KR20240070435A - Electronic contact type variable water-level sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

The contact-type variable water level sensor according to the present invention is a contact-type variable water level sensor that measures the water level using contacts formed at regular intervals and has a variable water level measurement range.

Description

Contact type variable water level sensor{ELECTRONIC CONTACT TYPE VARIABLE WATER-LEVEL SENSOR}

The present invention relates to a contact-type variable water level sensor, and more specifically, to a contact-type variable water level sensor capable of varying the water level detection range.

Electronic water level sensors have the advantage of measuring water levels and linking information transfer with IoT, but are limited by geometric size due to their structure.

Therefore, since the conventional water level sensor cannot change the initially manufactured detection length when the length of the object to be measured changes, it lacks active response to changes in the length of the object to be measured.

Conventionally, when the length of an object to be measured can change, several fixed water level sensors with different water level measurement lengths have been used.

Recently, there is an increasing demand for water level sensors that can detect the water level measurement length by actively responding to changes in the water level of the object being measured.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a contact-type variable water level sensor that can vary the detection range of the water level using an electrical contact.

According to the present invention, the object is to provide a contact-type variable water level sensor that can change the water level detection range in response to changes in the water level of the object to be measured.

The contact-type variable water level sensor according to the present invention includes an outer tube contact unit having a plurality of fixed contact points, an inner tube contact unit having a moving contact point arranged to be in contact with the plurality of fixed contact points, and a measurement module. A plurality of fixed contact points are disposed at regular intervals along the longitudinal direction on the inner surface of the hollow cylindrical body of the external contact unit. The moving contact forms a contact that moves with respect to the fixed contact as the inner tube contact unit moves in the longitudinal direction with respect to the outer tube contact unit. The inner tube contact unit is movably inserted through the hollow of the outer tube contact unit, and the fixed contact points are arranged to be contactable with the fixed contact points at regular intervals along the outer surface of the main body corresponding to the fixed contact points. The moving contact point is connected to the water flow hollow, which is defined as the hollow of.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the fixed contact points of the outer tube contact unit and the moving contact points of the inner tube contact unit may be formed of a conductive resin in a ring shape. Here, the fixed contact point and the movable contact point include a resistance therein, and the resistance may be formed as a self-resistance caused by the material of the conductive crystal resin.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an O-ring is provided on the outer surface of the inner tube contact unit to seal the contact area formed when the fixed contact points of the outer tube contact unit and the moving contact points of the inner tube contact unit contact each other from water. It is provided. The O-ring may be formed of an insulating resin.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the movable contact point protrudes from the outer surface of the main body of the outer cylinder contact unit to form a seal with respect to the contact surface, and the O-ring is provided at each of the upper and lower parts of the movable contact point.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the inner surface of the outer tube contact unit has a length greater than the contact gap above the uppermost fixed point point, and the uppermost fixed contact point of the outer tube contact unit and the lowermost moving contact point of the inner tube contact unit are in contact with each other. When doing so, the movable contact above the lowermost movable contact contacts the inner surface of the outer cylinder contact unit to form a seal.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the lowest fixed contact among the fixed contacts forms a grounding fixed contact, and the fixed contacts above the fixed contacts form fixed contacts for measuring water level that are contactable with the moving contacts.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the measurement module includes a power terminal connected to a power source, a ground terminal connected to the fixed contact point for grounding, and a plurality of measurement terminals respectively connected to the fixed contact points for water level measurement.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a first measurement state in which the moving contacts of the inner tube contact unit are in contact with each of the fixed contact points for measurement of the outer tube contact unit, and the fixed contact point for measurement of the outer tube contact unit The uppermost fixed contact point and the lowermost moving contact point of the inner tube contact unit are in contact, the moving contact points have a second electrically connected measurement state, and in the second measurement state, the moving contact points are connected to each other through a conductor. .

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the main body of the inner cylinder contact unit is formed with a mobile contact connection hole into which a connection conductor connecting the mobile contacts can be inserted, and the mobile contact connection hole is formed through the mobile contact connection hole in the second measurement state. A connecting conductor is inserted to electrically connect the moving contacts to each other.

The contact-type variable water level sensor according to the present invention is formed so that the detection range of the water level can be varied, thereby increasing the flexibility of the device. Since one water level sensor can be applied to various sizes, convenience of use and economic efficiency are promoted.

According to the present invention, when water comes into contact with contact points formed at regular intervals in a contact-type variable water level sensor, the voltage at that time is used as detection information to determine whether the water level is present, so detection reliability is high. According to the present invention, the water level is measured at regular intervals, and the voltage value at the contact point is detected, so even if dirt adheres to the contact point and the resistance value changes slightly, the voltage at the contact point is detected, making it possible to measure the water level. This has a very high reliability of measurement compared to the existing continuous electrode potentiometer type water level sensor, which is sensitive to changes in micro-resistance values due to adhesion of foreign substances. Problems due to adhesion of foreign substances frequently occur in water level meters used in the past, so rather than giving up measurement value reliability to obtain continuous measurement values, like the present invention, although intermittent measurement values are obtained, the measurement value Securing trust is even more important.

1 is a diagram for explaining the external cylinder contact unit of the contact-type variable water level sensor according to the present invention.
Figure 2 is a diagram for explaining the inner cylinder contact unit of the contact-type variable water level sensor according to the present invention.
Figure 3 shows an example of combining an outer cylinder contact unit and an inner cylinder contact unit in a contact-type variable water level sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a diagram for explaining the coupling relationship of the connection conductor 280 in the contact type variable water level sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 is a diagram for explaining the water level measurement process in the first measurement state in the contact-type variable water level sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 6 is a diagram for explaining the water level measurement process in the second measurement state in the contact-type variable water level sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Since the present invention can be subject to various changes and can have various forms, embodiments will be described in detail in the text. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to a specific disclosed form, and should be understood to include all changes, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention. While describing each drawing, similar reference numerals are used for similar components.

The above terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. The terms used in this application are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Hereinafter, a contact-type variable water level sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

The contact-type variable water level sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an outer tube contact unit 100, an inner tube contact unit 200, and a measurement module 300.

Figure 1 is a diagram for explaining the outer cylinder contact unit of the contact-type variable water level sensor according to the present invention. Figure 1 (a) is a plan sectional view, and Figure 1 (b) is a front sectional view.

The external cylinder contact unit 100 includes a cylindrical body 110 with a hollow body 111 and a plurality of fixed contact points 120.

A plurality of fixed contact points 120 are arranged at regular intervals in the vertical (length) direction along the inner surface 115 of the cylindrical body 110.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the fixed contact points 120 may be ring-shaped contact points. Additionally, this ring-shaped contact point may be formed of a conductive crystal resin. That is, it can be formed as a conductive resin ring.

The embodiment of the present invention shows a form with five fixed contact points, but is not limited by the number of fixed contact points. In this specification, the reference numeral 120 represents a fixed contact point, and it is necessary to distinguish each fixed contact point, so a separate reference number is indicated for each fixed contact point.

The fixed contact points 120 formed of a conductive resin ring are disposed in an exposed state on the inner surface 115 of the cylindrical body 110. Therefore, contact with the moving contact point 220, which will be described later, is possible. In the drawing, the fixed contact point 120 is shown as protruding from the inner surface 115, but this is for illustrative purposes only and is not limited thereto. For example, it may be formed on the same surface as the inner surface 115 or in a concave arrangement. That is, the fixed contact points 120 are disposed along the inner surface 115 of the cylindrical body 110 to be in contact with the movable contact point 220.

The fixed contact points 120 are arranged at equal intervals in the vertical direction. The distance between each fixed contact point 120, that is, the contact distance x, is the same. For example, x may be 1 cm. The gap between the fixed contact points 120 corresponds to the measured water level. Therefore, when the interval between the fixed contact points 120 is 1 cm, the water level can be measured at 1 cm intervals.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, among the five fixed contact points 120, the fixed contact point 120G located at the bottom may be a fixed contact point for grounding that forms a ground. Other fixed contacts (121, 122, 123, 124) are for water level measurement. The fixed contact point for grounding (120G) is in contact with water when measuring the water level.

