Pressire sensor including height determination with improved flexibility and reliability

A device for the determination of relative heights (h) between two points, comprising:

• a connecting hose filled with a liquid, with two opposite ends,
• a first and a second pressure sensor, arranged at the opposite ends of the connecting hose, wherein the pressure sensors are connected to one another via the liquid and the liquid is sealed from the outside in a gastight manner by the connecting hose, and wherein the first pressure sensor is configured to measure a hydrostatic pressure of the liquid at the one end of the connecting hose in the liquid and the second pressure sensor is configured to measure a hydrostatic pressure of the liquid at the other end of the connecting hose that is opposite to the one end, in the liquid, and
• a processor that is configured to determine a relative height between a first reference point with a fixed position to the first pressure sensor and a second reference point with a fixed position to the second pressure sensor on the basis of the hydrostatic pressures measured by the first and second pressure sensors, wherein the measured hydrostatic pressures can be assigned by the processor to the same common measurement time point, and the determination of the relative height (h) takes place on that basis,
• wherein the device has further pressure sensors at each end of the connecting hose, wherein the pressure sensors at the respective end of the connecting hose are arranged around a common centre point and have a fixed position to one another, and
• wherein the processor is configured:
• to determine the relative height (h) on the basis of mean values of the pressures measured by means of the pressure sensors at the respective end of the connecting hose, and/or
• to determine an orientation of the respective end of the connecting hose with respect to a reference point on the basis of the pressures measured at the respective end of the connecting hose by means of the pressure sensors, in particular pressure differences, and also to determine the relative height (h) on the basis of the orientation.

An inclination sensor for determining an angle of inclination relative to the vertical direction defined by the gravitational field, comprising:

• a fluid container, filled with a fluid which is sealed in a gastight manner against an external atmosphere by said fluid container as a connecting fluid,
• a first pressure sensor pair having a first and a second pressure sensor,
• wherein the first and second pressure sensors are arranged in an edge region of the fluid container such that:
• they are connected to each other by the connecting fluid, and
• have a fixed and defined position to each other and are thus a fixed and defined distance apart, and
• wherein the first and the second pressure sensor are each configured to measure a hydrostatic pressure in the connecting fluid,
• a processor which is configured:
• to determine a relative height (h) in the direction of gravity between the first and the second pressure sensor based on the hydrostatic pressures measured by the first and second pressure sensor, wherein the measured hydrostatic pressures can be assigned by the processor to an identical common measurement time, and
• to determine an angle of inclination with respect to the vertical direction based on the determined relative height (h) and the fixed and defined distance apart of the pressure sensors, and
• a synchroniser, wherein the pressure sensors and/or temperature sensors are electrically connected to each other, wherein the synchroniser is configured:
• to synchronize a first measurement time, at which the first pressure and/or temperature sensor measures, with a second measurement time, at which the second pressure and/or temperature sensor measures, by means of an wireless trigger signal,
• wherein the measured hydrostatic pressures and/or temperatures can be assigned to an identical common measurement time based on the result.