ULTRASONIC FLUID MEASUREMENT METHOD

• US 20090019929A1
• Filed: 07/14/2008
• Published: 01/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations Limited (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus UK Limited (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: KINGDON, James
• Granted Patent: US 8,201,446 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/290.V
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 22/00 Methods or apparatus for measuring volume of fluids or fluent solid material, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/2962 Measuring transit time of reflected waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/2968 Transducers specially adapted for acoustic level indicators

Abstract

A method of measuring the level of a fluid in a tank of an aircraft, the method comprising: moving an ultrasonic transducer to a predetermined measurement position; measuring the level of the fluid by: transmitting ultrasound from the transducer into the fluid via an external surface of a wall of the tank, receiving an ultrasonic echo at the transducer, and deducing the fluid level based on the time of arrival of the ultrasonic echo; and removing the transducer from the measurement position.

A fluid tank comprising a bottom wall having an internal surface which is inclined to the horizontal; and an ultrasound guide surface which is located in the interior of the tank and oriented to direct ultrasound substantially vertically.

Claims

1. A method of measuring the level of a fluid in a tank of an aircraft, the method comprising:

moving an ultrasonic transducer to a measurement position;

measuring the level of the fluid by;

transmitting ultrasound from the transducer at the measurement position into the fluid via an external surface of a wall of the tank,

receiving an ultrasonic echo at the transducer, and

deducing the fluid level based on the time of arrival of the ultrasonic echo; and

removing the transducer from the measurement position.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the measurement position is indicated by a visual indicator on the external surface of the wall of the tank.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the tank comprises a bottom wall having an internal surface which is inclined to the horizontal;

and the method further comprises transmitting ultrasound from the transducer at the measurement position substantially vertically into the fluid via an ultrasound guide surface which is located in the interior of the tank.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising engaging the external wall of the tank with the ultrasonic transducer at the measurement position;

and disengaging the external wall of the tank from the external wall of the tank after the measurement has been made.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the fluid is fuel.

6. A fluid tank comprising a bottom wall having an internal surface which is inclined to the horizontal;

and an ultrasound guide surface which is located in the interior of the tank and oriented to direct ultrasound substantially vertically.

7. The tank of claim 6, wherein the ultrasound guide surface is substantially planar.

8. The tank of claim 6 further comprising an ultrasound guide member having a first surface which is attached to the inclined internal surface of the bottom wall of the tank, and a second surface which is opposite to the first surface and comprises the ultrasound guide surface.

9. The tank of claim 6 further comprising a visual indicator on an external surface of the bottom wall of the tank, the visual indicator indicating the position of the ultrasound guide surface.

10. The tank of claim 6 further comprising a tag which can be interrogated wirelessly to retrieve information stored by the tag.

11. The tank of claim 6 wherein the bottom wall has an opening containing a cover with an inclined internal surface;

and the ultrasound guide surface is located on the cover.

12. A fluid level measuring system comprising a fluid tank according to claim 6;

and an ultrasonic transducer.