Radar instrument for measuring the level and volume of fluent materials

Abstract

The invention relates to measuring the fill level of fluent materials in containers and modelling the surface relief of a material to determine the volume of a fluent material. A radar instrument for measuring the level and volume of fluent materials in a container comprises: a housing having means for attachment to the lid of a container; a measuring head consisting of a microwave module having a microwave emitter-receiver that contains receiving and transmitting antennae, and an electric drive of the microwave module for changing the position of the module above the surface of a material; a spherical lens made of a dielectric material and fixed in the housing of the measuring head; an electric drive position sensor; a control unit for controlling the electric drive of the microwave module of the measuring head; and a display coupled to the control unit, wherein the housing of the measuring head has an upper part and a lower part that are separated by a partition. The electric drive is mounted on the partition in the upper part of the housing of the measuring head such that a shaft of the electric drive extends into the lower part of the housing and connects to the base of the microwave module disposed in the lower part of the housing, said base containing an antenna system consisting of emitter-receivers arranged above the surface of the dielectric spherical lens. The result is that of simplifying the structure of the instrument and improving the accuracy of the measurements, as well as the efficiency thereof by reducing the time taken to scan the surface of a fluent material.

Description

[0001] RADAR DEVICE FOR MEASURING LEVEL AND VOLUME OF BULK MATERIALS

[0002] State of the art

[0003] The present invention relates to measuring the level of bulk material in a container, and more precisely to a radar device for measuring the level of bulk material in a container and calculating the volume of bulk material contained therein.

[0004] Prior art

[0005] A system and method for measuring the volume of grain are known, the system includes a server and a device for processing images (see, for example, CN 106097318, published 09.11.2016) obtained by laser scanning of the grain surface, and performing calculations to obtain surface points in three-dimensional coordinates; the server is designed to combine points and form a three-dimensional surface and subsequently calculate the volume of grain.

[0006] The disadvantages of this device include: measurement error, since optical radiation is distorted by suspended dust particles in the air and fumes that form during the process of filling the container with grain, in addition, dust settles on the optical elements of the scanning system, which leads to the need for frequent cleaning of the optical elements; high cost of an industrial optical scanner compared to other scanners.

[0007] The VEGAPULS 69 device is known (see, for example, https: / / vega-rus.ru / products / level / radars / vegapuls69 / ), designed for measuring the level of bulk solids, which contains a sensor for measuring the level in very high silo towers, large bunkers and segmented tanks. VEGAPULS 69 can be equipped with a sealed antenna or a lens antenna built into a metal flange.

[0008] Based on measuring the filling level of the container with material and knowing the dimensions of the container, you can obtain the volume of bulk material in the container.

[0009] The main disadvantage of this device is that it measures the level at one point on the surface of the material, which leads to an error in determining the volume. Solid bulk products have a relief associated with the angle of the natural slope of the product, the place or places of loading / unloading the product, the sequence and speed of loading / unloading, the relief also depends on the geometric dimensions of the container, which complicates the determination of the total volume of the material.

[0010] A device is known (see, for example, RU 2752284, published on 16.10.2017) for measuring the fill level of a container by determining the surface topology of the filled material, comprising: an antenna unit with at least three antenna devices that are intended to transmit a radar signal and to receive a signal reflected from the surface of the filled material, wherein the antenna unit has at least three antenna planes, the normal vectors to the planes of which are oriented transversely to each other, wherein the antenna device is located on each of the antenna planes in such a way that a different spatial angular range can be recorded using each antenna device, and the measured signal is formed on the basis of the reflected signal; a control unit designed such that the measured signals of the antenna devices (analog or digital) are additionally processed and / or combined into a common measured signal.

[0011] The disadvantage of this device is the high measurement error, since the antenna unit is not protected from environmental influences.

[0012] A radar device for measuring the level and determining the surface topology of a material in a container is known (US Patents No. 10837819 B2 dated 11 / 17 / 2020, US No. 11015970 B2 dated 05 / 25 / 2021, US No. 11029188 B2 dated 06 / 08 / 2021, US No. 11067428 B2 dated 07 / 20 / 2021), comprising: a printed circuit board having a first layer and a second layer; a first radar chip and a second radar chip, each of which is located on a first level, wherein the first radar chip comprises a first synchronization circuit configured to generate a high-frequency signal, and wherein the second radar chip comprises a second synchronization circuit; and a high frequency line device that is configured to synchronize the first and second radar chips by transmitting a high frequency signal from the first synchronization circuit to the second synchronization circuit.

[0013] The disadvantages of this device are high measurement error and low reliability. This is due to the fact that the chips and high-frequency lines are not protected from environmental influences. Dust and condensate deposits disrupt the operation of the antenna system.

