CS204090B1 - Level indicater for direct tracing the level heigth - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an optical level indicator for directly monitoring the level of water or other liquid in a container.

The level indicators for direct monitoring of the liquid level in the container are simple and relatively inexpensive, and are therefore used to a much greater extent than the level indicators for indirect level monitoring, which are suitable for special applications. The most widespread type of level gauges for direct level monitoring is based on the principle of connected vessels, where the level in the vessel is monitored in a glass tube connected to the vessel. A disadvantage of this and similar constructions is the poor recognizability of the interface between the liquid and the air or other gas present in the vessel, which makes it difficult to determine the level of the liquid in the vessel.

This disadvantage is particularly unfavorable where it is necessary to determine the water level relatively precisely, such as in water thermostats and the like, where relatively expensive level gauges must be used for indirect level monitoring.

This disadvantage is overcome by the optical level gauge according to the invention, which consists of an optical element made of transparent material with two effective surfaces, of which the reflecting surface forms an angle of less than 90 ° with the side surface and is provided with a flange for attachment to the container. the liquid of interest while the surface of the side surface is adapted for color or luminance contrast with the liquid of interest.

By obtaining a very contrasting resolution of the two environments, i.e. liquid and gaseous, the level of the liquid in the vessel can be determined quite accurately. The entire level gauge is very simple and reliable to manufacture, and can be easily mounted in a container, even without the need for watertightness.

If the optical element of the level indicator is partially submerged in liquid, then due to the negligible difference between the refractive index of the optical element and the liquid, there is no total reflection at the interface between the two environments and the light rays pass through with only minor losses. However, at the interface between the surface of the optical element and the air or other gas, a total reflection of the light beam occurs due to the substantial difference between the refractive indices. The reflected beam thus impinges on the color or brightness of a different optical element wall and then transmits to the eye of the observer an image of that wall which extends only to the liquid surface, since the beam passing through the liquid is no longer reflected.

As a result, the liquid levels then appear as the intersection of two different colors or brightnesses. The level becomes clearer, the more contrasting the colors, or the more different the brightnesses of the two surfaces the eye can see.

1 is a schematic side view, FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a level gauge provided within a liquid container; FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a cylindrical level gauge mounted; Fig. 4 shows a front view of the level gauge of Fig. 3 from the outside of the vessel. 5 and 6 show a schematic axial section and a front view of a level gauge connected to a curved light guide.

The optical element 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has a prism shape with two optically effective surfaces, the side surface 3 of which is colored with a suitable contrasting color and the color of the liquid 4. The optical element 1 is located inside the container. part of the optical element 1 is immersed in the liquid 4, the part located in a gaseous environment above the liquid.

The observer eye 6 observes the beam 7 passing through the transparent wall of the container, the reflective surface 2 and the liquid 4 the surface of the rear wall 8 of the container. The color image of the side surface 3 of the optical element 1 is projected into the eye 6 by reflection of the reflecting surface 2 through the beam 9. This construction is particularly suitable for containers made of transparent material.

3 and 4, the optical element 1 has the shape of a solid organic glass cylinder whose reflective surface 2 forms an acute angle with the axis of the cylinder. The surface of the optical element 1 has a larger diameter than the cylinder, so that a flange 10 is formed, by means of which the optical element 1 is mounted waterproof in the rear wall 8 of the container. Part of the surface of the side surface 3 of the optical element 1 is colored in a contrasting color. This level indicator is very simple to manufacture and is suitable for containers made of opaque material, where it is not necessary to observe the level over the entire height range of the container. It can also be used as an indicator to indicate if the space behind the optical element 1 is filled with liquid or gas.

In the level gauge shown in Fig. 5a, the optical element consists of a light guide 11, an organic glass, at one end of which a flange 10 is provided, by means of which the optical element 1 is fixed in the wall or lid of the container. 2, wherein a portion of the side surface 3 of the light guide 11 at this end is colored in a contrasting color. This embodiment of the level gauge is particularly suitable for less accessible places, the advantage of which is that it does not need to be watertight mounted in the container wall. It can also serve as an indicator to indicate whether the space at the reflective surface 2 is filled with liquid or gas.

The level gauge according to the invention finds application in most instruments and apparatuses where it is necessary to reliably determine the level of the liquid, such as steam boilers, water thermostats, gas tanks, reservoirs, tanks and the like.

Claims (3)

SUBJECT An optical level indicator for direct level monitoring, characterized in that it consists of an optical element (1) of transparent material with two effective surfaces, of which the reflecting surface (2j) forms an angle of less than 90 ° with the side surface (3), is provided with a flange (10) for attachment to the vessel of the fluid of interest (4), while the surface of the side surface (3j) is adapted for color or luminance contrast with the fluid of interest (4j). ynAlezu Level indicator according to Claim 1, characterized in that the optical element (1j) is a cylinder whose reflecting surface (2) forms an angle of less than 90 ° with its axis. Level indicator according to claim 1 and 2, characterized in that the optical element (1j) consists in part of a light guide (11) whose reflective surface (2j) forms an angle of less than 90 ° with its axis.