Sensor arrangements, sensor systems, and methods for determining height of liquids in tanks
A sensor arrangement for measuring liquid height in a tank can include a housing, a transducer, and a couplant. The housing can have an interior and an aperture, the aperture placing the interior of the housing in communication with the environment external to the housing. The transducer can be seated within the aperture. The couplant can be mechanically connected to the transducer and can have a compressible couplant body. The couplant body can extend between the transducer and the external environment for transmitting an acoustic pulse from the transducer to a tank bottom for measuring height of a liquid overlaying the transducer.
1 . A sensor arrangement configured for measuring liquid height in a tank, comprising:
a housing having an interior and an aperture, the aperture configured to communicate the housing interior with an environment external to the housing;
a transducer seated within the aperture; and
a couplant mechanically connected to the transducer, the couplant including a compressible couplant body extending between the transducer and the external environment to transmit an acoustic pulse from the transducer to a tank bottom for measuring height of a liquid overlaying the transducer;
wherein the aperture defines a transducer lip adjacent the housing interior and a couplant lip disposed between the transducer lip and the external environment, the couplant lip extending about the transducer lip.
2 . The sensor arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the couplant body extends from the transducer to a location in the external environment beyond an external surface of the housing.
3 . The sensor arrangement of claim 1 , wherein an external surface of the couplant body opposite the transducer is tacky.
4 . The sensor arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the couplant body includes a material with hardness that is between 20 Shore OO and 40 Shore OO.
5 . The sensor arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the housing defines a magnet seat offset from the aperture, and further comprising a magnet captive in the magnet seat.
6 . The sensor arrangement of claim 5 , wherein the magnet has an attractive force that exceeds a compressive strength of the couplant body.
7 . The sensor arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the couplant body is sealably seated about the couplant lip and overlays the transducer, wherein the transducer has a center and a periphery extending about the center, the periphery being supported by the transducer lip and the center being free to vibrate relative to the housing, and wherein the transducer lip comprises a plurality of lip segments circumferentially arranged about the aperture.
8 . The sensor arrangement as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a controller disposed within the housing and operatively connected to the transducer.
9 . The sensor arrangement as recited in claim 8 , further comprising one or more leads disposed within the aperture and connecting the transducer with the controller.
10 . The sensor arrangement as recited in claim 8 , further comprising a coin cell battery disposed within the housing interior and connected to the controller.
11 . The sensor arrangement as recited in claim 8 , further comprising a wireless module disposed within the housing and operatively connected to the controller and configured for communication with an external display module.
12 . The sensor arrangement as recited in claim 8 , further comprising a display module remote from the housing and in wireless communication with the controller.
13 . The sensor arrangement as recited in claim 8 , wherein the controller is in communication with a non-transitory machine-readable memory with instructions recorded thereon that cause the controller to:
generate an acoustic pulse with the transducer;
receive a reflected acoustic pulse with the transducer; and
provide an advertisement packet to a display module wirelessly connected to the controller indicative of a time interval between generation of the acoustic pulse and receipt of the reflected acoustic pulse.
14 . The sensor arrangement as recited in claim 1 , further comprising at least one elastomeric foot with a slot, the slot being configured to receive a foot ring for a liquefied propane gas (LPG) tank.
15 . A sensor system, comprising:
a sensor arrangement as recited in claim 1 ;
a controller disposed within the housing and operatively connected to the transducer;
a wireless module disposed within the housing and connected to the controller, the wireless module configured for communication with an external display module; and
the display module being remote from the housing and in wireless communication with the controller, wherein the controller is in communication with a non-transitory machine-readable memory with instructions recorded thereon that cause the controller to:
generate an acoustic pulse with the transducer;
receive a reflected acoustic pulse with the transducer; and
provide an advertisement packet to a display module indicative of a time interval between generation of the acoustic pulse and receipt of the reflected acoustic pulse.
16 . The sensor arrangement as recited in claim 1 , wherein the transducer lip supports the transducer from below; and wherein the couplant lip supports the couplant body from below.
17 . A sensor arrangement configured for measuring liquid height in a tank, comprising:
a housing having an interior and an aperture, the aperture configured to communicate the housing interior with an environment external to the housing;
a transducer seated within the aperture; and
a couplant mechanically connected to the transducer, the couplant including a compressible couplant body extending between the transducer and the external environment to transmit an acoustic pulse from the transducer to a tank bottom for measuring height of a liquid overlaying the transducer;
wherein the housing defines a first magnet seat offset from the aperture, and further comprising a first magnet captive in the first magnet seat.
18 . The sensor arrangement as recited in claim 17 , further comprising a second magnet seat offset from the aperture and disposed on a side of the aperture opposite the first magnet seat.
19 . The sensor arrangement as recited in claim 18 , wherein the aperture defines a transducer lip adjacent the housing interior and a couplant lip disposed between the transducer lip and the external environment, the couplant lip extending about the transducer lip.
20 . The sensor arrangement of claim 19 , wherein the couplant body is sealably seated about the couplant lip and overlays the transducer, wherein the transducer has a center and a periphery extending about the center, the periphery being supported by the transducer lip and the center being free to vibrate relative to the housing, and wherein the transducer lip comprises a plurality of lip segments circumferentially arranged about the aperture.