Patent Application
20210310850
The present disclosure relates generally to level sensors, and more particularly, to liquid level sensors for sensing a liquid level within a container and wirelessly transmitting data indicative of the liquid level to facilitate remote monitoring of the liquid level.
Liquid level sensors can be divided into two groups: point level sensors and continuous level sensors. Point level sensors are used to sense whether liquid is present or absent at a particular point (e.g., a particular height within a container). Whereas, continuous level sensors can provide measurements of liquid levels within a range of heights as the amount of liquid within a container varies.
One example of a continuous liquid level sensor is a capacitive liquid level sensor. A capacitive liquid level sensor operates by measuring a capacitance between two conductors, referred to as plates or electrodes. In the absence of liquid, the two conductors can have an intrinsic capacitance, which the capacitive liquid level sensor can detect. The presence of liquid near the two conductors causes the capacitance between the two conductors to vary. The capacitive liquid level sensor can measure this change in capacitance, and determine a liquid level based on the change in capacitance. The capacitive liquid level sensor can also detect this change through a non-conductive barrier, such as through a plastic container.
Furthermore, capacitive liquid level sensors can be classified as contact or non-contact sensors. Contact sensors come into contact with the liquid being measured. For instance, one or more electrodes of a contact capacitive liquid level sensor can be positioned inside a container such that the electrode(s) directly contact the liquid being measured. On the other hand, non-contact sensors are isolated form the liquid being sensed and do not contact the liquid directly.
In one example, a liquid level sensor is described. The liquid level sensor includes a first layer, a stretchable electrode layer provided on the first layer, and a second layer provided on the stretchable electrode layer. The stretchable electrode layer includes a first stretchable receiver electrode and a stretchable transmitter electrode. The liquid level sensor has a Young's modulus of less than 100 megapascals.
In another example, a system for sensing a liquid level within a container is described. The system includes a liquid level sensor and a computing device. The liquid level sensor includes a stretchable electrode layer having a first a first stretchable receiver electrode and a stretchable transmitter electrode. The computing device is configured to determine: a first capacitance between the first stretchable receiver electrode and the stretchable transmitter electrode. The liquid level sensor has a Young's modulus of less than 100 megapascals.
In another example, a method for sensing a liquid level within a container is described. The method includes attaching a liquid level sensor to the container, the liquid level sensor including a stretchable electrode layer and having a Young's modulus of less than 100 megapascals. The method also includes determining, using a computing device, a first capacitance between a first stretchable receiver electrode of the stretchable electrode layer and a stretchable transmitter electrode of the stretchable electrode layer. In addition, the method includes determining, using the computing device, the liquid level within the container using at least the first capacitance.
The features, functions, and advantages that have been discussed can be achieved independently in various examples or may be combined in yet other examples further details of which can be seen with reference to the following description and figures.
The novel features believed characteristic of the illustrative examples are set forth in the appended claims. The illustrative examples, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and descriptions thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative example of the present disclosure when read in conjunction with the accompanying figures, wherein:
Disclosed examples will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying figures, in which some, but not all of the disclosed examples are shown. Indeed, several different examples may be provided and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein. Rather, these examples are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.
In some liquid level sensing situations, it is desirable to isolate a liquid level sensor from the liquid being sensed as well as any vapors or foam being exuded by the liquid. Isolating the liquid level sensor from the liquid can help to prevent the liquid, vapors, and/or foam from corroding, degrading, or damaging the liquid level sensor.
One solution to isolating the liquid level sensor from the liquid, vapors, and/or foam is to place the liquid level sensor on an outside of a container containing the liquid. This non-contact approach has the additional advantage of eliminating the need to run wires from a liquid level sensor within the container to an exterior of the container, which could compromise an integrity of the container.
The electrodes of conventional non-contact, capacitive liquid level sensors are provided on flexible plastic substrates, such as flex or rigid-flex printed circuit boards. While this approach provides some degree of flexibility, the electrodes provided on these plastic substrates are rigid, and the plastic substrates themselves can also be rigid to some extent, thereby confining the use of these conventional sensors to flat surfaces. As such, conventional non-contact capacitive liquid level sensors cannot be used effectively on non-flat surfaces, such as round containers.
