Arrangement and method for determining and displaying the optimal material thickness when measuring fill levels using radar sensors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10378948-B2
Application number	US-201715403332-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 11, 2017
Priority date	Feb 1, 2016
Publication date	Aug 13, 2019
Grant date	Aug 13, 2019

Abstract

The invention is a measuring arrangement for measuring a fill level in a container with a radar level gauge according to the delay principle, which comprises an adaptation for reducing electromagnetic radiation reflected by the surfaces of the wall of the container as well as a method for optimizing the adaptation and for reducing stray radiation, for example radiation reflected by the container walls, with here display devices indicating if stray radiation is sufficiently reduced.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method for reducing electromagnetic radiation of a measuring arrangement comprising
a container allowing that its interior is filled with a fill good,
a radar measuring device arranged outside the container and aligned to the interior chamber of the container, embodied as a radar level gauge, which emits electromagnetic waves of at least one wavelength and capable to detect the progression of the reflected electromagnetic radiation of at least one wavelength as an echo curve,
a wall arranged between the interior chamber of the container and the radar measuring device, at least partially permeable for the electromagnetic radiation of at least one wavelength,
a detection unit for detecting the echo curve,
an adaptation for reducing electromagnetic radiation reflected from the surfaces of the wall, wherein the adaptation comprises at least one self-adhesive synthetic film, or synthetic plate, or one glued to the wall or resting on the wall, at least partially permeable for electromagnetic radiation of at least one wavelength, which is glued or otherwise adhered to the wall such that electromagnetic radiation pulses emitted by the radar level gauge penetrate at least one synthetic film,

such radiation reflected by the surfaces of the wall and from the surfaces of the adaptation glued or otherwise adhered to the surface of the wall, wherein the following steps are performed successively:
a) placement or adhesion of the synthetic film on the wall,
b) irradiation of the interior chamber of the container preferably made from a synthetic material, through the synthetic film with the electromagnetic radiation pulse emitted by the radar level gauge and time-based recording of an intensity of the electromagnetic radiation reflected into the radar level gauge as the echo curve,
c) determination of a period of the echo curve in which the echo curve comprises at least a portion of the electromagnetic radiation reflected at the surfaces of the wall and the synthetic film and determination of an energy value of the radiation pulse detected in said period from the intensity of the reflected electromagnetic radiation recorded within said period,
d) placement or adhesion of another synthetic film onto the already placed or adhered synthetic film,
e) renewed irradiation of the interior chamber of the container through the synthetic film with another electromagnetic radiation pulse emitted by the radar level gauge, recording the echo curve and determination of the energy value of the radiation pulse detected within said period,
f) placement or adhesion of another synthetic film onto the synthetic film and subsequent execution of step e) if the most recently determined energy value is smaller than the previously determined energy value, and
g) saving the most recently determined energy value in a storage unit, if the most recently determined energy value is greater or identical to the previously determined energy value.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a reference value is determined, which is above the lowest determined energy value, and is saved in another storage unit of the measuring arrangement, with the reference value being selected between the lowest energy value determined and the second-to-lowest energy value determined.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein, after step g), the most recently applied or adhered synthetic film is removed.

4. A method for reducing electromagnetic radiation of a measuring arrangement comprising
a container allowing that its interior is filled with a fill good,
a radar measuring device arranged outside the container and aligned to the interior chamber of the container, embodied as a radar level gauge, which emits electromagnetic waves of at least one wavelength and capable to detect the progression of the reflected electromagnetic radiation of at least one wavelength as an echo curve,
a wall arranged between the interior chamber of the container and the radar measuring device, at least partially permeable for the electromagnetic radiation of at least one wavelength,
a detection unit for detecting the echo curve,
an adaptation for reducing electromagnetic radiation reflected from the surfaces of the wall, wherein the adaptation comprises at least one self-adhesive synthetic film, or synthetic plate, or one glued to the wall or resting on the wall, at least partially permeable for electromagnetic radiation of at least one wavelength, which is glued or otherwise adhered to the wall such that the electromagnetic radiation pulses emitted by the radar level gauge penetrate at least one synthetic film,

such radiation reflected by the surfaces of a wall and by the surfaces of the adaptation glued or otherwise adhered to the surface of the wall, wherein the following steps are performed successively:
a) placement or adhesion of the synthetic film on the wall,
b) irradiation of the interior chamber of the container through the synthetic film with the electromagnetic radiation pulse emitted by the radar level gauge,
c) time-based recording of an intensity of the electromagnetic radiation reflected into the radar level gauge as the echo curve,
d) determining a period of the echo curve in which the echo curve shows at least a portion of the electromagnetic radiation reflected at the surfaces of the wall and the synthetic film,
e) determination of an energy value of the radiation pulse detected in the period from the intensity of the reflected electromagnetic radiation recorded in the period and comparison of the determined energy value to a predetermined reference value,
f) placement or adhesion of another synthetic film on the synthetic film and subsequent execution of step e) when the most recently determined energy value is greater than the reference value, and
g) transmission of an ok-signal to a display device when the predetermined reference value is greater than the energy value determined in the respective period.

Assignees

• Grieshaber Vega Kg

Inventors

• Skowaisa Juergen
• Hengstler Clemens

Classifications

• G01S13/10

  using transmission of interrupted, pulse modulated waves (determination of distance by phase measurement G01S13/32) · CPC title

• G01S13/88

  Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications (electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00) · CPC title

• G01S7/062

  in which different colours are used · CPC title

• G01F23/284 Primary

  Electromagnetic waves · CPC title

• H01Q1/422

  comprising two or more layers of dielectric material (H01Q1/425 takes precedence) · CPC title