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CN-122029406-A - Filling level measuring device

CN122029406ACN 122029406 ACN122029406 ACN 122029406ACN-122029406-A

Abstract

The invention relates to a radar-based filling level measuring device (1), which is distinguished by a transmitting/receiving device (11) according to the invention. By means of this, the radar signal (S HF1,2,3 ) can be transmitted in at least two frequency bands which are clearly delimited from one another and, after reflection, can be received as a corresponding received signal (R HF1,2,3 ). To this end, the transmitting/receiving device (11) comprises a base plate (111), at least two high-frequency units (1122) which are designed to generate radar signals (S HF1,2 ) of two frequency bands and to process corresponding received signals (R HF1,2 ), a central transmitting/receiving structure (112) by means of which the radar signals (S HF1 ) can be transmitted from a first side (1111) of the base plate (111) in the first frequency band and the corresponding received signals (R HF1 ) are receivable, and a plurality of further transmitting/receiving structures (113) which are arranged symmetrically on the first side (1111) around the central transmitting/receiving structure (112) in order to transmit radar signals (S HF2 ) of the second frequency band and to receive the corresponding received signals (R HF2 ). The advantage of this is a compact design of the filling level measuring device (1), which combines a high transmission efficiency in all frequency bands.

Inventors

  • THOMAS GALLER
  • Philip Hughler
  • Christian Valdeschmidt
  • Nico Lize

Assignees

  • 恩德斯豪斯欧洲两合公司

Dates

Publication Date
20260512
Application Date
20240919
Priority Date
20231023

Claims (14)

  1. 1. A transmitting/receiving device (11) for a radar-based filling level measuring device (1), by means of which transmitting/receiving device (11) radar signals (S HF1,2,3 ) can be transmitted in at least two different frequency bands and received as corresponding received signals (R HF1,2,3 ) after reflection, the transmitting/receiving device (11) comprising: A substrate (111), -A first high frequency unit (1122), said first high frequency unit (1122) being designed to generate a radar signal (S HF1 ) in a first frequency band and to process a corresponding received signal (R HF1 ), A second high-frequency unit designed to generate a radar signal in a second frequency band (S HF2 ) and to process a corresponding received signal (R HF2 ), -A first transmitting/receiving structure (112), by means of which first transmitting/receiving structure (112) a radar signal (S HF1 ) can be transmitted from a first side (1111) of the substrate (111) in the first frequency band and a corresponding received signal (R HF1 ) can be received, and -A plurality of second transmit/receive structures (113), the plurality of second transmit/receive structures (113) being arranged symmetrically on the first face (1111) around the first transmit/receive structure (112) for transmitting radar signals (S HF2 ) of the second frequency band and receiving corresponding receive signals (R HF2 ).
  2. 2. The transmitting/receiving apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: -a focusing radar lens, which is arranged in particular in front of the first face (1111) of the circuit board (11) such that the beam angle of the radar signal (S HF2 , 3 ) lying in the lowest frequency band completely covers the radar lens.
  3. 3. The transmitting/receiving device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the high-frequency unit (1122) is designed such that the second frequency band is lower than the first frequency band by a factor of, in particular, at least 1.5.
  4. 4. The transmission/reception apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of second transmission/reception structures (113) provided opposite to each other with respect to the first transmission/reception structure (112) has a space therebetween corresponding to a wavelength ± corresponding to the second frequency band ) Corresponding to half of or an integer multiple of that.
  5. 5. The transmitting/receiving device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first transmitting/receiving structure (112) is realized as a first end region of a through hole (1121), the through hole (1121) coming from the second side (1112) of the substrate (111).
  6. 6. The transmission/reception apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first high-frequency unit (1122) is disposed on the second face (1112) and is connected to the through-hole (1121).
  7. 7. The transmission/reception apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the first high-frequency unit (1122) is designed as a flip-chip semiconductor component or a solderable module.
  8. 8. The transmitting/receiving device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second high frequency unit is arranged on the first face (1111) of the circuit board (111).
  9. 9. The transmission/reception apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising: -a third high frequency unit for generating a radar signal (S HF3 ) and processing a corresponding received signal (R HF3 ) in a third frequency band (f 3 ), wherein the third frequency band is lower than the second frequency band, and -A plurality of third transmit/receive structures (114) arranged symmetrically on the first face (1111) around the first transmit/receive structure (112) for transmitting and receiving the radar signal (S HF3 ) in the third frequency band (f 3 ).
  10. 10. The transmitting/receiving device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the second transmitting/receiving structure (113) and/or the third transmitting/receiving structure (114) are designed as a planar antenna or as a hollow conductor antenna.
  11. 11. The transmitting/receiving device according to any of the preceding claims, comprising: -four second transmit/receive structures (113), the four second transmit/receive structures (113) being arranged point-symmetrically around the first transmit/receive structure (112), and/or -Two third transmit/receive structures (113), the two third transmit/receive structures (113) being arranged axisymmetrically around the first transmit/receive structure (112).
  12. 12. The transmitting/receiving device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first transmitting/receiving structure (112) is designed to transmit radar signals (S HF1 ) in the first frequency band with a polarization that is different from the polarization of radar signals (S HF2 ) transmitted in the second frequency band.
  13. 13. A filling level measuring device for determining a filling level (L) of a filling substance (2), comprising: -a transmitting/receiving device (11) according to any of the preceding claims, by means of which transmitting/receiving device (11) a radar signal (S HF1,2,3 ) can be transmitted to a filling substance (2) and a corresponding received signal (R HF1,2,3 ) is received after reflection of the radar signal from the filling substance surface, and -An evaluation unit determining the filling level (L) based on the received signal (R HF1,2,3 ) of at least one of the frequency bands.
  14. 14. Filling level measuring device according to claim 13, capable of transmitting and receiving the radar signal simultaneously or cyclically alternating in at least two different frequency bands (S HF1,2,3 ).

