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US 8,620,603 B1Granted
Fluid level sensing
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsKimberly P. Hicks, David M. Van Leuven
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tank to contain a fluid includes a tank wall having an inner surface. A vane is disposed within the tank. The vane is configured to facilitate extraction of fluid from the tank. The vane may include an electrically conductive material. The tank also includes a first connector to electrically couple at least one portion of the tank wall to a capacitance sensing device and a second connector to electrically couple at least one portion of the vane to the capacitance sensing device.
Claims20
A tank comprising:
- a wall having an inner surface, wherein an insulating layer is disposed on a first portion of the inner surface;
- a vane that is disposed within the tank and that is configured to facilitate extraction of a fluid from the tank, wherein the vane comprises an electrically conductive material;
- a first connector to electrically couple a portion of the wall to a capacitance sensing device;
- and
- a second connector to electrically couple a portion of the vane to the capacitance sensing device,
- wherein, when the capacitance sensing device is coupled to the first connector and is coupled to the second connector, the capacitance sensing device is operable to measure a capacitance between the portion of the vane and the portion of the wall,
- wherein the capacitance sensing device is coupled to a controller, the controller operable to receive information representative of the capacitance between the portion of the vane and the portion of the wall and to apply a function to the information representative of the capacitance between the portion of the vane and the portion of the wall to determine an amount of the fluid remaining in the tank, and wherein the function is associated with a relationship between the amount of the fluid that is contained in the tank and the capacitance.
4 more elements
A system comprising:
- a processor;
- and
- a memory accessible to the processor, the memory including instructions that are executable by the processor to:
- receive information indicative of a capacitance between an inner surface of a wall of a tank and a vane disposed within the tank, wherein an insulating layer is disposed on a first portion of the inner surface;
- and
- apply a function to the information indicative of the capacitance between the inner surface of the wall and the vane to determine an amount of liquid that is contained in the tank, wherein the function is associated with a relationship between the amount of liquid that is contained in the tank and the capacitance.
3 more elements
A mobile platform comprising:
- a tank, wherein an insulating layer is disposed on a first portion of an inner surface of a wall of the tank;
- a vane that is disposed within the tank and that is configured to facilitate extraction of liquid from the tank, wherein the vane comprises an electrically conductive material;
- and
- a capacitance sensing device coupled to the tank and to the vane, wherein the capacitance sensing device is configured to measure a capacitance between the vane and the inner surface of the wall of the tank,
- wherein the capacitance sensing device is communicatively coupled to a controller, the controller operable to receive information representative of the capacitance between the vane and the inner surface of the wall and to apply a function to the information representative of the capacitance between the vane and the inner surface of the wall to determine an amount of the liquid remaining in the tank, wherein the function is associated with a relationship between the amount of the liquid that is contained in the tank and the capacitance.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.