CA2048303A1 - Liquid level indication, in particular for equipment for the beverage industry - Google Patents
Liquid level indication, in particular for equipment for the beverage industryInfo
- Publication number
- CA2048303A1 CA2048303A1 CA 2048303 CA2048303A CA2048303A1 CA 2048303 A1 CA2048303 A1 CA 2048303A1 CA 2048303 CA2048303 CA 2048303 CA 2048303 A CA2048303 A CA 2048303A CA 2048303 A1 CA2048303 A1 CA 2048303A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- tank
- prism
- prism means
- level
- liquid
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01F—MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME
- G01F23/00—Indicating or measuring liquid level or level of fluent solid material, e.g. indicating in terms of volume or indicating by means of an alarm
- G01F23/22—Indicating or measuring liquid level or level of fluent solid material, e.g. indicating in terms of volume or indicating by means of an alarm by measuring physical variables, other than linear dimensions, pressure or weight, dependent on the level to be measured, e.g. by difference of heat transfer of steam or water
- G01F23/28—Indicating or measuring liquid level or level of fluent solid material, e.g. indicating in terms of volume or indicating by means of an alarm by measuring physical variables, other than linear dimensions, pressure or weight, dependent on the level to be measured, e.g. by difference of heat transfer of steam or water by measuring the variations of parameters of electromagnetic or acoustic waves applied directly to the liquid or fluent solid material
- G01F23/284—Electromagnetic waves
- G01F23/292—Light, e.g. infrared or ultraviolet
- G01F23/2921—Light, e.g. infrared or ultraviolet for discrete levels
- G01F23/2922—Light, e.g. infrared or ultraviolet for discrete levels with light-conducting sensing elements, e.g. prisms
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01F—MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME
- G01F23/00—Indicating or measuring liquid level or level of fluent solid material, e.g. indicating in terms of volume or indicating by means of an alarm
- G01F23/02—Indicating or measuring liquid level or level of fluent solid material, e.g. indicating in terms of volume or indicating by means of an alarm by gauge glasses or other apparatus involving a window or transparent tube for directly observing the level to be measured or the level of a liquid column in free communication with the main body of the liquid
Landscapes
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Electromagnetism (AREA)
- Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Thermal Sciences (AREA)
- Details Of Rigid Or Semi-Rigid Containers (AREA)
- Ink Jet (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
For liquid storage tanks, a level indicator is provided for making the level of the tank contents easily visible once the liquid level in the tank has fallen below a certain amount. The object is achieved according to the invention in that tank wall includes a prism placed in the area of an inspection aperture. The prism on which incident light coming through openings in the inspection aperture reflects the light back toward an observer or absorbs the light in the liquid in the tank. Therefore, when the liquid level is as high as the prism the prism appears bright, or illuminated, and when the liquid level is below the level of the prism the prism appears darker.
For liquid storage tanks, a level indicator is provided for making the level of the tank contents easily visible once the liquid level in the tank has fallen below a certain amount. The object is achieved according to the invention in that tank wall includes a prism placed in the area of an inspection aperture. The prism on which incident light coming through openings in the inspection aperture reflects the light back toward an observer or absorbs the light in the liquid in the tank. Therefore, when the liquid level is as high as the prism the prism appears bright, or illuminated, and when the liquid level is below the level of the prism the prism appears darker.
Description
- 20~8303 I~IQUlD LEVEL I2~DICATIoN, IN PARTICU~ FOX
EQUIP~IENI! FOR 'rHE E3EVE~GE INDUSTRY
The presen~ lnvention relat~ to a le~el indlcator for liquid tanks, in particular Sor water tanks ~or beverag~
prepar~tion that lnclude tanks made entirely or par~lally o~
a tran~par~nt mat~rial and have a level indicator device a6sociated therewith.
LQvel indic~tors rOr tank~ wlth liquids ara widely known. To be abl~ d~ractly to ob~erve the level insido a tank, it i~ obvious to make its wall en~irely or partially o~
tran~parent or at lea6t translucent material. ~owev~r, the larger the portlon o~ the6e transparent or tr~nslucent wall parto 19, the mor~ lncldent ligh~ there ~ in auch a tank.
