JP4981328B2 - Level - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a level for measuring levelness, and more particularly useful in all fields such as construction / civil engineering, installation of equipment, etc., particularly positioning of an ultrasonic sensor of an LP gas bulk storage tank. Regarding the spirit level.

  As a level for measuring the level, one using a bubble tube has been conventionally known. Of these, a level is also disclosed in which a light-emitting diode or mirror is attached so that it can be viewed in the dark (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Moreover, the level which automatically determines the inclination degree is also disclosed (for example, refer to Patent Document 2).

  By the way, as a method for measuring the remaining amount of liquid in an LPG bulk storage tank, A heavy oil, petroleum, engine oil, vegetable oil, water, etc., or an open container, a non-contact ultrasonic level gauge using ultrasonic waves Is being used.

  In order to operate this ultrasonic liquid level meter stably, it is necessary to radiate ultrasonic waves vertically to the liquid surface inside the container. If the material inside the container is a liquid at room temperature and normal pressure, it is an open container and its shape is cylindrical or cubic, and the bottom of the container is often flat, so if you attach the ultrasonic sensor to the lower plane of this container good. However, when the internal substance is flammable, such as liquefied propane or liquefied butane, and is liquid at room temperature and high pressure, the container is a pressure container, and the surface shape of the container to which the ultrasonic sensor is attached is the side of the cylinder or It is a spherical surface.

In order to radiate ultrasonic waves perpendicularly to the liquid surface inside the container in a non-planar manner as described above, it is necessary to find the horizontal point of the lower spherical surface of the container with a level using a bubble tube etc. is there. And in principle, such a mounting method can absorb the horizontality error of the container foundation and the manufacturing dimension error of the container.
JP 2004-163381 A JP 7-332974 A

  However, conventional general spirit levels such as Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 are intended to confirm the inclination of the plane or piping, and the shape of the side surface of the cylinder can be confirmed, but it corresponds to the spherical surface. It is difficult to check the spherical surface.

  In addition, the conventional spirit level has a reference surface on the bottom or side of the spirit level and a bubble tube on the top side. Check the level from the bottom of the bottom of the container, or lower the ceiling or piping of the building structure. It is not configured to check the tilt on the side. Furthermore, in the LP gas bulk storage tank, the distance between the base surface and the bottom surface of the storage tank (container) is only 100 mm, and the horizontal point of the lower spherical surface of the container (= sensor mounting position) is at least 500 mm deep. It is a situation where direct visual observation is not possible. Such a situation can also occur for other than LP gas bulk storage tanks.

  In addition, due to various problems as described above, it is difficult to position and install the sensor parallel to the horizontal plane.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances described above, when the measuring surface mount the sensor, that the work for attaching decide the mounting position can be easily performed to provide a level as possible their The purpose.

The invention of claim 1 is a spirit level equipped with a bubble tube used when the sensor is mounted horizontally on the measurement surface, and includes a jig for determining the mounting position of the sensor, A fitting part having a shape inscribed in the outer dimensions, the sensor being fitted in the fitting part, the level level contacting the measurement surface, and the level of the level level being horizontal, It is used for determining the mounting position of the sensor .

According to a second aspect of the invention, in the invention of claim 1, comprising a plurality of point light sources provided on the side opposite to the viewing surface of the bubble tube, when the bubbles of the bubble tube is moved by the inclination of the spirit level, This is characterized in that a phenomenon in which the appearance of the point light source is greatly changed by changing the focal length of the convex lens formed by the liquid inside the bubble tube is used.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, a plurality of emission colors of the point light sources are provided in correspondence with the inclination management standard.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the bubble tube has a round shape , and the level has a light source provided on a side surface of the bubble tube and a viewing direction of 90 degrees on the upper surface of the bubble tube. It is characterized by comprising a mirror or a prism for changing.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mechanism according to any one of the first to fourth aspects , wherein a mechanism for rotating the bubble tube by 90 degrees in a horizontal direction with respect to the measurement surface is provided.

According to the level according to the present invention, when the sensor is attached to the measurement surface, it is possible to easily perform the operation of determining the attachment position and attaching the sensor.

  Hereinafter, the level used in the LP gas bulk storage tank according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, examples of use when attaching an ultrasonic sensor to the LP gas bulk storage tank. The purpose of use is not limited to attaching a sensor such as an ultrasonic sensor.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example in which an ultrasonic sensor is installed in a horizontal LP gas bulk storage tank, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example in which an ultrasonic sensor is installed in a vertical LP gas bulk storage tank.

