SELF-SUFFICIENT DISPLAY FOR FILL LEVEL AND LIMIT LEVEL MEASURING DEVICES

Abstract

A sensor arrangement is provided for level measurement or point level measurement of a product or pressure measurement in a container, the sensor arrangement including: a sensor configure to transmit and receive a measurement signal and to calculate measurement data; and a display device, which is provided separately from the sensor, configured to be mounted on or in the container, and includes a receiver configured to wirelessly receive the measurement data of the sensor, and a signal indicator configured to display the measurement data of the sensor. A method is also provided for fill level measurement or limit level measurement of a filling material or pressure measurement in a container.

Claims

1.-19. (canceled)

20. A sensor arrangement for level measurement or point level measurement of a product or pressure measurement in a container, the sensor arrangement comprising: a sensor configure to transmit and receive a measurement signal and to calculate measurement data; and a display device, which is provided separately from the sensor, configured to be mounted on or in the container, and comprises a receiving unit configured to wirelessly receive the measurement data of the sensor, and a signal indicator configured to display the measurement data of the sensor.

21. The sensor arrangement according to claim 20, wherein the display device is a stand-alone display device.

22. The sensor arrangement according to claim 20, wherein the signal indicator is further configured to visually and/or acoustically display the measurement data of the sensor and/or the status of the sensor, and/or wherein the signal indicator is further configured to identify the container associated with the sensor.

23. The sensor arrangement according to claim 20, wherein the signal indicator is a luminous display.

24. The sensor arrangement according to claim 23, wherein the luminous display is configurable by a plurality of colors to optically visualize the measurement data of the sensor, a status of the sensor, or switching states of the sensor.

25. The sensor arrangement according to claim 20, further comprising a master display device configured as a master luminous display to display the measurement data from a plurality of sensors individually, in combination, or collectively.

26. The sensor arrangement according to claim 20, wherein the display device further comprises an encapsulation configured to encapsulate the display device to dispose the display device within the container or on or in a filling material.

27. The sensor arrangement according to claim 20, wherein the display device further comprises a power supply comprising a rechargeable battery or a battery arranged in the display device and configured to provide power required to operate the display device.

28. The sensor arrangement according to claim 20, wherein the display device is further configured to be connected to the sensor via a direct radio link or a cloud system.

29. The sensor arrangement according to claim 20, further comprising a control unit configured to connect wired or wirelessly to the display device and to configure the display device to activate the display device cyclically at a predetermined time interval or by a trigger signal.

30. The sensor arrangement according to claim 29, wherein the control unit is further configured to send out a broadcast command, and/or wherein the display device and/or the master display device is further configured to display the measurement data of the one or more sensors simultaneously by the broadcast command.

31. A stand-alone display device for displaying measurement data of a level measurement or limit level measurement or a pressure measurement by means of a sensor arrangement according to claim 20.

32. A control unit for configuring a display device of a sensor arrangement according to claim 20 for level measurement or limit level measurement of a filling material or pressure measurement in a container.

33. The stand-alone display device according to claim 31, the stand-alone display device being configured to display fill level indication or limit level indication of a filling material or pressure indication in a container, or indication of a status of the sensor or detection of the container.

34. A method for fill level measurement or limit level measurement of a filling material or pressure measurement in a container, the method comprising the steps of: transmitting and receiving a measurement signal by means of a sensor and calculating measurement data; separately providing a display device configured to display the measurement data of the sensor; wirelessly receiving the measurement data of the sensor by means of a receiving unit of the display device; and displaying the measurement data of the sensor by means of a signal indicator of the display device.

35. The method according to claim 34, further comprising: providing a wired or wireless connection of a control unit to the display device; and configuring the display device and activating the display device cyclically with a predetermined time interval or by a trigger signal.

36. A nontransitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer program instructions stored therein, which when executed on a processor of a sensor arrangement, instructs the sensor arrangement to perform the steps of the method according to claim 34.

37. The nontransitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 36, further comprising a control unit on which the computer program instructions are stored.

Description

SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0063] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a sensor arrangement for level or point level measurement according to an embodiment.

[0064] FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a sensor arrangement for level or point level measurement according to a further embodiment.

[0065] FIG. 3 shows a schematic representation of a stand-alone display device according to an embodiment.

[0066] FIG. 4 shows a schematic representation of the communication paths within a sensor arrangement according to an embodiment.

[0067] FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of the arrangement of a stand-alone display device in a system according to an embodiment.

[0068] FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of the arrangement of a control unit in a system according to an embodiment.

[0069] FIG. 7 shows a flow diagram of a method for level or point level measurement of a product according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLES OF EXECUTION

[0070] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a sensor arrangement 900 for level or point level measurement of a filling material (product) 55 in a container 50.

[0071] The sensor arrangement 900 includes a sensor 20 and a display device or self-contained display device 100 provided separately from the sensor 20 and wirelessly connected to the sensor 20.

