Topology determination of a filling material surface with uniform line scanning
AssigneeVEGA Grieshaber KG
InventorsSteffen Waelde, Roland Welle, Karl Griessbaum, Josef Fehrenbach
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Abstract
A fill level measurement device for determining a topology of a filling material surface is provided, including an antenna apparatus including an array of radiator elements and a rotatable mount configured to rotate the antenna apparatus about an axis that is in parallel with the array, such that a plurality of emission angles of the antenna apparatus are electronically and mechanically settable relative to the filling material surface without local overscanning occurring.
Claims11
A fill level measurement device for determining a topology of a filling material surface, comprising:
- an antenna apparatus comprising an array of radiator elements configured to transmit and/or receive electromagnetic signals, wherein the array is a unidimensional array that extends in a longitudinal direction;
- and
- a first rotatable mount configured to rotate the antenna apparatus about a non-vertical axis, wherein the non-vertical axis is in parallel with the longitudinal direction,
- wherein the device is configured to electronically and mechanically set a plurality of emission angles and/or receiving angles of the antenna apparatus relative to the filling material surface in order to scan the filling material surface line-by-line.
A method for determining a topology of a filling material surface, comprising:
- providing a fill level measurement device;
- electronically and mechanically setting a first emission angle of an antenna apparatus of the fill level measurement device, the antenna apparatus comprising an array of radiator elements configured to transmit and/or receive electromagnetic signals, wherein the array is a unidimensional array that extends in a longitudinal direction;
- detecting an echo curve at the first emission angle;
- rotating the antenna apparatus about a non-vertical axis in parallel with the array, wherein the non-vertical axis is in parallel with the longitudinal direction;
- detecting another echo curve at a second emission angle;
- and
- determining the topology of the filling material surface by scanning the filling material surface line-by-line.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.