Sonic tank inventory control system and method
First Claim
1. A system for measuring the level of a fluid in a tank, comprising:
- a plurality of reflectors positioned in the tank with said reflectors being a known distance from one another and a first reflector being an unknown distance from the top of the tank; and
an apparatus for producing and outputting a sonic signal and for receiving echoes from said plurality of reflectors and a surface of the fluid in the tank, said apparatus producing electrical signals representative of said received echoes, said apparatus including processor means responsive to said electrical signals for,(i) calculating the distance between said apparatus and said first reflector,(ii) calculating the distance between a last reflector above the fluid surface and the fluid surface, and(iii) determining the total distance from said apparatus to the fluid surface based on the distances calculated in (i), (ii), and the distance between said first and last reflectors.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for measuring the level of a fluid in a tank comprises a plurality of reflectors positioned in the tank with the reflectors being a known distance from one another and a first reflector being an unknown distance from the top of the tank and an apparatus for producing and outputting a sonic signal and for receiving echoes from the plurality of reflectors and a surface of the fluid in the tank. The apparatus produces electrical signals representative of the received echoes. The apparatus includes a processor responsive to the electrical signals for, (i) calculating the distance between the apparatus and the first reflector, (ii) calculating the distance between a last reflector and the fluid surface, and (iii) determining the total distance from the apparatus to the fluid surface based on the distances calculated in (i), (ii), and the distance between the first and last reflectors.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A system for measuring the level of a fluid in a tank, comprising:
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a plurality of reflectors positioned in the tank with said reflectors being a known distance from one another and a first reflector being an unknown distance from the top of the tank; and an apparatus for producing and outputting a sonic signal and for receiving echoes from said plurality of reflectors and a surface of the fluid in the tank, said apparatus producing electrical signals representative of said received echoes, said apparatus including processor means responsive to said electrical signals for, (i) calculating the distance between said apparatus and said first reflector, (ii) calculating the distance between a last reflector above the fluid surface and the fluid surface, and (iii) determining the total distance from said apparatus to the fluid surface based on the distances calculated in (i), (ii), and the distance between said first and last reflectors. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A portable apparatus for measuring the level of a fluid in a tank, said apparatus for use with a plurality of reflectors positioned in the tank with the reflectors being a known distance from one another and a first reflector being an unknown distance from said apparatus, said apparatus comprising:
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means for producing an output signal; transducer means responsive to said output signal for outputting a sonic signal and for producing input signals in response to echoes from the plurality of reflectors and a surface of the fluid in the tank; and processor means responsive to said input signals for, (i) calculating the distance between the apparatus and the first reflector, (ii) calculating the distance between a last reflector above the fluid surface and the fluid surface, and (iii) determining the total distance from the apparatus to the fluid surface based on the distances calculated in (i), (ii), and the distance between the first and last reflectors. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of measuring the level of a fluid in a tank having a plurality of reflectors positioned therein with the reflectors being a known distance from one another and a first reflector being an unknown distance from the top of the tank, said method comprising the steps of:
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outputting a sonic signal into the tank; producing input signals in response to echoes from the plurality of reflectors and a surface of the fluid in the tank; (i) calculating the distance between the top of the tank and the first reflector; (ii) calculating the distance between a last reflector above the fluid surface and the fluid surface; and determining the total distance from the top of the tank to the fluid surface based on the distances calculated in (i), (ii), and the distance between the first and last reflectors. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification