Radar level meter

Abstract

The utility model discloses a radar level meter which comprises a shell, a circuit assembly, an antenna and a glass isolation piece. The glass isolation piece is installed in the shell and is isolated in the shell to form a first cavity and a second cavity, the circuit assembly is installed in the first cavity, and the antenna is installed in the second cavity and penetrates through the glass isolation piece to be connected with the circuit assembly. According to the radar level meter, single-cavity explosion suppression is achieved, namely, in the single cavity containing the circuit assembly and the antenna, the first cavity where the circuit assembly is located is isolated from the second cavity where the antenna is located by arranging the glass isolation piece, and the explosion-proof performance of the first cavity is guaranteed. And good performances such as high hardness, wear resistance and high temperature resistance of glass are utilized, so that heat isolation is realized while pressure impact resistance and explosion-proof isolation are realized, and the temperature heat in the space of the circuit assembly is relatively reduced. The glass separator can also play a role in insulation and isolation between the antenna and the housing, and ensures that the electromagnetic wave signal can be transmitted along the antenna without being reflected by the housing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the technical field of sensors, in particular to a radar level meter. Background Art

[0002] Radar level meters are designed based on the principle of time domain reflectometry (TDR). The electromagnetic pulses emitted by the pulse transmitter in the radar level meter propagate at the speed of light. When they encounter the surface of the measured medium, part of the electromagnetic pulse is reflected, forming an echo that returns to the pulse transmitter along the same path. The distance between the pulse transmitter and the surface of the measured medium is proportional to the propagation time of the pulse between them. The material level is calculated through calculation. This plays a very important role in industrial process monitoring.

[0003] Due to their superior performance, radar level meters are widely used in industrial automation, often deployed in high-pressure environments requiring explosion-proof functionality. To achieve this, existing products often employ a dual-chamber structure, increasing the volume of the chamber and thus increasing the size of the product. This, in turn, impacts the layout of on-site operating space and creates inconvenience during installation.

[0004] The information disclosed in this background technology section is only intended to increase the understanding of the overall background of the present invention, and should not be regarded as an admission or any form of suggestion that the information constitutes the prior art already known to those skilled in the art. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of the utility model is to provide a radar level meter with good explosion-proof performance.

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the technical solution provided by a specific embodiment of the present invention is as follows:

[0007] A radar level meter includes a housing, a circuit assembly, an antenna, and a glass spacer. The glass spacer is installed in the housing and isolates a first chamber and a second chamber from each other. The circuit assembly is installed in the first chamber. The antenna is installed in the second chamber and is connected to the circuit assembly through the glass spacer.

[0008] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the glass spacer is sealed and fixed to the antenna and the housing by sintering.

[0009] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the radar level meter further comprises a ceramic isolator installed in the second chamber and isolating the second chamber to form a first sub-chamber and a second sub-chamber, and the antenna extends from the first sub-chamber through the ceramic isolator into the second sub-chamber.

[0010] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, a first limiting portion and a second limiting portion for limiting the position of the glass spacer are provided in the housing, and the first limiting portion and the second limiting portion are respectively provided at two ends of the glass spacer.

[0011] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, a first gasket is provided between the glass spacer and the first limiting portion, and / or a second gasket is provided between the glass spacer and the second limiting portion.

[0012] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, a first guide hole for limiting the position of the antenna is formed on the first gasket, and / or a second guide hole for limiting the position of the antenna is formed on the second gasket.

[0013] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the antenna includes an antenna connector and an antenna body, the antenna body is installed in the second cavity, one end of the antenna connector is connected to the antenna, and the other end is connected to the circuit board through the glass isolation member, and the antenna connector is fixedly installed to the glass isolation member.

[0014] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, a heat dissipation structure is provided outside the housing.

[0015] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the radar level meter further includes an explosion-proof cable gland installed on the housing and connected to the circuit assembly, wherein the explosion-proof cable gland is used to connect to an external device.

[0016] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, an insulating sealing layer is provided between at least a portion of the antenna and the housing.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the radar level meter of the present invention achieves single-chamber explosion isolation. That is, within a single chamber that houses the circuit assembly and antenna, a glass separator is provided to isolate the first chamber where the circuit assembly is located from the second chamber where the antenna is located, thereby ensuring the explosion-proof performance of the first chamber. At the same time, by providing a ceramic separator, the second chamber where the antenna is located is further isolated into a first sub-chamber and a second sub-chamber, thereby achieving multi-layer isolation and explosion protection. Furthermore, by utilizing the excellent properties of both glass and ceramic, such as high hardness, wear resistance and high temperature resistance, good electrical insulation and chemical stability, as well as their low thermal conductivity, it is possible to achieve pressure shock-resistant explosion-proof isolation while isolating heat, thereby relatively reducing the temperature and heat within the circuit assembly space.

