Patent ID: 7201050
Filing Date: 2007-04-10
Classification: G01F

Abstract:
1. A device for determining the filling level of a filling material in a container, the material defining a surface in the container, comprising; a signal-generating unit for generating measuring signals; an input coupling unit adapted to receive the generated measuring signals; an antenna connected to said input coupling unit and having at least one first dielectric layer containing a feed structure on the side thereof facing away from the filling material, a conductive layer on the side thereof facing the filling material, and a plurality of cutouts in said conductive layer, with a number of said plurality of cutouts having different lengths, widths and shapes; and a receiving/evaluating circuit adapted to receive the generated measuring signals subsequent to being reflected from the surface defined by the filling material, wherein: said input coupling unit coupling the generated measuring signals onto the antenna, said antenna then emitting measuring signals in the direction of the surface defined by the filling material, in assembly with the container, said at least one dielectric layer is arranged so that said plurality of cutouts face the surface defined by the filling material and said feed structure face away from the surface defined by the filling material, the measured signals received by the receiving/evaluating circuit are used by said receiving/evaluating circuit to determine the filling level in the container of the filling material via the propagating time of the measure signals, and said cutouts are configured as rectangular slots the dimensions of which vary in the range from 0.8×a to 1.2×a or 0.8×b to 1.2×b, where a is the length and b is the width of a slot.