GB2228325A

GB2228325A - Level detector for particulate material

Info

Publication number: GB2228325A
Application number: GB8903892A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Sidney William Simpson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1989-02-21
Filing date: 1989-02-21
Publication date: 1990-08-22
Also published as: GB8903892D0

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

CLAIMS:

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.