  In the horizontal LP gas bulk storage tank 1 illustrated in FIG. 1, an ultrasonic liquid level gauge is installed to measure the remaining amount of liquid in the LP gas bulk storage tank 1. In addition, in the vertical LP gas bulk storage tank 2 illustrated in FIG. 2, an ultrasonic liquid level gauge is installed in order to measure the remaining amount of liquid in the LP gas bulk storage tank 2. These ultrasonic liquid level gauges have an ultrasonic sensor unit 3 installed on the outer wall surface of the bottom of the storage tank as shown in the figure.

  In both the horizontal and vertical LP gas bulk storage tanks 1 and 2 (hereinafter simply referred to as “storage tanks 1 and 2”), the ultrasonic sensor unit 3 has an ultrasonic sensor using a magnetic sensor holder (magnet holder). It is held by a magnet attracting force or a mechanical holder, and is connected to a control unit 4 for controlling it by a sensor cable 5. The control unit 4 is attached to an upper part or an intermediate part of the LP gas bulk storage tank 1.

  The ultrasonic sensor in the ultrasonic sensor unit 3 needs to be installed so as to be perpendicular to the liquid level S in order to measure the position of the liquid level S. When the installation position deviates from the vertical line, the ultrasonic level gauge Causes measurement failure.

  In order to avoid this, the storage tanks 1 and 2 use a level to determine the sensor mounting position. However, such a level does not measure the degree of inclination of the storage tank or the container, but is parallel to the liquid level S. Used to find the position. The position parallel to the liquid level S is the lowermost part of the circumferential surface of the cylindrical side surface in the case of the horizontal LP gas bulk storage tank 1 in the outer wall surface at the bottom of the storage tank, and in the example of the vertical LP gas bulk storage tank 2 in the example of the vertical LP gas bulk storage tank 2. 2: 1 hemispherical sphere or the bottom of the hemisphere. These levels need to be determined by a spirit level.

  For this reason, as will be described later with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6, the level according to the present invention is a contact point that can be installed horizontally on a measurement surface of any one of a cylindrical side surface, a hemispherical surface, and a flat surface. Or provide a contact surface. With such a configuration, when installing an ultrasonic sensor of an ultrasonic liquid level gauge, etc., the optimum installation position can be obtained regardless of whether the measurement surface is a cylindrical side surface, a hemispherical surface, or a flat surface. It can be found and can be installed horizontally on the measurement surface (contact surface).

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a level according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C are a side view, a bottom view, and a top view of the level, respectively. It is.

  The level shown in FIG. 3 includes a base disk 10 and a permanent magnet 11. The permanent magnet 11 is disposed on the base disk 10 in a direction divided by 90 degrees from the center of the disk to a position of the same size. The four permanent magnets (magnets) 11 protrude from the lower surface of the disk (the lower surface of the level) by a size that can absorb the curvature of the container steel plates of the storage tanks 1 and 2.

  In addition, a bubble tube 12, a circuit board 13, a battery 14, and a power supply box 15 are provided on the side opposite to the base disc 10 (on the upper side of the level), and the parallelism of the magnet 11 and the bubble tube 12 is adjusted. Yes. The magnet 11 may be coated with a resin or enclosed in a resin case in order to reduce friction with the measurement surface. In addition, the preferable form of the bubble tube 12 is demonstrated in other embodiment.

  With the configuration as described above, the spirit level illustrated in FIG. 3 is in contact with the measurement surface at four points, not only on a flat surface but also on a cylindrical side surface or a hemispherical surface.

  When measuring the cylindrical side surface, the level is applied to the measurement surface from the direction of FIG. 3 rotated 90 degrees horizontally and observed. Since the point at which the backlash is eliminated geometrically lies on the circumference of the cylinder, the point where the bubble is in a horizontal position is moved horizontally on the circumference of the cylinder surface while looking at the bubble tube 12. I can observe. The position can be used as a point for attaching a sensor or the like. In addition, if the sensor is installed so as to enter the circle after drawing a line along the outer circumference of the level with an oil pen by adjusting the outer circumference of the sensor to which the base disk 10 is attached, the liquid level S The sensor is attached vertically.

  When measuring a hemispherical surface, first, the bubble tube 12 is searched for in one direction in the same manner as the cylindrical side surface, and then moved in the direction perpendicular to that direction to search for the horizontal point. You can find the bottom.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a level according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 4A and 4B are a side view and a bottom view of the level, respectively.

