Patent ID: 9557208
Date: 2017-01-31
CPC Classifications: F01K,G01F,G21C,Y02E

Claim:
1. A liquid level measuring apparatus comprising: ultrasonic sensors each configured to transmit and receive an ultrasonic wave, the ultrasonic sensors being respectively set at a plurality of positions on an outer surface of a container that stores at least one of a liquid or a gas; a transmission/reception controlling unit configured to set, as a target, any one of the ultrasonic sensors at the plurality of positions and control the transmission and reception of the ultrasonic wave of the target; an intensity detecting unit configured to detect an intensity of the ultrasonic wave that satisfies at least 2≦N (N: natural number), of the ultrasonic waves that are reflected N times on an inner surface of the container; a gas/liquid determining unit configured to determine which of the liquid and the gas a reflection point on the inner surface is in contact with, on a basis of the detected intensity of the ultrasonic wave; a level determining unit configured to determine a liquid level of the liquid on a basis of gas/liquid determination results respectively derived by the ultrasonic sensors at the plurality of positions; and a pulse train generating unit configured to generate the ultrasonic wave made of a plurality of pulse trains with a set number of continuous waves p, wherein the transmission/reception controlling unit is configured to cause each of the ultrasonic sensors to transmit the ultrasonic wave made of the pulse trains, and the gas/liquid determining unit is configured to calculate an average value of respective intensities of pulses having the number of continuous waves p.