Antenna assembly for a level gauge

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11063368-B2
Application number	US-201515563450-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 1, 2015
Priority date	Apr 1, 2015
Publication date	Jul 13, 2021
Grant date	Jul 13, 2021

Abstract

An antenna assembly for a level radar for detecting a topology of a filling material surface is provided. For example, the antenna assembly comprises antenna elements which are designed and/or configured to transmit and/or receive the electromagnetic measurement signal. The distances between adjacent elements are non-equidistant with respect to one another, and the minimum distance between two elements can correspond to one half of a wavelength of the electromagnetic measurement signal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fill level measurement device comprising:
an antenna assembly for detecting a topology of a surface of a filling material by sampling the surface using an electromagnetic measurement signal, the antenna assembly comprising antenna elements configured to at least one of transmit or receive the electromagnetic measurement signal, wherein distances between adjacent elements of the antenna elements are non-equidistant; and
a control and evaluation unit,
wherein the antenna elements of the antenna assembly comprise first elements of the antenna elements and second elements of the antenna elements,
wherein the first elements are provided at a first distance from one another,
wherein the second elements are provided at a second distance from one another, the second distance being greater than the first distance,
wherein the control and evaluation unit is configured to form a first echo curve from the electromagnetic measurement signal detected by the first elements at a particular target angle,
wherein the control and evaluation unit is configured to form a second echo curve from the electromagnetic measurement signal detected by the second elements at the particular target angle,
wherein the control and evaluation unit is further configured to establish an envelope function which outlines the minima of the formed first and second echo curves at the particular target angle, and
wherein the control and evaluation unit is further configured to determine a topology point of the surface of the filling material from the envelope function.

2. The fill level measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein a minimum distance between two adjacent elements of the antenna elements is at most one half of a wavelength of the electromagnetic measurement signal.

3. The fill level measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein the antenna elements which are arranged at the non-equidistant distances from one another form a one-dimensional linear array.

4. The fill level measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein the antenna elements which are arranged at the non-equidistant distances from one another form a two-dimensional flat surface.

5. The fill level measurement device according to claim 4 ,
wherein the two-dimensional flat surface is divided into a plurality of imaginary rows and columns orthogonal to one another, and a position of each of the antenna elements provided in the two-dimensional surface is uniquely determined by a respective row position and a respective column position of the imaginary rows and columns, respectively, and
wherein each of the imaginary rows has a different number of the antenna elements.

6. The fill level measurement device according to claim 5 , wherein each of the imaginary columns has a different number of elements from a different respective one of the imaginary columns.

7. The fill level measurement device according to claim 4 ,
wherein the two-dimensional flat surface is divided into a plurality of imaginary strips, the strips having a common centroid in a plane,
wherein one of the imaginary strips maps onto another one of the imaginary strips in the flat surface by being rotated about the common centroid, and
wherein each of the imaginary strips has a different number of elements from a different one of the imaginary strips.

8. The fill level measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the distances between the at least two sets of the adjacent elements that are arranged in the non-equidistant manner corresponds to an integer multiple of one half of a wavelength of the electromagnetic measurement signal.

9. The fill level measurement device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the antenna assembly is attached to an antenna support, and wherein the antenna support predetermines an axis of rotation,
wherein the antenna support has a drive unit, and
wherein the drive unit is designed configured to facilitate a rotation about the axis of rotation of the antenna assembly.

10. A method for determining a topology of a surface of a filling material or a bulk material, the method comprising:
emitting an electromagnetic measurement signal towards the surface via an antenna system;
receiving the electromagnetic measurement signal reflected by the surface using a plurality of antenna elements of the antenna system that are arranged in a non-equidistant manner with respect to one another, wherein the antenna elements of the antenna assembly comprise first elements of the antenna elements and second elements of the antenna elements, wherein the first elements are provided at a first distance from one another, and wherein the second elements are provided at a second distance from one another, the second distance being greater than the first distance;
forming a first echo curve from the electromagnetic measurement signal detected by the first elements at a particular target angle;
forming a second echo curve from the electromagnetic measurement signal detected by the second elements at the particular target angle;
evaluating received echo curves provided via the electromagnetic measurement signal using an evaluation unit;
establishing an envelope function which outlines the minima of the formed first and second echo curves at the particular target angle;
determining a topology point of the surface of the filling material from the envelope function;
calculating at least one of the topology of the surface or at least one value derived therefrom; and
providing an interface using the derived value.

11. A non-transitory computer-accessible medium storing a computer program thereon or therein for determining a topology of a surface of a filling material or a bulk material, wherein when the computer program it is executed by a processor of a fill level measurement device, configures and instructs the fill level measurement device to perform procedures comprising:
emitting an electromagnetic measurement signal the surface via an antenna system;
receiving the electromagnetic measurement signal reflected by the surface using a plurality of antenna elements of the antenna system that are arranged in a non-equidistant manner with respect to one another, wherein the antenna elements of the antenna assembly comprise first elements of the antenna elements and second elements of the antenna elements, wherein the first elements are provided at a first distance from one another, and wherein the second elements are provided at a second distance from one another, the second distance being greater than the first distance;
forming a first echo curve from the electromagnetic measurement signal detected by the first elements at a particular target angle;
forming a second echo curve from the electromagnetic measurement signal detected by the second elements at the particular target angle;
evaluating received echo curves provided via the electromagnetic measurement signal using an evaluation unit;
establishing an envelope function which outlines the minima of the formed first and second echo curves at the particular target angle;
determining a topology point of the surface of the filling material from the envelope function;
calculating at least one of the topology of the surface or at least one value derived therefrom; and
providing an interface using the derived value.

Assignees

• Grieshaber Vega Kg

Inventors

• Welle Roland
• Walde Steffen
• Griessbaum Karl

Classifications

• H01Q1/225

  used in level-measurement devices, e.g. for level gauge measurement · CPC title

• H01Q21/061 Primary

  Two dimensional planar arrays · CPC title

• G01F23/284

  Electromagnetic waves · CPC title

• G01S13/89

  for mapping or imaging · CPC title

• H01Q21/08

  the units being spaced along or adjacent to a rectilinear path {(waveguide fed H01Q21/0037)} · CPC title