  The level shown in FIG. 4 is different from the level shown in FIG. 3 in that the base disk 10 is processed to provide the protrusions 17, and in the case of a cylindrical side surface, the linear part 17 a or the linear part 17 c of the protrusion 17 is used. The measurement surface is in surface contact, and in the case of a hemispherical surface, it is configured to be in surface contact with the circumferential portion 17b of the protrusion 17. The shape of the magnet 16 is changed with respect to the magnet 11 in accordance with the protrusion 17. With the configuration as described above, the level shown in FIG. 4 is in contact with the measurement surface not only on a flat surface but also on a cylindrical side surface or a hemispherical surface with four lines.

  The level shown as an example in FIG. 3 can be manufactured at low cost with less machining of the base disk 10 than the level shown as an example in FIG. On the other hand, the level shown as an example in FIG. 4 is costly for machining, but is a cutting process, and the position of the magnet 16 is not affected by the accuracy of the level, so that stability can be ensured.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a level according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C are a side view, a bottom view, and the like, respectively, of the level. It is a direction side view.

  The level shown as an example in FIG. 5 divides the base disk 10 into an upper base disk 10b and a lower base disk 10a as compared with the level shown as an example in FIG. The plates 10a and 10b are structured to be able to rotate with each other. In the lower base disk 10a, four recesses 20 are provided at 90 ° divisions at the boundary with the upper base disk 10b, and the rotation angle is 90 degrees by four ball plungers 18 provided on the upper base disk 10b. A structure that can be semi-fixed. The level shown in FIG. 5 may be configured to contact the storage tanks 1 and 2 at four points corresponding to the magnet 11 as shown in FIG.

  As described above, by providing a mechanism for rotating one bubble tube 12 by 90 degrees in the horizontal direction with respect to the measurement surface, it is possible to easily confirm the inclination of the two axes of the hemisphere, the X axis and the Y axis. . That is, with this mechanism, even when the shape of the measurement surface is a hemispherical surface, the horizontality of the X axis and the Y axis can be easily viewed. Further, the rotating structure of the level shown in FIG. 5 can be applied to general levels other than those described here, and is useful in all fields such as construction / civil engineering and equipment installation.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a level according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 6A and 6B are a side view and a top view, respectively, of the level.

  The level shown in FIG. 6 has a configuration in which the base disk 10 is replaced with a donut-shaped base plate 21 compared to the level shown in FIG. The base plate 21 is not only doughnut-shaped, but also has an inner circle diameter that matches the outer dimension of the sensor to be attached. The base plate 21 is an example of a jig that determines a mounting position for attaching the sensor to the measurement surface, and may be employed in other shapes. However, this jig has a fitting portion 21a having a shape inscribed in the outer dimension of the sensor. The sensor is fitted to the fitting part 21a, and the sensor mounting position is determined in a state in which the inclination of the level is horizontal, and then the sensor is placed horizontally on the liquid surface S by removing the fitting part 21a. It can be attached.

  That is, this jig has a disk size inscribed in the outer dimensions of the sensor or a donut shape in order to improve the installation workability of the sensor. Therefore, the level equipped with this jig has two functions of tilt measurement and sensor mounting jig, and when mounting the sensor on the measurement surface, it is easy to determine the mounting position and mount it. Can be performed. The jig of the level shown in FIG. 6 can be applied to a general level other than that described here, and is useful in all fields such as construction / civil engineering and equipment installation.

  In addition, instead of the bubble tube 12, the two bubble tubes 22, 23 are arranged on the base plate 21 so as to be shifted from each other by 90 degrees, so that the horizontality of the two axes in the X direction and the Y direction can be confirmed simultaneously. It has become. A magnet 24 corresponding to the magnet 16 shown in FIG. 4 is embedded in the base plate 21 and is subjected to the same protrusion processing. The level shown in FIG. 6 can be configured to contact the storage tanks 1 and 2 at four points corresponding to the magnet 11 as shown in FIG.

