A wireless drink container can monitor a person's hydration and prompt him or her to drink more if appropriate. The drink containers as described herein can monitor liquid levels and communicate with external devices about the liquid levels and rate of consumption. One or more sensors in the drink container monitor the liquid level within the container. A processor coupled to the sensor(s) estimates how much liquid has been removed from the container from changes in the liquid level and transmits a signal representing the change in liquid level to a smartphone or other external device. It also triggers an audio or visual indicator, such as an LED, that prompts the user to drink more based on the user's estimated liquid consumption and on the user's liquid consumption goals, which may be based on the user's physiology, activity level, and location.

An apparatus for processing a laboratory sample contained in a laboratory sample container is presented. The apparatus comprises an optical sensing unit for sensing a transmittance at different vertical positions through the laboratory sample container and a tip sensing unit having a tip. The tip sensing unit is adapted to provide a tip sensing signal (tLDS) depending on a position of the tip relative to the sample. The apparatus also comprises a process control unit adapted to control the secure and reliable pipetting of the laboratory sample in response to both the transmittance and the tip sensing signal (tLDS) provided by the tip sensing unit.

A re-usable sensor module for use with a dispenser for a hand hygiene product is described, wherein the dispenser comprises a container. The sensor module comprises an elastically deformable capsule with a top portion for placing a bottom of the container thereon. A sensor is arranged within the capsule and configured to measure a parameter associated with an elastic deformation of the capsule resulting from actuation or presence of the dispenser. The sensor module further comprises a processor arranged within the capsule and coupled to the sensor. The processor is configured to at least temporarily record at least one of the parameter and an event associated therewith.

An electrolyte monitoring system is disclosed which has an interface module and a sensor assembly. The sensor assembly is attachable to an exterior wall surface of a battery cell for monitoring a level of an electrolyte within the battery cell. The sensor assembly may include an infrared (IR) sensor and a cradle. The IR sensor may be configured to communicate with the interface module and to detect when the electrolyte level within the battery cell drops below a predetermined level. The cradle is configured to be affixed to the exterior wall surface of the battery cell at a desired elevational position in relation to the electrolyte level in the cell. The cradle enables mounting and removal of the IR sensor from the cradle without an external tool.

A liquid level detection device capable of accurately detecting an interface inside a container has an irradiation unit which irradiates a side surface of a sample container containing a sample having layers with light. A light receiving unit receives transmitted light from the sample container and an analysis unit acquires the interfaces between the layers from the received amount of the transmitted light. The sample container is moved vertically relative to the irradiation unit and the light receiving unit by a first drive and is moved in the circumferential direction relative to the irradiation unit and the light receiving unit by a second drive. The second drive is controlled so that the light receiving unit receives the transmitted light at first and second irradiation angles, and the interfaces between the layers are acquired on the basis of the received amounts of transmitted light at the first and second irradiation angles.

An image forming apparatus and method for determining a toner level and providing a notification are provided. The method of operating an image forming apparatus includes counting a number of times a lower toner hopper receives toner from an in-situ refillable upper toner hopper, calculating an estimate of toner volume transferred from the lower toner hopper to a surface of a photosensitive drum, determining an amount of toner consumed from the in-situ refillable upper toner hopper based on the number of times the lower toner hopper receives toner from the in-situ refillable upper toner hopper and the estimate of toner volume transferred from the lower toner hopper to the surface of the photosensitive drum, and generating an upper toner hopper refill notification when the amount of toner consumed from the in-situ refillable upper toner hopper is determined to exceed a threshold value.

A method of detecting liquid level of printing material of a three-dimensional printer includes steps of: (a) providing a printing material tank and a sensor, (b) injecting a printing material into the printing material tank, (c) outputting, by the sensor, a first voltage signal and continuously injecting the printing material when the sensor does not detect the printing material, and (d) outputting, by the sensor, a second voltage signal and stopping injecting the printing material when the sensor detects the printing material, wherein a voltage level of the first voltage signal is greater than a voltage level of the second voltage signal.

An apparatus for optically monitoring a fluid level of a container comprises a light emitter(s), a plurality of optical detectors, and a control system. The light emitter(s) is configured to emit light toward a target surface when positioned, at a fluid threshold level, on the outside of the container. Upper and lower optical detectors are configured to receive light reflected from the target surface when positioned on the outside of the container above and below the fluid threshold level. The control system detects, based on measured reflectance received by the upper and lower optical detector, whether the upper optical detector is above the fluid level and whether at least a portion of the lower optical detector is above the fluid level, and determines, based on these detections, whether the level of fluid within the container has dropped below the fluid threshold level.

In one example a fluid level sensing device is described. The device includes a sensing die having a number of fluid level sensors disposed thereon and a number of control devices, each control device corresponding to one of the number of fluid level sensors. A control device includes a comparing device to determine a state of a corresponding fluid level sensor. A state of the fluid level sensor is selected from the group consisting of a fluid state and a no-fluid state. Each control device also includes a non-volatile memory device corresponding to the comparing device to indicate whether the corresponding fluid level sensor is at the fluid state or the no-fluid state. A control device also includes a locking device to irreversibly set the non-volatile memory device to the no-fluid state independent of a write command from a controller.

A method for determining a vertical position of a horizontally extending interface between first and second components is presented. The first and second components are contained in a laboratory sample container in layers vertically separated from each other. The method comprises generating first data, generating second data in the form of picture data of the laboratory sample container containing the first and second components, determining a first probability distribution function in response to the first data, determining a second probability distribution function in response to the second data, and determining the vertical position of the horizontally extending interface depending on the first and second probability distribution functions. The first data depend on the vertical position of the horizontally extending interface. The first and second probability distribution functions assign a probability of the presence of the horizontally extending interface to a vertical position.