In this specification, reference numerals are used to indicate each fixed contact point that needs to be described separately. The fixed contact point for water level measurement disposed on the fixed contact point 120G for grounding is referred to as the first fixed contact point 121, and the fixed contact points for water level measurement placed above it are referred to as the second fixed contact point 122 and the third fixed contact point 122, respectively. It is divided into a fixed contact point 123 and a fourth fixed contact point 124.

In the cylindrical body 110, a sealing section 116 having a length of more than the contact spacing x is formed on the upper part of the fourth fixed contact point 124, which is the uppermost fixed contact point. That is, the cylindrical body 110 extends upward by at least x more than the position of the uppermost fixed contact point 124. The sealing section 116 is in contact with the moving contact point 220 or the O-ring 232, 234 of the inner cylinder contact unit 200, which will be described later, and is connected to the fixed contact point 120 and the moving contact point 220 from the upper part of the cylindrical body 110. ) prevents water from flowing into the contact area.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the fixed contact points 121, 122, 123, and 124 for measuring the water level of the external cylinder contact unit 100 include resistance therein. For example, a micro-resistor may be provided inside. The resistance of the fixed contact points 121, 122, 123, and 124 for measuring the water level may be implemented as a circuit along the voltage measurement path in the circuit for measurement.

Figure 2 is a diagram for explaining the inner cylinder contact unit of the contact-type variable water level sensor according to the present invention.

The inner cylinder contact unit 200 is inserted through the hollow 112 of the cylindrical body 110 of the outer cylinder contact unit 100. The inner cylinder contact unit 200 has a main body 210 inserted into the hollow 112 of the cylindrical body 110 of the outer cylinder contact unit 100. The main body 210 has a water flow hollow 212 that serves as a passage for water.

A plurality of moving contact points 220 are disposed along the outer surface 211 of the main body 210 of the inner cylinder contact unit 200.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the moving contact 220 has a ring shape and is made of conductive resin.

The ring-shaped moving contact 220 formed of a conductive resin according to the present invention has a ring shape protruding from the outer surface 211 of the main body 210 and is attached to the cylindrical body 110 of the outer contact unit 100. It is formed to enable sealing by contacting the inner surface 115.

The moving contact point 220 is formed to be connected to the water flow hollow 212 of the main body 210. According to the embodiment shown in the drawing, the moving contact point 220 has a protruding shape with respect to the inner surface 215 of the main body 210, but is not limited thereto. That is, it may have a surface parallel to the inner surface 215 or may be arranged more concave than the inner surface 215, and is connected to the water flow hollow 212 through a passage. Therefore, when the water level changes along the water flow hollow 212, the moving contact point 220 below the water level contacts the water.

Each movable contact point 220 according to the present invention has a contact spacing x corresponding to the fixed contact points 121, 122, 123, and 124 for measuring the water level of the external cylinder contact unit 100. For example, if the fixed contact points are spaced apart at 1 cm intervals, the moving contact points 220 may also be formed at 1 cm intervals. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the movable contact point 220 has four movable contact points 220, and the spacing between the movable contact points 220 is equal to the contact spacing x between the fixed contact points 120.

In this specification, reference numeral 220 typically indicates a moving contact point. Use reference symbols to indicate each moving contact that needs to be explained separately. The moving contact located at the bottom is referred to as the first moving contact point 221, and the moving contacts located at the top are respectively referred to as the second fixed contact point 222, the third fixed contact point 223, and the fourth fixed contact point 224. ) and are designated separately.

