Claims
- 1. Apparatus for removing grease from an effluent stream containing grease and water, comprising:
a grease/water separation tank defining a separation chamber; an effluent inlet connected with said separation tank for permitting flow of the effluent stream into said separation chamber to form a body of effluent in said separation chamber, the body of effluent having an upper surface; a grease depth level sensor for use in determining the amount of grease in the body of effluent and for providing a first output signal indicative of the amount of grease in the body of effluent; electric circuitry for receiving said first output signal; and means for connecting said electric circuitry with a telephone line; said electric circuitry being responsive to an interrogation signal received over the telephone line to transmit a second output signal corresponding to the first output signal, over the telephone line, to a remote location, for use in determining at the remote location the amount of grease in the body of effluent in the separation tank.
- 2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said sensor is operative to sense the amount of water in the body of effluent thereby to determine the amount of grease in the body of effluent.
- 3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said sensor is a capacitive level sensor.
- 4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said sensor is a resistive sensor.
- 5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further including at least one local status indicator connected with said electric circuitry for visually and/or audibly indicating the amount of grease in the body of effluent in the separation tank.
- 6. An interceptor as set forth in claim 1 wherein said electric circuitry comprises means to account for buildup of materials on said sensor during the lifetime of said interceptor.
- 7. An interceptor as set forth in claim 7 wherein said electric circuitry being responsive to an interrogation signal comprising one or more tones generated by a touch tone telephone.
- 8. An interceptor as set forth in claim 1 further including electric circuitry for effecting manual calibration of said grease depth level sensor, including a variable resistor.
- 9. An interceptor as set forth in claim 1 further including electric circuitry for effecting automatic calibration of said grease depth level sensor, including a microprocessor.
- 10. A sensor assembly adapted for retrofitting on a grease interceptor for removing grease from an effluent stream containing grease and water, the interceptor including a separation tank having walls and a cover defining a separation chamber, the interceptor having an effluent inlet connected with the separation tank for permitting flow of the effluent stream into the separation chamber to form a body of effluent in the separation chamber, the body of effluent having an upper surface, said sensor assembly comprising:
a first grease depth level sensor mountable on the tank cover and comprising an elongate conductive probe for extending generally vertically in the separation tank from a location above the upper surface of the body of effluent to a location below the predetermined level, at a location spaced inwardly of the walls of the separation tank; a measuring means adapted to continuously measure the amount of water in the body of effluent by measuring the capacitance between the first grease depth level sensor and an electrically conductive member as the thickness of a layer of grease in the separation tank varies; an actuatable mechanism; and control means adapted to actuate said actuatable mechanism in response to said measuring means measuring a capacitance corresponding to an amount of water in said tank when said thickened layer of grease reaches said predetermined level.
- 11. A sensor assembly as set forth in claim 10 including an insulating bushing for supporting said first grease depth level sensor on the tank cover.
- 12. A sensor assembly as set forth in claim 11 further including an electronics package adapted for mounting on the tank cover, connected with said elongate conductive probe
- 13. A sensor assembly as set forth in claim 10 adapted for retrofitting on a grease interceptor having electrically non-conductive walls, and including a second grease depth level sensor for extending generally vertically in the separation tank from a location above the upper surface of the body of effluent to a location below the predetermined level, at a location spaced inwardly of the walls of the separation tank and spaced apart from said first grease depth level sensor, said measuring means being adapted to continuously measure the amount of water in the body of effluent by measuring the capacitance between the first grease depth level sensor and the second grease depth level sensor as the thickness of a layer of grease in the separation tank varies,
- 14. A sensor assembly as set forth in claim 13 wherein said second grease depth level sensor comprises a return plate for mounting in the separation tank at a location spaced inwardly of the walls of the separation tank.
- 15. A sensor assembly as set forth in claim 10 wherein said measuring means comprises an R/C oscillator circuit and said control means is responsive to said oscillator circuit to control said actuatable mechanism.
- 16. A sensor assembly as set forth in claim 10 wherein said control means comprises a controller having a non-volatile memory and an equation of frequency versus water level that is valid for substantially all points along the length of said probe, and said controller is operative to compare the measured capacitance with values stored in its memory, and on the basis of said comparison, determine whether the amount of grease in said separation tank is sufficient to actuate said actuatable mechanism.
- 17. A sensor assembly as set forth in claim 10 wherein said control means comprises means to account for buildup of materials on said sensor during the lifetime of said interceptor.
- 18. A sensor assembly as set forth in claim 10 further including electric circuitry for effecting manual calibration of said grease depth level sensor, including a variable resistor.
- 19. A sensor assembly as set forth in claim 10 further including electric circuitry for effecting automatic calibration of said grease depth level sensor, including a microprocessor.