[0018] The glass spacer and the ceramic spacer can also play a role of insulating isolation between the antenna and the shell, ensuring that the electromagnetic wave signal can be transmitted along the antenna without being reflected by the shell.

[0019] By sintering the glass spacer and the antenna, they are tightly combined to ensure airtightness between the two. By providing the first gasket, the second gasket and the insulating sealing layer, the sealing between the various chambers inside the level meter and the insulation between the antenna and the shell are further improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0021] Figure 1 It is a cross-sectional view of a radar level meter in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2 This is a partially enlarged view of a radar level meter in one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of the present invention, the following will be combined with the drawings of the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0024] The terms "coupled," "connected," or "connected" in this specification encompass both direct and indirect connections. An indirect connection is a connection made through an intermediate medium, such as an electrically conductive medium, which may have parasitic inductance or capacitance. An indirect connection may also include a connection through other active or passive devices, such as switches, follower circuits, or other circuits or components, to achieve the same or similar functional objectives. Furthermore, in this specification, terms such as "first" and "second" are primarily used to distinguish one technical feature from another and do not necessarily require or imply a specific relationship, quantity, or order between these technical features.

[0025] In the detailed description of the specification, reference is made to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, wherein like reference numerals designate like parts throughout, and wherein exemplary embodiments that may be implemented are shown by way of example. It should be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the following detailed description should not be construed in a limiting sense.

[0026] The various operations in the specification may be described as multiple discrete actions or operations in a manner that is most helpful in understanding the claimed subject matter. However, the order of description should not be interpreted as implying that these operations must be sequentially related. Specifically, these operations may not be performed in the order presented. The described operations may be performed in an order different from the described embodiments. Various additional operations may be performed and / or the described operations may be omitted in additional embodiments.

[0027] For the purposes of this disclosure, the phrase "A and / or B" means (A), (B), or (A and B). For the purposes of this disclosure, the phrase "A, B and / or C" means (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B and C).

[0028] Various components and devices may be referred to or shown herein in the singular, but this is merely for ease of discussion, and any element referred to in the singular may include a plurality of such elements in accordance with the teachings herein.

[0029] The specification uses the phrases "in one embodiment," "in other embodiments," or "in some embodiments," which can each refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments. In addition, the terms "including," "comprising," "having," etc. used with respect to the embodiments of the present disclosure are synonymous.

[0030] like Figure 1 As shown, the radar level meter in one embodiment of the present invention includes a housing 10 , a circuit assembly 20 , an antenna 30 , a glass spacer 40 , a ceramic spacer 50 and an explosion-proof cable gland 60 .

[0031] Glass spacer 40 is installed within housing 10, isolating the housing 10 to form a first chamber 71 and a second chamber 72. Circuit assembly 20 is installed within first chamber 71, and antenna 30 is installed within second chamber 72 and connected to circuit assembly 20 through glass spacer 40. An explosion-proof cable gland 60 is installed on housing 10 and connected to circuit assembly 20. This cable gland 60 is used to connect external devices.

[0032] The ceramic isolator 50 is installed in the second chamber 72 and isolates the second chamber 72 to form a first sub-chamber 721 and a second sub-chamber 722 . The antenna 30 extends from the first sub-chamber 721 through the ceramic isolator 50 to the second sub-chamber 722 .

[0033] In one embodiment, the first sub-chamber 721 is close to the first chamber 71 , and the second sub-chamber 722 is far away from the first chamber 71 .

[0034] In one embodiment, the circuit assembly 20 is configured to generate a high-frequency pulse signal. The antenna 30, at the end remote from the circuit assembly 20, transmits the pulse signal to the outside world and receives an echo signal reflected from the external medium. The antenna 30 then transmits the echo signal back to the circuit assembly 20. The circuit assembly 20 calculates the material level by calculating the time difference between the pulse signal and the echo signal. Those skilled in the art may design improvements not specifically addressed by this solution, such as the specific circuitry within the circuit assembly 20 and the signal transmission and reception functionality of the antenna 30, using existing technologies.

[0035] In one embodiment, the housing 10 includes a first sub-housing 11, a second sub-housing 12, and a third sub-housing 13, which are fixedly installed in sequence. A glass spacer 40 is fixedly installed inside the second sub-housing 12. By installing the three sub-housings 10 together, the glass spacer 40 isolates the inner cavity of the first sub-housing 11 from the inner cavity of the third sub-housing 13, forming a first chamber 71 in the inner cavity of the first sub-housing 11 and a second chamber 72 in the inner cavity of the third sub-housing 13.

