Tank sensors
AssigneeMopeka Products LLC
InventorsJoel Reese Moore, Jonathan Louis Kaufmann, Jason Duane Peck
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of measuring a level of fluid in a tank can include transmitting an energy pulse from an emitter mounted to a wall of the tank and detecting a plurality of return pulses at a detector mounted to the wall of the tank. A plurality of periods between the pulses can be calculated or timed. In at least one embodiment, at least two of the periods can be scored or weighted. A distance between the fluid and a top of the tank can be calculated or determined according to the scoring utilizing at least two of the periods. A signal indicative of the level in the tank can be provided.
Claims9
A method of measuring a level of a liquid/air interface of a fluid in a tank, the method comprising:
- transmitting an energy pulse from an emitter mounted to a wall of the tank;
- detecting a plurality of return pulses at a detector mounted to the wall of the tank, each of the return pulses being reflections of the energy pulse from the liquid/air interface;
- timing a plurality of periods between the return pulses, including at least a first period, a second period subsequent to the first period, and a third period subsequent to the second period;
- scoring at least the first, second and third periods, including scoring the first period higher than the second period and scoring the second period higher than the third period;
- determining a distance between the level of the fluid and the wall of the tank according to the scoring of the periods;
- calculating the level of the fluid in the tank based at least in part on the distance;
- and
- providing a signal indicative of the level of the fluid in the tank.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.