Miniature radar water level gauge
By designing a micro radar level gauge including a shell, a micro radar probe, a control component, a removable battery component and a support component, the problem of existing radar level gauge not being able to move flexibly and continuously observe is solved, and continuous water level monitoring is achieved when the river is dry or the mainstream swings.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202510355057.1
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-03-25
- Publication Date
- 2025-05-06
AI Technical Summary
The existing radar level gauge cannot achieve flexible movement due to its bulky structure and fixed installation, resulting in the inability to continuously observe the water level when the river is dry or the mainstream swings.
A micro radar water level gauge is designed, including a shell, a micro radar probe, a control component, a removable battery component and a support component. The shell is movably arranged on the support component, and the support component can stand upright in the target water area, so that the shell is located above the water surface, achieving flexible movement and long-term continuous observation.
Through the flexible movement and efficient data transmission of micro radar level gauge, water level observation can be continued when the river is dry or the mainstream swings, ensuring the completion of long-term and continuous monitoring tasks.
Smart Images
Figure CN119935279A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present application relates to the field of water level monitoring, and in particular to a miniature radar water level meter. Background Art
[0002] In today's era of automated water conservancy testing, radar water level meters are a widely used means of water level monitoring in hydrological testing. However, affected by the natural environment, the brackets of radar water level meters in natural rivers are often built at a safe distance on both sides of the river bank, and then the water level meter probes are suspended above the water surface through various bracket structures such as hangers or retractable hangers, so as to achieve safe observation. This fixed installation structure will cause some radar water level meter probes in some small and medium-sized rivers to not be able to stay above the water surface. If the river dries up or the mainstream swings, the water level meter will be out of the water surface and cannot be used. For example, some arid and semi-arid areas in the north experience drought in small and medium-sized rivers during the non-rainy season, and the mainstream of rivers swings during the rainy season due to geological reasons. In addition, the structure of existing radar water level meters is relatively bulky, and it is impossible to move or install them flexibly, which makes many water level meters unable to achieve year-round observation tasks. Summary of the invention
[0003] The purpose of this application is to provide a miniature radar water level meter that can be flexibly moved to complete long-term continuous observation tasks.
[0004] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides the following solutions:
[0005] The present application provides a miniature radar water level gauge, comprising a housing, a miniature radar probe, a control component, a detachable battery component and a support component;
[0006] The micro radar probe, the control component and the detachable battery component are arranged inside the shell in a bottom-up order; the shell is movably arranged on the support component; the support component is used to stand upright in the target water area, and the shell is located above the water surface of the target water area;
[0007] The micro radar probe is used to: monitor the water elevation data of the target water area;
[0008] The control component is used to: receive the water elevation data, calculate the water level data according to the water elevation data; and transmit the water level data to a remote server;
[0009] The detachable battery component is used to supply power to the miniature radar probe and the control component.
[0010] Optionally, the micro radar water level gauge further includes a micro radar probe protective cover;
[0011] The micro radar probe protective cover covers the shell, and the micro radar probe protective cover is used to protect the shell to prevent water vapor from affecting the monitoring of the micro radar probe.
[0012] Optionally, the supporting component is a water gauge; the shell is directly arranged on the water gauge; or the shell is arranged on the water gauge by means of a bracket clamp.
[0013] Optionally, the micro radar water level meter also includes a temperature and humidity sensor;
[0014] The temperature and humidity sensor is used to detect the temperature and humidity information of the environment in which the housing is located, and transmit the temperature and humidity information to the control component.
[0015] Optionally, the miniature radar probe is a miniature radar probe board prepared by a glue potting process, and the control component is a control board prepared by a glue potting process.
[0016] Optionally, the supporting component is a water gauge; the control component includes a main control unit and a 4G communication unit;
[0017] The main control unit is used to: control the micro radar probe to start monitoring or stop monitoring; receive the water elevation data and the temperature and humidity information; obtain the height data of the position of the shell on the water ruler; subtract the water elevation data from the height data to obtain the water level data;
[0018] The 4G communication unit is used to transmit the temperature and humidity information and the water level data to a remote server.