~hi~ c~n b~ very disadvantageous ~or the ~anX contents, e~pecially with prolonged retention tim~s. Thus, in th~ao ¢ases th~ transparent or tran~lucont arQ~s are reduced a~
~uch as posslble. Some~imes, tank~ with tran~parent or transluc~nt walls are dlspo6ed within a hou~ing wi~h opa~uo wall~, to prevent light lncidenc~. By opening at 1Q~St one o~ the slde walls, the level can specifically be checked. A
narrow wlndow can also bo placed ln an opaque w~ll to make lt poB~ibl~ to ahsck tho lQvel. The~e meaSure~ run coUnter to th~ desire to bo able to ~etermine the level by looklng lnto th~ tank3 A$tor eAch use. It is al80 known to mak~ a 90-called level indiaator out o~ a transparent tube pro~ecting ~rom the tank, and the ext-nt to whioh th~ tank i~ rilled can be read on th~ tub~. Further, ~orc~ transducer~, pressure ~ensors and pres6ur- ~witches are known that al60 can be used S to indicate the level o~ the tanX. But many of these device~
ar- out o~ the guestion for removabl~ water storagQ tank~ o~
beverage di~pen6er6 or ar~ at lea~t poorly sulted, but in any casa they are relatively expen~ive: they are usually connected to the liqul~ by pipes, tube~ or the l~ke and thus ar hard to cloan. Al~o in a transp~rent tank with an apertur~, tho tank must be illuminat~d ~o that the lev~l can be r~a~ on the a~ertur .
In dlshwasher~ it is known to u~e ~ transparent rod to indlcate wh-n there i~ no rlnoing agent, A rod that i6 ~5 embed~e~ in th- tank and h~ ~ c~ne at th- lowor end. upon ~lew~ng th- transparent rod it can be determlned i~ tho rln~ing ~gent tank i8 ~tlll prov$ded with rin~lng agent ln the ~rea of th~ cone.
2g~Q~
Taking the ~nown prlor art into conslder~t$on, a prim~ry ob~ect o~ the pr~6ent invontlon con~lsts in providlng a level lndlcator ~or ~torage tanks with as llttle exp~n~ a~
~o~bl-, and wlth as unsu~cQptlble to trouble ~ possible, and a~ ~w a~ pos~ible ~aintenance part~ or the t~nk and with ~ o~ol~le part~ o~ the tank made wlth tran~pare~t or tranclucent mat~rlal~
A levol lndlcAtor that meot~ ~chi~ ob~ect i~
ohAract-rize4 ~a¢ordlng to th- invQntion in tha~ th~ tank WA11, at leaot in a ~-ction~ lnclude~ an optlaal pri~m made ln tho lntorior o~ the ~ank, a prism ln which the light lncld~n~ ~rom the out~id~ i~ r~rleoted or a~orbed by the llquid ln tho tank.
2~8303 Pro~-r~bly tho optical pri~m i8 made a~ an in~gral part ot the tank wall. I~ the optioal pris~ pro~ctlng into th~
tank intor~or ~8 wett~d by the liquid, the refractlve indox of the boundary layer change~, the lncldent light is absorb~d and the indicator appear8 dark. But i~ thcre is no ~ore ligu~d in the tank, then llght incldent Sro~ the outside is refleated at th- boundary layer of the pri~, the appearance o~ the prism ~ bright or illumlnated to the observer.
Tho invent~ve ~easure thus ~ake~ vi~ible an una~biguou~
identlficatlon of the level of the t~nk.
An ln6pection aperturo ~urrounding tho pri6m ~p~cially accentuate- the level indicator field. A hou~lng ~ptlonally sUrrounding the tank can be ~rovid~d, ln the area of the pri~matic lndlcator device of the tank, wlth a window that al~o acCentua~os ~hQ indicator field. It 1~ al60 advant~geoua iY the outer t~nk wall exhibit~ proj~ctlons in the area Or th~ prl~m, and these pro~ectiona pro~oct into o~enlng~ or tho lnspeation aperture or of the hou~ing wall ~urrounding the tank. Thus it 19 po~sibl~ ~or tho lncident light not be ~haded by th- inspoat~on aperture. Tho po~lblli~y al~o exists ror printing one or more transparent color~ on the tank or o~ produclng th~ tank it~-lf o~
colored, tran~parent ~aterlal. In selecting the material, att-ntion should be paid to a ~u~fic$ent re~ractlve index.