Described herein are non-contact, liquid level sensors that address this and potentially other issues. An example liquid level sensor includes a first layer, a stretchable electrode layer provided on the first layer, and a second layer provided on the stretchable electrode layer. The stretchable electrode layer can include a first stretchable receiver electrode and a stretchable transmitter electrode. Each of these electrodes can, for example, be electroactive polymers.
The use of a stretchable electrode layer provided between two flexible layers produces a liquid level sensor that can stretch, bend, and conform to the shape of a non-flat surface. Unlike sensors provided on flex or rigid-flex printed circuit boards, the liquid level sensors described herein can conform to many different shapes easily. The liquid level sensor can have a Young's modulus of less than 100 megapascals (MPa). For instance, the liquid level sensor can have a Young's modulus of 1.1 MPa or 0.1 MPa. With this construction, the liquid level sensor can stretch when pulled in different directions. For instance, when pulled from opposite ends, the liquid level sensor can stretch by at least two percent (e.g., from 10 inches in length to 10.2 inches in length). Depending on the materials from which the liquid level sensor is manufactured, the liquid level sensor could stretch further. In some cases, the liquid level sensor can stretch by 20-30%. In other cases, the liquid level sensor can stretch 100% or more (i.e., double in length). For comparison, flex printed circuit boards can bend but cannot stretch easily; flex printed circuit boards have a Young modulus of around 5000-30000 MPa. Furthermore, the use of a stretchable electrode layer also allows the liquid level sensors described herein to be manufactured more cost-effectively than conventional liquid level sensors that are manufactured on flex or rigid-flex printed circuit boards.
In some examples, the stretchable electrode layer can also include a second stretchable receiver electrode, with the stretchable transmitter electrode being arranged between the first stretchable receiver electrode and the second stretchable receiver electrode. The electrodes of the stretchable electrode layer can be arranged in a manner that allows for self-calibration. By way of example, a width of the first stretchable receiver electrode can taper from a first width at a first position along a length of the stretchable electrode layer to a second width at a second position along the length of the stretchable electrode layer. Further, a width of the second stretchable receiver electrode layer can taper from a third width at the second position to a fourth width at the first position. With this arrangement, a computing device coupled to the electrodes of the stretchable electrode layer can calculate a liquid level within a container to which the liquid level sensor is attached based on a ratio between: a first capacitance between the first stretchable receiver electrode and the stretchable transmitter electrode, and a second capacitance between the second stretchable receiver electrode and the stretchable transmitter electrode.
Systems and methods making use of described non-contact, liquid level sensors are also provided herein. An example system includes a computing device that can determine a liquid level within a container based at least on a first capacitance. Optionally, the computing device can then wirelessly transmit data indicative of the liquid level to another device. With this arrangement, the system can be used to remotely monitor the liquid level within the container. Remotely monitoring the liquid level within the container can reduce a need to manually check the liquid level and can also facilitate automated or semi-automated refilling/restocking of the container. For instance, data wirelessly received from the computing device of the system can be analyzed to determine whether the liquid level satisfies a threshold condition, and based on the threshold condition being satisfied, a refilling process or restocking process can be triggered.
Various other features of the liquid level sensors and associated systems and methods are also described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying figures.
Referring now to
Container 102 can be a receptacle for storing a liquid, such as soap, fertilizer, pesticide, or diesel exhaust fluid. Container 102 can have one or more non-flat surfaces, and liquid level sensor 104 can be attached to one of these non-flat surfaces. For instance, as depicted, container 102 can be a round container, and liquid level sensor 104 can be attached to a round surface on the exterior of container 102. Liquid level sensor 104 can stretch, bend, and conform to the round surface on the exterior of container 102.
In line with the discussion above, liquid level sensor 104 can include a stretchable electrode layer (not shown in
Computing device 106 can include a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions that are executable by the processor to carry out any of the computing device functions described herein. The processor could be any type of processor, such as a microprocessor, digital signal processor, multicore processor, etc. Alternatively, computing device 106 could include a group of processors that are configured to execute the program instructions, or multiple groups of processors that are configured to execute respective program instructions.