  The bubble tubes 22 and 23 and the battery box 25 corresponding to the battery box 15 of FIG. 4 are arranged outside the base plate 21. Further, in the case of an LP gas bulk storage tank, the thickness of the base plate 21 is suppressed to 15 mm or less so that the sensor can be set on the inner circle 21a of the base plate 21 when the bubbles on both axes become horizontal. This eliminates the need for marking and improves workability. The base plate 21 is preferably provided with a notch 26 so that it is not necessary to pull out the sensor cable. With such a configuration, the position of an existing sensor can also be confirmed.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a level according to another embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram illustrating an example of how a level LED (light emitting diode) is seen when measuring the upper surface levelness according to the present invention. 7A is a side view when horizontal, FIG. 7B is a top view when horizontal, FIG. 7C is a side view when the scale is inclined, and FIG. FIG. 7E is a top view when the scale is tilted, FIG. 7E is a side view when the scale is tilted, and FIG. 7F is a top view when the scale is tilted.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of how the level LED looks when the lower surface level is measured, with respect to the level of FIG. 8A is a side view when horizontal, FIG. 8B is a top view when horizontal, FIG. 8C is a side view when the scale is inclined, and FIG. 8D is 1 FIG. 8E is a side view when the scale is inclined, and FIG. 8F is a top view when the scale is inclined.

  7 and FIG. 8 includes a bubble tube 30 and a plurality of point light sources (illustrated by LEDs) provided on the opposite side of the viewing surface of the bubble tube 30. In this level, when the bubble 36 of the bubble tube 30 is moved by the inclination of the level, the focal length of the convex lens formed by the internal liquid of the bubble tube 30 changes, so that the LED appearance changes greatly. It is what was used.

  In order to ensure visibility in the dark and in a narrow space, in the spirit level illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, chip-type LEDs having a rectangular light emitting surface on the opposite side of the viewing surface of the bubble tube 30 are equally spaced. Provided. In order to correspond to the management reference lines (= inclination degrees) 31 and 32 of the inclination of the bubble tube 30, the LED is within a level of tolerance of the green LED 35 (six in this example), and the reference lines 31 and 32 are slightly inclined. The yellow LED 34 (one in this example) and the red LED 33 (two in this example) beyond the reference line 31 are associated with the emission color and the management lines 31, 32. In addition, even if it does not provide LED at equal intervals, what is necessary is just to be able to distinguish between the tolerance of a levelness, a slight inclination, and a tolerance.

  The bubble tube 30 is filled with a colored liquid in a transparent tube to form a convex lens. The focal length is changed by the movement of the bubble 36, and the focal length is increased in the place where the bubble 36 is present. Therefore, the rectangular light emitting surface of the LED can be clearly seen, but the focal length is shortened in the absence of the bubble 36. The light emitting surface appears enlarged in the radial direction.

  An example in which the level of the upper surface such as the top is inspected with a level will be described. When horizontal, as shown in FIG. 7B, the green LED 35 has a rectangular light-emitting surface clearly visible, but the yellow LED 34 and the red LED 33 are enlarged in the radial direction. When the scale is inclined, as shown in FIG. 7D, the left green one of the five green LEDs 35 and the yellow LED 34 can be clearly seen, but the rectangular light emitting surface can be clearly seen. The green LED 35, the one yellow LED 34 on the right side of the drawing, and all the red LEDs 33 are seen enlarged in the radial direction. When the scale is inclined by two graduations, as shown in FIG. 7F, the four green LEDs 35 on the left side of the drawing, the one yellow LED 34 on the left side of the drawing, and the one red LED 33 on the left side of the drawing can clearly see a rectangular light emitting surface. However, the other LEDs are enlarged in the radial direction. As described above, the appearance of the LED is greatly changed by the movement of the bubble 36 of the bubble tube 30. This appearance is the same even when the level of the lower surface of the ground or the like is inspected with a level as shown in FIG.

  As described above, the level shown in FIG. 7 does not confirm the movement of the bubble 36 in the bubble tube 30 but confirms that the appearance of the self-luminous LED changes due to the movement of the bubble 36. is there. The user of the spirit level has only to check whether the LED is clearly visible. With the configuration as described above, the LED is self-luminous and has high brightness, so that visual contrast can be secured even in the dark and dim, stable and easily tilted, and semi-transparent bubbles with low contrast are not confirmed. Therefore, it is possible to easily perform the tilt confirmation work in a narrow space using a hand mirror or the like, and the reading error can be reduced. In addition, the level of the present invention is provided with the management lines 31 and 32 of the bubble tube 30 and the LEDs 33 to 35 in which the emission color is changed, thereby converting the inclination degree from the conventional bubble position information to the management information by color. Furthermore, it is also useful in that this conversion can be performed without using a complicated electronic circuit or the like.