[0014] A device is known (US patent No. 663423457 dated 21.10.2003) that has a movable controlled measuring head with a transmitting and receiving unit for scanning (radar, sound or optical) the surface of bulk material in a container and a measuring head drive for multidirectional measurements with a control unit.

[0015] The disadvantage of this device is the increased scanning time of the material surface, since in one position of the actuator, measurements are performed only in one direction.

[0016] The closest technical solution is a level meter using the radar principle (see, for example, US 8881588, published 11.11.2014), comprising a dielectric antenna having at least one power element and at least one lens made of a dielectric material. The lens has an external element and an internal element. The external element has a radiating surface that is spherical and an internal surface that is spherical, and the internal element has a contact surface that is also spherical. The dielectric antenna has an electronic unit that generates electromagnetic radiation. The internal element receives electromagnetic radiation from the electronic unit and transmits it to the external element. The internal element is mounted with the possibility of rotation relative to the external element.

[0017] The antenna can be used as part of a bulk material tank fill level sensor operating on the radar principle, for which a dielectric antenna is installed above the area of ​​the tank containing the bulk material being measured.

[0018] When bulk material is in a tank, a complex surface shape is formed during filling and unloading. To accurately measure the level and determine the filling volume of the tank, it is necessary to measure several sections of the surface by changing the direction of microwave radiation.

[0019] The first disadvantage of this device is its reduced reliability due to the complexity of the lens design, consisting of two elements: internal and external, adjacent to each other, one of which rotates by means of a mechanical drive. The second disadvantage is a small number of measurements for a certain period of time of the surface level of the bulk material due to the fact that measurements are carried out only in one direction with one position of the emitter. The third disadvantage is the need to use external computing tools with specialized software due to the lack of tools in the device for constructing a surface profile and calculating the volume of bulk material in the tank.

[0020] The essence of the invention

[0021] The present invention is based on the task of creating a radar device for measuring the level of bulk material in a container and calculating the volume of this bulk material, the design of which will improve the accuracy of level measurement, thanks, in particular, to the formation of a narrower directional pattern, and at the same time ensure a simplification of the device design and an increase in its reliability, an increase in the number of measurements for a certain period of scanning time, the possibility of calculating the volume of bulk materials by computing means located directly inside the device.

[0022] The task was solved by creating a radar device for measuring the level of bulk material in a container containing:

[0023] - the body of the device with fastening means on the lid of the container,

[0024] - a measuring head (MH), consisting of

[0025] - a microwave module having at least one microwave emitter-receiver, containing at least one receiving and one transmitting antenna / transmitting-receiving antenna,

[0026] - an electric drive of the microwave module, designed to change the position of the microwave module above the surface of the material,

[0027] - electric drive shaft position sensor,

[0028] - control unit for the electric drive of the microwave measuring head module,

[0029] - display connected to the control unit,

[0030] - a spherical lens made of a dielectric material, installed in the body of the device so that its part facing the surface of the bulk material protrudes from the body, according to the invention

[0031] - the body of the device contains two parts separated by a partition, where one part, which is the lower part of the body of the device, is intended for placement under the roof of the tank, and the other part, which is the upper part of the body of the device, is intended for placement above the lid of the tank,

[0032] - the control unit for the electric drive of the microwave measuring head (MH) module is located in the upper part of the housing and contains computing means,

[0033] - the microwave module is located in the lower part of the housing and contains a base connected by means of a coupling to the shaft of the electric drive, while the radar device contains an antenna system installed in the base and consisting of emitters-receivers located above the surface of the dielectric spherical lens at a distance necessary for the spherical lens to form a directional pattern;

[0034] - the electric drive is installed in the upper part of the device body on the partition so that the electric drive shaft passes through the opening in the partition into the lower part of the body and enters the connecting sleeve of the microwave module base, and the geometric axis of the electric drive shaft passes through the spherical lens.

[0035] Preferably, in order to increase the number of measurements over a certain period of time of the surface of the bulk material in the container, the number n of protruding segments installed on the base is determined by the formula: where apov. is the angle of rotation of the electric drive shaft when scanning the surface of bulk material in the container.

[0036] Preferably, the radar device comprises at least one segment.

[0037] Preferably, a Luneberg lens is used as a dielectric spherical lens to form a narrow radiation pattern.

[0038] Preferably, to increase reliability, the radar device comprises a unit for wireless transmission of energy and data exchange between the control unit and the microwave module.

[0039] Preferably, a dielectric ring is installed on the base coupling of the emitter-receiver, on which a current collector is placed, interacting with two brushes installed on the base and connected to a source of electric current.

[0040] Preferably, the radar device comprises at least two segments, wherein the electric drive shaft is hollow, and the connections of the microwave emitters-receivers with the current source pass inside the hollow shaft.

