GB2228325A - Level detector for particulate material - Google Patents
Level detector for particulate material Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2228325A GB2228325A GB8903892A GB8903892A GB2228325A GB 2228325 A GB2228325 A GB 2228325A GB 8903892 A GB8903892 A GB 8903892A GB 8903892 A GB8903892 A GB 8903892A GB 2228325 A GB2228325 A GB 2228325A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- transducers
- container
- pressure sensitive
- pressure
- display means
- 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.)
- Withdrawn
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
- G01F23/14—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 measurement of pressure
- G01F23/18—Indicating, recording or alarm devices actuated electrically
- G01F23/185—Indicating, recording or alarm devices actuated electrically for discrete levels
Landscapes
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Measuring Fluid Pressure (AREA)
Abstract
Pressure-actuated switches (15) are mounted in spaced relation along an electrical cable (16). The assembly is suspended in a silo (10) containing particulate material. The cable connects the transducers with a display device (17) having an indicating corresponding to each pressure switch. <IMAGE>
Description
TITLE: "Indicating Device"
Description of the Invention
This invention relates to an indicating device for indicating the amount of fluent material in a container.
A container for fluent material, for example particulate material such as cattle feed, has, hitherto, been provided with a transparent window whereby an operator can inspect the interior of the container to ascertain the amount of material within the container. However, it has been found that the window can become obstructed due to the particulate material adhering to the inside surface thereof and so it is frequently not possible to ascertain the amount of material within the container.
An object of the invention is to provide an indicating device so that the above mentioned problem can be overcome or reduced.
According to the present invention we provide an indicating device for indicating the amount of fluid material in a container comprising a plurality of pressure sensitive transducers and means to interconnect said transducers in a longitudinally extending array, the transducers being adapted to provide a signal to a display means to indicate whether a pressure sensitive transducer is subjected or not to pressure of the fluent material.
Preferably, the pressure sensitive transducers are interconnected by a flexible elongated member.
The flexible elongate member may include electrical conductors to provide a signal from the transducers to the display means.
The display means may comprise a plurality of visual indicators which indicate which of the pressure sensitive transducers are subject to pressure of the contents of the container.
The pressure sensitive transducers may comprise a pressure switch adapted to close a electrical circuit when the switch senses a pressure so that, in use, pressure sensitive switches below the level of the material in the container will cause a visual indicator to be activated.
An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic front elevation, partly broken away, illustrating the invention, and
FIGURE 2 is a front elevation of the indicating means of
Figure 1 on an enlarged scale.
Referring unto the drawings a silo 10 for cattle feed is of conventional form comprising a generally cylindrical container 11, with a frusto-conical lower part 12, supported on four legs 13. An indicating device 14 embodying the invention comprises a plurality, for example seven of pressure sensitive transducers in the form of a conventional pressure switches 15 interconnected via a flexible elongated element 16 which, in the present example, comprises a multi-core electrical cable. The cable 16 extends to a display unit 17 having seven electrically illuminated indicators 18 each of which is electrically connected to one of the transducers 15.A battery is housed within the display unit 17 and the circuitry is arranged that when a "reed" button 20 is operated the pressure switches below the surface S of material M is in the container 10 are caused to close an electric circuit to illuminating bulbs of the visual indicators 18 as a result of pressure exerted on the switches 15 by the material
M. A user of the device can therefore ascertain the position of the surface S relative to the transducers 15 and thus gauge the contents of the container.
If desired, the topmost indicator 18 may be of a different colour or be otherwise distinctive and may be used when material is loaded into the container so as to indicate to the operative that the container is full when the topmost indicator is illuminated.
Preferably a test facility shown at 21 is provided to test the integrity of the internal circuitry and of the light bulbs for the indicators 18.
Because the transducers 15 are inter-connected by a flexible elongate member which also extends to the display device 17 the indicator device may be easily and conveniently used with any suitable container simply by dropping the device into the container when the container is empty without requiring any special adaptation of the container. The indicating device may be positioned in the container either centrally as shown in the diagram by virtue of a suitable opening such as a filling opening in a top wall 22 of the container or it may be allowed to hang over the rib of the container adjacent to the side wall thereof.
