US-12624981-B2 - Apparatus for handling and/or measuring a liquid contained in a container and an empty level indicator system for detecting a corresponding empty level

US12624981B2US 12624981 B2US12624981 B2US 12624981B2US-12624981-B2

Abstract

An apparatus ( 14 ) for handling and/or measuring a liquid contained in a container ( 10 ) includes an elongate component ( 18 ) having a free end ( 20 ) and being insertable through a container opening ( 12 ) of the container ( 10 ) into the interior ( 22 ) of the container ( 10 ) with said free end ( 20 ) first and at least a part of an empty level indicator system ( 28, 30, 32 ) at the free end ( 20 ) of the elongate component ( 18 ). A transponder ( 28 ) for an RF-detection system ( 28, 30 ) of the empty level indicator system ( 28, 30, 32 ) is included for detecting an empty level of a liquid in at least one container ( 10 ).

Inventors

Thomas Fassbender

Assignees

ECOLAB USA INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20210908
Priority Date: 20200909

Claims (12)

1 . An apparatus for handling and/or measuring a liquid contained in a container, the apparatus comprising: an elongate component having a free end and being insertable through a container opening of the container into an interior of the container with said free end first; and at least a part of an empty level indicator system at the free end of the elongate component, wherein said part comprises at least one RFID tag for an RF-detection system of the empty level indicator system, wherein the elongate component comprises a suction lance for emptying the container via the container opening, the suction lance defining a central longitudinal axis extending through the free end, and wherein the at least one RFID tag is arranged in a suction area of the suction lance on a sieve at the free end of the suction lance such that the RFID tag intersects the central longitudinal axis and is arranged to be wetted by liquid when liquid is contained in the container.
2 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one RFID tag is covered by a chemical resistant cover.
3 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a corresponding reader of the RF-detection system.
4 . The apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising an evaluation unit for detecting the presence of an empty level from a signal of the RF detection system.
5 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein an antenna of the reader is mounted on the elongated component opposite the at least one RFID tag.
6 . The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the reader comprises an additional antenna for signal coupling of the reader to one or more additional RFID tags.
7 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one RFID tag comprises a longer surface and a shorter surface that is normal to the longer surface, and wherein the shorter surface is arranged parallel to the central longitudinal axis and the longer surface is arranged at the sieve normal to the central longitudinal axis.
8 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a corresponding reader of the RF-detection system, and wherein the reader is configured to detect an empty level of the container by detecting an increase in attenuation of a signal from the RFID tag.
9 . An empty level indicator system for detecting an empty level of a liquid in at least one container, the empty level indicator system comprising: an elongate component having a free end and being insertable through a container opening of the container into an interior of the container; at least one RFID tag at the free end of the elongate component, wherein the at least one RFID tag is part of an RF-detection system; and an evaluation unit for detecting the presence of an empty level from a signal of the RF detection system, wherein the empty level indicator system comprises a reader corresponding to the at least one RFID tag, wherein the elongate component comprises a suction lance for emptying the container via the container opening, the suction lance defining a central longitudinal axis extending through the free end, and wherein the at least one RFID tag is arranged in a suction area of the suction lance on a sieve at the free end of the suction lance such that the RFID tag intersects the central longitudinal axis and is arranged to be wetted by liquid when liquid is contained in the container.
10 . The empty level indicator system according to claim 9 , wherein the reader is arranged to work together with transponders attached to the container.
11 . The empty level indicator system according to claim 9 , wherein the empty level indicator system is configured to read out via the reader an empty level from the at least one RFID tag.
12 . The empty level indicator system according to claim 9 , wherein the evaluation unit is arranged to emit an alarm signal for a user when the empty level is reached and/or to emit a pre-alarm signal for the user when a defined higher liquid level than the empty level is reached.

Description

This application is a 35 U.S.C. 371 national phase filing from International Application No. PCT/EP2021/074679, filed Sep. 8, 2021, which claims priority to European Patent Application No. 20195337.9, filed Sep. 9, 2020. The entire contents of both of these applications are incorporated herein by reference. FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to an apparatus for handling and/or measuring a liquid contained in a container, the apparatus comprising (i) an elongate component having a free end and being insertable through a container opening of the container into the interior of the container with said free end first and (ii) at least a part of an empty level indicator system at the free end of the elongate component. The invention further relates to an empty level indicator system for detecting an empty level of a liquid in at least one container, the empty level indicator system comprising an RF-detection system and an evaluation unit for detecting the presence of an empty level from the signal of the RF detection system, wherein the empty level indicator system comprises a reader corresponding to the respective transponder of the at least one container. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The above mentioned apparatus is e.g. known as suction lance with empty level indicator system based on a float system (empty alarm floater). As a rule, an existing apparatus such as a suction lance of this type is used on site time and again for changing containers like a canister with a canister opening. Therefore, the connection of the empty level indicator system with the apparatus has the advantage that not all containers have to be equipped with respective components of the empty level indicator system. On the other hand, with a float system, a residual amount of liquid always remains in the container when the empty level indicator system indicates the empty level. The difference Δ between the indicated empty level and the actual empty level can be 20 mm to 40 mm. Document U.S. Pat. No. 7,113,125 B2 describes a level indicator system for detecting among other levels an empty level of a liquid in a container, the level indicator system comprising an RF-detection system and an evaluation unit for detecting the presence of an empty level from the signal of the RF detection system, wherein the level indicator system comprises a reader corresponding to a respective series of a plurality of transponders, which are arranged at different heights of the container. In this level indicator system RFID tags are used as the transponders and an RFID reader as the corresponding reader. In this context it should be noted that the term “transponder” is a portmanteau for transmitter-responder. According to the web page of dictionary.com, LLC a transponder is “a radio, radar, or sonar transceiver that automatically transmits a signal upon reception of a designated incoming signal.” Main application of such a transponder is to identify and track an object carrying the transponder automatically—preferably in form of one or more RFID tags. When triggered by a signal, e.g. an electromagnetic interrogation pulse, from the nearby reader, the RFID tag transmits a response signal, usually digital data including an identifying number, back to the reader. The RF detection system described in document U.S. Pat. No. 7,113,125 B2 exploits for liquid level detection in addition that the attenuation of the signal by a liquid is much bigger than in pure air/atmosphere. For applications with an apparatus such as a suction lance, however, often only an empty level indicator is required. Therefore, the object underlying the present invention is to indicate measures for providing an apparatus for handling and/or measuring a liquid contained in a container with at least part of an empty level indicator for precise determination of the empty level. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This object is achieved by the invention as defined by the independent claims 1 and 9. The dependent claims detail advantageous embodiments of the invention. Thus, the object is solved by an apparatus for handling and/or measuring a liquid contained in a container, the apparatus comprising: (i) an elongate component having a free end and being insertable through a container opening of the container into the interior of the container with said free end first and (ii) at least a part of an empty level indicator system at the free end of the elongate component, wherein said part is a transponder for an RF-detection system of the empty level indicator system. Such an RF-detection system usually also comprises a corresponding reader (in addition to this transponder). In the present case of empty level identification the measuring principle is quite simple: as soon as the transponder is no longer wetted with liquid, the signal changes quite strongly at the reader due to the missing damping of the liquid. This change in signal can be detected and indicates an empty level. In the context of the i