Description

Filling level measuring device Technical Field The invention relates to a radar-based filling level measuring device, which is suitable for a wide variety of application fields. Background In process automation technology, field devices are used to record relevant process parameters. For the purpose of recording the process parameters of interest, suitable measurement principles are implemented in field devices. Examples of process parameters include fill level, flow, pressure, temperature, pH, redox potential, and conductivity. A wide variety of field device types are manufactured and sold by the endangers group (endress+hauser). For filling level measurement of filling substances in containers, non-contact measurement methods are practical to verify as they are robust and require low maintenance. Another advantage of non-contact measuring methods is that they are able to measure the filling level almost continuously. Therefore, in the field of continuous filling level measurement, radar-based measurement methods are mainly used. In such a case, the term "radar" in the context of the present invention refers to a signal having a frequency between 0.1 GHz and 300 GHz, and thus is an electromagnetic wave. In principle, the higher the frequency, the higher the measurement resolution. Established as measurement methods are pulse propagation time methods and FMCW ("frequency modulated continuous wave") methods. Further details regarding radar-based filling level measurements are described, for example, in "RADAR LEVEL Detection (radar level monitoring), PETER DEVINE, 2000". Typical frequency bands that allow for radar-based filling level measurements are located at 26GHz, 60GHz, 80GHz and 120GHz, and 180GHz and 240GHz are also increasingly being used. In such cases, a higher frequency band is advantageous for many application areas, because for a given antenna size a higher beam focus is obtained and in general more bandwidth is available, which can be used for a larger resolution. One example of an application area is a refining tank, in which case a highly accurate filling level measurement can be obtained. However, radar signals with higher frequencies or higher frequency bands are known to have certain disadvantages, which in certain fields may lead to degradation or even failure of the measured value of the filling level. These disadvantages mainly result from the interaction of radar measurements with the filling material to be measured, the gas environment on the filling material, and partly from the container form, the environment and the installation conditions and regulatory regulations. The filling level measurement in a grain silo represents an area of application, in which case a broad beam cone, i.e. a low frequency band, is advantageous, in that the grainy nature of the filling substance can lead to a strong diffuse reflection of the radar signal, so that in the case of a narrow beam cone, i.e. a high frequency band, the reflected reception signal can be diverted considerably from the vertical direction, so that it is not even received by the antenna arrangement of the filling level measuring device. In order to be able to use the advantages of frequencies, for example, in different frequency bands, WO 2023099269 A1 describes a filling level measuring device which, depending on the circumstances, for example, can determine the filling level in a plurality of frequency bands, which in each case are clearly delimited, i.e. clearly distinguished from one another. However, in such a case, the problem is to transmit and receive radar signals in different frequency bands using the same antenna, since the antenna is optimized for a specific frequency. In the case of broadband designs of antennas, all frequency bands suffer from their own trade-offs. The use of multiple antennas in the transmitting/receiving device in turn leads to an increased space consumption in the filling level measuring device. Disclosure of Invention It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a radar-based filling level measuring device serving a plurality of frequency bands and overcoming the above-mentioned drawbacks. The invention achieves this object with a transmitting/receiving device for a radar-based filling level measuring device, by means of which arrangement radar signals can be transmitted in at least two different frequency bands and can be received as corresponding received signals after reflection. In such a case, the transmitting/receiving apparatus of the present invention includes: a substrate, such as a circuit board substrate or a glass substrate, or an interposer (interposer), A first high-frequency unit designed to generate a radar signal in a first frequency band and process a corresponding reception signal; a second high frequency unit designed to generate a radar signal in a second frequency band and process a corresponding received signal; a first transmitting/receiving structure by mea