[0019] Optionally, the main control unit adopts an STM32L4 series chip; the 4G communication unit adopts an EC800K 4G chip; the main control unit and the 4G communication unit are connected via a serial port;
[0020] The temperature and humidity sensor adopts the digital temperature and humidity sensor SHT30.
[0021] Optionally, the control component further includes an AT24C04 memory chip and a TPS3823 voltage monitoring chip; the AT24C04 memory chip and the TPS3823 voltage monitoring chip are both electrically connected to the main control unit.
[0022] Optionally, the micro radar probe adopts a 60 GHz radar chip; the main control unit is electrically connected to the 60 GHz radar chip via an SPI interface.
[0023] Optionally, the detachable battery component includes an RT9078 low voltage dropout regulator chip.
[0024] According to the specific embodiments provided in the present application, the present application has the following technical effects: The present application provides a miniature radar water level meter, in which the miniature radar probe, control components and detachable battery components are arranged inside the shell in a bottom-up order, so as to obtain a complete structure that can realize data monitoring. The structure relies on the shell, and the shell is movably arranged on the support component, and can be flexibly moved in practical applications. In addition, when working, the support component stands upright in the target water area and makes the shell above the water surface of the target water area. Even if the river dries up or the mainstream swings, the observation task can be completed by moving the support component, and the final water level data is transmitted to the remote server through the control component. In summary, a flexibly movable structure for realizing data monitoring is set in the present application, and it is always above the water surface, so as to complete long-term continuous observation tasks. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.
[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of a micro radar water level meter in one embodiment of the present application;
[0027] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the main control unit.
[0028] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the AT24C04 memory chip.
[0029] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the TPS3823 voltage monitoring chip.
[0030] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the first connection of some ports of the STM32L4 series chips.
[0031] Figure 6 This is the second connection diagram of some ports of the STM32L4 series chips.
[0032] Figure 7 It is a first schematic diagram of a 4G communication unit.
[0033] Figure 8 is a second schematic diagram of a 4G communication unit.
[0034] Fig. 9 is a third schematic diagram of a 4G communication unit.
[0035] Fig.10This is a fourth schematic diagram of a 4G communication unit.
[0036] Fig.11 This is a schematic diagram of the digital temperature and humidity sensor SHT30.
[0037] Fig.12 This is a schematic diagram of the third connection of some ports of the STM32L4 series chips.
[0038] Fig.13 This is a schematic diagram of the RT9078 low voltage dropout regulator chip.
[0039] Fig.14 This is a schematic diagram of the fourth connection of some ports of the STM32L4 series chips.
[0040] Fig.15 This is a schematic diagram of the radar main control chip STM32L431CCU6.
[0041] Fig.16 This is a schematic diagram of the radar chip A111.
[0042] Fig.17 This is a structural diagram of the TXS0108 bidirectional automatic level conversion chip.
[0043] Fig.18 This is a schematic diagram of the LP5907 circuit.
[0044] Fig.19 This is a schematic diagram of the TPS22917DBVR chip.
[0045] Figure numerals: 1-shell, 2-mini radar probe, 3-control component, 4-detachable battery component, 5-support component, 6-mini radar probe protective cover. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0046] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.
[0047] In order to make the purpose, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the present application is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.
[0048] In an exemplary embodiment, Figure 1 As shown, a miniature radar water level meter is provided, including a shell 1, a miniature radar probe 2, a control component 3, a detachable battery component 4, a supporting component 5 and a miniature radar probe protective cover 6.
[0049] Among them, the miniature radar probe 2, the control component 3 and the detachable battery component 4 are arranged inside the shell 1 in order from bottom to top; the shell 1 is movably arranged on the supporting component 5; the supporting component 5 is used to stand upright in the target water area and make the shell 1 above the water surface of the target water area; the miniature radar probe protective cover 6 covers the shell 1.
