Method and apparatus for measuring the height of filling material on a surface, such as within a container
First Claim
1. A method of measuring the level of filling material on a surface, comprising transmitting a sound pulse toward the filling material level, the sound pulse having a duration equal to at least the time it would take the sound pulse to travel to the lowermost level of the material on the surface, recording the echo of the sound pulse coming from the actual material filling level, and measuring, as a measure of the filling level, the time interval between the end of the transmitted pulse and the end of the echo pulse.
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Abstract
A method of measuring a filling level in a container or the height of loose material over a storage surface, comprises transmitting and recording a sound pulse having a duration at least as long as a pulse which travels to the lowermost level of the material, recording the echo of the sound pulse from the actual material filling level, and measuring, as a measure of the filling level, the time interval between the end of the transmitted pulse and the end of the echo pulse. A device for measuring the height of the filling material on a surface, comprises an electroacoustic transmitting transducer excited by an electric pulse generator and having a receiving transducer whose output is connected to an electrical time measuring device. The transmitting transducer and the receiving transducer are mounted over the surface of the material being added thereon and a control circuit of the measuring device is adjusted so that it starts measuring the time at the end of the transmitted pulse and stops at the end of the echo pulse.
41 Citations
13 Claims
- 1. A method of measuring the level of filling material on a surface, comprising transmitting a sound pulse toward the filling material level, the sound pulse having a duration equal to at least the time it would take the sound pulse to travel to the lowermost level of the material on the surface, recording the echo of the sound pulse coming from the actual material filling level, and measuring, as a measure of the filling level, the time interval between the end of the transmitted pulse and the end of the echo pulse.
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3. A device for measuring the height of filling material on a surface, comprising a surface over which filling material is accumulated to an actual filling level, transmitting and receiving means located in a fixed position over said surface for transmitting and receiving a sound pulse of a duration at least equal to the time required to travel to the surface and return and for receiving the echo pulse which is returned, and measuring means connected between said transmitting and receiving means for measuring the time interval between the end of the transmitted pulse and the end of the echo pulse.
Specification