[0036] The circuit assembly 20 is disposed in the first sub-housing 11 , the explosion-proof cable gland 60 is mounted on the first sub-housing 11 , and the antenna 30 is mounted in the third sub-housing 13 .

[0037] The first sub-housing 11 , the second sub-housing 12 and the third sub-housing 13 are provided with threaded explosion-proof joint surfaces, that is, explosion-proof threaded connections are adopted to improve the overall explosion-proof performance.

[0038] In other embodiments, the shell 10 may also be an integral structure, or adopt other splitting methods (for example, the first sub-shell 11 and the second sub-shell 12 are regarded as a complete sub-shell 10, or the third sub-shell 13 is split into two mutually installed sub-shells 10, etc.), and the installation of the circuit component 20, antenna 30, glass isolation member 40, ceramic isolation member 50 and explosion-proof gland 60 and each sub-shell 10 are adaptively adjusted.

[0039] Preferably, the glass spacer 40 is sealed and fixed to the antenna 30 and the second sub-housing 12 by sintering. The sintered glass spacer 40 can achieve good sealing between the antenna 30 and the second sub-housing 12, thereby ensuring airtight isolation between the first chamber 71 and the second chamber 72, and solving the problem of circuit failure caused by insufficient airtightness of the circuit assembly 20.

[0040] In one embodiment, the antenna 30 includes an antenna connector 31 and an antenna body 32. The antenna body 32 is installed in the second chamber 72 (i.e., the third sub-shell 13). One end of the antenna connector 31 is connected to the antenna 30, and the other end is connected to the circuit board through the glass isolation member 40. The antenna connector 31 is fixedly installed to the glass isolation member 40.

[0041] By designing the antenna connector 31 and the antenna body 32 separately, the antenna connector 31 , the second sub-shell 12 and the glass spacer 40 can be conveniently sintered as an independent whole, and subsequent installation and connection work is facilitated.

[0042] In other embodiments, the antenna body 32 can also be split into two parts, wherein the upper part of the antenna body 32 is disposed in the first sub-cavity 721, and the lower part of the antenna body 32 is disposed in the second sub-cavity 722. The two parts extend into the interior of the ceramic spacer 50 and are fixedly connected to each other, which can facilitate the assembly of the antenna body and the ceramic spacer 50. Of course, the antenna 30 can also be a one-piece structure.

[0043] like Figure 1 As shown, a heat dissipation structure 131 is provided outside the housing 10 .

[0044] In one embodiment, the heat dissipation structure 131 is disposed on the outside of the third sub-housing 13. The heat dissipation structure 131 may include a plurality of heat dissipation fins arranged on the outer surface of the third sub-housing 13. The heat dissipation fins are integrally formed with the third sub-housing 13 to reduce unnecessary welding and thread sealing, thereby avoiding compromising the sealing and pressure resistance of the radar level meter. In other embodiments, the heat dissipation structure 131 may be disposed elsewhere in the housing 10, using other heat dissipation structures 131, or may not be disposed.

[0045] like Figure 1 As shown, an insulating sealing layer 80 is provided between at least a portion of the antenna 30 and the housing 10 .

[0046] In one embodiment, an insulating sealing layer 80 is provided between the antenna body 32 located within the first sub-chamber 721 and the housing 10. The insulating sealing layer 80 is preferably made of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), which has excellent high and low temperature resistance and stability. The provision of the insulating sealing layer 80 ensures that electromagnetic wave signals can be transmitted along the antenna 30 without being reflected by the outer housing 10. In other embodiments, an insulating sealing layer 80 may also be provided between the antenna 30 located within the second sub-chamber 722 and the housing 10.

[0047] Figure 2 Shown Figure 1 A partial enlarged view of area A in the middle. Figure 2 As shown, a first limiting portion 111 and a second limiting portion 131 for limiting the glass spacer 40 are provided in the housing 10 . The first limiting portion 111 and the second limiting portion 131 are respectively provided at two ends of the glass spacer 40 .

[0048] Specifically, the first limiting portion 111 is provided on the first sub-housing 11 and located at the connection between the first sub-housing 11 and the second sub-housing 12 . The second limiting portion 131 is provided on the third sub-housing 13 and located at the connection between the third sub-housing 13 and the second sub-housing 12 .

[0049] A first gasket 112 is disposed between the glass spacer 40 and the first limiting portion 111 , and a second gasket 132 is disposed between the glass spacer 40 and the second limiting portion 131 .

[0050] The first gasket 112 is provided with a first guide hole for limiting the position of the antenna 30 (ie, the antenna connector 31 ).

