US3834233A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Apparatus for measuring the level of the contents of a container
Assignee: WILSON WALTON INT Ltd
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Filing: 1972-11-03
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Granted: 1974-09-10
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Expires: 1992-11-03
Abstract
Abstract Method and apparatus for determing the level of the contents of a container - typically the level of oil in a bulk oil tank are disclosed. An ultrasonic transmitter and receiver arrangement is mounted at the top of the tank to direct sound energy down into the tank and receive an echo from the surface of the contents. In order to compensate for inaccuracies due to changes in the velocity of sound a second receiver is preferably positioned a fixed distance from the transmitter and both received signals are processed to cancel the effects of any velocity variation in the speed of sound.
Inventors
- 👤 A Willis
- 👤 M Thurman
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 21:10
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01F; G01F23/00; G01F23/22; G01F23/28; G01F23/296; G01F23/2962; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S367/00; Y10S367/902; Y10S367/908
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 5
Claim 1
Independent Claim
203 words
Apparatus for measuring the level of the contents of fluent material of the contents of a container comprising: an ultrasonic wave transmitting means and a first ultrasonic receiving means both mounted at the top of the container, the transmitting means being arranged to direct ultrasonic vibrations down into the container through gas therein and the receiving means being responsive to ultrasonic vibrations reflected from the surface of the container fluent material contents; means connected for energizing the transmitting means to provide periodic pulses therefrom, a second ultrasonic receiving means fixedly located a short distance below the transmitting means for receiving strong vibrations relative to said vibrations reflected from the fluent material contents surface; output means connected to both the first receiving means and second receiving means to give an output representative of the level of the said surface according to the time between transmission of ultrasonic vibrations and receipt of an echo thereof from the surface of the container fluent material contents; and compensating means in the output means responsive to the time taken for ultrasonic vibrations to pass from the transmitting means to the second receiving means to compensate for changes in transmission speed through the gas in determining the level contents.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
203 words
Apparatus for measuring the level of the contents of fluent material of the contents of a container comprising: an ultrasonic wave transmitting means and a first ultrasonic receiving means both mounted at the top of the container, the transmitting means being arranged to direct ultrasonic vibrations down into the container through gas therein and the receiving means being responsive to ultrasonic vibrations reflected from the surface of the container fluent material contents; means connected for energizing the transmitting means to provide periodic pulses therefrom, a second ultrasonic receiving means fixedly located a short distance below the transmitting means for receiving strong vibrations relative to said vibrations reflected from the fluent material contents surface; output means connected to both the first receiving means and second receiving means to give an output representative of the level of the said surface according to the time between transmission of ultrasonic vibrations and receipt of an echo thereof from the surface of the container fluent material contents; and compensating means in the output means responsive to the time taken for ultrasonic vibrations to pass from the transmitting means to the second receiving means to compensate for changes in transmission speed through the gas in determining the level contents.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
29 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the second ultrasonic receiving means is a receiving transducer sensitive enough to respond only to ultrasonic vibrations received directly from the transmitter.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
108 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means responsive to the time taken comprises a calibrator clock generator which is gated to deliver a number of clock pulses proportional to the said time taken, there being also a main clock generator which is gated to deliver a number of clock pulses proportional to the time between transmission from the ultrasonic transmitter and receipt of an echo from the surface of the container contents, and divider means for dividing the number of clock pulses from the main clock generator by the number of clock pulses from the calibrator clock generator and giving an output proportional to the ratio.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
44 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein further containers are moNitored, each container having a respective ultrasonic transmitter and receiver and there being a multiplex unit for applying signals from the containers in turn to be processed by the clock generator and divider arrangement.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-09-09 | 1978-03-11 | 1978-09-10 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-09-09 | 1982-03-11 | 1982-09-10 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-09-09 | 1986-03-11 | 1986-09-10 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |