Sensor interface technology
AssigneeIndependent Technologies, Inc.
InventorTim Siegfried
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A universal sensor interface system includes a sensor assembly and an adapter with twist to lock and twist to unlock functionality. The sensor assembly has a sensor interface box and a transducer communicatively connected to the sensor interface box by a cable. The adapter is configured to connect to an access aperture of a container for holding a fluid. The sensor interface box has a first connection interface, and the adapter has a complementary second connection interface. The first connection interface and the second connection interface cooperate to facilitate connection of the sensor assembly to the access aperture of the container and disconnection of the sensor assembly from the access aperture of the container.
Claims21
A sensor system for monitoring the contents of a container for holding a material, the container including a fill port for filling of the container with the material, the sensor system comprising:
- a sensor assembly including:
- a sensor interface box provided in a closed and sealed configuration with an upper member fastened to a lower member, the sensor interface box further having a first connection interface extending from the lower member;
- and
- a transducer, the transducer communicatively connected to the sensor interface box by a cable;
- and
- an adapter configured to be coupled to the fill port of the container without the use of a tool, the adapter having a second connection interface, whereby the first connection interface of the sensor assembly and the second connection interface of the adapter are configured to couple and uncouple the sensor assembly to the adapter coupled to the fill port of the container to allow removal of the sensor assembly, with the sensor interface box and transducer connected together, from the adapter.
A material sensor system for a rigid tank, the rigid tank having a fill port for filling the rigid tank, the sensor system being deployable in the fill port, the system comprising:
- a sensor assembly including:
- a sensor interface box, the sensor interface box having a first connection interface extending downwardly from a lower surface thereof and including at least one tab;
- and
- a transducer communicatively connected to the sensor interface box by a cable;
- and
- an adapter configured to be connected to the fill port of the rigid tank without the use of a tool, the adapter having a second connection interface including at least one slot;
- and
- whereby, when the adapter is coupled to the fill port of the rigid tank, the at least one slot of the adapter is configured for receiving the at least one tab to rotatably couple and uncouple the sensor assembly with respect to the adapter when the adapter is coupled to the fill port of the rigid tank upon rotation of the sensor interface box relative to the adapter without requiring removal of the adapter from the fill port of the tank.
A universal liquid fill level sensor system for a rigid tank having a liquid fill aperture for filling the rigid tank with liquid, the sensor system being deployable in the liquid fill aperture, the sensor system comprising:
- a sensor assembly including:
- a sensor interface box including an upper member and a lower member connected to the upper member, the sensor interface box having a first connection interface disposed on the lower member and including at least two radially-extending tabs;
- and
- a transducer, the transducer communicatively connected to the sensor interface box by a cable;
- and
- an adapter configured to be fixedly connected to the liquid fill aperture of the tank without the use of a tool, the adapter including a tubular member for engagement within the fill aperture of the container, and a flange member extending from an upper portion of the tubular member and configured to form a seal between the sensor assembly and the tank;
- wherein:
- the adapter has a second connection interface including at least four slots, each of the at least four slots having an L-shaped configuration, the L-shaped configuration including a vertical channel member and an interconnected horizontal channel member;
- and
- the at least two radially-extending tabs of the sensor assembly are configured to be inserted axially into the vertical channel member of two of the four slots of the adapter and to be rotated within the interconnected horizontal channel member of the two of the four slots to couple and uncouple the adapter and the sensor assembly without requiring removal of the adapter from the rigid tank.
A method of coupling a sensor system to a container for monitoring the contents of the container for holding a material, the sensor system including a sensor interface box with an upper member fastened to a lower member, and the container including a fill port for filling of the container with the material, the method comprising:
- attaching an adapter to the fill port of the container without the use of a tool, the adapter having a second connection interface;
- introducing a first connection interface extending from the lower member of the sensor interface box into an aperture of the adapter, including introducing a transducer, communicatively connected to the sensor interface box by a cable, into the aperture of the adapter;
- and
- coupling the upper member of the sensor interface box with the adapter by coupling the first connection interface of the sensor interface box with the second connection interface of the adapter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.