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EP0887658A1 Expired / Lapsed EP ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Radar level gauge

Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
•
Filing: 1997-06-27
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2017-06-27
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Abstract

Abstract The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus of operating a FMCW radar tank level gauge (14) that measure a level (13) in a tank (10) by obtaining a set of data points of mixed transmitted waves and received waves. The method comprises generating and storing a set of spectral data values including a received target marker indicating the level; calculating an adaptive set of masking threshold values corresponding to at least a portion of the spectral data values; comparing the adaptive set of masking threshold values with the corresponding spectral data values to identify at least one spectral data value associated with the level; calculating the level of the tank from said at least one spectral data value; and reporting the level of the tank.

Inventors

  • 👤 Stefan Cramer
  • 👤 Rolf Gluth
  • 👤 Thomas Schake
  • 👤 Brian E. Richter

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction EP
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-02 15:48
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01S; G01S13/00; G01S13/02; G01S13/06; G01S13/08; G01S13/32; G01S13/36; G01S13/38; G01F; G01F23/00; G01F23/22; G01F23/28; G01F23/284; G01S13/88; G01S7/00; G01S7/02; G01S7/35; G01S7/352; G01S7/354; H; H01; H01Q; H01Q1/00; H01Q1/12; H01Q1/22; H01Q1/225; G01S7/003; G01S7/356

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 5
Claim 1
Independent Claim 117 words
A method of operating a FMCW radar tank level gauge that measures a level in a tank by obtaining a set of data points of mixed transmitted waves and received waves, the method comprising: generating and storing a set of spectral data values including a received target marker indicating the level; calculating an adaptive set of masking threshold values corresponding to at least a portion of the spectral data values; comparing the adaptive set of masking threshold values with the corresponding spectral data values to identify at least one spectral data value associated with the level; calculating the level of the tank from said at least one spectral data value; and reporting the level of the tank.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 40 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of calculating the adaptive set of masking threshold values includes adapting individual masking threshold values as a function of the associated spectral data value and at least one adjacent spectral data value.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 39 words
The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein the step of calculating the adaptive set of masking threshold values includes adapting individual masking threshold values as a function of the associated spectral data value and past masking threshold values.
Claim 4
Independent Claim 61 words
The method of any one of the preceding claims and further comprising: defining a window of a first bandwidth around a received target marker as a function of the comparing; and searching for an absence of a later target marker in the window; and increasing the window to a second larger bandwidth if the target marker is absent from the window.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 137 words
A FMCW radar tank level gauge that measures a level in a tank by obtaining a set of data points of mixed transmitted waves and received waves, particularly for carrying out the method according to any one of the preceding claims, the gauge comprising: means for generating and storing a set of spectral data values including a received target marker indicating the level; means for calculating an adaptive set of masking threshold values corresponding to at least a portion of the spectral data values; means for comparing the adaptive set of masking threshold values with the corresponding spectral data values to identify at least one spectral data value associated with the level; means for calculating the level of the tank from said at least one spectral data value; and means for reporting the level of the tank.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

EP0234479A2 Cited
DE4327333A1 Cited
EP0647857A1 Cited

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