  The level shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is a dual-purpose level that can measure the level even when the measurement surface is either the upper surface or the lower surface of the object to be measured. It should be noted that the display unit of the spirit level provided with such a bubble tube and a point light source can be applied not only to the one described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6, but also to other spirit levels. It is useful at night and in a dark room in all fields such as installation. That is, the level display unit described here is not only useful when the sensor is mounted with the level described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6, but also in the bubble tube portion of a general level as shown in FIG. 7 (and FIG. 8). By applying the level display unit provided with the LED described in (1), it is possible to measure the tilt stably even in the dark at low cost.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a level according to another embodiment of the present invention. The level shown in FIG. 9 has a structure in which the level disc spacer 40 is provided on the base disc 10 and the round level 41 is mounted upward (on the base disc 10 side) with respect to the level shown in FIG. . Since the peeping direction of the round level 41 is the direction of the base disk 10, the prism 42 allows the peeping from the lateral direction by changing the optical path by 90 degrees. Here, a mirror may be installed instead of the prism 42.

  In addition, since the round level 41 is surrounded by the level spacer 40, it is difficult to check the bubbles as it is. Therefore, by providing a light source composed of the battery 43, the power supply box 44, and the LED 45 on the side surface of the round level 41, the bubble confirmation can be improved. In addition, the round level 41 is generally manufactured on the premise that it is viewed from the top surface, and the bottom plate is a white translucent plate, and when light from the bottom plate direction enters, the contrast is lowered. Is provided for the purpose of securing mechanical strength and light shielding. The level shown in FIG. 9 has a merit that the height direction increases, but the XY direction can be confirmed with one round bubble tube, so that the confirmation work is easy to perform.

  The level shown in FIG. 9 may be configured to contact the storage tanks 1 and 2 at four points corresponding to the magnet 11 as shown in FIG. 3, or the base disk 10 as shown in FIG. It can also be configured to be divided so as to be rotatable. Further, the level shown as an example in FIG. 9 can be applied to a configuration having no contact point or contact surface as described in FIGS. 3 and 4.

  As described above, the spirit level according to the present invention has been described in each embodiment, but all the above-described components are not special, and are commercially available bubble tubes, chip resistors for limiting chip LED current, printed boards, In addition, since the base plate (resin or metal, glass epoxy laminated plate or the like) can be manufactured in combination, and there is no difficult machining, the level of any embodiment can be realized at low cost.

It is the schematic which shows the example which installed the ultrasonic sensor in the horizontal type LP gas bulk storage tank. It is the schematic which shows the example which installed the ultrasonic sensor in the vertical LP gas bulk storage tank. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the level which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the level which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the level which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the level which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the level which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows another example of use of the level of FIG. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the level which concerns on other embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Horizontal type LP gas bulk storage tank, 2 ... Vertical type LP gas bulk storage tank, 3 ... Ultrasonic sensor unit, 4 ... Control unit, 5 ... Sensor cable, 10 ... Base disk, 10a ... Lower base disk, 10b ... Upper base circle Plate, 11, 16, 24 ... Magnet, 12, 22, 23, 30 ... Bubble tube, 13 ... Circuit board, 14 ... Battery, 15, 25, 44 ... Power supply box, 17 ... Projection, 17a, 17c ... Linear part 17b ... circumferential portion, 18 ... ball plunger, 19 ... center axis, 20 ... recess, 21 ... base plate, 31, 32 ... management reference line, 33 ... red LED, 34 ... yellow LED, 35 ... green LED, 40 ... Level spirit spacer, 41 ... Round level, 42 ... Prism, 43 ... Battery, 45 ... LED, 46 ... Shading plate, S ... Liquid level.

Claims (5)

A spirit level equipped with a bubble tube for use when mounting the sensor horizontally on the measurement surface, comprising a jig for determining the mounting position of the sensor, the jig having a shape inscribed in the outer dimensions of the sensor In order to determine the mounting position of the sensor in a state in which the sensor is fitted to the fitting part, the level is in contact with the measurement surface, and the level of the level is inclined A spirit level that is characterized by its use. Comprising a plurality of point light sources provided on the side opposite to the viewing surface of the bubble tube, when the bubbles of the bubble tube is moved by the inclination of the spirit level, focal length of the convex lens formed by the internal liquid of the bubble tube The level according to claim 1 , wherein a phenomenon in which the appearance of the point light source is greatly changed due to a change in the angle is used. 3. The level according to claim 2 , wherein a plurality of emission colors of the point light sources are provided in correspondence with the inclination management standard. The bubble tube has a round shape , and the level includes a light source provided on a side surface of the bubble tube and a mirror or a prism that changes a viewing direction by 90 degrees on an upper surface of the bubble tube. Item 2. The spirit level according to item 1 . Level as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a mechanism for rotating 90 ° the bubble tube toward the horizontal.

Images