JPS5847218A - Measurement of tank content capacity - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To detect easily and with high accuracy the position and capacity of the content in a tank by issuing pulses onto the upper face of a stored material from an ultrasonic wave generator, infrared light or a laser oscillator that is provided at the upper section of the tank and detecting the time which the pulses take from being issued to returning by reflection at the upper face of the stored material. CONSTITUTION:Ultrasonic wave sending and receiving devices 2a and 2b that are located at the top of a tank 1 sends ultrasonic pulses to the upper surface section 4 of the content (for example rice grains) of the tank 1, and its reflection wave 8 is received. The received waves are sent to a recorder 7 through a receiver 6b. From the time from sending the ultrasonic wave to receiving the reflection wave 8 the position of the upper surface section 4 is detected to know the volume of the content in the tank 1. With this arrangement the position of the upper surface 4 of the content 3 and its volume can be easily and exactly measured.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method for measuring the volume of the contents, which are grains such as rice, wheat, and azuki beans, stored in a tank.

Although several methods have been known to measure the volume of tank contents, most of them rely on mechanical means, and there is a desire to measure the volume of tank contents reliably and easily. I don't want you to be satisfied. For example, there is a known method of suspending the tank itself and measuring its contents, but the hanging and measuring means tend to be complicated and large, and it may be difficult to even hang the tank if it is large. Furthermore, when the capacity of the tank contents changes over time, such as in a processing tank (for example, a tempering tank), it is difficult to measure the changing capacity from time to time.

Therefore, the purpose of this invention is to reliably and automatically measure the volume of tank contents. Tank contents that emit sound waves, infrared rays, or lasers, detect the height 1 position of the top surface of the contents from the reflected waves and return time of the reflected light, and measure the volume of the tank contents from this detection height formula. This relates to a method for measuring capacity.

The details of this invention will be explained below with reference to the drawings.

First, the capacitance measurement method according to the present invention effectively utilizes ultrasonic waves, infrared rays, or laser sources. Ultrasonic pulses 5 are emitted toward the upper surface 4 of the contents of the tank (for example, rice grains 3). The ultrasonic transmitter/receiver 2a, 2b shall be connected to the main body of the device such as the transmitter i6a, the receiver 6b, and the recorder 7, and the emission direction of the ultrasonic pulse 5 to the upper surface 4 is determined by its directionality. It should be possible to adjust it as appropriate. The ultrasonic pulse 5 emitted from the ultrasonic transmitter 2a toward the upper surface 4 returns as a reflected wave 8.The time it takes for this reflected wave 8 to be received by the receiver 2b is measured, and the ultrasonic wave is Transmitting/receiving waves 62a, 2b
The distance between the upper surface portion 4 and the upper surface portion 4 is determined, and the height of the upper surface portion 4 within the tank 1 is detected. Next, the volume of the tank contents (rice grains) 3 is measured from the detected height position. Rice grains 3, which are the contents of rice grains, usually form a bulge in the upper surface 4 according to their angle of repose, so the relative value of the height position (pre-run) and capacity is determined in advance based on the size of the tank 1 and other conditions. By calculating it as an average value in relation to the above, the capacitance can be easily determined from the high sensitivity position of the two-sided portion 4. Even if the volume of the tank contents 3 in the tank 1 changes from moment to moment, the ultrasonic nozzle 5
By continuously or intermittently transmitting the reflected wave 8 and receiving the reflected wave 8, the current capacity can always be measured.

Furthermore, if a pressure-sensitive switch 9 is installed in advance along the wall surface of the tank 1, the pressure-sensitive switch S will always be activated in relation to the area where the tank contents 3 are present, and the tank contents 3 will be detected at any position within the tank 1. It can be used as a kind of correction value for the measured values by the ultrasonic nozzle 5 and the reflected wave 8 described above, and it is possible to measure the capacitance more precisely.

Similarly, in the above explanation, due to the time delay of the reflected wave 8, the upper surface portion 4
The above discussion focuses on the so-called Nockles reflection method, which calculates the distance from the transmitter and receiver, but is not limited to this, and the pulse transmission method is used to calculate the propagation time of the ultrasonic pulse between the transmitter and receiver,
The distance from the upper surface portion 4 may be determined by measuring the amount of attenuation. Furthermore, as mentioned at the beginning, in order to detect the height position of the upper surface portion 4, detection of infrared radiation and reflected waves or detection of laser beam oscillation and reflected light may be used instead of ultrasonic waves.

As explained above, according to the present invention, ultrasonic infrared rays or laser beams are transmitted from an oscillator provided at the top of the tank, and ultrasonic pulses, infrared rays, or laser light are emitted toward the top of the tank contents. By catching the reflected waves and reflected light, we detect the height position of the top surface of the contents in the tank, and from this detected height, we calculate the volume of the tank contents, compared to conventional mechanical means. high school 8
[It has the advantage that it can be performed simultaneously and easily. The tanks used in this method can be used in a wide range of general ways, such as tanks for storing grains, for example, for rice milling and other processing, and tanks for storing grains. Other equipment for processing other grains, such as filtration equipment, sorting equipment, etc.
Many effects can be expected, including the fact that it can be easily combined with a rice polisher, etc.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the apparatus used in the invention of this method, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II--II in FIG. 1...Tank 2a...Ultrasonic wave transmitter 2b...Reflected wave receiver

Claims (1)

[Claims] Ultrasonic, infrared, or laser waves are sent from an oscillator installed at the top of the tank, aiming at the top of the tank contents. A method for measuring the capacity of tank contents by detecting the height position of the top surface and measuring the capacity of the contents from this detected height.