[0072] In order to perform the fill level or limit level measurement, the sensor 20 is configured to transmit and receive a measurement signal and to calculate measurement data. The sensor 20 may be a radar sensor. The measurement signal emitted by the sensor 20 may propagate in the direction of the product 55 or the medium contained in an IBC container 50, for example, and may be reflected from the surface of the product 55. The IBC container 50 is arranged and secured in a steel frame 10 or strut and includes a lid 52 to form a closed interior for the contents 55. The IBC container 50 may be made of a plastic material to allow the wall of the container 50 to pass the measurement signal from the sensor 20.

[0073] The sensor 20 can communicate wirelessly with the self-sufficient display device 100, which can be provided as an independent component of the sensor arrangement 900 separate from the sensor 20. As a result, the self-sufficient display device 100 can be arranged independently of the arrangement of the sensor 20, flexibly, namely inside the container 50 as shown in FIG. 1 or outside the container 50 as shown in FIG. 2.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 3, the self-sufficient display device 100 comprises a receiving unit 110 arranged to wirelessly receive measurement data from the sensor 20 and a signal display 180 arranged to display the measurement data from the sensor 20. The schematic diagram of the self-sufficient display device 100 shown in FIG. 3 is described in more detail below.

[0075] FIG. 1 further shows that the self-sufficient display device 100 can be arranged within the container 50 or in such a way that the self-sufficient display device 100 can be arranged on or in the filling material 55 or the medium. For example, the self-sufficient display device 100 can float on the filling material 55 or be submerged in the filling material. For this purpose, the self-sufficient display device 100 may comprise an encapsulation adapted to encapsulate the self-sufficient display device 100 to provide waterproof protection to the display device 100. The self-sufficient display device 100 arranged on or in the filling material 55 may comprise a luminous display and be arranged to emit and signal a light signal 101 in the form of a light beam or a light bundle out through the container 50 based on the measurement data received from the sensor 20.

[0076] Alternatively, the self-sufficient display device 100 may be arranged outside the container 55. Compared to FIG. 1, the self-sufficient display device 100 in FIG. 2 can be arranged on the side of the container 50 or on the outside of the frame 10. Thus, the sensor arrangement 900 can advantageously display the measurement data of the sensor 20 and to optimize the detectability or readability of the self-contained display device 100.

[0077] In FIG. 1, the measurement data can be transmitted from the sensor 20 to the self-sufficient display device 100 via a wireless connection, such as Bluetooth, WLAN, LoraWan, NB-IOT. Alternatively or additionally, as shown in FIG. 2, wireless communication between the self-sufficient display device 100 and the sensor 20 may be via a cloud system 200, a central computer, or a control plane.

[0078] FIG. 3 shows a schematic representation of the self-sufficient display device 100 of the sensor arrangement 900. In addition to the receiver unit 110 and the signal display 180, the self-sufficient display device 100 further comprises a power supply 120 and electronics 150.

[0079] The receiving unit 110 of the stand-alone display device 100 may be set up to wirelessly receive the measurement data from the sensor 20, for example by radio or via a cloud system 200. The receiving can be performed permanently, cyclically with a predetermined time interval or activating by a trigger signal.

[0080] The electronics 150 of the self-contained display device 100 may be in the form of a circuit board, for example, so that the receiver unit 110, the power supply 120, and the signal display 180 may be arranged on the electronics 150 and electrically connected via the electronics 150.

[0081] The power supply 120 is a built-in of the self-contained power supply unit disposed within the display device 100 to wirelessly provide the power required to operate the self-contained display device 100. The power supply 120 may comprise a battery or a rechargeable battery that may be externally charged, for example, inductively.

[0082] Alternatively or additionally, the battery may be charged using energy harvesting. It is also possible that the self-sufficient display device 100 can be charged by means of the energy supply 120 by cable at a charging station and can then be used to display the measurement data.

[0083] The signal display 180 of the stand-alone display device 100 may be configured to display the measurement data of the sensor 20. For this purpose, the signal display 180 can be set up for visually and/or acoustically displaying the measurement data of the sensor 20, and/or for visually and/or acoustically displaying the status of the sensor 20, and/or for identifying the container 50 assigned to the sensor 20 for identification.

[0084] Alternatively or additionally, the signal display 180 of the stand-alone display device 100 may be a luminous display. In this case, the luminous display can be designed to be configurable by several colors in order to visually visualize the measurement data of the sensor 20 or switching states of the sensor 20. For example, the luminous display 100 can be activated or switched on permanently, cyclically or by a trigger signal, such as a radio signal, a pushbutton, a defined fill level or limit level change.

[0085] FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of the communication paths within a sensor arrangement 900.

[0086] The sensor arrangement for level or point level measurement further comprises a control unit 310, 320 configured to connect wired or wirelessly to the self-sufficient display device 100 and thus configure the self-sufficient display device 100 to activate the self-sufficient display device 100 cyclically at a predetermined time interval or by a trigger signal. The control unit 320 may be locally connected to the self-sufficient display device 100. Alternatively, the control unit 310 may be wirelessly connected to the self-sufficient display device 100 by radio or via a cloud system 200.

