# US 10,480,984 B2 · Device, container and method for measuring liquid volume in container based on pressure sensing

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- Number: US 10,480,984 B2
- Document ID: US10480984B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/831,147
- Filed: 2017-12-04
- Published: 2018-05-03
- Granted: 2019-11-19
- Earliest claimed: 2015-06-08
- Assignees: Shenzhen Moikit Network Technology Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Shenzhen Mecare Network Technology Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Kuo Yin
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10480984B2

## CPC

- G01F 23/18: Indicating, recording or alarm devices actuated electrically
- G01F 13/006: {measuring volume in function of time}
- G01F 22/02: involving measurement of pressure
- B65D 47/40: with drip catchers or drip-preventing means
- B67D 1/0431: {power-operated}
- G01F 17/00: Methods or apparatus for determining the capacity of containers or cavities, or the volume of solid bodies (measuring linear dimensions to determine volume G01B)
- G01F: MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME
- B65D: CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B67D: DISPENSING, DELIVERING OR TRANSFERRING LIQUIDS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (cleaning pipes or tubes or systems of pipes or tubes B08B9/02; emptying or filling of bottles, jars, cans, casks, barrels, or similar containers, not otherwise provided for B67C; water supply E03; pipe systems F17D; domestic hot-water supply systems F24D; measuring volume, volume flow, mass flow or liquid level, metering by volume G01F; coin-freed or like apparatus G07F)

## Abstract

The invention discloses a device, a container and a method for measuring a liquid volume in a container based on pressure sensing. The measuring device includes a compression member, a pressure sensor, a force transmission member, an air pressure sensor and a controller. The compression member is hermetically connected to the container under measurement to form a sealed space in the container, and compresses the air in the sealed space under external force; the force transmission member converts the air pressure in the sealed space into a pressure applied on the pressure sensor; and the pressure sensor measures the pressure applied from the force transmission member before and after the compression. The present invention accurately measures the liquid volume in the container, effectively eliminates the impact of the shaking of the liquid on the measurement result, and is conveniently used to detect water quality in the natural usage.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A device for measuring a liquid volume in a container based on pressure sensing, comprising:
a compression member; the compression member is hermetically connected to the container to be detected to form a sealed space in the container, and compresses air in the sealed space under an external force; a volume value of the compressed air is a determined value;
a pressure sensor and a force transmission member; the force transmission member converts an air pressure in the sealed space into pressure applied to the pressure sensor, and an area value of a stress surface is a determined value; the pressure sensor detects a pressure value from the force transmission member before and after the compression;
an air pressure sensor for detecting an ambient air pressure value; and
a controller; the controller is configured to receive the pressure value obtained by the pressure sensor and the ambient air pressure value obtained by the air pressure sensor, and calculates the liquid volume in the container to be detected based on the pressure value, the ambient air pressure value, the volume value, the area value and the volume value of the container to be detected.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The device for measuring the liquid volume in the container based on pressure sensing according to the claim 1, characterized in that the device further comprises at least one limiting device for limiting a movement of the compression member after the compression member moves a fixed distance.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The device for measuring the liquid volume in the container based on pressure sensing according to claim 2, characterized in that there are at least two limiting devices and the two limiting devices are located on a same horizontal plane, and the limiting devices are made of a conductive material; the pressure sensor performs a first detection of the pressure value before compression; and performs a second detection of the pressure value in the sealed space when being conducted between the limiting devices.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The device for measuring the liquid volume in the container based on pressure sensing according to claim 2, characterized in that the limiting device comprises at least one fixing member and an elastic member correspondingly arranged under the fixing member; the fixing member and the elastic member are made of conductive materials; the elastic member moves elastically so as to have a first state of conducting with the fixing member and a second state of disconnecting from the fixing member; the pressure sensor performs the first detection of the pressure value before compression, and performs the second detection of the pressure value when the elastic member is in the first state.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The device for measuring the liquid volume in the container based on pressure sensing according to claim 1, characterized in that the compression member is a cover body, and the cover body is provided with an extending part with a fixed and known size; and a sealing ring is arranged on a periphery of the extending part.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The device for measuring the liquid volume in the container based on pressure sensing according to claim 5, characterized in that a cavity communicated with the outside is provided on the extending part, and the cavity is isolated from the sealed space through the force transmission member, and the pressure sensor is arranged in the cavity.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The device for measuring the liquid volume in the container based on pressure sensing according to claim 6, characterized in that the force transmission member comprises a rigid force-bearing sheet, the rigid force-bearing sheet is hermetically connected with an inner wall of the cavity through a flexible silicon sheet arranged on the periphery of the rigid force-bearing sheet, and the flexible silicon sheet is of a wave-shaped structure.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The device for measuring the liquid volume in the container based on pressure sensing according to claim 7, characterized in that the device further comprises a temperature measuring device for measuring a temperature of the rigid force-bearing sheet, and the rigid force-bearing sheet is made of a heat conduction material.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The device for measuring the liquid volume in the container based on pressure sensing according to claim 8, characterized in that a temperature insulation layer is arranged between the rigid force-bearing sheet and the pressure sensor.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The device for measuring the liquid volume in the container based on pressure sensing according to the claim 9, characterized in that the volume detection device comprises an angle sensor and a thread arranged on the compression member, a thread pitch of the thread is fixed and known; the angle sensor is used for detecting a rotating angle value of the compression member, and transmitting the angle value to the controller.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The device for measuring the liquid volume in the container based on pressure sensing according to claim 1, characterized in that the device further comprises:
a volume detection device arranged on the compression member and used for detecting the volume value of the compressed air;
the controller is configured to receive the pressure value obtained by the pressure sensor and the ambient air pressure value obtained by the air pressure sensor, and calculate the liquid volume in the container to be detected based on the pressure value, the ambient air pressure value, the volume value, the determined area value and the volume value of the container to be detected.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