[0050] The micro radar probe 2 is used to monitor the water elevation data of the target water area; the water elevation data refers to the distance between the micro radar probe 2 and the water surface, which can be measured based on the radar ranging principle. The micro radar probe 2 can use a 60GHz radar chip to provide water elevation data monitoring with an accuracy of 0.5cm within the range of 1.5 meters to 0.1 meters.
[0051] The control component 3 is used to: receive the water elevation data, calculate the water level data according to the water elevation data; and transmit the water level data to a remote server.
[0052] The detachable battery component 4 is used to power the micro radar probe 2 and the control component 3. The detachable battery component 4 is a low-power detachable battery in a cylindrical shape. The detachable battery component 4 enables the micro radar water level meter to measure and send water level data 60 times a day within 3 months. Since it is detachable, the staff can replace the battery regularly to achieve long-term and stable monitoring.
[0053] In an application example, the micro radar probe protection cover 6 is used to protect the shell 1 to prevent water vapor from affecting the monitoring of the micro radar probe 2, specifically to protect the data detected by the micro radar probe from being affected by high humidity water vapor in rain and rivers.
[0054] In an application example, the support component 5 is a water gauge, or other objects stuck in water; the following takes a water gauge as an example, and the same is also applicable to other objects stuck in water. The shell 1 is directly set on the water gauge; or, the shell 1 is set on the water gauge by means of a bracket clamp. When the latter setting method is selected, the shell 1 is fixed to the bracket, and the bracket is fixed to the water gauge by a clamp (a water gauge is a ruler with a scale, which can directly see the liquid level height when it is placed upright in the water).
[0055] In an application example, the housing 1 is divided into upper and lower front and back, the miniature radar probe 2 is arranged on the inner wall of the bottom groove of the housing 1, the housing 1 is arranged on a water gauge, and the groove is perpendicular to the water surface and aligned with the water surface for detection. In addition, the water gauge needs to be arranged at the edge of the river.
[0056] In an application example, the micro radar water level meter also includes a temperature and humidity sensor; the temperature and humidity sensor is used to detect the temperature and humidity information of the environment in which the shell 1 is located, and transmit the temperature and humidity information to the control component 3. In the control component 3, temperature and humidity sensing can be performed as needed to check whether the micro radar water level meter is soaked in water, thereby ensuring the safety of the device and stable use.
[0057] In an application example, the miniature radar probe 2 is a miniature radar probe board prepared by a glue-filling process, and the control component 3 is a control board prepared by a glue-filling process, which can be effectively waterproof.
[0058] In an application example, the control component 3 includes a main control unit and a 4G communication unit. The main control unit is used to: control the micro radar probe 2 to start monitoring or stop monitoring; receive the water elevation data and the temperature and humidity information; obtain the height data of the position of the shell on the water gauge; subtract the water elevation data from the height data to obtain the water level data. A subtractor can be set in the main control unit to obtain the water level data; a high level and a low level can be set to control the micro radar probe 2 to start monitoring or stop monitoring. The 4G communication unit is used to: transmit the temperature and humidity information and the water level data to a remote server.
[0059] In an application example, the main control unit adopts the STM32L4 series chip. The STM32L4 series has the characteristics of low power consumption and high performance. It is mainly responsible for obtaining the data, temperature and humidity information collected by the micro radar probe 2 and interacting with the remote server through 4G network data.
[0060] The 4G communication unit uses the EC800K4G chip, which has the characteristics of small size and low power consumption. It is dedicated to IoT devices and is mainly responsible for sending the received sensor information to the cloud or remote server, and can also receive control commands from the cloud or remote server. The main control unit is connected to the 4G communication unit through a serial port.
[0061] The temperature and humidity sensor adopts the digital temperature and humidity sensor SHT30.
[0062] In an application example, the control component also includes an AT24C04 memory chip and a TPS3823 voltage monitoring chip; the AT24C04 memory chip and the TPS3823 voltage monitoring chip are both electrically connected to the main control unit, the AT24C04 memory chip is used to store some configuration parameters to prevent loss during power failure, and the TPS3823 voltage monitoring chip is a watchdog chip to prevent the main control unit from being unable to operate normally due to software or hardware failure of the CPU.
[0063] In an application example, the detachable battery component includes an RT9078 low voltage dropout voltage regulator chip, which has the characteristics of low static power consumption, small voltage dropout, and low noise, and can convert the battery power 3V-4.2V to 2.8V to power other chips on the board.
[0064] In an application example, the 60GHz radar chip is a high-performance dedicated chip that integrates radar transmission, receiving circuits and antenna parts, with small size, low power consumption and high integration. The main control unit is electrically connected to the 60GHz radar chip through the SPI interface, thus completing the initialization, calibration, data acquisition, data preprocessing and radar signal processing of the radar chip to obtain the results. In addition, the interface level between the 60GHz radar chip and the main control unit is inconsistent, so a level conversion chip is added to convert the level.
[0065] like Figure 2 As shown, it is a schematic diagram of the main control unit, wherein the STM32L4 series chip is STM32L431CCU6, in which the ninth end is connected to the eighth end through capacitor C1 and grounded together, and the ninth end is also connected to resistor R1, and the other end of resistor R1 is connected to voltage VDD_2V8 and grounded via capacitor C2. The first end, the twenty-fourth end, the thirty-sixth end and the forty-eighth end are connected to obtain a first contact, the first contact is connected to voltage VDD_2V8, and capacitors C3, C4, C5, C6 and C7 are also connected in parallel between the first contact and the second contact. The second contact is respectively connected to the forty-ninth end, the twenty-third end, the thirty-fifth end and the forty-seventh end, and the second contact is also connected to the forty-fourth end via resistor R2. The seventh end is connected to voltage VDD_2V8 via resistor R3, and the seventh end is also grounded via capacitor C8, and the seventh end is also used as an NRST port. Resistors R4 and X322516MLB4SI chips are connected in parallel between the fifth end and the sixth end. After the first end of the X322516MLB4SI chip is connected to the fifth end, it is grounded together with the fourth end of the X322516MLB4SI chip through capacitor C8. After the third end of the X322516MLB4SI chip is connected to the sixth end, it is grounded together with the second end of the X322516MLB4SI chip through capacitor C10. The third end is connected to capacitor C11 and then grounded, and the fourth end is connected to capacitor C12 and then grounded, and an X2 SC-20S chip is set between the third end and the fourth end. Among them, the X322516MLB4SI chip is used as a crystal oscillator to provide an external clock for the main control unit.
[0066] like Figure 3As shown, it is a schematic diagram of the AT24C04 memory chip, wherein the sixth end of the AT24C04 memory chip is connected to the MCU_I2C1_SCL port of the STM32L4 series chip, and the fifth end of the AT24C04 memory chip is connected to the MCU_I2C1_SDA port of the STM32L4 series chip.
[0067] like Figure 4 , which is a schematic diagram of a TPS3823 voltage monitoring chip, specifically a TPS3823-25DBVR model. The fourth terminal of the TPS3823 voltage monitoring chip is connected to the MCU_WDI port of the STM32L4 series chip, and the first terminal of the TPS3823 voltage monitoring chip is connected to the NRST port of the STM32L4 series chip.
[0068] like Figure 5 As shown in the figure, the SWCLK port of the STM32L4 series chip is connected to the third end of the HDR254M-1X4 / NC connector seat via resistor R5, and the SWDIO port of the STM32L4 series chip is connected to the fourth end of the HDR254M-1X4 / NC connector seat via resistor R6. Among them, the HDR254M-1X4 / NC connector seat is used for external debugging of the emulator.
[0069] like Figure 6 As shown, the MCU_DEBUG_LED0 port of the STM32L4 series chip is connected to LED1 and resistor R10 in sequence and then grounded, and the MCU_DEBUG_LED1 port of the STM32L4 series chip is connected to LED2 and resistor R11 in sequence and then grounded.
[0070] like Figure 7 , Figure 8 , Fig. 9 , Fig.10As shown, it is a schematic diagram of a 4G communication unit, which involves an EC800K-CN chip and a TXS0102DCUR chip. The fifth terminal of the TXS0102DCUR chip is connected to the seventeenth terminal of the EC800K-CN chip, and the fourth terminal of the TXS0102DCUR chip is connected to the eighteenth terminal of the EC800K-CN chip; the eighth terminal of the TXS0102DCUR chip is connected to the MCU_UART1_TXD port of the STM32L4 series chip, and the first terminal of the TXS0102DCUR chip is connected to the MCU_UART1_RXD port of the STM32L4 series chip. The sixteenth terminal of the EC800K-CN chip is connected to the first terminal of the transistor Q5, the second terminal of the transistor Q5 is grounded, and the third terminal of the transistor Q5 is connected to LED4 and resistor R17 in sequence, and then connected to the voltage VCC_4G. The 35th terminal of the EC800K-CN chip is connected to the resistor R13 and then to the BWIPX-1-001E chip. One end of the resistor R13 is grounded via the capacitor C22, and the other end of the resistor R13 is grounded via the capacitor C23. Among them, the TXS0102DCUR chip plays the role of level conversion. The chip operating voltage of the main control unit is 2.8V, and the voltage of the IO port of the 4G module is 1.8V. The two do not match, so conversion is required.
[0071] like Fig.11 As shown, it is a schematic diagram of the digital temperature and humidity sensor SHT30. The first end of the SHT30 chip is connected to the MCU_I2C1_SDA port of the STM32L4 series chip, and the fourth end of the SHT30 chip is connected to the MCU_I2C1_SCL port of the STM32L4 series chip.
[0072] like Fig.12 As shown in the figure, the MCU_UART2_TXD port, MCU_UART2_RXD port, and MCU_RADAR_EN port of the STM32L4 series chip are respectively connected to the third end, the fourth end, and the fifth end of the 532610571 connector socket. Among them, the 532610571 connector socket is connected to the 60GHz radar chip at the bottom through a harness.
[0073] like Fig.13 As shown in the figure, it is a schematic diagram of the RT9078 low voltage dropout regulator chip. Fig.14As shown, the MCU_4G_PW_EN port of the STM32L4 series chip is connected to the first end of the transistor Q8, the second end of the transistor Q8 is grounded, the third end of the transistor Q8 is connected to the first end of the field effect transistor Q7 and one end of the resistor R27, the other end of the resistor R27 is connected to the voltage VCC_BAT, the second end of the field effect transistor Q7 is connected to the voltage VCC_BAT, and the third end of the field effect transistor Q7 is connected to the voltage VCC_4G. The voltage VCC_4G is connected to one end of the resistor R28, and the other end of the resistor R28 is respectively connected to one end of the resistor R29, one end of the capacitor C24 and the MCU_ADC_BAT port of the STM32L4 series chip, and the other end of the resistor R29 and the other end of the capacitor C24 are grounded.
[0074] In another application example, the micro radar sensor board mainly uses the radar main control chip + 60GHz radar chip to realize its function. Among them, the radar main control chip STM32L431CCU6, such as Fig.15 As shown, the M4 architecture is used to run radar control and signal processing algorithms internally; Fig.16 As shown in the figure, the radar chip A111 is a highly integrated RF chip with a built-in transceiver antenna. It integrates RF processing, intermediate frequency processing, ADC sampling, digital interface and other circuits, and is connected to the radar main control chip through the SPI interface. Since the radar chip is powered by 1.8V and the radar main control chip is powered by 3V, the two levels are inconsistent, so the TXS0108 bidirectional automatic level conversion chip is needed. The structure of the TXS0108 bidirectional automatic level conversion chip is as follows Fig.17 As shown. X1 DSB221SDN-24M is a temperature compensated crystal oscillator with high precision and small temperature drift, which can significantly improve the accuracy of radar chips. Fig.18 As shown in the figure, it is the LP5907 circuit. A single circuit can be set. The LP5907 circuit mainly provides power for the RF, analog, and digital parts of the radar chip. In particular, the RF and analog parts have high requirements for power supply noise and need high PSRR chips. The P2 connector provides an external control interface to set and obtain radar signal processing values through the serial port. Fig.19 The figure shows the TPS22917DBVR chip, which is a power switch chip. It controls the power on and off of the radar board through an external enable pin, thereby controlling the operation and stop of the radar sensor. After the TPS22917DBVR chip is disabled, the power consumption reaches the nA level, which is relatively low, which is conducive to the control of the whole machine's sleep power consumption and prolonging the battery life.
[0075] In summary, the present application can arbitrarily change the position of the miniature radar water level meter by tying the shell to the water gauge, thereby solving the problem that the radar water level meter probe is not above the water surface due to river drying up or mainstream swinging. The structural manufacturing cost of the present application is lower than that of the prior art, and even if the water level meter is destroyed by a flood, it will not cause significant losses.
[0076] The technical features of the above embodiments may be combined arbitrarily. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.
[0077] This article uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method and core ideas of this application. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, according to the ideas of this application, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as limiting this application.
Claims
1. A miniature radar water level gauge, characterized in that: The micro radar water level meter comprises a housing, a micro radar probe, a control component, a detachable battery component and a support component; The micro radar probe, the control component and the detachable battery component are arranged inside the shell in a bottom-up order; the shell is movably arranged on the support component; the support component is used to stand upright in the target water area, and the shell is located above the water surface of the target water area; The micro radar probe is used to: monitor the water elevation data of the target water area; The control component is used to: receive the water elevation data, calculate the water level data according to the water elevation data; and transmit the water level data to a remote server; The detachable battery component is used to supply power to the miniature radar probe and the control component.
2. The micro radar water level gauge according to claim 1, characterized in that: The micro radar water level meter also includes a micro radar probe protection cover; The micro radar probe protective cover covers the shell, and the micro radar probe protective cover is used to protect the shell to prevent water vapor from affecting the monitoring of the micro radar probe.
3. The micro radar water level gauge according to claim 1, characterized in that: The supporting component is a water gauge; the shell is directly arranged on the water gauge; or, the shell is arranged on the water gauge by means of a bracket clamp.
4. The micro radar water level gauge according to claim 1, characterized in that: The micro radar water level meter also includes a temperature and humidity sensor; The temperature and humidity sensor is used to detect the temperature and humidity information of the environment in which the housing is located, and transmit the temperature and humidity information to the control component.
5. The micro radar water level gauge according to claim 1, characterized in that: The miniature radar probe is a miniature radar probe board prepared by a glue-filling process, and the control component is a control board prepared by a glue-filling process.
6. The micro radar water level gauge according to claim 4, characterized in that: The supporting component is a water gauge; the control component includes a main control unit and a 4G communication unit; The main control unit is used to: control the micro radar probe to start monitoring or stop monitoring; receive the water elevation data and the temperature and humidity information; obtain the height data of the position of the shell on the water ruler; subtract the water elevation data from the height data to obtain the water level data; The 4G communication unit is used to transmit the temperature and humidity information and the water level data to a remote server.
7. The micro radar water level gauge according to claim 6, characterized in that: The main control unit adopts STM32L4 series chip; the 4G communication unit adopts EC800K4G chip; the main control unit and the 4G communication unit are connected through a serial port; The temperature and humidity sensor adopts the digital temperature and humidity sensor SHT30.
8. The micro radar water level gauge according to claim 7, characterized in that: The control component also includes an AT24C04 memory chip and a TPS3823 voltage monitoring chip; the AT24C04 memory chip and the TPS3823 voltage monitoring chip are both electrically connected to the main control unit.
9. The micro radar water level gauge according to claim 6, characterized in that: The micro radar probe adopts a 60 GHz radar chip; the main control unit is electrically connected to the 60 GHz radar chip via an SPI interface.
10. The micro radar water level gauge according to claim 1, characterized in that: The detachable battery component includes an RT9078 low voltage dropout voltage regulator chip.