Computing device 106 can also include a radio-frequency (RF) communication module 110 through which computing device 106 is configured to communicate with one or more other devices. RF communication module 110 can include an RF receiver and/or an RF transmitter. For instance, RF communication module 110 can include an RF transceiver. RF communication module 110 can also include one or more other radio components, such as an amplifier, mixer, filter, and/or microcontroller.
RF communication module 110 can be configured to wirelessly transmit communication signals. Communication signals transmitted by RF communication module 110 can include data indicative of a liquid level within container 102. The data could include a percentage within a range. Alternatively, the data could include one or more capacitance measurements, from which the liquid level can be derived. Additionally or alternatively, RF communication module 110 can be configured to wirelessly transmit communication signals. RF communication module 110 can be configured to transmit and/or receive communication signals that comply with one or more wireless communication protocols, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Z-Wave etc. One or more components of computing device 106 can be provided on a printed circuit board.
Computing device 106 can be configured to determine a capacitance between a stretchable receiver electrode and the stretchable transmitter electrode. In one approach, example, the stretchable electrode layer can include a single stretchable receiver electrode and computing device 106 can determine the capacitance by exciting the stretchable transmitter electrode with a current source and determining a length of time between the excitation and a time when a voltage between the stretchable receiver electrode and the stretchable transmitter electrode reaches a reference voltage. The length of time can then be converted into a capacitance value.
In another example, the stretchable electrode layer can also include a second stretchable receiver electrode. With this arrangement, computing device 106 can determine a second capacitance by determining a length of time between the excitation and a time when a voltage between the second stretchable receiver electrode and the stretchable transmitter electrode reaches a reference voltage, and then converting the length of time to a capacitance value. Other approaches are also possible.
Exciting the stretchable transmitter electrode produces electric field lines that couple to the first stretchable receiver electrode and, if included, to the second stretchable receiver electrode. In addition, with liquid level sensor 104 placed on container 102, exciting the stretchable transmitter electrode also produces electric field lines that project into the interior of container 102. If liquid is present within the container along a portion of the surface of container 102 to which liquid level sensor 104 is attached, the electric field lines that project into the interior of container 102 can couple with the liquid, thereby increasing the measured capacitance(s).
Stretchable electrode layer 200 can be adhered to a container with a length L of stretchable receiver electrode oriented generally parallel to a height of the container. With this design, a computing device, such as computing device 106 of
A width of first stretchable receiver electrode 302 tapers from a first width W1 at a first position P1 along a length L of stretchable electrode layer 300 to a second width W2 at a second position P2 along the length L of stretchable electrode layer 300. A width of second stretchable receiver electrode 304 tapers from a third width at the second position P2 to a fourth width at the first position P1. With this design, a computing device, such as computing device 106 of
First stretchable receiver electrode 302 is generally triangularly-shaped. When viewed from the top, an overall shape of first stretchable receiver electrode 302 resembles a triangle. Similarly, second stretchable receiver electrode 304 is generally triangularly-shaped. In other examples, first stretchable receiver electrode 302 and second stretchable receiver electrode 304 could have other shapes, such as more of a trapezoidal shape. However, the use of generally triangularly-shaped electrodes is more cost-effective than other shapes that have larger geometric areas, since less material is required for manufacturing the electrodes. The use of generally triangular-shaped electrodes also allows the stretchable electrode layer to have a uniform width along the length L of the stretchable electrode layer 300.
Stretchable electrode layer 300 can be attached to a container and oriented such that the length L is generally parallel to a height of the container. A liquid level sensor having stretchable electrode layer 300 can be attached to a container with the first position P1 positioned near a top of a desired range of heights to be sensed or the second position P2 positioned near the top of the desired range of heights to be sensed, depending on the desired implementation.
In the example shown in
As the liquid level drops below position P1, the first capacitance and the second capacitance will each decrease, since less of the electric field lines couple to liquid within the container. However, because of the differing widths of first stretchable receiver electrode 302 and second stretchable receiver electrode 304 at the first position P1, the first capacitance may decrease by an amount that is more than an amount by which the second capacitance decreases. Between the first position P1 and the second position P2, the difference between the first capacitance and the second capacitance may continue to increase as the liquid level drops. Due to this effect, the computing device can infer a liquid level along the length L based on a ratio between the first capacitance and the second capacitance.