A container for measuring an internal liquid volume, wherein the container is provided with a container opening and comprises the device for measuring the liquid volume in the container based on pressure sensing of claim 1, the device is hermetically connected with the container opening through the compression member, and the sealed space is formed in the container.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The container for measuring the internal liquid volume according to claim 12, characterized in that a protrusion for winding a circle is arranged on an inner wall of the container, and the container opening is made of a conductive material.

### Claim 14

A method for measuring a liquid volume in a container based on pressure sensing, comprising the following steps:
S10, forming a sealed space in the container through a compression member; a pressure sensor and a force transmission member are arranged on the compression member, the force transmission member converts an air pressure in a sealed space into pressure applied to the pressure sensor, and an area value of a stress surface is a determined value; the pressure sensor detects the pressure value from the force transmission member before and after compression;
S20, compressing the air in the sealed space through movement of the compression member relative to the container;
S30, obtaining a liquid quantity detection parameter, comprising an air pressure value in the sealed space before compression, a pressure value detected by the pressure sensor before compression, a pressure value detected by the pressure sensor after the compression, an area value of the stress surface of the force transmission member, a volume value of the compressed air in the container, and a volume value of the container; and
S40, acquiring the liquid volume in the container by using the liquid quantity detection parameter.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method for measuring the liquid volume in the container based on pressure sensing according to claim 14, characterized in that the method for obtaining the volume value of the air in the container in the step S30 comprises: enabling an area of a compression surface on the compression member perpendicular to a movement direction and directly acting on the air is fixed and known, obtaining a movement distance value of the compression member; and the volume value of the compressed air is obtained by combining the area of the compression surface and the movement distance value.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method for measuring the liquid volume in the container based on pressure sensing according to claim 15, characterized in that the method for obtaining the movement distance value of the compression member comprises the following steps: arranging a limiting device, so that the movement distance of the compression member each time is fixed and known.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method for measuring the liquid volume in the container based on pressure sensing according to claim 16, characterized in that the method for detecting the angle value detection comprises: arranging an angle sensor, recording the value when the air begins to be compressed as a first angle value, and recording the value in the rotation process or at the end of rotation as a second angle value; and a difference value of the second angle value and the first angle value is the angle value of rotating the compression member at the corresponding moment.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The method for measuring the liquid volume in the container based on pressure sensing according to claim 15, characterized in that the method for obtaining the movement distance value of the compression member comprises: connecting the compression member with the container through a thread, and a thread pitch of the thread is fixed and known, detecting the angle value of rotating the compression member, and calculating the distance value through the angle value and the thread pitch.

### Claim 19 (depends on 14)

The method for measuring the liquid volume in the container based on pressure sensing according to claim 14, characterized in that the method for obtaining the air pressure value in the sealed space before compression in the step S30 comprises: obtaining the ambient air pressure value by detecting the air pressure sensor, and then obtaining the pressure value in the sealed space before compression based on the pressure value in the sealed space before compression is equal to the ambient air pressure value.

### Claim 20 (depends on 14)

The method for measuring the liquid volume in the container based on pressure sensing according to claim 14, characterized in that the method for acquiring the liquid volume in the container in the step S40 is as follows:
obtaining a difference value of a pressure change in the sealed space before and after compression and the air pressure value in the sealed space after compression, according to the formula:
ΔP=(F1−F0)/S
P1=P0+ΔP
wherein, ΔP is the difference value of the pressure change in the sealed space before and after compression, F0 is the pressure value obtained by detecting the pressure sensor before compression, and F1 is the pressure value obtained by detecting the pressure sensor after compression, P0 is the air pressure value in the sealed space before compression, and P1 is the air pressure value in the sealed space after compression, and S is the area value of the stress surface of the force transmission member;
then, obtaining the volume value of the air in container before compression according to the formula:
V1=P1VX/(P0−P1)
wherein V1 is the volume value of the air in the container before compression, VX is the volume value of the compressed air in the container; and
obtaining the liquid volume in the container according to the formula:
V2=V−V1
wherein V2 is the volume value of the liquid in the container, and V is the volume value of the container.