The outer surface 211 of the main body 210 of the inner cylinder contact unit 200 has O-rings 232 and 234 below the first movable contact point 221 at the lowest part and above the fourth movable contact point 224 at the uppermost part. The upper O-ring 232 and lower O-ring 234 are made of insulator resin. The upper and lower O-rings 232 and 234 contact the inner surface of the outer cylinder contact unit 100 and, together with the movable contact point 220, perform a sealing function to prevent water from entering the contact contact area.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the moving contact points 221, 222, 223, and 224 of the inner cylinder contact unit 200 may include internal resistance. Additionally, a micro resistor may be provided inside.

Figure 3 shows an example of combining an outer cylinder contact unit and an inner cylinder contact unit in a contact-type variable water level sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention. The state shown in FIG. 3 corresponds to the first measurement state, and the first measurement state and the second measurement state will be described later with reference to FIG. 4.

Referring to FIG. 3, the inner cylinder contact unit 200 is inserted through the hollow 112 of the outer cylinder contact unit 100. In this first measurement state, the first fixed contact point 121 is connected to the first moving contact point 221, the second fixed contact point 122 is connected to the second moving contact point 222, and the third fixed contact point 123 is connected to the first measurement state. The third moving contact point 223 and the fourth fixed contact point 121 are in contact with the fourth moving contact point 221, respectively.

The grounding fixed contact point 120G of the external cylinder contact unit 200 forms grounding by contacting water. The upper and lower O-rings 232 and 234 contact the inner surface 115 of the cylindrical body 110 and seal therebetween. Since water does not enter the sealed area, the contact portions of the first to fourth fixed contact points (121, 122, 123, 124) and the first to fourth moving contact points (211, 212, 213, 214) are electrically separated. maintain the status quo. In this specification, the area where the contact area is sealed with an O-ring or the like to prevent contact with water is referred to as a sealing area (S), and in the first measurement state, the first to fourth fixed contact points (121, 122, 123, 124) All areas where the first to fourth moving contact points 211, 212, 213, and 214 contact each other are protected by the sealing area S.

Referring again to FIG. 2, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a connecting conductor 280 (see FIG. 4, omitted in FIG. 2) connects the moving contact point 220 to the main body 110 of the inner cylinder contact unit 200. A mobile contact connection hole 240 is formed into which a can be inserted. The moving contact connection hole 240 extends downward from the top of the main body 110 through the moving contact point 220, and extends to the first moving contact point 221 at the bottom.

As shown in FIG. 4, the connection conductor 280 can be inserted through the mobile contact connection hole 240.

Figure 4 is a diagram for explaining the coupling relationship of the connection conductor 280 in the contact type variable water level sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 (a) shows a state in which the connecting conductor 280 is not in contact with the moving contact point 220. At this time, the assembled state of the outer tube contact unit 100 and the inner tube contact unit 200 is as shown in Figure 4. It is shown in (b).

Figures 4 (a) and (b) only illustrate the connecting conductor 280 for convenience of explanation and are the same as Figure 3.

The moving contact connection hole 240 and the moving conductor 280 are preferably insulated from the outside. For this purpose, a separate structure, for example, a bellows that seals the interior, may be provided. The bellows can hold the moving conductor 280 inside while being electrically insulated from the outside. Additionally, it is possible to insert and remove the moving conductor 280 by force applied from outside the bellows. In this case, even when water rises above the inner cylinder contact unit 200 while the contact-type variable water level sensor according to the present invention is placed in a water tank, the moving contact point 280 is electrically insulated from the outside.

The states in Figures 4 (a) and (b) show the first measurement state in which the contact-type variable water level sensor according to the present invention has a minimum measurement range.

For example, assuming that the contact spacing is 1 cm, the position of the fourth moving contact 224, that is, the water level up to 4 cm, can be measured based on the ground fixed contact 120G. Depending on the level of water rising in the water flow hollow 212, the first to fourth moving contact points 221, 222, 223, and 224 are in contact with the water, and the water level can be measured electrically accordingly.

As described above, the contact portions where the first to fourth fixed contact points (121, 122, 123, 124) and the first to fourth moving contact points (211, 212, 213, 214) are in contact with each other in the first measurement state are It is protected by a sealing area (S).

(c) of FIG. 4 shows a state in which the connecting conductor 280 is inserted and coupled so as to contact the moving contact point 220. The connecting conductor 280 includes the first to fourth moving contact points 221, 222, 223, 224) is electrically connected. The assembled state of the outer cylinder contact unit 100 and the inner cylinder contact unit 200 at this time is shown in FIG. 4(d).

As shown in Figures 4 (c) and (d), the inner tube contact unit 200 can adjust the detection water level length while sliding along the hollow 112 of the outer tube contact unit 100. Figures 4 (c) and (d) show when the contact-type variable water level sensor according to the present invention has the maximum measurement range. This time is referred to as the second measurement state. For example, assuming that the contact spacing is 1 cm, the position from the ground fixed contact point (120G) to the third fixed contact point (223) is 3 cm and the first moving contact point (221) in contact with the fourth fixed contact point (224) The water level can be measured up to 7cm by adding 4cm of the position of the fourth moving contact point 224. In the second measurement state, the first to third fixed contact points 121, 122, and 123 are in contact with water rising along the hollow 112 of the cylindrical body 110, and the fourth fixed contact point 124 and the fourth fixed contact point 124 1 The moving contact point 221 is in electrical contact and the contact area is insulated, and the first to fourth moving contact points 221, 222, 223, and 224 are connected to water according to the level of water rising according to the water flow hollow 212. It is placed so that it can be contacted.

In the second measurement state, the lower O-ring 234 and the second moving contact point 222 contact the inner surface 115 of the cylindrical body 110, specifically the sealing section 116. The inner cylinder contact unit 200 is formed to have a length that can be sealed by contacting the moving contact with the upper part of the fourth fixed contact point 124. The inner surface formed at the top of the fourth fixed contact point 124 is referred to as the sealing section 116. The contact area between the fourth fixed contact point 124 and the first moving contact point 221 is sealed to prevent water from entering by the lower O-ring 234 and the second moving contact point 222. Therefore, in the second state, the contact area between the fourth fixed contact point 124 and the first moving contact point 221 is protected by a sealing area.

That is, as the position of the connecting conductor 280 changes from the state (a) in FIG. 4 to the state (b), the first measurement state shown in (c) of FIG. 4 is changed to the second measurement state in (d). The water level measurement range of the contact-type variable water level sensor according to the invention can be varied.

Figure 5 is a diagram for explaining the water level measurement process in the first measurement state in the contact-type variable water level sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the first measurement state, as shown in Figures 3 and 4 (b), the first fixed contact point 121 is the first moving contact point 221, and the second fixed contact point 122 is the second moving contact point 222. ) and the outer cylinder contact unit 100 and the inner cylinder contact unit so that the third fixed contact point 123 is in contact with the third moving contact point 223, and the fourth fixed contact point 121 is in contact with the fourth moving contact point 221, respectively. (200) is combined.

In the drawing, the resistance displayed by connecting to the fixed contact points (121, 122, 123, 124) and the moving contact points (221, 222, 223, 224) for measurement indicates the resistance provided inside each contact point.

The measurement module 300 is electrically connected to the inner cylinder contact unit 100. The measurement module 300 may include a typical CPU, AD converter, memory, etc. The measurement module 300 may be configured as a single chip or as a circuit having multiple chip types.

The measurement module 300 measures the voltage change according to the water level change, converts it to analog-digital, and measures the water level through this. The measurement module 300 is programmed to read the AD value detected from each measurement terminal in the water level state and display it as a water level value.

The measurement module 300 includes a power terminal 311 and a ground terminal 312. The ground terminal 312 is connected to the ground fixed contact point 120G among the fixed contact points.

It includes a plurality of measurement terminals for measuring voltage according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is connected to a fixed contact point for measurement of the external cylinder contact unit 100. The first measuring terminal 321 is connected to the first fixed contact point 121, the second measuring terminal 322 is connected to the second fixed contact point 122, and the third measuring terminal 323 is connected to the third fixed contact point. It is connected to (123), and the fourth measurement terminal 324 is connected to the first fixed contact point (124). That is, a resistor is connected to each fixed contact point, and one resistor is assigned to each AD circuit of the measurement module.