Production can be perror~ed advantageou~ly by casting or ln~ectlon moldlng, sta~plng or compree~ion ~oldlng.
Attentlon 1~ to be pal~ durlng production of the tAn~ ~o that a good d~moldlng i~ pos~ibl~, l.e., that the optical prls~ 1B
orl~nte~ 1~ the direction o~ remov~l. H~r~ it 1~ U~4~U1 1f the p~l~m pro~ect~ down to the bottom of th- tank, provided that lt 1- not de~lr~d to glu~ the pxl6m.
Further ~cope of appllcability of the present inventlon will beaomo apparent fro~ tho detailed de~cription glven - 20~8303 herelnaftor. However, lt ~hould be under~tood that the detailed description and specific examples, whlle indicating preferred embodiments of the lnvontion, are giv-n by way of lllu~ratlon only, ~inc~ ~ariou~ ch~nge~ and ~odiflcatlon6 5 within th~ ~plrit and scope of the inventlon wlll become a~parent to tho~e ~killed ln the art from thia d~talled : d~crlption.
~BIEE DESCRIP~ION oP THB DRA~INGS
The present lnventlon wlll b~come more fully under6tooa Srom the detalled description glven hereinbelow and the ~ccompanying drawing~ which aro qiven by way o~ illuYtratlon only, and thus, are not limitative o~ the present inventlon and wherQln:
Pigure 1, i8 a partlal sectlon ln a horlzont~l plane howing on~ po~lble locat~on of ~ prl~m of tho pres-nt lnventlon;
Flgur- Z, 1~ an enlarg~d ~eotlon o~ the llquld tank ln th~ ar a o~ the prlsm according to ~lgurQ 1 whQn th- tank 19 4~ptyt Flgure 3, illu~trates the way tho prism accordlng to ~igure 2 ~Unction~ when tho tank i6 ~ull;
Flgure 4, i~ an ~xample of an lnspection apertur~;
Figur~ S, i~ anoth-r type o~ inspection aperture on tho tank~
Z5 Jlg~r~ 5~ a ~ection through the ~nspection aperturo Accordlng to ~lgur~ 5;
Flgur~ 6, iJ another ~orm of tho in~pect~on ap~rture:
and Figuro- 7 to 10, aro variou6 pri8m snape6.
Tank 1 reprecent~d in rigure~ 1 to 3 i~ ~urrounded ~y A
housing wall 2, 3, from which housing wall z can be det~ched to r~move tank 1. Tank 1 $s used to receive and ~torQ water and ha~, in lt~ wall l', an optical triangular pris~ 4, and hou~ing wall 2 exhibit~ a window 5 in th~ area of the prl~m 4 and in tha l~vel rang~ of tank 1. At houslng 2, 3 closed aroùn~ tan~ 1, a beadlik~ pro~ection 6 in tank w~
outward-polnting r~lative to pri~ 4, project~ into window 5 of houslng wall ~ 50 that pro~ectlon 6 ~nd~ ~lu6h with ou~er wall 7 o~ housinq wall z. WhQn the tanX i~ ~mpty, ~ncid~nt light 7 i~ re~ected at sides 8 o~ the pr$sm, so that wh~n the tank i~ empty and upon viewing pro~ction 6 o~ the tank, the latter appe~r~ brlght. Although prism 4 here ln oro~
~ectlon i~ a rQctangular prism, it should be polnted out that other 8h~pe~ (figure6 7 to lO), o.g., ~haped like diamond ~acet~, ar~ o possiblo; th~ pri6m can also exhibit sides 8 wlth an angle po~itlon deviating rrom that of a rectanglo, e.g,, ~o that the laterally lnaident light noar the observ~r i~ derlected toWar~ the observer. In contra~t to thl~, wh~n tho tank 1~ rll~ed with liquid 9 (see flgurQ 3), the light ls absorbed at side~ 8 or prism 4 ~o that when viewing the pria~
O~ the tank, the ~ri~m appear~ ~ark. Thu~ lt i6 pos~ible to indioate tho levël of liqu~d ln tho tank.
Flgure 4 ~how~ a vlew of an in6~sction aper~ur~ ~o that 1~ provldod with opening~ 11. Thc inspection aper~ure i~
~tached in ~ront oY tank 1 (rigure 1); it can be part Or hou~ing wall 2. It has ~everal op~nings into whlah ~ro~ections And thc llke 6 o~ prls~ 4 or o~ tank l pro~eat.
30 Upon viQwlng tho pro~ect~ons 6 through slit~ 11 it can be deter~ined wh~the~ and how far the tank 1~ rilled.
Flgure~ 5 and 5a show another inspectlon aperture 10 o~
~ank 1. Here also ~v~ral openings 11 aro provid~d. ~he tank h~r- ha~ on th~ out~ide ~everal pro~ation~ 6 that pro~oot lnto opening~ 11 o~ in~pQotlon ap~rture ~0.
~ - rlgur~ 6 show~, it is ~u~lalont to put, ln lnepectlon aporture 10, a u~ngle continuou~ ~lit or an oponlng 11 through whlch pro~ction~ ~ o~ tank 1 project.
Th~n v~riou~ calibratlon~ 12 are print~d on the pro~ectlon, and then lt c8n b~ read ~rom the outsid~ whothor or not th~
tanX 16 fillod ~nd how ~ar~
~ ev-ral tank~ aan b~ pla~d in one bousing. It 1~ th~n 10 ~ultablo to we ono color rOr th~ l~v-l of on~ t~nk an~
another aolor for the level Or the other tank. Th~ tank itsol~ oan bu made or colored, tran~p~rent pla~ia but prlntlng can a1BO be put on lt. Further, th~ro iA the po~lbility or guidlng the perpendicular and m~lnly vertl¢ally runnlnq prl6m in thi~ exampl~ al~o ln ~nother ~or~, e.~ o that wrltlng ~p~ar~ or ~ ~ymbol, and h~re ~loo the ¢ros~ s0ctlon o~ the writing or of th~ plctogram oxhlblt- a prla~.
It 1- not requlrod that th~ pris~ ab~olut~ly ~xhibit th~
~hap- o~ a trlangle in aro~s 6eatlon. It can have ~ny other hnpo p~r 80, and hore attentlon 1~ to bo pald in order that the lnaldent llght 1~ dorlocted outward toward the o~server.
Th- lndloatlon ~caording to the lnvontio~ lmplo ~nd c~n bo producod wlthout great oo~t. Although no oloc~rlcal 2s en~r~y 1~ noaes~ary, an unamblguous indlcatlon is provlded ~y tno ~r~-ct ot illuminat~on. The wall o~ th~ tank can easlly bo cle~nQd ~O that h~alth ooncern~ do not ~rl6e. ~ecau~o o~
th- v~ried aolor8tion or ~ym~ol~, lmportant ~unctions a~n b-b-tt-r Acaontuatod and tho u~ulne~ of th~ t~nk or ~l~o o~
th~ unlt c~n b~ l~pr~d.
Althou~h th- lnvontion wa~ r~pre~nt~ hor~ ~or a tank ~or r-c-i~ing and ~torlng water, e.g., ~Gr ~uipm~nt ~or bevor~- pr-paratlon, it i~ not limit~ to thls ob~eot ~lone, - 20~8303 but the lnventlon i9 al~o aonceivable and usable for other tanks for 6toring liguids.
~ he in~ention being thu~ de~crl~ed, lt will be obviou~
that the ~ame may b~ varled ln many way~. Sueh var1atlons are not to be rogarded as a doparture fro~ the ~pirit an~
~cope of the lnvention, and all such modifications a~ would be ob~iou8 to on~ 6killed in the art ar~ intended to b-included wlth~n the scope of the ~ollowing clalm~.
EQUIP~IENI! FOR 'rHE E3EVE~GE INDUSTRY
The presen~ lnvention relat~ to a le~el indlcator for liquid tanks, in particular Sor water tanks ~or beverag~
prepar~tion that lnclude tanks made entirely or par~lally o~
a tran~par~nt mat~rial and have a level indicator device a6sociated therewith.
LQvel indic~tors rOr tank~ wlth liquids ara widely known. To be abl~ d~ractly to ob~erve the level insido a tank, it i~ obvious to make its wall en~irely or partially o~
tran~parent or at lea6t translucent material. ~owev~r, the larger the portlon o~ the6e transparent or tr~nslucent wall parto 19, the mor~ lncldent ligh~ there ~ in auch a tank.
~hi~ c~n b~ very disadvantageous ~or the ~anX contents, e~pecially with prolonged retention tim~s. Thus, in th~ao ¢ases th~ transparent or tran~lucont arQ~s are reduced a~
~uch as posslble. Some~imes, tank~ with tran~parent or transluc~nt walls are dlspo6ed within a hou~ing wi~h opa~uo wall~, to prevent light lncidenc~. By opening at 1Q~St one o~ the slde walls, the level can specifically be checked. A
narrow wlndow can also bo placed ln an opaque w~ll to make lt poB~ibl~ to ahsck tho lQvel. The~e meaSure~ run coUnter to th~ desire to bo able to ~etermine the level by looklng lnto th~ tank3 A$tor eAch use. It is al80 known to mak~ a 90-called level indiaator out o~ a transparent tube pro~ecting ~rom the tank, and the ext-nt to whioh th~ tank i~ rilled can be read on th~ tub~. Further, ~orc~ transducer~, pressure ~ensors and pres6ur- ~witches are known that al60 can be used S to indicate the level o~ the tanX. But many of these device~
ar- out o~ the guestion for removabl~ water storagQ tank~ o~
beverage di~pen6er6 or ar~ at lea~t poorly sulted, but in any casa they are relatively expen~ive: they are usually connected to the liqul~ by pipes, tube~ or the l~ke and thus ar hard to cloan. Al~o in a transp~rent tank with an apertur~, tho tank must be illuminat~d ~o that the lev~l can be r~a~ on the a~ertur .
In dlshwasher~ it is known to u~e ~ transparent rod to indlcate wh-n there i~ no rlnoing agent, A rod that i6 ~5 embed~e~ in th- tank and h~ ~ c~ne at th- lowor end. upon ~lew~ng th- transparent rod it can be determlned i~ tho rln~ing ~gent tank i8 ~tlll prov$ded with rin~lng agent ln the ~rea of th~ cone.
2g~Q~
Taking the ~nown prlor art into conslder~t$on, a prim~ry ob~ect o~ the pr~6ent invontlon con~lsts in providlng a level lndlcator ~or ~torage tanks with as llttle exp~n~ a~
~o~bl-, and wlth as unsu~cQptlble to trouble ~ possible, and a~ ~w a~ pos~ible ~aintenance part~ or the t~nk and with ~ o~ol~le part~ o~ the tank made wlth tran~pare~t or tranclucent mat~rlal~
A levol lndlcAtor that meot~ ~chi~ ob~ect i~
ohAract-rize4 ~a¢ordlng to th- invQntion in tha~ th~ tank WA11, at leaot in a ~-ction~ lnclude~ an optlaal pri~m made ln tho lntorior o~ the ~ank, a prism ln which the light lncld~n~ ~rom the out~id~ i~ r~rleoted or a~orbed by the llquid ln tho tank.
2~8303 Pro~-r~bly tho optical pri~m i8 made a~ an in~gral part ot the tank wall. I~ the optioal pris~ pro~ctlng into th~
tank intor~or ~8 wett~d by the liquid, the refractlve indox of the boundary layer change~, the lncldent light is absorb~d and the indicator appear8 dark. But i~ thcre is no ~ore ligu~d in the tank, then llght incldent Sro~ the outside is refleated at th- boundary layer of the pri~, the appearance o~ the prism ~ bright or illumlnated to the observer.
Tho invent~ve ~easure thus ~ake~ vi~ible an una~biguou~
identlficatlon of the level of the t~nk.
An ln6pection aperturo ~urrounding tho pri6m ~p~cially accentuate- the level indicator field. A hou~lng ~ptlonally sUrrounding the tank can be ~rovid~d, ln the area of the pri~matic lndlcator device of the tank, wlth a window that al~o acCentua~os ~hQ indicator field. It 1~ al60 advant~geoua iY the outer t~nk wall exhibit~ proj~ctlons in the area Or th~ prl~m, and these pro~ectiona pro~oct into o~enlng~ or tho lnspeation aperture or of the hou~ing wall ~urrounding the tank. Thus it 19 po~sibl~ ~or tho lncident light not be ~haded by th- inspoat~on aperture. Tho po~lblli~y al~o exists ror printing one or more transparent color~ on the tank or o~ produclng th~ tank it~-lf o~
colored, tran~parent ~aterlal. In selecting the material, att-ntion should be paid to a ~u~fic$ent re~ractlve index.
Production can be perror~ed advantageou~ly by casting or ln~ectlon moldlng, sta~plng or compree~ion ~oldlng.
Attentlon 1~ to be pal~ durlng production of the tAn~ ~o that a good d~moldlng i~ pos~ibl~, l.e., that the optical prls~ 1B
orl~nte~ 1~ the direction o~ remov~l. H~r~ it 1~ U~4~U1 1f the p~l~m pro~ect~ down to the bottom of th- tank, provided that lt 1- not de~lr~d to glu~ the pxl6m.
Further ~cope of appllcability of the present inventlon will beaomo apparent fro~ tho detailed de~cription glven - 20~8303 herelnaftor. However, lt ~hould be under~tood that the detailed description and specific examples, whlle indicating preferred embodiments of the lnvontion, are giv-n by way of lllu~ratlon only, ~inc~ ~ariou~ ch~nge~ and ~odiflcatlon6 5 within th~ ~plrit and scope of the inventlon wlll become a~parent to tho~e ~killed ln the art from thia d~talled : d~crlption.
~BIEE DESCRIP~ION oP THB DRA~INGS
The present lnventlon wlll b~come more fully under6tooa Srom the detalled description glven hereinbelow and the ~ccompanying drawing~ which aro qiven by way o~ illuYtratlon only, and thus, are not limitative o~ the present inventlon and wherQln:
Pigure 1, i8 a partlal sectlon ln a horlzont~l plane howing on~ po~lble locat~on of ~ prl~m of tho pres-nt lnventlon;
Flgur- Z, 1~ an enlarg~d ~eotlon o~ the llquld tank ln th~ ar a o~ the prlsm according to ~lgurQ 1 whQn th- tank 19 4~ptyt Flgure 3, illu~trates the way tho prism accordlng to ~igure 2 ~Unction~ when tho tank i6 ~ull;
Flgure 4, i~ an ~xample of an lnspection apertur~;
Figur~ S, i~ anoth-r type o~ inspection aperture on tho tank~
Z5 Jlg~r~ 5~ a ~ection through the ~nspection aperturo Accordlng to ~lgur~ 5;
Flgur~ 6, iJ another ~orm of tho in~pect~on ap~rture:
and Figuro- 7 to 10, aro variou6 pri8m snape6.
Tank 1 reprecent~d in rigure~ 1 to 3 i~ ~urrounded ~y A
housing wall 2, 3, from which housing wall z can be det~ched to r~move tank 1. Tank 1 $s used to receive and ~torQ water and ha~, in lt~ wall l', an optical triangular pris~ 4, and hou~ing wall 2 exhibit~ a window 5 in th~ area of the prl~m 4 and in tha l~vel rang~ of tank 1. At houslng 2, 3 closed aroùn~ tan~ 1, a beadlik~ pro~ection 6 in tank w~
outward-polnting r~lative to pri~ 4, project~ into window 5 of houslng wall ~ 50 that pro~ectlon 6 ~nd~ ~lu6h with ou~er wall 7 o~ housinq wall z. WhQn the tanX i~ ~mpty, ~ncid~nt light 7 i~ re~ected at sides 8 o~ the pr$sm, so that wh~n the tank i~ empty and upon viewing pro~ction 6 o~ the tank, the latter appe~r~ brlght. Although prism 4 here ln oro~
~ectlon i~ a rQctangular prism, it should be polnted out that other 8h~pe~ (figure6 7 to lO), o.g., ~haped like diamond ~acet~, ar~ o possiblo; th~ pri6m can also exhibit sides 8 wlth an angle po~itlon deviating rrom that of a rectanglo, e.g,, ~o that the laterally lnaident light noar the observ~r i~ derlected toWar~ the observer. In contra~t to thl~, wh~n tho tank 1~ rll~ed with liquid 9 (see flgurQ 3), the light ls absorbed at side~ 8 or prism 4 ~o that when viewing the pria~
O~ the tank, the ~ri~m appear~ ~ark. Thu~ lt i6 pos~ible to indioate tho levël of liqu~d ln tho tank.
Flgure 4 ~how~ a vlew of an in6~sction aper~ur~ ~o that 1~ provldod with opening~ 11. Thc inspection aper~ure i~
~tached in ~ront oY tank 1 (rigure 1); it can be part Or hou~ing wall 2. It has ~everal op~nings into whlah ~ro~ections And thc llke 6 o~ prls~ 4 or o~ tank l pro~eat.
30 Upon viQwlng tho pro~ect~ons 6 through slit~ 11 it can be deter~ined wh~the~ and how far the tank 1~ rilled.
Flgure~ 5 and 5a show another inspectlon aperture 10 o~
~ank 1. Here also ~v~ral openings 11 aro provid~d. ~he tank h~r- ha~ on th~ out~ide ~everal pro~ation~ 6 that pro~oot lnto opening~ 11 o~ in~pQotlon ap~rture ~0.
~ - rlgur~ 6 show~, it is ~u~lalont to put, ln lnepectlon aporture 10, a u~ngle continuou~ ~lit or an oponlng 11 through whlch pro~ction~ ~ o~ tank 1 project.
Th~n v~riou~ calibratlon~ 12 are print~d on the pro~ectlon, and then lt c8n b~ read ~rom the outsid~ whothor or not th~
tanX 16 fillod ~nd how ~ar~
~ ev-ral tank~ aan b~ pla~d in one bousing. It 1~ th~n 10 ~ultablo to we ono color rOr th~ l~v-l of on~ t~nk an~
another aolor for the level Or the other tank. Th~ tank itsol~ oan bu made or colored, tran~p~rent pla~ia but prlntlng can a1BO be put on lt. Further, th~ro iA the po~lbility or guidlng the perpendicular and m~lnly vertl¢ally runnlnq prl6m in thi~ exampl~ al~o ln ~nother ~or~, e.~ o that wrltlng ~p~ar~ or ~ ~ymbol, and h~re ~loo the ¢ros~ s0ctlon o~ the writing or of th~ plctogram oxhlblt- a prla~.
It 1- not requlrod that th~ pris~ ab~olut~ly ~xhibit th~
~hap- o~ a trlangle in aro~s 6eatlon. It can have ~ny other hnpo p~r 80, and hore attentlon 1~ to bo pald in order that the lnaldent llght 1~ dorlocted outward toward the o~server.
Th- lndloatlon ~caording to the lnvontio~ lmplo ~nd c~n bo producod wlthout great oo~t. Although no oloc~rlcal 2s en~r~y 1~ noaes~ary, an unamblguous indlcatlon is provlded ~y tno ~r~-ct ot illuminat~on. The wall o~ th~ tank can easlly bo cle~nQd ~O that h~alth ooncern~ do not ~rl6e. ~ecau~o o~
th- v~ried aolor8tion or ~ym~ol~, lmportant ~unctions a~n b-b-tt-r Acaontuatod and tho u~ulne~ of th~ t~nk or ~l~o o~
th~ unlt c~n b~ l~pr~d.
Althou~h th- lnvontion wa~ r~pre~nt~ hor~ ~or a tank ~or r-c-i~ing and ~torlng water, e.g., ~Gr ~uipm~nt ~or bevor~- pr-paratlon, it i~ not limit~ to thls ob~eot ~lone, - 20~8303 but the lnventlon i9 al~o aonceivable and usable for other tanks for 6toring liguids.
~ he in~ention being thu~ de~crl~ed, lt will be obviou~
that the ~ame may b~ varled ln many way~. Sueh var1atlons are not to be rogarded as a doparture fro~ the ~pirit an~
~cope of the lnvention, and all such modifications a~ would be ob~iou8 to on~ 6killed in the art ar~ intended to b-included wlth~n the scope of the ~ollowing clalm~.
Claims (8)
1. A liquid level indicator apparatus for a tank for containing the liquid, said tank including at least a portion of a wall which is transparent to visible light, the improvement comprising:
prism means disposed in the region of the transparent portion for reflecting a majority of the light incident on the prism means from the outside of the tank back toward the outside when there is no liquid within the tank adjacent the transparent portion, and for absorbing a majority of said incident light into the liquid when the liquid level of the tank is at least as high as the level of the transparent portion.
prism means disposed in the region of the transparent portion for reflecting a majority of the light incident on the prism means from the outside of the tank back toward the outside when there is no liquid within the tank adjacent the transparent portion, and for absorbing a majority of said incident light into the liquid when the liquid level of the tank is at least as high as the level of the transparent portion.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said prism means is formed integrally with the tank wall.
3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the tank wall is transparent only in the area of said prism means.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the tank wall is transparent only in the area of said prism means.
5. The apparatus of claim 3 further including an opaque housing surrounding said tank with a window therein for framing the transparent portion of the tank adjacent said prism means.
6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said prism means includes projections extending into said window to positions substantially flush with an outside surface of said housing.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the prism means is shaped in the form of an intelligible symbol.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the prism means includes colored material.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| DE9011348.9 | 1990-08-02 | ||
| DE9011348U DE9011348U1 (en) | 1990-08-02 | 1990-08-02 | Level indicator, especially for beverage production equipment |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2048303A1 true CA2048303A1 (en) | 1992-02-03 |
Family
ID=6856168
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2048303 Abandoned CA2048303A1 (en) | 1990-08-02 | 1991-08-01 | Liquid level indication, in particular for equipment for the beverage industry |
Country Status (3)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP0469608A3 (en) |
| CA (1) | CA2048303A1 (en) |
| DE (1) | DE9011348U1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5279157A (en) * | 1992-08-03 | 1994-01-18 | Casco Products Corporation | Liquid level monitor |
| GB9310038D0 (en) * | 1993-05-15 | 1993-06-30 | Norgren Martonair Ltd | Improvements in sight glasses |
| ITTO990111U1 (en) * | 1999-06-11 | 2000-12-11 | Elbi Int Spa | INTEGRATED DISPENSER AND RINSE AGENT DEVICE FOR A DISHWASHER MACHINE |
Family Cites Families (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4021943A (en) * | 1976-02-23 | 1977-05-10 | The Hoover Company | Pressing iron water level gauge |
| JPS5654425U (en) * | 1979-09-29 | 1981-05-13 | ||
| FR2587129B1 (en) * | 1985-09-11 | 1987-10-30 | Dupont S T | DEVICE FOR DETECTING THE IMMEDIATE EXHAUSTION OF GAS OF A LIQUEFIED GAS TANK AND GAS LIGHTER EQUIPPED WITH THIS DEVICE |
-
1990
- 1990-08-02 DE DE9011348U patent/DE9011348U1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
1991
- 1991-08-01 CA CA 2048303 patent/CA2048303A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 1991-08-01 EP EP19910112954 patent/EP0469608A3/en not_active Withdrawn
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| EP0469608A2 (en) | 1992-02-05 |
| DE9011348U1 (en) | 1991-04-25 |
| EP0469608A3 (en) | 1992-05-20 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EEER | Examination request | ||
| FZDE | Dead |