Level detector for storage tanks for fluids
US6959599B2 · kind B2 · utility
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 10, 2003 |
| Grant date | Nov 1, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 9, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01F23/246
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A level detector for storage tanks for fluids comprises a microprocessor, a network of resistive elements connected in series or parallel, and a plurality of conductive elements between them, connected across a power source. The resistive elements have a high temperature coefficient, and are heated by passing a high electric current through them, after which a low electric current is passed through them and the voltage between them is sampled by the microprocessor. The resistive elements lose heat through conduction, so that a pair of resistive elements can be detected having differential cooling between them as a consequence of being adjacent to the void within the tank or the fluid within the tank. Thus, an approximation of the fluid level within the storage tank can be determined and signalled remotely.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.