fluid level, wherein the fluid electrically couples a first fraction of the first surface contact area and a third fraction of the third surface contact area with a second fraction of the second surface contact area;
a means for energizing the first body and the third body at a voltage compared to the second body;
a first means for detecting the variability in voltage as the fluid level in the container changes as the first fraction of the first surface contact area and the second fraction of the second surface contact area changes;
a second means for detecting the variability of voltage as the fluid level in the container changes as the third fraction of the third surface contact area and the second fraction of the second surface contact area changes, wherein a surface geometry of the third body varies along the first surface contact area as the fluid level in the container changes to create forced variations in the voltage detected by the means for detecting the variability of the voltage for both the first and the second means for detecting the variability of both voltage. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A fluid level sensing apparatus for placement in a container comprising:
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a capacitance sensor further comprising an electrically conductive first body having a first surface contact area, an electrically conductive second body having a second surface contact area disposed in opposition to the first body;
an electromechanical sensor further comprising a guide positioned in a fluid to be measured disposed in the container, a float movably connected to the guide to rise and fall with a fluid level, a series of reed switches disposed at pre-selected intervals along the guide, and a means for establishing a magnetic field across the reed switches, a container progressively filled with the fluid in order to change the fluid level, wherein the fluid electrically couples a first fraction of the first surface contact area and a second fraction of the second surface contact area, and wherein the change in the fluid level changes the float position along the guide in order to move the means for establishing a magnetic field and close a reed switch associated with a predetermined fluid level, a means for energizing the first body and the second body at a voltage;
a means for detecting the variability in voltage as the fluid level in the container changes as the first fraction of the first surface contact area and the second fraction of the second surface contact area changes; and
a means for determining which reed switch is closed as the fluid level in the container changes, wherein the determination of the fluid level based on the means for determining which reed switch is closed is used to correct the determination of the fluid level based on the means for detecting the variability of the voltage by fixing known level steps. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A method for measuring a fluid level in a container using a capacitance sensor, the sensor comprising a first body having an insulation layer having an irregular thickness, and a second body, where the first body is energized by a voltage and disposed in opposition to the second body, a fluid electrically coupling the opposed first and second bodies, and a means for detecting the variability in voltage of the sensor as a fluid level changes to produce a output range, wherein the irregular thickness includes successive levels in a step function, the method comprising the steps of:
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disposing the capacitance sensor in the container so that a lower measure point is in contact with a low fluid level to be measured and the higher measure point is in contact with a high fluid level to be measured;
calibrating the capacitance sensor to the desired output range so that the lower measure point is a first extremity of the output range and the high measure point is a second extremity of the output range;
further calibrating the capacitance sensor and means for detecting the variability of the voltage using a determination method to recognize variation associated with the successive levels in the step function associated with the irregular thickness of the insulation in order to determine a precise fluid level for recalibration associated with each successive level in the step function;
determining a first fluid level based on the measured output voltage of the capacitance sensor;
recalibrating the first fluid level associated with the measured output voltage based on the precise fluid level. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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44. A method for measuring a fluid level in a container using a capacitance sensor, the sensor comprising a first insulated body having an irregular geometry, and a second body, where the first body is energized by a voltage and disposed in opposition of the second body, a fluid electrically coupling the opposed bodies, and a means for detecting the variability in voltage of the sensor as the fluid level changes to produce a output range, wherein the irregular geometry is made of successive levels in a step function, the method comprising the steps of:
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disposing the capacitance sensor in the container where a lower measure point is in contact with a low fluid level to be measured and the higher measure point is in contact with a high fluid level to be measured;
calibrating the capacitance sensor to the desired output range so that the lower measure point is a first extremity of the output range and the high measure point is a second extremity of the output range;
further calibrating the capacitance sensor and means for detecting the variability of the voltage using a determination method to recognize variation associated with the successive levels in the step function associated with the irregular geometry in order to determine a precise fluid level for recalibration associated with each successive level in the step function;
determining a first level of the fluid based on the measured output voltage of the capacitance sensor;
recalibrating the first level of fluid associated with the measured output voltage based with the precise fluid level. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
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51. A method for measuring a fluid level in a container using a dual-probe capacitance sensor, the sensor comprising a first body, a third body having an irregular geometry, and a second body, where the first and third bodies are energized by a voltage and disposed in opposition to the second body, and a fluid electrically couples the opposed first, second and third bodies, the capacitance sensor further comprising a means for detecting the variability in voltage of each of the two probes as the level of the fluid in the container changes and a means for producing a output range and a variability for each probe, wherein the irregular geometry includes notches, the method comprising the steps of:
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disposing the dual probe capacitance sensor in the container where a lower measure point of each probe is in contact with a low fluid level to be measured and the higher measure point of each probe is in contact with a high fluid level to be measured;
calibrating each of the two capacitance sensors to the desired output range so the lower measure point is a first extremity of the output range and the high measure point is a second extremity of the output range;
calibrating the means for detecting the variability of the voltage in the third body using a determination method to recognize irregularities in voltage associated with the irregularities in the geometry and associating a fixed fluid level with the irregularities in geometry;
determining a first fluid level based on the measured output voltage of the first capacitance sensor probe;
correcting the first fluid level associated with the measured output voltage of the first probe of the capacitance sensor based on the fluid level associated with the selected irregularities of the second probe. - View Dependent Claims (52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57)
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58. A method for measuring a fluid level in a container using a capacitance sensor and an electromechanical sensor, the capacitance sensor comprising a first conductive body and a second conductive body energized by a voltage disposed in position, and a fluid electrically coupling the first body and second body, a means for detecting the variability in voltage as the fluid level in the container changes and producing a output range, and the electromechanical sensor extending in the container comprising a guide, a float movably connected to the guide including a means for establishing a magnetic field on a reed switch disposed on the guide at a fixed fluid level and producing a fixed voltage output associated with the reed switch within a output voltage range, the method comprising the steps of:
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disposing the capacitance sensor and the electromechanical sensor in the container where a lower measure point of each sensor is in contact with a low fluid level to be measured and the higher measure point of each sensor is in contact with a high fluid level to be measured;
calibrating the capacitance sensor to the desired output range so the lower measure point is a first extremity of the output range and the high measure point is a second extremity of the output range;
calibrating the electromechanical sensor to the desired output range so the reed switch corresponds to a fixed output voltage within the output voltage range;
determining a first fluid level based on the measured output voltage of the capacitance sensor;
correcting the first fluid level associated with the measured output voltage of the capacitance sensor to the fluid level associated with the reed switch, once the fluid level of the reed switch is reached. - View Dependent Claims (59, 60, 61, 62, 63)
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64. A determination method for recognition and quantification of irregularities associated with fixed fluid levels using a capacitance fluid level sensing apparatus, the determination method comprising the steps of:
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determining a variability in capacitance by measuring and comparing the capacitance over a fixed interval of time;
associating the variability of capacitance with a data point;
storing the data points and the quantity of data points in two arithmetic sums;
determining a new data point to be quantified as a possible irregularity;
adding the data point to the arithmetic sums;
reviewing the evolution of a derivative function of the arithmetic sums to determine if a change in slope is observed over a fixed number of sum intervals; and
comparing the change in the derivative function with a predetermined value to determine if a slope change is observed and if a fixed fluid level is calculated.
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Specification