[0087] In addition to the control unit 310, 320, the self-contained display device 100 may wirelessly connect to the sensor 20 or a cloud system 200 that is also wirelessly connected to the sensor 20 and may receive measurement data from the sensor 20 via radio. Thus, the self-sufficient display device 100, the sensor 20 and the control unit 310, 320 of the sensor arrangement 900 can be provided separately from each other and arranged separately. This can advantageously increase the flexible usability of the sensor arrangement in a plant with the multiple containers to be monitored and the mobility of the sensor arrangement.

[0088] For example, FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of the arrangement of a stand-alone master display device 106 in a plant.

[0089] In the system, the sensor arrangement 900 in FIG. 5 includes a plurality of sensors each disposed in one of the plurality of containers 50, 60, 70, and a plurality of self-contained display devices 100 each associated with one of the plurality of sensors and/or one of the plurality of containers 50, 60, 70. The sensors may be similar or different sensors for level or limit level measurement or, for example, for pressure, temperature, or flow measurement. The plurality of sensors and the plurality of autonomous display devices may be wirelessly connected via a cloud system or an IOT cloud platform, and a networked system may be formed thereby. Thus, the sensor arrangement may enable the plurality of sensors to transmit the determined or calculated measurement data to the cloud system 200, and the plurality of autonomous display devices associated with the sensors may receive the measurement data from the cloud system 200 and display the measurement data of the plurality of sensors individually, in association, or collectively.

[0090] In addition, the sensor arrangement may further comprise another stand-alone display device, which may be configured as a master display device 106 to display the measurement data from the plurality of sensors via the cloud system 200. In FIG. 5, the master display device 106 is provided outside the plurality of containers 50, 60, 70. Since the measurement data of the plurality of sensors is accessible in the cloud system 200, the master display device 106 may be configured to display the measurement data or sensor status of a targeted sensor or in a composite of the plurality of sensors, and to monitor the level or limit level in a targeted container or in the plurality of containers.

[0091] FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of the arrangement of a control unit 300 in a system according to one embodiment.

[0092] Similar to FIG. 5, the sensor arrangement 900 in the system includes a plurality of sensors each disposed in one of the plurality of containers 50, 60, 70, and a plurality of self-sufficient display devices 100 each associated with one of the plurality of sensors and/or one of the plurality of containers 50, 60, 70. The plurality of sensors and the plurality of self-sufficient display devices may be wirelessly connected via a cloud system. Thus, it is possible for the plurality of sensors to transmit the determined or calculated measurement data to the cloud system 200, and for the plurality of self-sufficient display devices associated with the sensors to receive the measurement data from the cloud system 200 and individually display the measurement data.

[0093] The control unit 300 in FIG. 6 is configured to connect wired or wirelessly to the plurality of self-contained display devices and to configure the plurality of self-contained display devices 100 to activate the self-contained display device cyclically at a predetermined time interval or by a trigger signal. In other words, the control unit 300 may be in the form of a master operating device. The connection between the control unit 300 and the plurality of self-sufficient display devices respectively associated with the plurality of containers 50, 60, 70 may be by cable or wirelessly by radio.

[0094] Further, the control unit 300 may be configured to be wirelessly connected to the cloud system 200 and to receive a signal emitted by the cloud system 200 as a trigger signal for activating a display device or the plurality of stand-alone display devices. Alternatively, a master display device 106, as shown in FIG. 3, may be integrated into the control unit 300. Thus, receiving data from the cloud system 200 and configuring the plurality of self-sufficient display devices can be uniformly controlled based on the received measurement data.

[0095] FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of a method for level or limit level measurement of a product 55 in a container 50. In the first step 701, a measurement signal is transmitted and received by means of a sensor 20 of a sensor arrangement 900, and the measurement data is calculated based on the measurement signal. In step 702, a self-sufficient display device 100 having a receiving unit 110 and a signal display 180 is separately provided to the sensor arrangement 900 for displaying the measurement data of the sensor. Thus, the self-sufficient display device 100 can be flexibly arranged inside or outside the container independently of the arrangement of the sensor 20. In step 703, the measurement data from the sensor 20 is wirelessly received by means of the receiving unit 110 of the self-sufficient display device 100. In this regard, the receiving may be performed via a wireless connection or a cloud system 200. In step 704, the measurement data from the sensor 20 is displayed by means of the signal display 180 of the self-contained display device 100.

[0096] Further, in step 705, a control unit 300, 310, 320 of the sensor arrangement 900 is connected to the self-sufficient display device 100 in a wired or wireless manner. Subsequently, in step 706, the self-sufficient display device 100 is configured by the control unit 300, 310, 320 and activated cyclically with a predetermined time interval or a trigger signal.

[0097] Supplementally, it should be noted that “comprising” or “having” does not exclude other elements, and “a” or “an” does not exclude a plurality. It should further be noted that features described with reference to any of the above embodiments may also be used in combination with other features of other embodiments described above. Reference signs in the claims are not to be regarded as a limitation.