IP Library Granted Patent US 9,829,369
Granted Patent B2
US 9,829,369 · App. 14/369,964 · Granted Nov 28, 2017

Ultrasound level transmitter

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,829,369
App. No.
14/369,964
Granted
Nov 28, 2017
Kind
B2
Abstract

A filling level transmitter includes a sound-conducting tube and a filling level sensor. The filling level sensor has: a housing including a ceramic substrate and a metal lid soldered to the substrate, an ultrasonic transceiver arranged in the housing and having a sound-outputting region, the ultrasonic transceiver being connected by at least the sound-outputting region to the substrate, and sensor electronics arranged in the housing.

Claims (15)

1. A filling level transmitter ( 6 ) that measures a filling level of a liquid in a fuel container ( 7 ) having a bottom ( 9 ), the filling level transmitter comprising: a sound-conducting tube ( 8 ) having:

a first portion, having a central axis, arranged parallel to the bottom ( 9 ),

a second portion, arranged perpendicular both to the bottom ( 9 ) and the central axis,

and a reflector ( 12 ) configured to deflect sound waves by 90° with respect to a surface of the liquid; and a filling level sensor, the filling level sensor having:

a housing ( 1 ) including a ceramic substrate ( 3 ) and a metal lid ( 2 ) soldered to the ceramic substrate ( 3 ), an ultrasonic transceiver ( 5 ) arranged in the housing and having a sound-outputting region, the ultrasonic transceiver ( 5 ) being connected by at least the sound-outputting region to the ceramic substrate ( 3 ), and sensor electronics ( 4 ) arranged in the housing ( 1 ), wherein the ceramic substrate ( 3 ) is a printed circuit board and carrier for the sensor electronics ( 4 ) and the ultrasonic transceiver ( 5 ), and the metal lid ( 2 ) is arranged with respect to the ceramic substrate ( 3 ) so as to cover the sensor electronics ( 4 ) and the ultrasonic transceiver ( 5 ),

wherein the filling level transmitter is arranged in the fuel container ( 7 ) containing the liquid and having the bottom ( 9 ),

wherein the housing ( 1 ) is arranged in the first portion of the sound-conducting tube ( 8 ) such that sound waves output by the ultrasonic transceiver ( 5 ) travel parallel to the bottom ( 9 ) of the fuel container ( 7 ), and the sound-conducting tube ( 8 ) is configured such that the sound waves output by the ultrasonic transceiver ( 5 ) are subsequently deflected, by the reflector ( 12 ), by 90° with respect to the surface of the liquid, and wherein the ultrasonic transceiver ( 5 ) is arranged such that sound waves output by the ultrasonic transceiver ( 5 ) introduced into the sound-conducting tube ( 8 ) are offset from the central axis of the first portion of the sound-conducting tube ( 8 ).

2. The filling level transmitter as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the ultrasonic transceiver ( 5 ) is a piezo-element.

3. The filling level transmitter as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the ultrasonic transceiver ( 5 ) is connected to the ceramic substrate ( 3 ) in an acoustically soft fashion.

4. The filling level transmitter as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the ultrasonic transceiver ( 5 ) is soldered to the ceramic substrate ( 3 ) in a soft fashion.

5. The filling level transmitter as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the ultrasonic transceiver ( 5 ) is bonded to the ceramic substrate ( 3 ) in an elastic fashion.

6. The filling level transmitter as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the ultrasonic transceiver ( 5 ) is connected to the ceramic substrate ( 3 ) in an acoustically hard fashion.

7. The filling level transmitter as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the ultrasonic transceiver ( 5 ) is bonded to the ceramic substrate ( 3 ) in a rigid fashion.

8. The filling level transmitter as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the ultrasonic transceiver ( 5 ) is connected to the ceramic substrate ( 3 ) by sintering.

9. The filling level transmitter as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the housing ( 1 ) is arranged in the sound-conducting tube ( 8 ) via receptacles ( 11 ) of the the sound-conducting tube ( 8 ) in a damped fashion.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 31, 2020
From: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
To: VITESCO TECHNOLOGIES GMBH
Reel/Frame 053371/0846 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 1, 2014
From: KUEHNEL, FRANK; PFEIFFER, KARL-FRIEDRICH; ROTH, MANFRED
To: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
Reel/Frame 033224/0107 →