[0041] The achieved technical effect is that the proposed radar device provides:

[0042] - increased operational reliability due to the placement of elements of the device that are sensitive to the external environment inside the housing and thanks to a wireless energy and data transmission unit that eliminates mechanical contact;

[0043] - formation of a narrow radiation pattern due to the presence of a spherical lens in the antenna system;

[0044] - increased accuracy of level measurement due to level measurement in different directions, as well as due to the control unit that calculates the volume of the measured material;

[0045] - increasing the number of measurements for a certain period of scanning time by increasing the number of measurement directions in one position of the drive. The number of measurement directions is determined by the number of transmitting and receiving or receiving and transmitting antennas.

[0046] Brief description of the drawings

[0047] The invention is further explained by a description of preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows a device for measuring the level and volume of bulk materials (longitudinal section), according to the invention; Figs. 2a-2b show a fragment A of the antennas in Fig. 1; Figs. 3a-3d show an antenna system located in the base of the microwave module with the mutual arrangement of the directions of measurement (beams) in relation to the microwave emitters-receivers; Fig. 4 shows an electrical circuit of a wireless system for transmitting energy and exchanging data between the control unit and the microwave module; Fig. 5 shows an induction circuit for wireless energy transmission; Fig. 6 shows an embodiment of a brush assembly on a collector; Fig. 7 shows a functional circuit diagram of the device; Fig. 8 shows a diagram of installing the device in the lid of a container and measuring the distance to points on the surface of bulk material; Fig.9 shows the algorithm of the device operation in the process of measuring the surface relief and calculating the volume of material in the container; Fig. 10 shows the ZP model of the device.

[0048] Description of preferred embodiments of the invention

[0049] A radar device (Fig. 1-8) for measuring the level and volume of bulk materials 1 in a container 2 (Fig. 8) contains a metal body 3, equipped with means 4 for fastening on the cover 5 of the container 2.

[0050] The housing 3 comprises two parts, where one part, which is the lower part 7 of the housing, is intended for placement under the cover 5 of the container, and the other part, which is the upper part 6 of the housing, is intended for placement above the cover 5 of the container, parts 6 and 7 are separated by an internal partition 8.

[0051] The external elements of the device have sealed connections with the device body using known sealing methods such as plastic seals or liquid sealing compounds.

[0052] The device contains a measuring head (MH) 9 (Fig. 1-3), consisting of a microwave module 10, located in the lower part 7 of the housing 3 and having a base 11 with a connecting sleeve 12. In the cavity of the base 11, an antenna system 13 is placed, consisting of microwave emitters-receivers 14, located above the surface of the dielectric spherical lens 15 at a distance sufficient for the spherical lens 15 to form a directional pattern.

[0053] The antenna system 13 contains at least one microwave emitter-receiver 14, which contains at least one receiving antenna 14a and one transmitting antenna 14b (Fig. 2a). An embodiment is possible when the microwave emitter-receiver 14 contains at least at least one transmitting-receiving antenna 14c (Fig. 2b). The microwave module 10 contains (Fig. 3a) range measurement units (hereinafter referred to as RMUs) [IWR1642, https: / / www.ti.com / product / IWR1642?keyMatch=IWR1642&tisearch=search-verything&usecase=GPN] (not shown). An array of receiving antennas 14a and transmitting antennas 14b is connected to the RMUs. Antennas 14a and 14b are arranged so that a corresponding transmitting antenna 14b is located next to each receiving antenna 14a. They can be made in the form of surface antennas [https: / / en.wikipedia.org / wiki / Patch_antenna] or any other antennas with a sufficiently wide directivity pattern to cover the entire surface of the spherical lens 15 located inside the device housing or most of it.

[0054] In order to form a narrow radiation pattern formed by the spherical lens 15 (Fig. 3), the antennas 14a, 14b or 14c (Fig. 2) are located relative to the lens 15 at a distance close to or equal to the focal length. This is an essential feature for the operation of the device. The lens 15 with the antennas 14a, 14b or 14c form the antenna system 13, where the electromagnetic wave narrows to a narrow pattern of several degrees, forming a directed electromagnetic beam 16. The formed beam 16 has a direction from the antennas 14a, 14b or 14c towards the spherical lens 15, and passes through its center 17. If it does not pass through the center of the spherical lens, this will complicate the determination of the coordinates of the beam direction and distort the pattern.

[0055] To increase the number of measurements during the time interval of scanning the surface 18 (Fig. 8) of bulk material 1 in container 2, base 11 of antenna system 13 has a number n of segments 19 (Fig. 3) offset from the axis of rotation of the drive, determined by the formula: where Цпов. is the angle of rotation of the shaft 20 of the electric drive 21 for scanning the surface 18 of the bulk material 1 in the container 2.