If the contact spacing The third mobile contact point 223 is positioned at a position so as to be in contact with water, and the fourth mobile contact point 224 is positioned at a position of 4 cm so as to be in contact with water. When water comes into contact with the first moving contact point 221, it is called water level ①, when water comes into contact with the second moving contact point 222, it is called water level ②, and when water comes into contact with the third moving contact point 223, it is called water level ③. , When water comes into contact with the fourth moving contact point 224, it is referred to as water level ④.

Referring to the drawing, water is electrically conductive, so when any place from water level ① to water level ④ is energized, that is, when submerged in water, voltage is input to the measuring terminals connected to water level ① to water level ④.

For example, in the water level ① state, the first mobile terminal 221 is energized with the ground contact terminal 120G through water to connect the circuit, and the first measurement terminal 321 measures the voltage. At this time, the measured resistance is "(1/2)R+(1/2)R)", (where 1/2R is the resistance of each contact, and 1/2R resistance is assigned to the fixed and moving contacts).

Since the voltage is not measured at the second measurement terminal 322 and the voltage is measured at the first measurement terminal 321, it can be seen that the water level is in state ①. The program built into the measurement module 300 outputs a 1cm position value.

Meanwhile, for example, in the water level ② state, the first mobile terminal 221 is connected to the ground contact terminal 120G through water to connect the circuit, and the second mobile terminal 222 is grounded through water. The circuit is connected by conducting electricity to the contact terminal 120G, and the voltage is measured at the first measurement terminal 321 and the second measurement terminal 322.

The measurement module 300 moves from a state in which the voltage is measured at the first measurement terminal 321 and the second measurement terminal 322 and no voltage is measured at the third and fourth measurement terminals 323 and 324 to the water level ② state. You can see that it is. The program built into the measurement module 300 outputs a 2cm position value. In this way, the water level can be measured and output.

Figure 6 is a diagram for explaining the water level measurement process in the second measurement state in the contact-type variable water level sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in (d) of FIG. 4 , the second measurement state is a state in which the inner cylinder contact unit 200 slides upward and is coupled to the outer cylinder contact unit 100. The fourth fixed contact point 124 is contacted with the first moving contact point 221 to form a contact area and is protected by the sealing area (S).

The first fixed contact point 121, the second fixed contact point 122, and the third fixed contact point 123 are in a state of contact with water rising through the hollow 112 of the external cylinder contact unit 100, and the second moving contact point (222), the third movable contact point 223, and the fourth fixed contact point 121 are in a state in which water rising through the water flow hollow 221 of the inner cylinder contact unit 200 can be contacted.

The first fixed contact point 121 is located at a position of 1 cm from the ground fixed contact point (120G) so as to be in contact with water, the second fixed contact point (122) is located at a position of 2 cm so as to be in contact with water, and the third fixed contact point is located at a position of 3 cm. (123) is positioned to be in contact with water, the first moving contact point 221 is positioned to be in contact with water at a position of 4 cm, the second moving contact point 222 is positioned to be in contact with water at a position of 5 cm, and the second moving contact point (222) is positioned to be in contact with water at a position of 6 cm. The third movable contact point 223 is positioned to be in contact with water, and the fourth movable contact point 224 is positioned at a position of 7 cm to be in contact with water.

When water contacts the first fixed contact point 121, it is water level ①, when water contacts the second fixed contact point 122, it is water level ②, and when water contacts the third fixed contact point 123, it is water level ③. , Water level ④ when water contacts the first moving contact point 221, Water level ⑤ when water contacts the second moving contact point 222, Water level ⑤ when water contacts the third moving contact point 223 ⑥, When water comes into contact with the fourth moving contact point 224, it is referred to as water level ⑦.

Referring to the drawing, water is electrically conductive, so when any place from water level ① to water level ⑦ is energized, that is, when submerged in water, voltage is input to the measuring terminals connected to water level ① to water level ⑦.

For example, in the water level ① state, the first fixed terminal 121 is energized with the ground contact terminal 120G through water to connect the circuit, and the first measurement terminal 321 measures the voltage. At this time, the measured resistance becomes “(1/2)R (resistance assigned to the external cylinder contact point)”. Since the voltage is not measured at the second measurement terminal 322 and the voltage is measured at the first measurement terminal 321, it can be seen that the water level is in state ①. The program built into the measurement module 300 outputs a 1cm position value.

In the water level ② and water level ③ states, the voltage is measured at the second measurement terminal 322 and the third measurement terminal 324 and can be output as water levels of 2 cm and 3 cm.

In the water level ④ state, the first mobile terminal 221 is connected to the ground contact terminal 120G through water to connect the circuit, and the fourth measurement terminal 324 measures the voltage. At this time, the measured resistance becomes “((1/2)R (resistance assigned to the fourth fixed contact point))+((1/2)R (resistance assigned to the first moving contact point))”.

In the inner cylinder contact unit 200, each resistance of the moving contact point 220 forms an electrically parallel circuit by the connecting conductor 280. Therefore, the measurement terminal at water level ④ to water level ⑦ is the same as the fourth measurement terminal 324, but the resistance value at water level ④ to water level ⑦ is different. For example, when the water level rises to water level ⑤, the first and second moving contacts (221, 222) are in contact with the water, so the resistance assigned to the first and second moving contacts (221, 222) form a parallel circuit with each other. And the resistance value formed at this time is (1/2)R (resistance assigned to the fourth fixed contact)) + (1/((1/2)R + (1/2)R) (to the first moving contact) assigned resistance), (resistance assigned to the second moving contact point). At this time, the fourth measurement terminal 324 measures the parallel resistance value as a resistance value. Since the resistance value changes, the AD value read from the fourth measurement terminal 324 changes in this way. The water level from water level ① to water level ⑦ can be measured.

In the contact-type variable water level sensor according to the present invention, the fixed contact and movable contact that form the electrical contact are made of O-ring with elastic conductive resin (resistance is several Ω to several kΩ), and the outer cylinder contact unit and the inner cylinder contact are It can be used by attaching it to the unit. Connect a resistance of (1/2R) to the fixed contact point of the outer cylinder contact unit and a resistance of (1/2R) to the moving contact point of the inner cylinder contact unit, and connect the pick-up voltage from the fixed contact point to the AD (analog-digital) circuit. The circuit can be configured so that the AD value (voltage) can be read from the CPU.

Here, R refers to a resistance ranging from approximately 100Ω to 10MΩ. If the resistance is too low, resolution decreases, and if it is too high, current cannot flow. Resistance does not necessarily need to take R as 1/2R, and can be freely taken in the measurable range of 100Ω to 10MΩ depending on the circuit design.

Additionally, according to the present invention, since an O-ring made of conductive resin is used, a material that achieves the same effect can be used by using the self-equivalent resistance of the material of the O-ring.

According to the present invention, the contact-type variable water level sensor can be modified to measure a wider range by forming a two-row or three-row structure using materials or resistance connections.

According to the present invention, the contact type variable water level sensor can form a sliding structure other than a cylindrical shape.

According to the present invention, when water comes into contact with contacts formed at regular intervals in a contact-type variable water level sensor, the voltage at that time is used as detection information to determine the water level, so detection reliability is higher than that of an electrode-type water level sensor. This is because the resistance of the electrode type varies depending on corrosion of the electrode or the attachment of foreign substances, whereas the contact type simply determines whether or not the contact point is detected. In other words, a slight change in electrical resistance caused by a small amount of foreign matter causes only a slight change in the AD value. In other words, the water level sensor using a general continuous electrical contact changes the water level measurement value very sensitively to resistance due to the attachment of foreign substances, so the measurement reliability is very low.

