The present disclosure relates to liquid level sensing, and more particularly to liquid level and quantity sensing such as used in aircraft fuel tanks.
In fuel and flammable liquid measurement applications it is important to know the quantity of liquid in a storage vessel, both volume and mass. In high integrity fuel gauging systems, such as those used on commercial aircraft, it is also necessary to know fuel level for several discrete points in the tanks, especially wing tanks. Using current electrically based sensors makes installation for intrinsic safety difficult
The conventional techniques have been considered satisfactory for their intended purpose. However, there is an ever present need for improved systems and methods for improved liquid and quantity level sensors such as for aircraft fuel tanks. This disclosure provides a solution for this need.
An optical sensor includes an optic fiber optically coupled to a cavity. An optical path is defined from the fiber, across the cavity, and reflected back across the cavity back into the fiber. The cavity is an open cavity that is in fluid communication with an environment ambient to the cavity for detection of changes in index of refraction inside the cavity due to whether the environment ambient to the cavity is gaseous or liquid.
The fiber can define a longitudinal axis that extends through the cavity. The cavity can be defined between a first optical member and a second optical member spaced apart from the first optical member. The first optical path can pass from the fiber, through the first optical member, through the cavity, reflects off of the second optical member and passes back through the cavity and through the first optical member into the fiber. A standoff can support the second optical member from the first optical member. The standoff can be a first standoff in a plurality of standoffs circumferentially spaced apart around the cavity. A respective opening can be defined between each circumferentially adjacent pair of the standoffs. The opening can provide for fluid communication between the ambient environment and the cavity. The first optical body and standoffs can all include a sapphire material.
The second optical body can be an endplate with a partially mirrored surface for increasing signal reflections through the cavity. The first optical body can be a main sensor body. A second optical path can be defined from the fiber, through the main sensor body to a surface of the main sensor body bounding the cavity, and reflected from the surface of the main sensor body bounding the cavity back through the main sensor body to the fiber without passing into the cavity.
A method of sensing liquid level and/or quantity includes monitoring an optical signal from an optical sensor in a container for a change in refractive index in a cavity of the optical sensor. The method includes determining at least one of liquid level and liquid quantity upon detection of the change in refractive index and based on known location of the optical sensor in the container.
The optical sensor can be one in a plurality of optical sensors. Location of each respective one of the plurality of optical sensors in the container can be known. Determining at least one of liquid level and liquid quantity can include updating at least one of liquid level and liquid quantity each time a change in refractive index is detected for one of the plurality of optical sensors. The method can include using data from the plurality of optical sensors to determine surface angle of a liquid in the container relative to orientation of the container in determining liquid level and or liquid quantity.
Monitoring the optical signal can include using a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) on data derived from the optical signal to find a peak frequency corresponding to an optical path length (OPL) through the cavity. Detection of the change in refractive index can include detecting a change in frequency of the peak frequency indicative of a change in refractive index in the cavity and thermally induced refractive index changes of the liquid.
The method can include using data returned from the optical sensor indicative of optical length of a sensor base of the optical sensor to determine temperature of the optical sensor. Detection of the change in refractive index can include using the temperature of the optical sensor to compensate for thermal expansion/contraction effects altering optical length of the cavity.
These and other features of the systems and methods of the subject disclosure will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the drawings.
So that those skilled in the art to which the subject disclosure appertains will readily understand how to make and use the devices and methods of the subject disclosure without undue experimentation, preferred embodiments thereof will be described in detail herein below with reference to certain figures, wherein:
Reference will now be made to the drawings wherein like reference numerals identify similar structural features or aspects of the subject disclosure. For purposes of explanation and illustration, and not limitation, a partial view of an embodiment of an optical sensor in accordance with the disclosure is shown in
The optical sensor 100 includes an optic fiber 102 optically coupled to a cavity 104. The cavity 104 is an open cavity that is in fluid communication with an environment 106 ambient to the cavity 104 for detection of changes in index of refraction inside the cavity 104 due to whether the environment 106 ambient to the cavity is gaseous or liquid. In other words, the liquid or gas of the environment 106 immediately proximate the sensor 100 flows into the cavity 104 and the sensor 100 can detect the index of refraction of that liquid or gas. The fiber 102 defines a longitudinal axis A that extends through the cavity 104. The cavity 104 is defined between a first optical member, which is a main sensor body 108, and a second optical member, which is an endplate 110, spaced apart from the main sensor body 108 in the axial direction of axis A.
