Liquid container and method for measuring liquid level using same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9605990-B2
Application number	US-201314419331-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 29, 2013
Priority date	Aug 13, 2012
Publication date	Mar 28, 2017
Grant date	Mar 28, 2017

Abstract

A liquid container includes: a container main body which stores a liquid; an ultrasonic sensor which is disposed so as to contact an outer side wall of the container main body and so as to emit an ultrasonic wave into the liquid; and a reflecting means which is disposed at an inner bottom portion of the container main body and reflects the ultrasonic wave emitted into the liquid from the ultrasonic sensor towards a surface of the liquid, the reflecting means being disposed at a position where a distance the ultrasonic wave travels through the liquid in a path of the ultrasonic wave from the ultrasonic sensor to a reflecting surface of the reflecting means, is greater than a distance at which an insensitive band of the ultrasonic sensor is obtained.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A liquid container, comprising:
a container main body which stores a liquid;
an ultrasonic sensor which is disposed so as to contact an outer side wall of the container main body and so as to emit an ultrasonic wave into the liquid;
a reflecting means which is disposed at an inner bottom portion of the container main body and reflects the ultrasonic wave emitted into the liquid from the ultrasonic sensor towards a surface of the liquid; and
a guide means for guiding the ultrasonic wave reflected by the reflecting means towards the surface of the liquid, and for guiding a reflected wave from the surface of the liquid towards the reflecting means,
wherein the reflecting means is disposed at a position where a distance the ultrasonic wave travels through the liquid in a path of the ultrasonic wave from the ultrasonic sensor to a reflecting surface of the reflecting means, is greater than a distance at which an insensitive band of the ultrasonic sensor is obtained, and
wherein the guide means extends in a direction perpendicular to the path of the ultrasonic wave from the ultrasonic sensor to the reflecting surface of the reflecting means.

2. The liquid container according to claim 1 , wherein the ultrasonic sensor is a first ultrasonic sensor which is disposed so as to emit a first ultrasonic wave into the liquid, the reflecting means is a first reflecting means, and the liquid container further comprises:
a second ultrasonic sensor for calibration which is disposed so as to contact the outer side wall of the container main body and so as to emit a second ultrasonic wave into the liquid; and
a second reflecting means for calibration, which is disposed at the inner bottom portion of the container main body and reflects the second ultrasonic wave emitted into the liquid from the second ultrasonic sensor for calibration towards the second ultrasonic sensor for calibration.

3. The liquid container according to claim 1 , further comprising gas evacuating means for evacuating gas from an interior of the container main body to create a vacuum.

4. A method for measuring a level of liquid stored in a liquid container according to claim 1 ,
the method comprising:
measuring a time from emission of the ultrasonic wave from the ultrasonic sensor until reception thereof;
converting the time which has been measured into a distance; and
subtracting, from the distance which has been converted from the time which has been measured, the distance the ultrasonic wave travels through the liquid in the path of the ultrasonic wave from the ultrasonic sensor to the reflecting surface of the reflecting means.

5. The liquid container according to claim 1 , wherein the ultrasonic sensor is a first ultrasonic sensor which is disposed so as to emit a first ultrasonic wave into the liquid, the reflecting means is a first reflecting means, the outer side wall of the container main body is a first outer side wall of the container main body, and the liquid container further comprises:
a second ultrasonic sensor for calibration which is disposed so as to contact a second outer side wall of the container main body and so as to emit a second ultrasonic wave into the liquid; and
a second reflecting means for calibration, which is disposed at the inner bottom portion of the container main body and reflects the second ultrasonic wave emitted into the liquid from the second ultrasonic sensor for calibration towards the second ultrasonic sensor for calibration.

6. The liquid container according to claim 1 , wherein the guide means has a cylindrical shape having a circumferential wall.

7. The liquid container according to claim 6 , wherein one or more holes pass through the circumferential wall of the guide means.

8. A liquid container, comprising:
a container main body which stores a liquid;
an ultrasonic sensor which is disposed so as to contact an outer side wall of the container main body and so as to emit an ultrasonic wave into the liquid;
a member having a reflecting surface which is disposed at an inner bottom portion of the container main body and reflects the ultrasonic wave emitted into the liquid from the ultrasonic sensor towards a surface of the liquid; and
a wall for guiding the ultrasonic wave reflected by the member having the reflecting surface towards the surface of the liquid, and for guiding a reflected wave from the surface of the liquid towards the member having the reflecting surface,
wherein the member having the reflecting surface is disposed at a position where a distance the ultrasonic wave travels through the liquid in a path of the ultrasonic wave from the ultrasonic sensor to the reflecting surface, is greater than a distance at which an insensitive band of the ultrasonic sensor is obtained, and
wherein the wall extends in a direction perpendicular to the path of the ultrasonic wave from the ultrasonic sensor to the reflecting surface.

9. The liquid container according to claim 8 , wherein the ultrasonic sensor is a first ultrasonic sensor which is disposed so as to emit a first ultrasonic wave into the liquid, the member having the reflecting surface is a first member having a first reflecting surface, and the liquid container further comprises:
a second ultrasonic sensor for calibration which is disposed so as to contact the outer side wall of the container main body and so as to emit a second ultrasonic wave into the liquid; and
a second member having a second reflecting surface for calibration, which is disposed at the inner bottom portion of the container main body and reflects the second ultrasonic wave emitted into the liquid from the second ultrasonic sensor for calibration towards the second ultrasonic sensor for calibration.

10. The liquid container according to claim 8 , wherein the ultrasonic sensor is a first ultrasonic sensor which is disposed so as to emit a first ultrasonic wave into the liquid, the member having the reflecting surface is a first member having a first reflecting surface, the outer side wall of the container main body is a first outer side wall of the container main body, and the liquid container further comprises:
a second ultrasonic sensor for calibration which is disposed so as to contact a second outer side wall of the container main body and so as to emit a second ultrasonic wave into the liquid; and
a second member having a second reflecting surface for calibration, which is disposed at the inner bottom portion of the container main body and reflects the second ultrasonic wave emitted into the liquid from the second ultrasonic sensor for calibration towards the second ultrasonic sensor for calibration.

11. The liquid container according to claim 8 , further comprising a tube for evacuating gas from an interior of the container main body to create a vacuum.

12. A method for measuring a level of liquid stored in a liquid container according to claim 8 ,
the method comprising:
measuring a time from emission of the ultrasonic wave from the ultrasonic sensor until reception thereof;
converting the time which has been measured into a distance; and
subtracting, from the distance which has been converted from the time which has been measured, the distance the ultrasonic wave travels through the liquid in the path of the ultrasonic wave from the ultrasonic sensor to the reflecting surface.

13. The liquid container according to claim 8 , wherein the wall has a cylindrical shape and is a circumferential wall.

14. The liquid container according to claim 13 , wherein one or more holes pass through the circumferential wall.

Assignees

• Adeka Corp

Inventors

• Enomoto Yoshiji
• Takahashi Kazuto

Classifications

• G01F23/296 Primary

  Acoustic waves · CPC title

• G01F23/2962 Primary

  Measuring transit time of reflected waves · CPC title

• B65D25/02

  Internal fittings (of containers made by folding or erecting blanks made of paper B65D5/44) · CPC title