Patent ID: 8332182

Claim:
A fill-level measuring device for measuring the fill level of a filling material in a container, comprising: a receiver receiving a receiving signal reflected by the filling material surface; and a computing unit determining information about the topography of the filling material surface as a function of a shape of the receiving signal; wherein the computing unit determines on the basis of the shape of an echo if there is a charge cone, a discharge funnel or an irregular surface of the filling material, wherein the measuring device is configured for deriving a form factor from the shape of the echo, and wherein a determination from the form factor of a distance value s, which represents the fill volume, from the sensor to the filling material surface, is performed, wherein the decision as to whether a discharge funnel or a charge cone is present is derived from the shape of the echo by a comparison of the position of a maximum within the echo with the position of the echo beginning A and the position of the echo end E, wherein, if the maximum is close to the left side of the echo, the computing unit decides that there is a charge cone, and wherein, if the maximum is close to the right side of the echo, the computing unit decides that there is a discharge funnel.