System and method for measuring container fill level

A system for detecting container fill level, comprising:

• a container sized and configured to receive a quantity of media;
• a container cover positioned on and covering the container;
• at least one sensor positioned on an outer surface of the container cover and spaced away from the media, wherein the at least one sensor:
• is positionable in a first position adjacent a perimeter of the container such that a signal emitted from the first sensor does not interact with any portion of the container and is configured to detect a first distance between the sensor and a surface on which the container rests, and
• is positionable in a second position adjacent the container cover such that a signal emitted from the second sensor travels through the container cover and is configured to detect a second distance between the sensor and the presence of amount of media within the container,
• a computing device operably coupled to the at least one sensor and configured to:
• determine a height of the container based on the first distance,
• determine a height of the media based on the second distance, and
• calculate a fill level of the container based on a ratio of the height of the container and the height of the media.

A method for detecting container media fill level, comprising the steps of:

• providing at least one sensor comprising an emitter and a receiver,
• positioning the at least one sensor in a first position and measuring a height of the container,
• positioning the at least one sensor in a second position and measuring a height of media in the container, and
• providing a controller in communication with the at least one sensor, the controller calculating a fill level of the container based on a ratio of the height of the container and the height of the media.