Method for measuring fill level of a fill substance located in a container by means of terahertz pulses

A Method for measuring a fill level of a fill substance in a container, comprising:

• transmitting a pulse of electromagnetic radiation toward the fill substance, wherein the electromagnetic radiation has a frequency in the range from 300 GHz to 3 THz;
• reflecting the pulse on a surface of the fill substance;
• receiving the reflected pulse after a travel time dependent on the fill level;
• repeating cyclically the transmitting, the reflecting, and the receiving at a repetition frequency;
• controlling the repetition frequency as a function of the travel time such that the repetition frequency increases when the travel time decreases and the repetition frequency decreases when the travel time increases;
• and
• determining the fill level based on the repetition frequency.

A fill-level measuring device, comprising:

• a pulse production unit embodied to produce a pulse of electromagnetic radiation having a frequency in the range from 300 GHz to 3 THz, wherein the pulse production unit is configured to periodically produce the pulse at a repetition frequency;
• a first waveguide having a signal input via which the pulse is coupled from the pulse production unit into the first waveguide;
• a wave transmission unit adjoining the signal input;
• an antenna unit adjoining the wave transmission unit, wherein the antenna unit is embodied to transmit the pulse into a container and to receive the pulse reflected on a surface of a fill substance in the container after a travel time dependent on a fill level;
• a signal output arranged on the wave transmission unit and embodied to produce an electrical control signal based on the reflected pulse;
• and
• a control/evaluation unit configured to control the pulse production unit and to determine the fill level.

A method for measuring a fill level of a fill substance in a container, comprising:

• providing a fill-level measuring device, comprising:
• a pulse production unit embodied to produce a pulse of electromagnetic radiation having a frequency in the range from 300 GHz to 3 THz, wherein the pulse production unit is configured to periodically produce the pulse at a repetition frequency;
• a first waveguide having a signal input via which the pulse is coupled from the pulse production unit into the first waveguide;
• a wave transmission unit adjoining the signal input;
• an antenna unit adjoining the wave transmission unit, wherein the antenna unit is embodied to transmit the pulse into a container and to receive the pulse reflected on a surface of a fill substance in the container after a travel time dependent on a fill level;
• a signal output arranged on the wave transmission unit and embodied to produce an electrical control signal based on the reflected pulse;
• and
• a control/evaluation unit configured to receive the electrical control signal, to determine the repetition frequency based on the electrical control signal, to control the pulse production unit to produce pulses at the repetition frequency, and to determine the fill level;
• transmitting a pulse of electromagnetic radiation from the fill-level measuring device toward the fill substance, wherein the electromagnetic radiation has a frequency in the range from 300 GHz to 3 THz;
• reflecting the pulse on a surface of the fill substance;
• receiving the reflected pulse by the fill-level measuring device after a travel time dependent the fill level;
• repeating cyclically the transmitting, the reflecting, and the receiving at a repetition frequency;
• controlling the repetition frequency as a function of the travel time such that the repetition frequency increases when the travel time decreases and the repetition frequency decreases when the travel time increases;
• and
• determining the fill level based on the repetition frequency.