The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may separately or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.
Claims (8)
1. An indicating device for indicating the amount of fluent material in a container comprising a plurality of pressure sensitive transducers and means for interconnecting said transducers in an elongated array, the transducers being adapted to provide a signal to a display means to indicate whether a pressure sensitive transducer is subjected or not to pressure of the fluent material.
2. A device according to Claim 1 wherein the transducers are interconnected by a flexible, elongated member.
3. A device according to Claim 2 wherein the elongated member includes conductors to convey an electrical signal from the transducers to the display means.
4. A device according to any preceding claim wherein the display means comprises a plurality of visual indicators which indicate which of the pressure sensitive transducers are subject to pressure of the fluent material.
5. A container containing a mass of particles, an array of pressure sensitive transducers and a flexible, elongated connector connecting the transducers to one another in a row, wherein the transducers of the array are spaced from each other vertically and the connector connects the transducers with display means outside the container.
6. A container according to Claim 5 wherein the array of transducers is suspended in the container by means of the connector.
7. An indicating device substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
8. Any novel feature or novel combination of features disclosed herein or in the accompanying drawing.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB8903892A GB2228325A (en) | 1989-02-21 | 1989-02-21 | Level detector for particulate material |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB8903892A GB2228325A (en) | 1989-02-21 | 1989-02-21 | Level detector for particulate material |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
GB8903892D0 GB8903892D0 (en) | 1989-04-05 |
GB2228325A true GB2228325A (en) | 1990-08-22 |
Family
ID=10652032
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
GB8903892A Withdrawn GB2228325A (en) | 1989-02-21 | 1989-02-21 | Level detector for particulate material |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
GB (1) | GB2228325A (en) |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP0499202A2 (en) * | 1991-02-12 | 1992-08-19 | Pfister Messtechnik GmbH | Device to determine the pressure distribution in a limited path and method of its fabrication |
GB2464296A (en) * | 2008-10-09 | 2010-04-14 | Christopher Jasper Baxter | A track fixed vertically to the inside wall of a storage vess l/silo to monitor the level of a bulk material |
EP2386837A1 (en) * | 2010-04-19 | 2011-11-16 | Colin Stephens | Fluid level indicator strip. |
Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB1378158A (en) * | 1970-11-12 | 1974-12-18 | Uss Eng & Consult | Metallic vessel with temperature sensing device |
GB1495824A (en) * | 1974-02-01 | 1977-12-21 | Tele Plan As | Measuring apparatus |
GB1576210A (en) * | 1977-01-24 | 1980-10-01 | Barton W B | Detecting the level of a flowable material in a conntainer |
-
1989
- 1989-02-21 GB GB8903892A patent/GB2228325A/en not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB1378158A (en) * | 1970-11-12 | 1974-12-18 | Uss Eng & Consult | Metallic vessel with temperature sensing device |
GB1495824A (en) * | 1974-02-01 | 1977-12-21 | Tele Plan As | Measuring apparatus |
GB1576210A (en) * | 1977-01-24 | 1980-10-01 | Barton W B | Detecting the level of a flowable material in a conntainer |
Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP0499202A2 (en) * | 1991-02-12 | 1992-08-19 | Pfister Messtechnik GmbH | Device to determine the pressure distribution in a limited path and method of its fabrication |
EP0499202A3 (en) * | 1991-02-12 | 1993-05-05 | Pfister Messtechnik Gmbh | Device to determine the pressure distribution in a limited path and method of its fabrication |
GB2464296A (en) * | 2008-10-09 | 2010-04-14 | Christopher Jasper Baxter | A track fixed vertically to the inside wall of a storage vess l/silo to monitor the level of a bulk material |
EP2386837A1 (en) * | 2010-04-19 | 2011-11-16 | Colin Stephens | Fluid level indicator strip. |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
GB8903892D0 (en) | 1989-04-05 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |