Liquid level determining devices and method

• US 3,120,125 A
• Filed: 08/03/1960
• Issued: 02/04/1964
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/1960
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alfred W. Vasel
• Original Assignee: Alfred W. Vasel
• Inventors: Vasel, Alfred W.
• Application Number:
  US04/047,177
• Time in Patent Office: 1,280 Days
• US Class Current: 73/293
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/2927 for several discrete levels, e.g. with more than one light-conducting sensing element
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 250/903 with prism contacting liquid

Claims

1. A DEVICE OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED FOR DETECTING AND REMOTELY INDICATING DIFFERENT LEVELS OF LIQUID IN A CONTAINER COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A PLURALITY OF LIQUID LEVEL DETECTING PRISMS EACH HAVING A BASE SURFACE CHARACTERIZED IN THAT IT WILL TRANSMIT LIGHT WHEN IMMERSED IN A LIQUID AND REFLECT LIGHT INTERNALLY THEREOF WHEN NOT IN CONTACT WITH A LIQUID, ILLUMINATING MEANS, FIRST LONG AND THIN LIGHT-CONDUCTING FIBER MEANS ARRANGED TO DIRECT LIGHT FROM SAID ILLUMINATING MEANS INTO SAID PRISMS, LEVEL INDICATING MEANS LOCATED REMOTELY OF SAID PRISMS AND SECOND LONG AND THIN LIGHT-CONDUCTING FIBER MEANS OPTICALLY COUPLING SAID PRISMS TO SAID INDICATING MEANS, MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID PRISMS IN SAID CONTAINER WITH THEIR RESPECTIVE BASE SURFACES DISPOSED IN VERTICALLY SPACED SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL PLANES EACH AT A DIFFERENT PRESELECTED LEVEL IN SAID CONTAINER, SAID FIRST LONG AND THIN LIGHT-CONDUCTING FIBER MEANS EMBODYING A PLURALITY OF FIRST GROUPS OF LIGHT-CONDUCTING FIBER ELEMENTS, SAID FIRST GROUPS OF FIBER ELEMENTS BEING EQUAL IN NUMBER TO THE NUMBER OF SAID PRISMS AND EACH HAVING ONE OF THEIR RESPECTIVE ENDS IN OPTICAL CONTACT WITH A FIRST SIDE OF A RESPECTIVE PRISM, THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID FIRST GROUPS OF FIBER ELEMENTS BEING DISPOSED ADJACENT SAID ILLUMINATING MEANS TO COLLECTIVELY RECEIVE LIGHT THEREFROM AND CAUSE SAID FIBER ELEMENTS TO CONDUCT SAID LIGHT INTO SAID RESPECTIVE PRISMS, SAID ENDS OF SAID FIRST GROUPS OF FIBER ELEMENTS IN OPTICAL CONTACT WITH SAID FIRST SIDE OF EACH OF SAID PRISMS BEING SO ARRANGED AS TO DIRECT SAID LIGHT ONTO THE RESPECTIVE BASE SURFACES OF SAID PRISMS AT ANGLES SUCH AS TO BE REFLECTED BY SAID BASE SURFACES TO A SECOND SIDE RESPECTIVELY OF SAID PRISMS WHEN SAID BASE SURFACES ARE NOT IMMERSED IN A LIQUID, SAID SECOND LONG AND THIN LIGHT-CONDUCTING FIBER MEANS EMBODYING A PLURALITY OF SECOND GROUPS OF LIGHTCONDUCTING FIBER ELEMENTS EQUAL IN NUMBER TO THE NUMBER OF SAID PRISMS AND HAVING AT LEAST ONE OF THEIR RESPECTIVE ENDS IN OPTICAL CONTACT WITH EACH OF SAID SECOND SIDES OF SAID RESPECTIVE PRISMS AND BEING SO ARRANGED RELATIVE TO SAID RESPECTIVE SECOND SIDES AS TO RECEIVE SUBSTANTIALLY ONLY LIGHT INTERNALLY REFLECTED BY THE RESPECTIVE BASE SURFACES OF SAID PRISMS WHEREBY SAID LIGHT WILL BE CONDUCTED TO OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID SECOND GROUPS OF LIGHT-CONDUCTING FIBER ELEMENTS, SAID OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID SECOND GROUPS OF LIGHT-CONDUCTING FIBER ELEMENTS BEING SO ARRANGED INDIVIDUALLY ADJACENT SAID LEVEL INDICATING MEANS AS TO ILLUMINATE THE SAME AND MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID LEVEL INDICATING MEANS TO IDENTIFY THE RESPECTIVE PRISM FROM WHICH LIGHT IS BEING REFLECTED.