# US 11,906,344 B2 · Method for measuring fill levels

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- Number: US 11,906,344 B2
- Document ID: US11906344B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/423,318
- Filed: 2019-05-28
- Published: 2019-12-05
- Granted: 2024-02-20
- Earliest claimed: 2018-05-30
- Assignees: VEGA Grieshaber KG
- Applicants: Vega Grieshaber KG
- Inventors: Roland Welle; Steffen Waelde
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11906344B2

## CPC

- G01F 23/284: Electromagnetic waves
- G01S 7/292: Extracting wanted echo-signals
- G01S 13/343: {using sawtooth modulation}
- 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)
- 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

## Abstract

Method for fill level measurement with a radar fill level measuring device using the following steps: sending a transmission design with a plurality of frequency ramps, receiving a reception signal per frequency ramp of the transmission signal, saving the reception signals in a memory, performing a first spectral analysis of the reception signals or performing a second spectral analysis of the reception signals, carrying out a second spectral analysis of several output signals of the first spectral analysis at the location of at least one significant reflector in the reception signal or performing a first spectral analysis of several output signals of the second spectral analysis, determining the distances of significant reflectors from the results of the first spectral analysis, determining the fill level echo based on the previously determined information.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for fill level measurement with a radar fill level measuring device using the following steps:
1. sending a transmission signal with a plurality of frequency ramps,
2. receiving a reception signal per frequency ramp of the transmission signals,
3. saving the reception signals in a memory,
4. performing a first spectral analysis of the reception signals,
5. determining distance of significant reflectors from the first spectral analysis of at least one reception signal,
6. performing a second spectral analysis of a plurality of output signals of the first spectral analysis at least at the position of one significant reflector in the reception signal,
7. determining speed values of significant reflectors from the results of th second spectral analysis, and
8. determinating a fill level echo.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the determination of the distance of significant reflectors takes place on the basis of a mean value over a plurality of reception signals.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein a classification of each significant reflector takes place to determine the fill level echo from the distance intervals of the significant reflectors based on specific characteristics.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein historical information saved in the memory is used to determine the fill level echo from the distance intervals of the significant reflectors.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the first and/or second spectral analysis is a fast Fourier transformation.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein a transmission signal with at least 25 frequency ramps is sent.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmission signal comprises a number of frequency ramps being a power of two.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method according to claim 7, wherein the transmission signal comprises 128, 256, or 512 frequency ramps.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein a frequency ramp shows a duration between 1 μs and 1000 μs.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein one or more of a start frequency a slope and a step width and a break time of the frequency ramp may vary.

### Claim 11

A method for fill level measurement with a radar fill level measuring device using the following steps:
sending a transmission signal with a plurality of frequency ramps,
receiving a plurality of reception signals, ‘wherein one reception signal is received per frequency ramp of the transmission signal,
saving the reception signals in a memory,
performing a second spectral analysis of the reception signals, wherein at least two of the reception signals of the plurality of reception signals are used,
performing a first spectral analysis of a plurality of output signals of the second spectral analysis,
determining a distance of significant reflectors from the results of the first spectral analysis,
determining speed values of the significant reflectors from the results of the second spectral analysis, and
determining a fill level echo.

### Claim 12 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein a frequency ramp shows a duration between 100 μs and 200 μs.