Coupling element for a capacitive fill level measuring device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10895488-B2
Application number	US-201716093707-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 20, 2017
Priority date	Apr 29, 2016
Publication date	Jan 19, 2021
Grant date	Jan 19, 2021

Abstract

Apparatus for capacitive determining and/or monitoring of at least one process variable of a medium in a container, comprising at least one sensor unit with at least one sensor electrode, a housing and an electronics unit, wherein the electronics unit is embodied to supply the sensor unit with a high-frequency exciter signal, to receive a response signal from the sensor unit, and to provide at least from the response signal information concerning the fill level of medium in the container. The apparatus includes, furthermore, a coupling element, which is arranged and embodied in such a manner at least at times to establish a conductive connection between at least one portion of the housing and at least one component of the electronics unit and at least at times to effect a capacitive coupling between the two components.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for capacitive determining of a process variable of a medium in a container, comprising:
a sensor unit including a sensor electrode;
a housing;
an electronics unit, wherein the electronics unit is embodied to supply the sensor unit with a radio frequency exciter signal, to receive a response signal from the sensor unit, and to determine from the response signal information concerning the fill level of medium in the container; and
a coupling element arranged and embodied to enable a conductive connection between the housing and a component of the electronics unit and to enable a capacitive coupling between the housing and the component of the electronics unit.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the coupling element is securable releasably to the or in the housing.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the coupling element has a coupling region and the housing has a coupling region, wherein the geometry of the coupling element coupling region and the geometry of the housing coupling region are matched to one another and are complementary to one another.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the coupling element coupling region and the housing coupling regions form, at least at times, an electrically conductive contact, and, at least at times, a capacitor element.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the coupling element coupling region and the housing coupling region are so dimensioned that in the case of the capacitive coupling, the reactance of the coupling element is smaller than an impedance of the medium and smaller than an impedance of an insulation of the sensor unit.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the coupling region of the housing and the coupling region of the coupling element are cylindrically embodied, and wherein the coupling region of the coupling element is releasably introducible into the housing such that a surface of the coupling region of the housing facing a housing interior contacts a surface of the coupling region of the coupling element facing the housing interior at least partially and at least at times.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the coupling element includes a contacting unit by which a releasable electrical connection can be established between the coupling element and the component of the electronics unit.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the contacting unit is electrically contacted with the component of the electronics unit by a plug, solder, or crimped connection.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the coupling element is manufactured of an electrically conductive material.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the electrically conductive material is one of: copper, tin, silver, and gold.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the electrically conductive material is an alloy of at least two of: copper, tin, silver, and gold.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the component of the electronics unit is a circuit board.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a process adapter, by which the apparatus is securable at or on the container, and the process adapter is at least partially in electrical contact with the medium and/or with the container, when the apparatus is secured at or on the container.

14. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the sensor unit includes at least two electrodes.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the process variable is a fill level of the medium in the container, a predeterminable fill level of the medium in the container, an electrical conductivity of the medium, or a permittivity of the medium.

Assignees

• Endress Hauser Se Co Kg

Inventors

• Wernet Armin
• Bechtel Gerd
• Uppenkamp Kaj

Classifications

• G01F23/263

  by measuring variations in capacitance of capacitors · CPC title

• G01F23/268 Primary

  mounting arrangements of probes · CPC title

• G01F23/265

  for discrete levels · CPC title