# US 11,079,268 B2 · Precision ADC sampling clock for high accuracy wireless guided wave radar

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- Number: US 11,079,268 B2
- Document ID: US11079268B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/850,312
- Filed: 2017-12-21
- Published: 2019-06-27
- Granted: 2021-08-03
- Earliest claimed: 2017-12-21
- Assignees: Rosemount Inc.
- Applicants: Rosemount Inc.
- Inventors: Eric Russell Lovegren
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11079268B2

## CPC

- G01F 23/284: Electromagnetic waves
- G01S 7/285: Receivers
- G01S 13/103: {particularities of the measurement of the distance (G01S13/12, G01S13/14, G01S13/16, G01S13/18 and G01S13/20 take precedence)}
- G01S 13/88: Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications (electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00)
- H03M 1/1245: {Details of sampling arrangements or methods}
- G01F: MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME
- G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
- H03M: CODING; DECODING; CODE CONVERSION IN GENERAL (using fluidic means F15C4/00; optical analogue/digital converters G02F7/00; coding, decoding or code conversion, specially adapted for particular applications, see the relevant subclasses, e.g. G01D, G01R, G06F, G06T, G09G, G10L, G11B, G11C, H04B, H04L, H04M, H04N; ciphering or deciphering for cryptography or other purposes involving the need for secrecy G09C)

## Abstract

A level transmitter includes an analog-to-digital convertor clock signal generator that receives a transmitter clock signal that is used to establish when an incident signal is transmitted toward a material boundary. The analog-to-digital convertor clock signal generator uses the received transmitter clock signal to generate an analog-to-digital convertor clock signal. An analog-to-digital convertor samples an analog waveform based on the analog-to-digital convertor clock signal and generates a digital value for each sample of the analog waveform. An analysis module analyzes the digital values to determine a distance to the material boundary.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A level transmitter comprising:
an analog-to-digital converter clock signal generator that receives a transmitter clock signal and a start signal and uses the received transmitter clock signal to generate an analog-to-digital converter clock signal, where the transmitter clock signal is used to establish when an incident signal is transmitted toward a material boundary wherein the analog-to-digital converter clock signal generator comprises at least one logic gate and a counter, the at least one logic gate receiving the transmitter clock signal and the start signal and forming a counter clock signal that is provided to a clock input of the counter, the logic gate forming the counter clock signal such that the counter clock signal tracks the transmitter clock signal after a transition in the start signal;
an analog-to-digital converter that samples an analog waveform based on the analog-to-digital converter clock signal and generates a digital value for each sample of the analog waveform; and
an analysis module that analyzes the digital values to determine a distance to the material boundary.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The level transmitter of claim 1 wherein at least one transition in the transmitter clock signal causes the analog-to-digital clock signal to transition.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The level transmitter of claim 1 wherein the analog-to-digital clock signal transitions in a first direction when the counter reaches a first count and transitions in a second direction when the counter reaches a second count.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The level transmitter of claim 1 wherein the the counter clock signal begins to track the transmitter clock signal when a receiver clock signal and the transmitter clock signal are in phase.

### Claim 5

A level transmitter comprising:
an incident signal generator that receives a transmitter clock signal and transmits an incident signal toward a material;
a dedicated analog-to-digital converter clock generator that receives the transmitter clock signal and a start signal, that generates a counter clock signal that tracks the transmitter clock signal after a transition in the start signal, and that uses the counter clock signal to drive a counter that generates an analog-to-digital converter clock signal;
a receiver that receives a reflected signal from the material and generates an analog signal from the reflected signal; and
an analog-to-digital converter that receives the analog-to-digital converter clock signal and produces digital samples of the analog signal based on the analog-to-digital converter clock signal.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The level transmitter of claim 5 wherein the analog-to-digital converter is implemented by a microcontroller unit.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The level transmitter of claim 5 wherein the counter clock signal begins to track the transmitter clock signal when the transmitter clock signal is in phase with a receiver clock signal.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The level transmitter of claim 7 wherein the counter is periodically reset based on a count value output by the counter.