The configuration shown in
As further shown in
In line with the discussion above, stretchable electrode layer can include multiple electrodes, which can, for example, be made of electroactive polymers. Further, first layer 402 and second layer 406 can be dielectric polymer layers that cover electrodes of stretchable electrode layer 404 along a length of liquid level sensor 300. This sandwich design yields a liquid level sensor that can stretch, bend, and conform to a non-flat surface of a container. For instance, the Young's modulus of liquid level sensor 300 can be less than 100 MPa (e.g., 1.1 MPa, 0.1 MPa, etc.).
Adhesive layer 408 can be printed on second layer 406, and can be configured for adhering liquid level sensor 400 to a surface of a container. For instance, adhesive layer 408 can be a pressure-sensitive adhesive which forms a bond with a surface when pressure is applied.
Shielding layer 410 can be a conductive layer that is made of a conductive material, such as a metal. Further, third layer 412 can be a dielectric polymer layer that covers and insulates shielding layer 410. The presence of shielding layer 410 can shield electrodes of stretchable electrode layer 404 from electrical noise in an environment, thereby improving the accuracy of liquid level sensor 400.
Method 500 can include one or more operations, functions, or actions as illustrated by one or more of blocks 502, 504, 506, 508. Although these blocks are illustrated in a sequential order, these blocks may also be performed in parallel, and/or in a different order than those described herein. Also, the various blocks may be combined into fewer blocks, divided into additional blocks, and/or removed based upon the desired implementation. One or more of blocks 502, 504, 506, 508 can represent a module, segment, or a portion of program code, which includes one or more instructions executable by a processor for implementing specific logical functions or steps in the process.
For this and other processes and methods disclosed herein, flowcharts show functionality and operation of one possible implementation of present embodiments. Alternative implementations are included within the scope of the example embodiments of the present disclosure in which functions may be executed out of order from that shown or discussed, including substantially concurrent or in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved.
Initially, at block 502, the method 500 includes attaching a liquid level sensor to the container. The liquid level sensor can be a liquid level sensor having a stretchable electrode layer, such as liquid level sensor 104 of
At block 504, the method 500 includes determining, using a computing device, a first capacitance between a first stretchable receiver electrode of the stretchable electrode layer and a stretchable transmitter electrode of the stretchable electrode layer. Determining the first capacitance can involve exciting the stretchable transmitter electrode with a current source, and measuring voltage changes between the first stretchable receiver electrode and the stretchable transmitter electrode. And at block 508, the method 500 includes determining, using the computing device, the liquid level within the container using at least the first capacitance. For instance, the computing device can correlate the first capacitance to a liquid level using a reference table. Or the computing device can correlate a difference between the first capacitance and a previously-determined capacitance to a change in liquid level, and determine the liquid level based on the change in liquid level and a previously-determined liquid level.
The determining at block 604 can involve calculating the liquid level by providing the first capacitance and the second capacitance as inputs to a function that maps the first capacitance and the second capacitance to a liquid level. For example, the function can determine the liquid level based on a ratio between the first capacitance and the second capacitance. In line with the discussion above, the ratio between the first capacitance and the second capacitance can vary in a predictable manner as the liquid level varies along a length of the liquid level sensor. A computing device can therefore infer the liquid level based on the ratio between the first capacitance and the second capacitance. The computing device can store correlation data mapping different ratios to respective positions along the length of the sensor. For instance, the correlation data may indicate that a ratio of 1:1 corresponds to a first position, a ratio of 1.25:1 corresponds to a second position, and a ratio of 1.4 corresponds to a third position, and so forth. To infer the liquid level along the length of the liquid level sensor, computing device can correlate a particular ratio to a respective position using the stored correlation date. For instance, if the ratio is 1:1, computing device could use the correlation data to determine that the 1:1 ratio corresponds to a particular position along the length of the liquid level sensor, and therefore infer that the liquid level is at the particular position.
The description of the different advantageous arrangements has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the examples in the form disclosed. After reviewing and understanding the foregoing disclosure, many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Further, different examples may provide different advantages as compared to other examples. The example or examples selected are chosen and described in order to best explain the principles, the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the disclosure for various examples with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 62/771,394, filed on Nov. 26, 2018, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2019/046790 | 8/16/2019 | WO | 00 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62771394 | Nov 2018 | US |
