Patent ID: 8196465

Claim:
An apparatus for ascertaining and monitoring fill level of a medium in a container, comprising: at least one conductive first element; a coupling unit for coupling measurement signals onto and/or from said at least one conductive first element extending into the container; a first securement element provided in a coupling region of said coupling unit for securing the apparatus at the container; a control/evaluation unit for ascertaining fill level from the measurement signals, wherein said coupling unit includes a platform of a dielectric material, and at least one conductive second element is embedded in said platform, so that said conductive first element and said conductive second element are galvanically separated from one another in the coupling region of said platform, as well as being galvanically separated from the container; and a first coupling region located by said first securement element between an outer surface of said conductive second element and the container is so sized, that an electromagnetic coupling of the measurement signal is provided, combined with sufficient mechanical stability of said platform, wherein: said first coupling region for electromagnetic coupling is embodied in structure, form, coupling area and gap width in such a manner that an optimum transfer of the coupled measurement signal into the conductive first element from a coaxial conductor with a developed TEM-mode of the measurement signal in a first coupling region onto a single rod waveguide with a developed TM01-mode of the measurement signal in the measuring region is achieved.