Method and device for determining the quantity of product present in a reservoir, a product reservoir and a device for processing electrical signals intended for such a determination device

A method for determining a quantity of product present in a reservoir, comprising the steps of:

• connecting the product to a predetermined potential to make a connection of the product to the predetermined potential,
• establishing, through the product present in the reservoir, a first electrical field, and a second electrical field which is differentiated from the first electrical field by at least one characteristic,
• measuring the first electrical field and the second electrical field passing through the product, to produce a first electrical signal and a second electrical signal respectively representing the first electrical field and the second electrical field,
• processing the first electrical signal to produce a first information signal able to take a plurality of values making a representation of the quantity of product then present in the reservoir,
• determining the quantity of product, in accordance with at least one range of quantities in which said representation is directly usable, and
• processing the second electrical signal to produce, at an appropriate time, an information signal corresponding to an interruption of the connection of the product to the predetermined potential, the interruption corresponding to a predetermined quantity outside said range.

A device for determining a quantity of product present in a reservoir, comprising:

• means for establishing a first electrical field and a second electrical field through the product present in the reservoir, the second electrical field being differentiated from the first electrical field by at least one characteristic,
• means for measuring the first electrical field and the second electrical field to produce a first electrical signal and a second electrical signal respectively representing the first electrical field and the second electrical field, and
• means for processing the first electrical signal and the second electrical signals
• to produce a first information signal able to take a plurality of values making a representation of the quantity of product present in the reservoir,
• to determine the quantity of product, in accordance with at least one range of quantities in which said representation is directly usable, and
• to produce, at an appropriate time, from the second electrical signal, a second information signal representing at least one predetermined quantity outside the range.

A device for determining a quantity of product present in a reservoir, comprising:

• means for connecting the product to a predetermined potential to make a connection of the product and the predetermined potential,
• means for establishing a first electrical field and a second electrical field through the product present in the reservoir, the second electrical field being differentiated from the first electrical field by at least one characteristic,
• means for measuring the first electrical field and the second electrical field in order to produce a first electrical signal and a second electrical signal respectively representing the first electrical field and the second electrical field, and
• means for processing the first electrical signal and the second electrical signal
• to produce a first information signal able to take a plurality of values making a representation of the quantity of product present in the reservoir,
• to determine the quantity of product, in accordance with at least one range of quantities in which said representation is directly usable, and
• to produce, at an appropriate time, from the second electrical signal, an information signal corresponding to an interruption of the connection of the product to the predetermined potential, said interruption corresponding to a predetermined quantity outside said range.

A device for processing electrical signals, said device cooperating with

• means for establishing a first electrical field through a product present in a reservoir, and adapted to establish a second electrical field, through the product present in the reservoir, the second electrical field being differentiated from the first electrical field by at least one characteristic,
• means for measuring the first electrical field and the second electrical field to produce a first electrical signal and a second electrical signal respectively representing the first electrical field and the second electrical field,
• said device comprising:
• means for producing a first information signal able to take a plurality of values to make a representation of the quantity of product present in the reservoir,
• means for determining the quantity of product, in accordance with at least one range of quantities in which said representation is directly usable,
• means for producing, at the appropriate time, from the second electrical signal, a second information signal representing at least one predetermined quantity outside said range.

A device for processing a first electrical signal and a second electrical signal, said device cooperating with

• means for connecting a product present in a reservoir to a predetermined potential to make a connection of the product to the predetermined potential,
• means for establishing a first electrical field through the product present in the reservoir, and adapted to establish a second electrical field, through the product present in the reservoir, the second electrical field being differentiated from the first electrical field by at least one characteristic,
• means for measuring the first electrical field and the second electrical field in order to produce the first electrical signal and the second electrical signal respectively representing the first electrical field and the second electrical field,
• said device comprising:
• means for producing a first information signal able to take a plurality of values making a representation of the quantity of product present in the reservoir,
• means for determining the quantity of product, in accordance with at least one range of quantities in which said representation is directly usable, and
• means for producing, at an appropriate time, from the second electrical signal, an information signal corresponding to an interruption of the connection of the product to the predetermined potential, said interruption corresponding to a predetermined quantity outside said range.