A plurality of standoffs 112 support the endplate 110 from the main sensor body 108. The standoffs 112 are circumferentially spaced apart around the cavity 104 relative to the axis A. A respective opening 114 is defined between each circumferentially adjacent pair of the standoffs 112. The openings 114 provide for fluid communication between the ambient environment 106 and the cavity 104. While shown and described with an exemplary number of two standoffs 112 and two openings 114, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that any suitable number of standoffs 112 and openings 114 can be used, including one each, without departing from the scope of this disclosure.
The main sensor body 108, standoffs 112, and endplate 110 can all include a sapphire material. The endplate 110 can optionally have a partially mirrored surface 116 for increasing signal reflections through the cavity if needed for a given application. The main sensor body 108, standoffs 112, and endplate 110 can be bonded together using the process explained in U.S. Pat. No. 10,294,525 to Sentek Instruments, LLC, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety, to form a single assembly, with the endplate 110 parallel to the main sensor body 108. An advantageous construction technique is to machine a circular cavity for the desired depth of for the cavity 104 in the axial direction between the main sensor body 108 and the endplate 110, and then to machine away material to construct the base of the main optical body 108 and the standoffs 112. The endplate 110 can then be bonded to the standoffs 112 using the Sapphire-to-Sapphire direct bonding technique disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 10,495,525 referenced above.
With reference now to
A second optical path 120 is defined from the fiber 102, through the interface 1, through the main sensor body 108 to a surface of the main sensor body 108 bounding the cavity 104 (at interface 2), and is reflected back from that surface (at interface 2) back through the main sensor body 108 to the fiber 102 without passing into the cavity 104. This optical return single through the fiber from this second optical path 120 can be used in determining the temperature of the sensor 100 as discussed below. As shown in
The distance for the optical path difference (OPD) between interfaces 2 and 3 is a key design parameter for a given application of the sensor 100. It can be important that this gap, i.e. the length of the gap 104 in the direction of axis A, be designed such that it never overlaps the OPD for the main sensor base 108, i.e. so that the distance between interfaces 2 and 3 does not overlap with the distance between interfaces 1 and 2. The OPD between interfaces 2 and 3 should also be large enough to shed fuel or water while also returning sufficient signal amplitude for detection. For longer distances across the gap 104, in other words if a given application requires a longer axial length of the gap 104, a collimating lens at the fiber end may be used. In this case, it is important to choose materials and lengths such that additional OPD’s are reduced/minimized or are out of the range of interest.
With reference to
The detection scheme is to measure wavelengths in the returned spectrum from the fiber 102. This will return includes a pattern of interference fringes spread across the wavelength range of the optical source. Conventionally, finding the interference fringes is done with a spectrometer. It is then possible to use the relationship C=λ/f to determine frequency, where C is the wave speed (e.g. of light), λ is the wavelength identified in the spectrometer, and f is the frequency. The frequency data undergoes a fast Fourier transform (FFT) to identify peaks located along the frequency axis in the frequency domain in
With continued reference to
With continued reference to
Systems and methods as disclosed above can provide potential advantages over traditional systems such as the following potential advantages. Since optical sensors as disclosed herein can use extremely low power and since the interrogation signal is optical, they are intrinsically safe by nature, e.g. for use in fuel tanks. This makes sensors as disclosed herein much easier for an airframe manufacturer to install, since electrical clearance rules for fuel tanks do not apply. Temperature and liquid level can be measured independently within the same sensor.
The methods and systems of the present disclosure, as described above and shown in the drawings, provide for determining liquid level and/or quantity in a container such as an aircraft fuel tank. While the apparatus and methods of the subject disclosure have been shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that changes and/or modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the subject disclosure.