[0051] The first gasket 112 and the second gasket 132 are preferably made of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), which has good stability and temperature resistance and can play the role of buffering, sealing, and heat insulation.

[0052] In one embodiment, a protruding structure 311 for connecting to the circuit component 20 is provided at one end of the antenna connector 31. The first guide hole provided on the first gasket 112 can guide and limit the protruding structure 311, ensuring that the protruding structure 311 is accurately positioned and can be accurately connected to the circuit component 20.

[0053] In other embodiments, the second gasket 132 may also be provided with a second guide hole for limiting the position of the antenna connector 31, so that the other end of the antenna connector 31 is accurately connected to the antenna body 32. The first gasket 112 and the second gasket 132 may also be provided with a guide hole for limiting the position.

[0054] It is understandable that in other embodiments, the ceramic isolator 50 and / or the explosion-proof cable gland 60 may not be provided.

[0055] The radar level meter of the present invention realizes single-chamber explosion-proofing. That is, in a single chamber containing the circuit assembly 20 and the antenna 30, a glass spacer 40 is provided to isolate the first chamber 71 where the circuit assembly 20 is located from the second chamber 72 where the antenna 30 is located, thereby ensuring the explosion-proof performance of the first chamber 71. At the same time, by providing a ceramic spacer 50, the second chamber 72 where the antenna 30 is located is further isolated into a first sub-chamber 721 and a second sub-chamber 722, thereby realizing multi-layer isolation and explosion-proofing. Furthermore, by utilizing the excellent properties of glass and ceramics, such as high hardness, wear resistance and high temperature resistance, good electrical insulation and chemical stability, as well as their low thermal conductivity, it is possible to achieve pressure shock-resistant explosion-proof isolation while isolating heat, thereby relatively reducing the temperature and heat in the space of the circuit assembly 20.

[0056] The glass spacer 40 and the ceramic spacer 50 can also serve as an insulating isolation between the antenna 30 and the housing, ensuring that the electromagnetic wave signal can be transmitted along the antenna 30 without being reflected by the housing 10 .

[0057] By sintering the glass spacer 40 and the antenna 30, they are tightly bonded to ensure airtightness between the two. By providing the first gasket 112, the second gasket 132 and the insulating sealing layer 80, the sealing between the various chambers inside the level meter and the insulation between the antenna 30 and the shell 10 are further improved.

[0058] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above and that the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered in all respects as illustrative and non-restrictive, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims, not the foregoing description, and all variations within the meaning and range of equivalents of the claims are intended to be encompassed within the present invention. Any reference sign in a claim should not be construed as limiting the claim to which it relates.

[0059] In addition, it should be understood that although this specification is described in terms of implementation methods, not every implementation method contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative method of the specification is only for the sake of clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole. The technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other implementation methods that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A radar level meter, characterized in that: It includes a shell, a circuit component, an antenna and a glass isolation member. The glass isolation member is installed in the shell and isolates the shell to form a first cavity and a second cavity. The circuit component is installed in the first cavity. The antenna is installed in the second cavity and is connected to the circuit component through the glass isolation member.

2. The radar level meter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The glass spacer is sealed and fixed to the antenna and the housing by sintering.

3. The radar level meter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The radar level gauge further includes a ceramic isolator installed in the second chamber and isolating the second chamber to form a first sub-chamber and a second sub-chamber. The antenna extends from the first sub-chamber through the ceramic isolator into the second sub-chamber.

4. The radar level meter according to claim 1, characterized in that: A first limiting portion and a second limiting portion for limiting the position of the glass spacer are provided in the housing. The first limiting portion and the second limiting portion are respectively provided at two ends of the glass spacer.

5. The radar level meter according to claim 4, characterized in that: A first gasket is provided between the glass spacer and the first limiting portion, and / or a second gasket is provided between the glass spacer and the second limiting portion.

6. The radar level meter according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first gasket is provided with a first guide hole for limiting the position of the antenna, and / or the second gasket is provided with a second guide hole for limiting the position of the antenna.

7. The radar level meter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The antenna includes an antenna connector and an antenna body. The antenna body is installed in the second cavity. One end of the antenna connector is connected to the antenna, and the other end is connected to the circuit board through the glass isolation member. The antenna connector is fixedly installed on the glass isolation member.

8. The radar level meter according to claim 1, characterized in that: A heat dissipation structure is arranged outside the shell.

9. The radar level meter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The radar level meter further includes an explosion-proof cable gland installed on the housing and connected to the circuit assembly, wherein the explosion-proof cable gland is used for connecting to external equipment.

10. The radar level meter according to claim 1, characterized in that: An insulating sealing layer is provided between at least part of the antenna and the housing.

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