US4821569A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Parasitic echo pulse rejector for ultrasonic liquid level meter
Assignee: BA BUSINESS CREDIT Inc
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Filing: 1987-10-30
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Granted: 1989-04-18
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Expires: 2007-10-30
Abstract
Abstract An ultrasonic echo-ranging meter for measuring the changing level of liquid in a tank or open channel, the meter including a transducer at a raised position above the liquid surface. Pulses of ultrasonic energy transmitted by the transducer are directed toward the liquid surface and reflected thereby to produce main echo pulses that are picked up by the same transducer. The round trip transmit time of the pulse energy in the gaseous medium above the liquid depends on the distance between the transducer and the liquid surface, this time being measured to provide a reading of liquid level. Also intercepted by the transducer are parasitic echo pulses originating from reflecting wall surfaces and other obstacles in the vicinity of the tank or channel, which parasitic pulses may be confused with the main echo pulses and result in an erroneous reading. In order to reject these parasitic pulses without appreciably slowing down the response time of the meter to liquid level changes, means are provided that discriminate between parasitic and main echo pulses and act to render the meter insensitive to parasitic pulses.
Inventors
- 👤 Daniel J. Soltz
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 04:51
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01F; G01F23/00; G01F23/22; G01F23/28; G01F23/296; G01F23/2962; G01S; G01S7/00; G01S7/52; G01S7/523; G01S7/526; G01S7/527; G01S7/5273; G01S7/5276; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S367/00; Y10S367/908
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
193 words
An ultrasonic echo-ranging system to measure within a predetermined time span the level of liquid in an open channel or tank, said system comprising: A an ultrasonic transducer disposed on an ultrasonically-reflective surface at a fixed raised position above the surface of the liquid; B means to excite the transducer to emit periodic pulses of ultrasonic energy which are propagated in a gaseous medium between the transducer and the liquid and are directed toward the surface of the liquid and reflected from this target to produce main echo pulses which return to the transducer and are detected thereby, said transducer also detecting parasitic echo pulses originating from said ultrasonically-reflective surface; C means including a programmed microcomputer and a distance counter responsive to pulses detected by the transducer to measure the round trip transit time of the pulse energy in the gaseous medium to provide a reading of liquid level; and D a parasitic echo rejector operatively coupled to said microcomputer acting to discriminate between said main echo pulses and said parasitic pulses received within said span to render said system non-responsive to said parasitic pulses to provide an accurate reading of liquid level.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
193 words
An ultrasonic echo-ranging system to measure within a predetermined time span the level of liquid in an open channel or tank, said system comprising: A an ultrasonic transducer disposed on an ultrasonically-reflective surface at a fixed raised position above the surface of the liquid; B means to excite the transducer to emit periodic pulses of ultrasonic energy which are propagated in a gaseous medium between the transducer and the liquid and are directed toward the surface of the liquid and reflected from this target to produce main echo pulses which return to the transducer and are detected thereby, said transducer also detecting parasitic echo pulses originating from said ultrasonically-reflective surface; C means including a programmed microcomputer and a distance counter responsive to pulses detected by the transducer to measure the round trip transit time of the pulse energy in the gaseous medium to provide a reading of liquid level; and D a parasitic echo rejector operatively coupled to said microcomputer acting to discriminate between said main echo pulses and said parasitic pulses received within said span to render said system non-responsive to said parasitic pulses to provide an accurate reading of liquid level.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
29 words
A system as set forth in claim 1, further including a receiver coupled to said transducer to receive the pulses detected thereby and to apply them to said microcomputer.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
39 words
A system as set forth in claim 2, further including an automatic gain amplifier interposed between said transducer and said receiver and responsive only to main echo pulses when the strength thereof is greater than the parasitic echo pulses.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
16 words
A system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said rejector includes a parasitic echo counter.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
56 words
A system as set forth in claim 4, wherein said microcomputer is programmed so that each new echo level reading related to the count provided by said distance counter is compared with the present liquid level value, and this new reading is accepted by the system when the difference therebetween lies within a given acceptable margin.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
57 words
A system as set forth in claim 5, in which readings outside of said acceptable margin may be based on parasitic echoes or reflect a valid level change, discrimination therebetween being effected by determining whether new outside margin readings occur consecutively a predetermined large number of times, in which event they are accepted as true level changes.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
16 words
A system as set forth in claim 6, wherein said large number of times is 50.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
46 words
A system as set forth in claim 6, wherein if outside margin readings occur consecutively said large number of times and are accepted, all subsequent new outside margin readings have only to occur for a predetermined small number of consecutive times to be accepted as non-parasitic.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
15 words
A system as set forth in claim 8, wherein said small number is 4 times.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1992-04-17 | 1992-10-17 | 1993-04-18 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1996-04-17 | 1996-10-17 | 1997-04-18 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2000-04-17 | 2000-10-17 | 2001-04-18 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |