CN112737611A

CN112737611A - Foam position measuring device and method

Info

Publication number: CN112737611A
Application number: CN202110037630.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 呼秀山; 夏阳
Original assignee: Beijing Ruida Instrument Co ltd
Current assignee: Beijing Ruida Instrument Co ltd
Priority date: 2021-01-12
Filing date: 2021-01-12
Publication date: 2021-04-30

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a foam position measuring device, which includes: at least one transmitter that transmits a signal; and at least one receiver, wherein at least one passage is formed between the receiver and the transmitter, the receiver receives a signal transmitted by the transmitter forming the passage with the receiver, and the foam position is obtained according to the change of the signal between the transmitter and the receiver forming the passage. The present disclosure also provides a foam position measurement method.

Description

Foam position measuring device and method

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to measuring instruments, and more particularly, to a foam position measuring device and method.

Background

In the industrial production of the process, some reaction kettles and stirring tanks generate foams. Foam location is often required to be known in production, but due to the complexity of the foam, the methods of measuring foam location are quite limited.

In the prior art, a method based on radar measurement exists, radar waves are transmitted to the surface of foam, and then the flight time of a reflected signal is measured, but the measurement effect of the method is poor due to the absorption characteristic of the foam to the radar waves.

In the prior art, a laser-based measuring method exists, and due to the absorption of the surface of the foam on the laser, the visibility is affected by the steam in the tank body, and the laser product effect is not ideal.

Or utilizing low-frequency electromagnetic waves of 1 GHz and measuring the electrical parameters between the two metal electrodes. The change in dielectric constant is measured by measuring the change in electrical parameter between the two metal electrodes. However, the dielectric constant of the foam is too low and this measurement is not ideal for many liquid foams.

Disclosure of Invention

In order to solve one of the above technical problems, the present disclosure provides a foam position measuring device and method.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a foam position measuring device including:

at least one transmitter that transmits a signal; and

the receiver receives a signal transmitted by the transmitter forming a passage with the receiver, and obtains the foam position according to the change of the signal between the transmitter and the receiver forming the passage.

According to the foam position measuring device of at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the number of the transmitters is 1, at least one path is formed between the transmitters and at least one receiver, so that when the transmitters transmit signals, at least part of the receivers receive the signals transmitted by the transmitters, when the path between the receivers and the transmitters is blocked by foam, the signals received by the receivers of the path blocked by the foam are blocked or attenuated, and the foam position is obtained according to the position of the receivers of which the received signals are blocked or attenuated.

According to the foam position measuring device of at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the number of the receivers is 1, at least one path is formed between the receiver and at least one transmitter, so that the receiver receives at least part of the signals transmitted by the transmitter, when the path between the receiver and the transmitter is blocked by foam, the signals transmitted by the transmitter of the path blocked by foam are blocked or attenuated when the signals are received by the receiver, and the foam position is obtained according to the position of the transmitter corresponding to the blocked or attenuated signals.

According to the foam position measuring device of at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the number of the transmitters and the receivers is plural, the transmitters and the receivers are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence, a path is formed between the transmitter and the receiver corresponding to the transmitter, when the path between the receiver and the transmitter is blocked by foam, a signal received by the receiver of the path blocked by foam is blocked or attenuated, and the foam position is obtained according to the position of the receiver and/or the transmitter where the signal is blocked or attenuated.

According to the foam position measuring device of at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the number of the transmitters and the receivers is plural, and a passage is formed between the transmitters and at least one receiver, or a passage is formed between the receiver and at least one transmitter; when the path between the receiver and the transmitter is blocked by the foam, the signal received by the receiver of the path blocked by the foam is blocked or attenuated, and the foam position is obtained according to the position of the receiver and/or the transmitter of which the signal is blocked or attenuated.

According to the foam position measuring device of at least one embodiment of this disclosure, still include the probe rod, when the quantity of the transmitter is 1, the length direction of at least one receiver setting on the probe rod is followed to the transmitter, the transmitter sets up with the receiver interval preset position, and makes to form the passageway between receiver and the transmitter.

According to the foam position measuring device of at least one embodiment of this disclosure, still include the probe, when the quantity of receiver is 1, the at least one transmitter sets up on the probe along the length direction of the probe, the receiver sets up with a preset position apart from the transmitter to make between receiver and the transmitter form the passageway.

The foam position measuring device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure further includes two probe rods, the receiver is disposed on one probe rod along a length direction of the probe rod, and the transmitter is disposed on the other probe rod along the length direction of the probe rod, such that a passage is formed between the receiver and the transmitter.

The foam position measuring device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure further includes a probe on which the receiver and the transmitter are both disposed along a length direction of the probe and on different sides of the probe such that a passage is formed between the receiver and the transmitter.

According to the foam position measuring device of at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the probe is disposed within a seal.

According to the foam position measuring device of at least one embodiment of this disclosure, be provided with temperature sensor in the probe rod, detect the temperature of material through temperature sensor.

According to the foam position measuring device of at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, when neither the receiver nor the transmitter is covered with foam, the initial energy of the signal transmitted by the transmitter received by the receiver is acquired; the current energy of the signal received by the receiver is obtained through the receiver, the initial energy of the signal is compared with the current energy, when the difference value of the initial energy of the signal and the current energy is larger than a preset threshold value, the current receiver and/or the current transmitter are judged to be covered by foam, and the foam position is obtained according to the position of the receiver and/or the transmitter covered by the foam.

According to the foam position measuring device of at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the transmitter and the receiver each include an antenna.

According to the foam position measuring device of at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the signal transmitted by the transmitter is a single frequency signal or a multi-frequency signal; and/or the signal received by the receiver is a single frequency signal or a multi-frequency signal.

According to the foam position measuring device of at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the directions of the antennas of the transmitter and the receiver are horizontal directions.

According to the foam position measuring device of at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the direction of the antenna of the transmitter and the antenna of the receiver is at an angle.

According to the foam position measuring device of at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of transmitters and a plurality of receivers are provided at the same horizontal position.

A foam position measuring device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the transmitter being selected from at least one of a microwave transmitter, an ultrasonic transmitter, an electromagnetic field transmitter, or a light transmitter; the receiver is at least one of a microwave receiver, an ultrasonic receiver, an electromagnetic field receiver or an optical receiver.

The foam position measuring device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure further includes a transmitting circuit, wherein the transmitting circuit is connected to the transmitter through the switch, so that the transmitter shares one radio frequency transmitting circuit through the switch.

The foam position measuring device according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure further includes at least one transmitting circuit, the transmitting circuit and the transmitter are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence, and the transmitting circuit is connected to the transmitter, so that each transmitting circuit controls the transmitter connected thereto to transmit a signal.

According to the foam position measuring device of at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the transmitter and the receiver are formed as a transceiver.

According to the foam position measuring device of at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the transceiver includes:

the receiving and transmitting integrated antenna is used for transmitting signals and receiving the signals transmitted by the receiving and transmitting integrated antenna; and

and the transmitting-receiving integrated circuit is connected to the transmitting-receiving integrated antenna and used for providing a waveform signal to be transmitted to the transmitting-receiving integrated antenna and transmitting a received signal to the controller.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a foam position measuring method implemented by the foam position measuring apparatus described above, the foam position measuring method including:

controlling the transmitter to transmit signals outwards;

controlling a receiver to receive a signal emitted by the emitter, so that at least one passage is formed between the receiver and the emitter, and obtaining initial energy of the signal received by the receiver when the passage is not blocked by foam;

the method comprises the steps of controlling a receiver to receive a signal transmitted by a transmitter, obtaining the current energy of the signal received by the receiver, comparing the initial energy with the current energy of the signal, judging that a passage between the current receiver and/or the transmitter is blocked by foam when the difference value of the initial energy and the current energy of the signal is larger than a preset threshold value, and obtaining the position of the foam according to the position of the receiver and/or the transmitter of the passage blocked by the foam.

According to the foam position measuring method of at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one passage is distributed in a height direction of the foam, and when a plurality of passages are each blocked by the foam, the foam position is obtained from an uppermost passage among the passages blocked by the foam.

According to the foam position measuring method of at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the thickness of the foam intersecting the passage corresponding to the receiver is obtained according to the current energy of the signal received by the receiver.

According to the foam position measuring method of at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the thickness of the foam intersecting the passage corresponding to the receiver is obtained according to the ratio of the current energy to the initial energy of the signal received by the receiver.

According to the foam position measuring method of at least one embodiment of the disclosure, the thickness of the foam intersecting the passage corresponding to the receiver is obtained according to the ratio of the current energy to the initial energy of the signal received by the receiver and the attenuation coefficient of the current foam to the signal.

According to the foam position measuring method of at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the signal attenuation coefficient corresponding to each foam is calibrated in advance.

The foam position measuring method according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure further includes: and obtaining the interface position of the adjacent media according to different media with different signal attenuation coefficients.

According to a foam position measuring method of at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the medium includes: air, foam and liquid; the interface includes an interface of air and foam, and an interface of foam and liquid.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the disclosure and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural view of a foam position measuring device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 is a schematic structural view of a foam position measuring device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3 is a schematic structural view of a foam position measuring device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 is a schematic structural view of a foam position measuring device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 is a schematic structural view of a seal according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a transmitter and receiver configuration according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a transceiver according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a radio frequency receive circuit according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a radio frequency transmit circuit according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 10 is a schematic structural view of a foam position measuring method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The reference numbers in the figures are in particular:

100 foam position measuring device

110 emitter

120 receiver

130 feeler lever

140 gauge outfit

150 sealing element.

Detailed Description

The present disclosure will be described in further detail with reference to the drawings and embodiments. It is to be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for purposes of illustration only and are not to be construed as limitations of the present disclosure. It should be further noted that, for the convenience of description, only the portions relevant to the present disclosure are shown in the drawings.

It should be noted that the embodiments and features of the embodiments in the present disclosure may be combined with each other without conflict. Technical solutions of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings in conjunction with embodiments.

Unless otherwise indicated, the illustrated exemplary embodiments/examples are to be understood as providing exemplary features of various details of some ways in which the technical concepts of the present disclosure may be practiced. Accordingly, unless otherwise indicated, features of the various embodiments may be additionally combined, separated, interchanged, and/or rearranged without departing from the technical concept of the present disclosure.

The use of cross-hatching and/or shading in the drawings is generally used to clarify the boundaries between adjacent components. As such, unless otherwise noted, the presence or absence of cross-hatching or shading does not convey or indicate any preference or requirement for a particular material, material property, size, proportion, commonality between the illustrated components and/or any other characteristic, attribute, property, etc., of a component. Further, in the drawings, the size and relative sizes of components may be exaggerated for clarity and/or descriptive purposes. While example embodiments may be practiced differently, the specific process sequence may be performed in a different order than that described. For example, two processes described consecutively may be performed substantially simultaneously or in reverse order to that described. In addition, like reference numerals denote like parts.

When an element is referred to as being "on" or "on," "connected to" or "coupled to" another element, it can be directly on, connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. However, when an element is referred to as being "directly on," "directly connected to" or "directly coupled to" another element, there are no intervening elements present. For purposes of this disclosure, the term "connected" may refer to physically, electrically, etc., and may or may not have intermediate components.

For descriptive purposes, the present disclosure may use spatially relative terms such as "below … …," below … …, "" below … …, "" below, "" above … …, "" above, "" … …, "" higher, "and" side (e.g., as in "side wall") to describe one component's relationship to another (other) component as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use, operation, and/or manufacture in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as "below" or "beneath" other elements or features would then be oriented "above" the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term "below … …" can encompass both an orientation of "above" and "below". Further, the devices may be otherwise positioned (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, when the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising" and variations thereof are used in this specification, the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof are stated but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof. It is also noted that, as used herein, the terms "substantially," "about," and other similar terms are used as approximate terms and not as degree terms, and as such, are used to interpret inherent deviations in measured values, calculated values, and/or provided values that would be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural view of a foam position measuring device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 2 is a schematic structural view of a foam position measuring device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

A foam position measuring device 100 as shown in fig. 1 and 2, comprising:

at least one transmitter 110, said transmitter 110 transmitting a signal; and

at least one receiver 120, at least one path is formed between the receiver 120 and the transmitter 110, the receiver 120 receives the signal transmitted by the transmitter 110 forming the path with the receiver 120, and the foam position is obtained according to the change of the signal between the transmitter 110 and the receiver 120 forming the path.

Wherein each path is made up of a transmitter 110, a receiver 120, and a path along which a signal propagates in space.

As an example, the transmitter 110 is a microwave transmitter, the receiver 120 is a microwave receiver, and the path is a microwave path including the microwave transmitter, the microwave receiver, and a path along which a microwave signal propagates in space.

As another example, the transmitter 110 is an ultrasonic transmitter, the receiver 120 is an ultrasonic receiver, and the path is an ultrasonic path including the ultrasonic transmitter, the ultrasonic receiver, and a path through which an ultrasonic signal propagates in space.

As another example, the transmitter 110 is an electromagnetic field transmitter, the receiver 120 is an electromagnetic field receiver, and the path is an electromagnetic field path including the electromagnetic field transmitter, the electromagnetic field receiver, and a path along which an electromagnetic field signal propagates in space.

As another example, the transmitter 110 is an optical transmitter, the receiver 120 is an optical receiver, and the path is an optical path including the optical transmitter, the optical receiver, and a path along which an optical signal propagates in space.

Of course, the types of the transmitter 110 and the receiver 120 are not limited to the above implementation forms.

In the present disclosure, referring to fig. 1, when the number of the transmitters 110 is 1, at least one path is formed between the transmitters 110 and at least one receiver 120, so that when the transmitter 110 transmits a signal, at least a part of the receivers 120 or all of the receivers 120 receive the signal transmitted by the transmitter 110, when the path between the receiver 120 and the transmitter 110 is blocked by bubbles, the signal received by the receiver 120 of the path blocked by the bubbles is blocked or attenuated, and a bubble position is obtained according to a position of the receiver 120 where the received signal is blocked or attenuated.

For example, when at least one of the receivers 120 is covered with foam, the signal received by the foam-covered receiver 120 may be blocked or attenuated, and the foam position may be obtained according to the position of the receiver 120 where the received signal is blocked or attenuated.

That is, in the foam position measuring device 100 of the present disclosure, one transmitter 110 may correspond to a plurality of receivers 120.

On the other hand, referring to fig. 2, the number of the receivers 120 is 1, at least one path is formed between the receiver 120 and at least one transmitter 110, so that the receiver 120 receives at least part of the signal transmitted by the transmitter 110, when the path between the receiver 120 and the transmitter 110 is blocked by the bubble, the signal transmitted by the transmitter 110 of the path blocked by the bubble is blocked or attenuated by the receiver 120, and the bubble position is obtained according to the position of the transmitter 110 corresponding to the blocked or attenuated signal.

For example, when at least one of the transmitters 110 is covered by foam, the signal transmitted by the foam-covered transmitter 110 received by the receiver 120 may be blocked or attenuated, and the foam position is obtained according to the position of the transmitter 110 corresponding to the blocked or attenuated signal.

On the other hand, referring to fig. 3, the number of the transmitters 110 and the receivers 120 is multiple, the transmitters 110 and the receivers 120 are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence manner, a path is formed between the transmitter 110 and the receiver 120 corresponding to the transmitter 110, when the path between the receiver 120 and the transmitter 110 is blocked by the bubble, the signal received by the receiver 120 of the path blocked by the bubble is blocked or attenuated, and the bubble position is obtained according to the position of the receiver 120 and/or the transmitter 110 of which the signal is blocked or attenuated.

For example, when the transmitter 110 and/or the receiver 120 is covered by foam, the signal received by the receiver 120 and transmitted by the transmitter 110 forming a path with the receiver 120 may be blocked or attenuated, and the foam position may be obtained according to the position of the receiver 120 and/or the transmitter 110 where the signal is blocked or attenuated.

Thus, the foam position measuring device 100 of the present disclosure may obtain a continuous foam position signal according to a case where a plurality of transmitters 110 and/or receivers 120 are covered with foam.

As another implementation form, the number of the transmitters 110 and the receivers 120 is multiple, and a path is formed between the transmitter 110 and at least one receiver 120, or a path is formed between the receiver 120 and at least one transmitter 110; when the path between the receiver 120 and the transmitter 110 is blocked by the bubble, the signal received by the receiver 120 of the path blocked by the bubble is blocked or attenuated, and the bubble position is obtained according to the position of the receiver 120 and/or the transmitter 110 of which the signal is blocked or attenuated.

That is, when the transmitters 110 and the receivers 120 are multiple, a part of the transmitters 110 may correspond to a part of the receivers 120 one to one and form a path, and a part of the transmitters 110 corresponds to at least one receiver 120 and forms at least one path; a portion of the receiver 120 corresponds to the at least one transmitter 110 and forms at least one path.

In the present disclosure, the foam position measuring apparatus 100 further includes a probe 130, when the number of the emitters 110 is 1, the at least one receiver 120 is disposed on the probe 130 along a length direction of the probe 130, the emitters 110 and the receivers 120 are disposed at a predetermined interval, and a passage is formed between the receivers 120 and the emitters 110.

Preferably, one end of the probe 130 is provided with a gauge head 140, the transmitter 110 is disposed at a position close to the gauge head 140, and the receiver 120 is disposed at a position far from the gauge head 140.

That is, thereby, the transmitter 110 is disposed between the gauge head 140 and the receiver 120.

As another implementation form, the foam position measuring device 100 further includes a probe 130, when the number of the receivers 120 is 1, the at least one emitter 110 is disposed on the probe 130 along a length direction of the probe 130, the receivers 120 are disposed at a preset position apart from the emitters 110, and a passage is formed between the receivers 120 and the emitters 110.

At this time, one end of the probe 130 is provided with a gauge head 140, the receiver 120 is disposed at a position close to the gauge head 140, and the transmitter 110 is disposed at a position far from the gauge head 140.

That is, thereby, the receiver 120 is disposed between the gauge head 140 and the receiver 120.

As another implementation form, the foam position measuring device 100 further includes two probes 130, the receiver 120 is disposed on one probe 130 along a length direction of the probe 130, the emitter 110 is disposed on the other probe 130 along the length direction of the probe 130, and a path is formed between the receiver 120 and the emitter 110, so that an influence on a signal caused by a material and a shape of a tank body can be avoided.

As another implementation form, referring to fig. 4, the foam position measuring apparatus 100 further includes a probe 130, and the receiver 120 and the emitter 110 are both disposed on the probe 130 along a length direction of the probe 130 and located on different sides of the probe 130, so that a passage is formed between the receiver 120 and the emitter 110.

When the probe 130 is inserted into the object to be detected, the probe 130 is disposed along the height direction of the foam, i.e., along the vertical direction, so that the transmitter and/or the receiver disposed on the probe 130 are disposed along the height direction of the foam, i.e., along the vertical direction.

Of course, the emitter 110 and the receiver 120 installed on the probe 130 may be opposite to each other, or may be emitted in the opposite direction, and then reflected by the inner wall of the tank, and then received by the receiver 120.

Specifically, when neither the receiver 120 nor the transmitter 110 is covered with foam, the initial energy of the signal transmitted by the transmitter 110 received by the receiver 120 is acquired and may be recorded in a storage device; the current energy of the signal received by the receiver 120 is obtained through the receiver 120, the initial energy of the signal is compared with the current energy, when the difference value between the initial energy and the current energy of the signal is greater than a preset threshold value, it is determined that the current receiver 120 and/or the transmitter 110 are covered by foam, and the foam position is obtained according to the position of the receiver 120 and/or the transmitter 110 covered by the foam.

Preferably, a temperature sensor is arranged in the probe 130, and the temperature of the material is detected by the temperature sensor, so that the foam position measuring device of the present disclosure has more functions.

In the present disclosure, since the foam position measuring apparatus 100 has different energy absorption rates (signal attenuation rates) for signals of different foams when in use, the density of the foam or the composition ratio of different substances in the foam can be obtained by the degree of attenuation of the signal by the foam.

On the other hand, the foam position measuring device 100 of the present disclosure also obtains a density gradient of the foam density as a function of height according to the degree of signal attenuation.

In particular, the foam position measuring device 100 of the present disclosure can also realize the measurement function of the concentration of living cells in the biomass foam, and the concentration gradient of living cells with different heights.

When the foam position measuring device 100 of the present disclosure is incorporated into a capacitance level gauge, the thickness of the foam can be calculated from the position of the foam and the position of the liquid level detected by the capacitance level gauge.

In the present disclosure, the probe 130 is coated with an anticorrosive layer, so that the probe 130 can be insulated from the tank, capacitance or admittance between the probe 130 and the tank or the ground is measured by inserting the probe 130, so as to measure the position of liquid under the foam, and then the thickness of the foam is obtained by subtracting the height of the liquid from the top layer of the foam.

In the present disclosure, the transmitter 110 and the receiver 120 each include an antenna to transmit a signal outward through the antenna of the transmitter 110 and receive the signal transmitted by the transmitter 110 through the receiver 120.

The antenna can be a circularly polarized antenna or a linearly polarized antenna; structurally, the antenna may be a horn antenna or a microstrip antenna.

For example, when the transmitter 110 is a microwave transmitter, the antenna is a microwave antenna; when the transmitter 110 is an ultrasonic transmitter, the antenna may be replaced with an ultrasonic transducer; when the transmitter 110 is an electromagnetic field transmitter, the antenna may be an electromagnetic field antenna or replaced with a probe; when the transmitter is a light emitter, the antenna may be replaced with a lens.

Wherein, the signal transmitted by the transmitter 110 is a single frequency signal or a multi-frequency signal; and/or the signal received by the receiver 120 is a single frequency signal or a multi-frequency signal.

When the signal transmitted by the transmitter 110 is a single frequency signal, the receiver 120 may select a receiver that receives the single frequency signal, or select a receiver that receives multiple frequency signals; however, when the signal transmitted by the transmitter 110 is a multi-frequency signal, the receiver 120 must be selected as a receiver for receiving the multi-frequency signal.

Thus, the multi-frequency microwaves can increase the dimension of analysis by different media having different absorption effects for the microwaves of different frequencies. Different media characteristics can be analyzed. Furthermore, different materials can be used for analyzing the content of various substances in the foam or the characteristics of the materials by utilizing different microwave absorption characteristics. Such as foam density, moisture content, or viable cell concentration in the biomass.

Since the environment in which the foam position measuring device 100 is used is a liquid environment and foam generated by the liquid, it is necessary to seal the foam position measuring device 100 to prevent the liquid or foam from damaging the foam position measuring device 100.

In the present disclosure, referring to fig. 5, the probe may be disposed in a sealing member 150, which may be a hollow tubular structure from top to bottom, the lower end of the tubular structure being closed; preferably, the tubular structure may be made of plastic or metal, and if the sealing member is made of metal, an opening through which a signal can pass needs to be formed on a side surface of the sealing member, and the opening is sealed by a sealing cover.

When the temperature of the environment where the foam position measuring device is used is low, for example, lower than the softening temperature of plastic, a plastic material can be used as the material of the sealing cover, but when the temperature of the environment where the foam position measuring device is used is high, for example, higher than the softening temperature of plastic, a ceramic material can be selected as the material of the sealing cover, so that the antenna is ensured to be isolated from the industrial environment inside the tank body.

Preferably, the direction of the antenna of the transmitter 110, i.e. the transmitting antenna, and the direction of the antenna of the receiver 120, i.e. the receiving antenna, are horizontal, i.e. the antenna of the transmitter 110 and the antenna of the receiver 120 are arranged in a correlation manner, and when foam is present at a position between the transmitter 110 and the receiver 120, i.e. foam does not cover the transmitter 110 and/or the receiver 120, foam detection is also enabled.

As another implementation form, the directions of the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna form a certain angle, so that the signal transmitted by the transmitting antenna is reflected by the tank and then received by the receiving antenna.

At this time, when the path between the transmitter 110 and the receiver 120 is blocked by the bubble, the position of the bubble can be detected.

The plurality of transmitters 110 and the plurality of receivers 120 are disposed at the same horizontal position, thereby improving the sensitivity of the bubble position measuring device 100 of the present disclosure, that is, when the signal received by one receiver 120 of the plurality of transmitters 110 and the plurality of receivers 120 is attenuated or blocked, the position of the bubble is determined to be at the horizontal position.

Referring to fig. 6, when the transmitter 110 is a microwave transmitter and the receiver 120 is a microwave receiver, the antenna is a microwave antenna.

The foam position measuring device 100 further includes a radio frequency transmitting circuit, which is connected to the microwave antenna of the transmitter 110 through a radio frequency line or a waveguide, so as to transmit a microwave signal to the outside through the microwave antenna.

Correspondingly, the foam position measuring device 100 further includes a radio frequency receiving circuit, the radio frequency receiving circuit is connected to the microwave antenna of the receiver 120, so that after the microwave antenna receives the microwave signal, the received microwave signal is transmitted to a processor through the radio frequency receiving circuit, and the processor obtains the position of the foam according to the intensity of the microwave signal received by the receiver 120.

The rf transmitting circuits may be disposed in a one-to-one correspondence with the transmitters 110, so that each rf transmitting circuit respectively controls the transmitter 110 connected thereto to transmit a microwave signal, and on the other hand, the rf transmitting circuits are further connected to the plurality of transmitters 110 through a switch, so that the transmitters 110 can share one rf transmitting circuit through the switch.

Correspondingly, the rf receiving circuits may be disposed in a one-to-one correspondence with the receivers 120, so that each rf receiving circuit controls the receiver 120 connected thereto to receive the microwave signal, and on the other hand, the rf receiving circuits are further connected to the receivers 120 through the switches, so that the receivers 120 can share one rf receiving circuit through the switches.

In the present disclosure, the microwave transmitting antenna and the radio frequency transmitting circuit constitute the microwave transmitter, and correspondingly, the microwave receiving antenna and the radio frequency receiving circuit constitute the microwave receiver.

Further, the microwave transmitter and the microwave receiver may together form a microwave transceiver; of course, the ultrasonic transmitter and the ultrasonic receiver together constitute an ultrasonic transceiver or the like.

Thereby reducing the number of peripheral openings of the seal by the provision of the integral transceiver.

As an implementation form, referring to fig. 7, the transceiver includes:

Fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a radio frequency receiving circuit according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Preferably, referring to fig. 8, the radio frequency receiving circuit includes:

the local oscillator or VCO is used for providing a microwave reference signal with the frequency close to that of the microwave signal transmitted by the microwave transmitter and transmitting the microwave reference signal to the mixer;

the frequency mixer is used for carrying out difference operation on the microwave reference signal and the microwave receiving signal to obtain an intermediate frequency signal; and

and the fixed conditioning circuit is used for amplifying and waveform shaping the intermediate frequency signal so as to output the amplified intermediate frequency signal.

Meanwhile, the radio frequency receiving circuit is switched on and off by receiving a control signal, specifically, when the receiving control signal is at a high level, the radio frequency receiving circuit works and receives a microwave signal, and when the receiving control signal is at a low level, the radio frequency receiving circuit is switched off.

Fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a radio frequency transmit circuit according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

On the other hand, referring to fig. 9, the radio frequency transmission circuit includes:

the local oscillator or VCO is used for providing a microwave reference signal with the frequency close to that of the microwave signal transmitted by the microwave transmitter and transmitting the microwave reference signal to the power amplifier; and

and the power amplifier is used for amplifying the microwave reference signal, inputting the amplified microwave reference signal to the microwave transmitting antenna, and transmitting microwaves with certain frequency outwards through the microwave transmitting antenna.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, referring to fig. 10, there is provided a foam position measuring method implemented with the foam position measuring apparatus described above, the foam position measuring method including:

102. controlling the transmitter to transmit signals outwards;

104. controlling a receiver to receive a signal emitted by the emitter, so that at least one passage is formed between the receiver and the emitter, and obtaining initial energy of the signal received by the receiver when the passage is not blocked by foam;

106. the method comprises the steps of controlling a receiver to receive a signal transmitted by a transmitter, obtaining the current energy of the signal received by the receiver, comparing the initial energy with the current energy of the signal, judging that a passage between the current receiver and/or the transmitter is blocked by foam when the difference value of the initial energy and the current energy of the signal is larger than a preset threshold value, and obtaining the position of the foam according to the position of the receiver and/or the transmitter of the passage blocked by the foam.

In the present disclosure, the at least one passage is distributed in a height direction of the foam, and when a plurality of passages are each blocked by the foam, a foam position is obtained according to an uppermost passage among the passages blocked by the foam.

That is, referring to fig. 1 to 4, whether the transmitters and the receivers are provided in one-to-one correspondence or the transmitters and the receivers are not provided in one-to-one correspondence, in order to implement the position measurement of the foam, it is necessary to distribute the passages in the height direction of the foam when forming the passages.

For example, when the foam level gauge of the present disclosure is applied to a vessel such as a reaction kettle and/or a stirring tank, the height direction of the foam is a vertical direction, and accordingly, the passages are distributed in the vertical direction.

Thereby, when the plurality of passages are each blocked by the bubble, the bubble position is obtained from the uppermost passage among the passages blocked by the bubble; that is, when the foam is formed in the reaction vessel and/or the agitation vessel, a continuous foam layer is formed on the liquid surface of the reaction vessel and/or the agitation vessel, and accordingly, the uppermost path of the paths blocked by the foam, that is, the position where the foam peak is located, can be obtained from the uppermost path of the paths blocked by the foam.

In the present disclosure, the thickness of the foam intersecting the path to which the receiver corresponds is obtained from the current energy of the signal received by the receiver.

In the disclosure, the thickness of the foam in the passage has a certain proportional relationship with the signal energy attenuation, that is, the thicker the foam is, the stronger the signal attenuation is, and based on this, the thickness of the foam intersecting the passage corresponding to the receiver is obtained according to the ratio of the current energy to the initial energy of the signal received by the receiver.

Preferably, the attenuation coefficients of different types of foam to signals are different, and therefore, when the foam level measuring device of the present disclosure is used for detecting different foams, the attenuation coefficients of the foam to signals should be calibrated in advance to accurately obtain the foam position and/or the foam thickness.

Meanwhile, when the foam contains different substances and the content of the substances in the foam is different, the signal attenuation coefficient is also influenced, so that the present disclosure is also based on a fixed-distance transceiving path, when the path is completely filled with the foam, namely the thickness of the foam is the length of the path, the signal energy attenuation coefficient is obtained, and the substances and/or the content of the substances included in the foam are obtained according to the signal energy attenuation coefficient.

For example, in the biopharmaceutical industry, the content of living cells in a medium in a fermenter varies, which results in a difference in the dielectric constant of the medium. Based on this, when the foam position measuring device of the present disclosure is applied to the fermenter, the dielectric constant of the foam can be obtained through the degree of signal attenuation, and the content of the living cells can be further determined.

When the lengths of the paths are different, for example, when the foam position measuring device only comprises one emitter and a plurality of receivers, the plurality of receivers are arranged along the height direction of the foam, and based on this, the length of the path formed by the receivers located below is longer, so that the signal attenuation coefficient corresponding to the current foam can be obtained according to the current energy of the signals received by the plurality of receivers, and further, the foam position measuring device disclosed by the invention has the capability of online calibration.

In addition, considering that the signal attenuation coefficients of the signals in air, foam and liquid are not the same, in the present disclosure, whether liquid exists in the channel corresponding to the current receiver can also be judged according to the current energy of the signals received by the receiver, that is, the foam position measuring device of the present disclosure can also be used for measuring the position of the liquid.

That is, when the signal is microwave, the microwave is attenuated very little in the air, and the attenuation ratio to that after being covered with foam or a medium is almost negligible. By comparing the energy attenuation of each receiver, it can be determined which receivers are not covered by foam (energy is hardly attenuated), and the foam position can be obtained. If the receiver is sufficiently large, a more accurate bubble location can be obtained.

Similarly, the attenuation capacity of the foam is much smaller than that of the liquid medium, and has obvious difference, so that the receiver covered by the liquid medium can be directly distinguished by comparing the energy attenuation of the receiver, and the position of the liquid medium under the foam can be obtained.

In the description herein, reference to the description of the terms "one embodiment/mode," "some embodiments/modes," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., means that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment/mode or example is included in at least one embodiment/mode or example of the application. In this specification, the schematic representations of the terms used above are not necessarily intended to be the same embodiment/mode or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments/modes or examples. Furthermore, the various embodiments/aspects or examples and features of the various embodiments/aspects or examples described in this specification can be combined and combined by one skilled in the art without conflicting therewith.

Furthermore, the terms "first", "second" and "first" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In the description of the present application, "plurality" means at least two, e.g., two, three, etc., unless specifically limited otherwise.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing embodiments are merely for clarity of illustration of the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Other variations or modifications may occur to those skilled in the art, based on the foregoing disclosure, and are still within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A foam position measuring device, comprising:

at least one transmitter that transmits a signal; and

2. The bubble position measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the number of the transmitters is 1, at least one path is formed between the transmitters and at least one receiver, so that when the transmitters transmit signals, at least part of the receivers receive the signals transmitted by the transmitters, when the path between the receivers and the transmitters is blocked or attenuated by bubbles, the signals received by the receivers of the path blocked or attenuated by the bubbles are blocked or attenuated, and the bubble position is obtained according to the position of the receiver where the received signals are blocked or attenuated;

and/or the number of the receivers is 1, at least one passage is formed between the receivers and at least one transmitter, so that the receivers receive at least part of signals transmitted by the transmitter, when the passage between the receivers and the transmitters is blocked by foam, the signals transmitted by the transmitter of the passage blocked by the foam are blocked or attenuated when being received by the receivers, and the foam position is obtained according to the position of the transmitter corresponding to the blocked or attenuated signal;

and/or the number of the transmitters and the receivers is multiple, the transmitters and the receivers are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence manner, a passage is formed between the transmitter and the receiver corresponding to the transmitter, when the passage between the receiver and the transmitter is blocked by foam, a signal received by the receiver of the passage blocked by the foam is blocked or attenuated, and the foam position is obtained according to the position of the receiver and/or the transmitter of which the signal is blocked or attenuated;

and/or the number of the transmitters and the receivers is multiple, and a passage is formed between the transmitters and at least one receiver, or a passage is formed between the receivers and at least one transmitter; when the path between the receiver and the transmitter is blocked by the foam, the signal received by the receiver of the path blocked by the foam is blocked or attenuated, and the foam position is obtained according to the position of the receiver and/or the transmitter of which the signal is blocked or attenuated;

and/or, the device further comprises a probe rod, when the number of the emitters is 1, the at least one receiver is arranged on the probe rod along the length direction of the probe rod, the emitters and the receivers are arranged at preset positions, and a passage is formed between the receivers and the emitters;

and/or, the detector further comprises a probe rod, when the number of the receivers is 1, the at least one emitter is arranged on the probe rod along the length direction of the probe rod, the receivers and the emitters are arranged at a preset position, and a passage is formed between the receivers and the emitters;

and/or the device also comprises two probe rods, wherein the receiver is arranged on one probe rod along the length direction of the probe rod, the transmitter is arranged on the other probe rod along the length direction of the probe rod, and a passage is formed between the receiver and the transmitter;

and/or the detector also comprises a probe rod, wherein the receiver and the transmitter are arranged on the probe rod along the length direction of the probe rod and are positioned on different sides of the probe rod, so that a passage is formed between the receiver and the transmitter.

3. Foam position measuring device according to claim 2, wherein the probe is arranged in a seal.

4. A foam position measuring device as recited in claim 3, wherein a temperature sensor is provided in said probe, and the temperature of the material is detected by the temperature sensor.

5. The foam position measuring device according to claim 1, wherein when the passage between the receiver and the transmitter is not blocked by the foam, an initial energy of the signal transmitted by the transmitter received by the receiver is acquired; the current energy of the signal received by the receiver is obtained through the receiver, the initial energy of the signal is compared with the current energy, when the difference value of the initial energy of the signal and the current energy is larger than a preset threshold value, it is judged that a passage between the current receiver and/or the current transmitter is shielded by foam, and the position of the foam is obtained according to the position of the receiver and/or the transmitter of the passage shielded by the foam.

6. The foam position measuring device of claim 5, wherein the transmitter and receiver each include an antenna;

and/or the signal transmitted by the transmitter is a single frequency signal or a multi-frequency signal; and/or the signal received by the receiver is a single frequency signal or a multi-frequency signal;

and/or the direction of the antenna of the transmitter and the direction of the antenna of the receiver are horizontal directions;

and/or the direction of the antenna of the transmitter and the antenna of the receiver forms a certain angle;

and/or a plurality of transmitters and a plurality of receivers are arranged at the same horizontal position;

and/or the emitter is selected from at least one of a microwave emitter, an ultrasonic emitter, an electromagnetic field emitter or a light emitter; the receiver is at least one of a microwave receiver, an ultrasonic receiver, an electromagnetic field receiver or an optical receiver;

and/or, further comprising a transmitting circuit, wherein the transmitting circuit is connected to the transmitter through a switch, so that the transmitter shares one radio frequency transmitting circuit through the switch;

and/or, the transmitter further comprises at least one transmitting circuit, the transmitting circuits are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the transmitters and are connected to the transmitters, so that each transmitting circuit controls the transmitter connected with the transmitting circuit to transmit signals;

and/or, the transmitter and receiver are formed as a transceiver;

and/or, the transceiver comprises:

7. A foam position measuring method implemented with the foam position measuring apparatus of one of claims 1 to 6, the foam position measuring method comprising:

controlling the transmitter to transmit signals outwards;

8. The foam position measuring method according to claim 23, wherein the at least one passage is distributed in a height direction of the foam, and when a plurality of passages are all blocked by the foam, the foam position is obtained from an uppermost passage among the passages blocked by the foam;

and/or obtaining the thickness of the foam intersected with the passage corresponding to the receiver according to the current energy of the signal received by the receiver;

and/or obtaining the thickness of the foam intersected with the passage corresponding to the receiver according to the ratio of the current energy to the initial energy of the signal received by the receiver;

and/or obtaining the thickness of the foam intersected with the passage corresponding to the receiver according to the ratio of the current energy to the initial energy of the signal received by the receiver and the attenuation coefficient of the current foam to the signal;

and/or, the signal attenuation coefficient corresponding to each foam is calibrated in advance.

9. The foam position measuring method according to claim 7, further comprising: and obtaining the interface position of the adjacent media according to different media with different signal attenuation coefficients.

10. The foam position measuring method of claim 9, wherein the medium comprises: air, foam and liquid; the interface includes an interface of air and foam, and an interface of foam and liquid.