The above description of the present invention is for illustrative purposes, and those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention can be easily modified into other specific forms without changing the technical idea or essential features of the present invention. will be. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

Claims (15)

An external cylinder contact unit including a plurality of fixed contact points arranged at regular intervals along the longitudinal direction of the inner surface of a hollow cylindrical body; and
It is movably inserted through the hollow of the external contact point unit, and includes a plurality of movable contact points disposed in contact with the fixed contact points at regular intervals along the outer surface of the main body corresponding to the fixed contact points, and an inner tube contact unit in which the movable contact points are connected to a water flow hollow penetrating through the water flow hollow and the movable contact points are in contact with water according to a change in water level along the water flow hollow; and
A contact-type variable water level sensor comprising a measurement module that measures the water level according to changes in the voltage value measured according to the water level.
According to claim 1,
A contact type variable water level sensor, characterized in that the fixed contact points of the external contact point unit are formed in a ring shape with conductive resin.
According to paragraph 1,
A contact type variable water level sensor, characterized in that the moving contact points of the inner cylinder contact unit are formed in a ring shape with conductive resin.
According to paragraph 3,
The outer surface of the inner tube contact unit is provided with an O-ring that can seal the contact area formed when the fixed contact points of the outer tube contact unit and the moving contact points of the inner tube contact unit contact each other from water. Variable water level sensor.
According to clause 4,
A contact type variable water level sensor, wherein the O-ring is formed of an insulator resin.
According to clause 4,
The moving contact protrudes from the outer surface of the main body of the external contact unit to form a seal with respect to the contact surface,
A contact-type variable water level sensor, characterized in that the O-ring is provided at the upper and lower portions of the movable contact points, respectively.
According to clause 6,
The inner surface of the outer cylinder contact unit has a length greater than the contact gap above the uppermost fixed point,
When the uppermost fixed contact of the outer cylinder contact unit and the lowermost moving contact of the inner cylinder contact unit come into contact, the moving contact above the lowermost moving contact contacts the inner surface of the outer cylinder contact unit to form a seal. Contact type variable water level sensor.
According to paragraph 1,
A contact-type variable water level sensor, wherein the lowest fixed contact among the fixed contacts forms a grounded fixed contact, and the fixed contacts above the fixed contacts are fixed contacts for water level measurement that can be contacted with the movable contacts.
In paragraph 8,
The measurement module is a contact-type variable water level sensor, characterized in that it has a power terminal connected to a power source, a ground terminal connected to the fixed contact point for grounding, and a plurality of measurement terminals respectively connected to the fixed contact points for water level measurement.
According to clause 9,
A first measurement state in which the moving contact points of the inner tube contact unit are in contact with each of the fixed contact points for measurement of the outer tube contact unit,
The uppermost fixed contact point among the fixed contact points for measurement of the outer tube contact unit is in contact with the lowermost moving contact point of the inner tube contact unit, and the moving contact points are in a second electrically connected measurement state,
A contact-type variable water level sensor, characterized in that in the second measurement state, the moving contact points are connected to each other through a conductor.
According to clause 10,
The main body of the inner cylinder contact unit is formed with a moving contact connection hole into which a connecting conductor connecting the moving contact points can be inserted,
A contact-type variable water level sensor, wherein in the second measurement state, the connecting conductor is inserted through the moving contact connection hole to electrically connect the moving contacts to each other.
According to paragraph 3,
A contact-type variable water level sensor, wherein the moving contact of the inner cylinder contact unit includes a resistance therein.
According to clause 12,
A contact type variable water level sensor, characterized in that the resistance of the moving contact of the inner cylinder contact unit is formed by self-resistance due to the material of the conductive crystal resin.
According to paragraph 2,
A contact-type variable water level sensor, wherein the fixed contact point of the outer cylinder contact unit includes a resistance therein.
According to clause 14,
A contact type variable water level sensor, characterized in that the resistance of the fixed contact point of the external cylinder contact unit is formed by self-resistance due to the material of the conductive resin.