Arrangement for fill level measurement
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An arrangement for measuring fill levels of fill substances located in containers with a single fill-level measuring device operating according to the travel time principle, and arranged removed from the measuring locations at which a fill level is to be measured and having an antenna for directed sending of microwaves and for receiving microwaves. The arrangement includes: a mirror arrangement, which has, arranged at a measuring location above the fill substance, at least one mirror, which transmits, to the surface of the fill substance, microwaves sent from the antenna in their transmission direction and which transmits, back to the antenna, their echoes reflected on the surface of the fill substance; and a measuring device electronics, which is fed, in measurement operation, received signals received with the antenna, and which, on the basis of the received signals, ascertains the travel times of the microwaves reflected at the measuring locations on the surface of the fill substance and ascertains therefrom, on the basis of the positions of the mirrors arranged above the fill substance at the measuring locations, the fill levels at the measuring locations.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1-12. -12. (canceled)
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13. An arrangement for measuring fill levels of fill substances located in containers at least one predetermined measuring location, comprising:
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a fill level measuring device arranged removed from the measuring location, or the measuring locations, and operating with microwaves according to the travel time principle, said fill-level measuring device having an antenna for directed sending of microwaves and for receiving microwaves; a mirror arrangement, which has at least one mirror arranged at a measuring location above the fill substance, and which transmits onto the surface of the fill substance, at the measuring locations, microwaves sent from said antenna in their transmission direction and which transmits back to said antenna their echoes reflected on the surface of the fill substance; and a measuring device electronics, to which are fed, in measurement operation, received signals received with said antenna, and which, on the basis of the received signals, ascertains the travel times of the microwaves reflected at the measuring locations on the surface of the fill substance and ascertains therefrom, on the basis of the positions of said mirror arrangement arranged above the fill substance, the present fill levels at the measuring locations. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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20. A method for operating an arrangement including:
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a fill level measuring device arranged removed from the measuring location, or the measuring locations, and operating with microwaves according to the travel time principle, said fill-level measuring device having an antenna for directed sending of microwaves and for receiving microwaves; a mirror arrangement, which has at least one mirror arranged at a measuring location above the fill substance, and which transmits onto the surface of the fill substance, at the measuring locations, microwaves sent from said antenna in their transmission direction and which transmits back to said antenna their echoes reflected on the surface of the fill substance; and a measuring device electronics, to which are fed, in measurement operation, received signals received with said antenna, and which, on the basis of the received signals, ascertains the travel times of the microwaves reflected at the measuring locations on the surface of the fill substance and ascertains therefrom, on the basis of the positions of said mirror arrangement arranged above the fill substance, the present fill levels at the measuring locations; said antenna has a transmission direction, which extends above the fill substance out over the fill substance; said mirror arrangement has at least one mirror, which is partially transmissive for microwaves and which is arranged along an axis defined by the transmission direction at a measuring location above the fill substance and an additional mirror arranged, as seen in the transmission direction, behind said one or more partially transmissive mirrors, at an additional measuring location above the fill substance; and said one or more partially transmissive mirrors and said additional mirror have an orientation, by which in the transmission direction thereon impinging thereon reflected microwaves are radiated in the direction of the fill substance, and echoes reflected on the surface of the fill substance to said mirrors are radiated from said mirrors counter to the transmission direction in the direction of said antenna; the method comprising the steps of; transmitting microwaves are transmitted from said antenna; dividing the sent microwaves via said mirror arrangement into a number of beam sections corresponding to the number of mirrors arranged at the measuring locations above the fill substance, and the beam sections impinge at individual measuring locations on the surface of the fill substance determined by the positions of said mirrors and are there reflected; feeding the echoes of the individual beam sections reflected from the surface of the fill substance at the measuring locations via said mirror arrangement to said antenna, ascertaining the travel times on the basis of a received signal received by said antenna, which the respective beam sections and their echoes require for the path from said antenna to the sites on the surface of the fill substance corresponding to the measuring locations and back to said antenna; and ascertaining the fill levels at the measuring locations on the basis of these travel times and the positions of the mirrors arranged at the measuring locations above the surface of the fill substance.
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Specification