System, apparatus and method for measuring and transferring the contents of a vessel

• US 6,588,458 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2001
• Issued: 07/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ceres Technologies, Inc. (Atlas Copco AB)
• Original Assignee: iCon Dynamics, LLC
• Inventors: Rodgers, Donald B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Walczak, David J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huynh, Khoa D.
• Application Number:
  US09/899,085
• Publication Number:
  US 20030006245A1
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• Field of Search: 141/9, 141/100, 141/94, 141/95, 141/192, 141/198, 141/83, 261/131, 261/127
• US Class Current: 141/9
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 9/12 characterised by the use of electric means

Abstract

The invention relates to a system, apparatus, and method for measuring and transferring the contents of a vessel. The apparatus includes an outer vessel having a liquid disposed therein and an inner vessel positioned to float in the liquid of the outer vessel. A liquid is also disposed in the inner vessel. An input passageway is associated with the inner vessel and at least one output passageway is associated with the outer vessel. A magnet or other sensed member is positioned on the inner vessel and a sensor, such as a Hall-effect sensor, is associated with the outer vessel. The sensor is configured so as to read the position of the inner vessel relative to the sensor to determine the weight of the inner vessel.

Claims

1. A fluid handling apparatus comprising:

a containment vessel having at least one inlet connected to a supply source for filling the containment vessel with a first material;

a float vessel disposed within the containment vessel, said float vessel having at least one opening for receiving a second material, with at least a portion of the second material being used for another purpose during operation of the fluid handling apparatus; and

a sensor associated with the containment vessel for sensing a position of the float vessel within the containment vessel, wherein the sensor transmits an electrical signal corresponding to a change in distance of the float vessel relative to the sensor and the change in distance is correlated with a change in weight of the second material in the float vessel.

2. The fluid handling apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal is voltage.

3. The fluid handling apparatus of claim 1, wherein the float vessel further comprises a magnet for interacting with the sensor to determine the position of the float vessel within the containment vessel.

4. The fluid handling apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor is positioned substantially associated with a lower surface of the containment vessel.

5. The fluid handling apparatus of claim 4, wherein the float vessel further comprises an associated sensed member for interacting with the sensor in determining the position of the float vessel within the containment vessel, said sensed member being positioned substantially associated with a lower surface of the float vessel.

6. The fluid handling apparatus of claim 5, wherein the sensed member is a magnet.

7. The fluid handling apparatus of claim 6, wherein the magnet is positioned inside a wall of the float vessel and the sensor is positioned inside a wall of the containment vessel such that the magnet and sensor are sealed from the first and second materials.

8. The fluid handling apparatus of claim 1, wherein the containment vessel is substantially sealed.

9. The fluid handling apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first material is a liquid and the second material is a liquid.

10. The fluid handling apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a centering device positioned inside the float vessel, said centering device for maintaining the float vessel substantially aligned along a longitudinal axis of the containment vessel.

11. A dispensing system comprising:

a controller;

an outer vessel for holding a first fluid;

a float vessel positioned inside the outer vessel for holding a second fluid;

an output mechanism in communication with the second vessel;

a sensor associated with the outer vessel and which supplies a signal to the controller,

wherein said signal represents a change in position of the float vessel within the outer vessel, and wherein said change in position correlates to a change in weight of the second fluid within the float vessel; and

an output mechanism associated with the controller and a source for supplying the second fluid to the float vessel.

12. The dispensing system of claim 11, further comprising a second input mechanism having a valve that supplies a gas through a passageway positioned beneath a surface of the second fluid.

13. The dispensing system of claim 12, wherein the escaping gas becomes humidified as it passes through the second fluid and the system further comprises an output for the exit of humidified gas.

14. The dispensing system of claim 11, wherein the second fluid is periodically withdrawn from or replenished into the float vessel.

15. The dispensing system of claim 11, wherein the input mechanism is a valve that is openable and closable to allow the second fluid to periodically flow into the float vessel, with operation of the valve being governed by the controller.

16. The dispensing system of claim 15, wherein the controller utilizes signals generated by the sensor in determining whether to open or close the valve.

17. The dispensing system of claim 11, wherein the weight of the second fluid is dynamically calculated based upon a sensed reading of the change in position of the float vessel within the outer vessel.

18. The dispensing system of claim 11, wherein the float vessel includes a sensed member for interacting with the sensor in determining the position of the float vessel relative to the outer vessel.

19. The dispensing system of claim 18, wherein the sensed member is a magnet, and the sensor is connected to a voltage indicator and monitors the position of the magnet relative to the sensor, the sensor substantially simultaneously transmits a voltage to the controller that corresponds to the position of the magnet relative to the sensor, and the controller determines, based upon this position, whether fluid should be input to the float vessel.

20. The dispensing system of claim 11, wherein the outer vessel and float vessel include a head space positioned above the second fluid in the float vessel, the system further comprising:

a gas line positioned inside the head space;

a gas source associated with the gas line; and

a gas valve positioned along the gas line for starting and stopping the flow of gas from the gas source into the head space, wherein the controller opens the gas valve to permit gas to fill the head space of the outer vessel and float vessel.

21. The dispensing system of claim 20, wherein the gas valve further permits gas to pressurize the head space.

22. The dispensing system of claim 20, the output mechanism further comprising:

a fluid dispense line having an opening at one end, with the opening positioned below the surface of the second fluid in the float vessel, and extending through the outer vessel at the other end; and

a fluid supply valve, wherein the controller opens the fluid supply valve to dispense the second fluid from the float vessel and closes the fluid supply valve, wherein during dispensing of the second fluid, the sensor monitors the position of the float vessel to determine when to close the fluid supply valve.

23. The dispensing system of claim 22, wherein the occurrence of the sensor reading a low fluid level in the float vessel results in the controller closing the gas valve and using the input mechanism to supply the second fluid into the float vessel.

24. The dispensing system of claim 23, wherein the second fluid is dispensed into the float vessel from the input mechanism under pressure.

25. The dispensing system of claim 11, wherein a usable volume of second fluid within the float vessel corresponds to a signal range of the sensor.

26. The dispensing system of claim 11, wherein the second fluid comprises at least one fluid.

27. A method for measuring and controlling the amount of a material within an apparatus having a containment vessel and a float vessel, with the float vessel being positioned inside the containment vessel, comprising:

filling the containment vessel with a first fluid to cause the float vessel to float within the first fluid;

filling the float vessel with a second material to create a usable and measurable amount of second material within the float vessel;

performing an application to use at least a portion of the second material in the float vessel; and

measuring a change in position of the float vessel relative to a sensor associated with the containment vessel to determine a measured position representing the remaining amount of second material in the float vessel.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

refilling the float vessel with the second material to maintain a weight of second material based upon the measured position of the float vessel within the containment vessel.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the sensor reads a distance between the sensor and the float vessel, with the signal from the sensor being an indicated voltage, and the change in indicated voltage is calculated based upon a prior reading.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising using the calculated change in indicated voltage to determine the weight of the second material within the float vessel.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein the second material is a liquid.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the step of performing an application to use at least a measured portion of the liquid includes at least bubbling a gas through the liquid in order to generate a humidified gas and dispensing the humidified gas through an outlet defined in the containment vessel.