- 20. A sensor assembly as set forth in claim 10 further including
electric circuitry for receiving a first output signal indicative of said measured capacitance; and means for connecting said electric circuitry with a telephone line; said electric circuitry being responsive to an interrogation signal received over the telephone line to transmit a second output signal corresponding to the first output signal, over the telephone line, to a remote location, for use in determining at the remote location the amount of grease in the body of effluent in the separation tank.
- 21. Apparatus for removing grease from an effluent stream containing grease and water, comprising:
a grease/water separation tank defining a separation chamber; an effluent inlet connected with said separation tank for permitting flow of the effluent stream into said separation chamber to form a body of effluent in said separation chamber, the body of effluent having an upper surface; a grease depth level sensor comprising an elongated conductive probe extending generally vertically in said separation tank from a location above the upper surface of the body of effluent to a location below said predetermined level; a measuring means adapted to continuously measure the amount of water in the body of effluent by measuring the capacitance between the probe and a wall of the separation tank as the thickness of a layer of grease in the tank varies; an actuatable mechanism; and control means adapted to actuate said actuatable mechanism in response to said measuring means measuring a capacitance corresponding to an amount of water in said tank when said thickened layer of grease reaches said predetermined level.
- 22. Apparatus as set forth in claim 21 wherein said actuatable mechanism comprises a pump adapted to pump grease from the body of effluent in said separation chamber upon a thickened layer of grease in said tank reaching a predetermined level.
- 23. An interceptor as set forth in claim 22 wherein said measuring means comprises an R/C oscillator circuit and said control means is responsive to said oscillator circuit to control a pump.
- 24. Apparatus as set forth in claim 21 wherein said actuatable mechanism comprises an indicator assembly including audible or visual signal devices.
- 25. Apparatus as set forth in claim 21 wherein said actuatable mechanism comprises electric circuitry operative to transmit a signal indicative of the amount of water in said tank to a remote location.
- 26. Apparatus as set forth in claim 21 wherein said actuatable mechanism comprises electric circuitry operative to transmit said signal to a remote location over a telephone line.
- 27. Apparatus as set forth in claim 21 wherein said actuatable mechanism comprises electric circuitry operative to transmit said signal to a remote location wirelessly.
- 28. An interceptor as set forth in claim 21 wherein said control means comprises a controller having a non-volatile memory and an equation of frequency versus water level that is valid for substantially all points along the length of said probe, and said controller is operative to compare the sensed capacitance with values stored in its memory, and on the basis of said comparison, determine whether the amount of grease in said separation tank is sufficient to actuate said actuatable mechanism.
- 29. An interceptor as set forth in claim 28 wherein said controller comprises means to account for buildup of materials on said sensor during the lifetime of said interceptor.
- 30. An interceptor as set forth in claim 21 further including electric circuitry for effecting manual calibration of said grease depth level sensor, including a variable resistor.
- 31. An interceptor as set forth in claim 21 further including electric circuitry for effecting automatic calibration of said grease depth level sensor, including a microprocessor.
- 32. An interceptor as set forth in claim 21 further including
electric circuitry for receiving a first output signal indicative of said measured capacitance; and means for connecting said electric circuitry with a telephone line; said electric circuitry being responsive to an interrogation signal received over the telephone line to transmit a second output signal corresponding to the first output signal, over the telephone line, to a remote location, for use in determining at the remote location the amount of grease in the body of effluent in the separation tank.
- 33. Apparatus as set forth in claim 32 further including at least one local status indicator connected with said electric circuitry for visually and/or audibly indicating the amount of grease in the body of effluent in the separation tank.
- 34. Apparatus for removing grease from an effluent stream containing grease and water, comprising:
a grease/water separation tank defining a separation chamber; an effluent inlet connected with said separation tank for permitting flow of the effluent stream into said separation chamber to form a body of effluent in said separation chamber, the body of effluent having an upper surface; a grease depth level sensor for use in determining the amount of grease in the body of effluent and for providing a first output signal indicative of the amount of grease in the body of effluent; electric circuitry for receiving said first output signal; and a transmitter coupled with said electric circuitry for wireless transmission to a remote location of a second output signal corresponding to the first output signal, for use in determining at the remote location the amount of grease in the body of effluent in the separation tank.
- 32. Apparatus as set forth in claim 31 wherein said sensor is operative to sense the amount of water in the body of effluent thereby to determine the amount of grease in the body of effluent.
- 35. Apparatus as set forth in claim 34 wherein said sensor is a capacitive level sensor.
- 36. An interceptor as set forth in claim 34 further including electric circuitry for effecting manual calibration of said grease depth level sensor, including a variable resistor.
- 37. An interceptor as set forth in claim 34 further including electric circuitry for effecting automatic calibration of said grease depth level sensor, including a microprocessor.
RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/627,389, filed Jul. 28, 2000, entitled Continuous Level Measurement For Grease Separator, and this application claims the benefit of the filing date of all common subject matter.
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09627389 |
Jul 2000 |
US |
Child |
10151325 |
May 2002 |
US |