Liquid level sensor

A control arrangement using a sensor having a binary output to monitor a fluid having three states, the arrangement comprising:

• a prime mover;
• a controller operable to control the prime mover;
• a sensor measuring the presence or absence of a fluid and providing a binary signal to the controller;
• the controller being responsive to the binary signal indicating the presence or absence of the fluid and the controller determining an analog signal by monitoring the rate of binary transitions in the binary signal;
• wherein the sensor is a liquid level sensor monitoring the presence or absence of a liquid and providing a binary signal indicative of the presence or absence of the liquid;
• and
• the controller is operably connected to the sensor and receiving the binary signal, the controller including components to sample the rate of transitions of the binary signal between a presence indicating signal and an absence indicating signal and components to convert the sampled signal to an analog signal.

A control arrangement using a sensor having a binary output to monitor a fluid having three states, the arrangement comprising:

• a prime mover;
• a controller operable to control the prime mover;
• a sensor measuring the presence or absence of a fluid and providing a binary signal to the controller;
• the controller being responsive to the binary signal indicating the presence or absence of the fluid and the controller determining an analog signal by monitoring the rate of binary transitions in the binary signal;
• the controller further including components to integrate the analog signal and to issue control signals responsive to that integrated accumulation.

A method of using a sensor comprising the steps of:

• sensing a condition;
• transmitting a binary signal having either a first state or a second state indicative of the sensed condition;
• determining either a first or a second mode of operation of a prime mover to be in effect;
• operating the prime mover, in the first mode of operation, responsive to the first or second state of the binary signal;
• and
• operating the prime mover, in the second mode of operation, responsive to the rate of transition of the binary signal between the first and second states.

A method of monitoring a fluid having three states, the method comprising the steps of:

• controlling the operation of a prime mover;
• measuring the presence or absence of a fluid;
• providing a binary signal indicative of the presence or absence of the fluid;
• receiving the binary signal;
• monitoring a rate of binary transitions in the binary signal;
• and
• determining, from the monitored binary transitions, an analog signal representative of a quality of the fluid.

A control arrangement using a sensor having a binary output to monitor a fluid having three states, the arrangement comprising:

• a prime mover;
• a controller operable to control the prime mover;
• a sensor measuring the presence or absence of a fluid and providing a binary signal to the controller;
• the controller being responsive to the binary signal indicating the presence or absence of the fluid and the controller determining an analog signal by monitoring the rate of binary transitions in the binary signal;
• wherein the control samples the rate of transition between the binary transitions in the binary signal, converts the rate to a byte count level and integrates the byte count level over time and continuously transmits the accumulated integral as an analog signal.