[0056] A spherical lens 15 made of a dielectric material is installed in the housing 3 of the device (Fig. 1) coaxially with the shaft 20 of the electric drive 21 so that the part 22 of the lens 15 facing the surface 18 of the bulk material 1 protrudes from the housing 3 (Fig. 1, 10). To form a narrow directional pattern with smaller levels of the side lobes 23 of the dielectric spherical lens 15, a Luneberg lens can be used.

[0057] The electric drive 21 (Fig. 1) of the microwave module 10, changing its position above the surface 18 of the material 1, is mounted on the partition 8 in the upper part 6 of the housing 3 of the device so that the shaft 20 of the electric drive 21 passes through the opening in the partition 8 into the lower part 7 of the housing 3 and enters the coupling sleeve 12 of the base 11 of the microwave module 10. A sensor 24 of the position of the electric drive 21 is installed inside the upper part 6 of the housing 3.

[0058] The control unit (CU) 26 of the electric drive 21 of the module 10 of the microwave measuring head 9, located in the upper part 6 of the housing 3, contains means 27 for controlling the electric drive 21, a hardware and software complex 28 and a built-in device position sensor (tilt / acceleration angle) (LIS3DH https: / / www.st.com / en / mems-and-sensors / lis3dh.html) (not shown). The tilt angle sensor (not shown) determines the current value of the tilt angle of the device axis relative to the axis 25 of the container 2, on the cover 5 of which it is installed. The tilt angle sensor is necessary for determining the angular coordinates of the directions in which the range measurement is carried out. Data on the tilt of the device are sent to CU 26.

[0059] The position sensor 24 of the electric drive 21 is fixed to the control unit 26, a Hall sensor [TCST2103, https: / / www.vishay.eom / en / product / 81147 / ], an inductive proximity sensor [PS2-08M33-2B11-K https: / / mega- k.com / products / ps2-08m33-2bl 1-k], an optical sensor [CPY-DR300P3 http s : / / www . radi oel em enty . ru / catalog / prochi e-radiodetali / c0067219 / c0085572 / c0085598 / cpy-dr300p3-opticheskiy-datchik-polozhenie-32-18-20-diffuznyy-300mm-pnp-no-nc-kabel / ], operating on overlap, or any other, triggered by the approach of an object or a part attached to the object, to which the sensor is triggered. The optimal sensor option is the TCST2103 optical sensor with a part located on the lower part of the wireless power transmission and data exchange unit 29 (WPTD).

[0060] The hardware and software complex 28 (Fig. 1) for constructing a model of the surface 18 of the bulk material 1 and calculating the volume of the bulk material 1 can be implemented on a microcontroller or processor (1892VM10YA https: / / elvees.ru / chip / processors-multicore / 1892vml0ja) and includes pre-recorded data on the geometry of the container 2 or a virtual container for an open embankment and data on the position of the device in space relative to the container 2.

[0061] The device contains a display 30 (Fig. 7) connected to a control unit 26 (Fig. 1) in the upper part 6 of the housing 3.

[0062] To increase the reliability of the device, the optimal number of segments 19 is selected from the range from one to four, where one segment 19 is a reliable solution, and two, three or four segments 19 provide a greater number of measurements over a certain period of time.

[0063] A device with one segment 19 compared to four segments 19 has a lower cost and power consumption due to a smaller number of expensive microwave components and a lower requirement for the power of the electric drive. At the same time, a device with two, three or four segments 19 can perform a significantly larger number of measurements in a certain period of time. The number of segments 19 greater than four is impractical due to the increase in the volume of data transmitted to the control unit 26 and, as a consequence, an increase in the data transmission time.

[0064] To increase reliability, the device contains a BPPED unit 29 (Fig. 4, 7), connected between the BU 26 and the microwave module 10 (Fig. 1). The BPPED 29 consists of two parts: a stationary (motionless) upper part 31 (Fig. 4, 7) and a driven lower part 32. Modules 34a and 34b (Fig. 5) for wireless data transmission via an optical communication line are located on parts 31 and 32, respectively. This can be a standard IRDA transmitter [TFDU4101 https: / / www.vishay.com / en / product / 81288 / ] or separate emitters [L-34F3C https: / / www.kingbright.com / content / listitem / searchlist / 82] and photosensitive elements [VBPW34 https: / / www.vishay.com / en / product / 81128 / ] with a circuit for digitizing received signals.

[0065] On parts 31 and 32 (Fig. 4) of the BBPED 29, induction coils 35a and 356 (Fig. 5) are placed, forming a transformer in a pair. Through the transformer, energy is transmitted from the upper part 6 (Fig. 1) to the lower part 7 of the housing 3 through the air space.

[0066] To reduce data transmission losses from the device to external devices (not shown), control unit 26 contains means for wireless data transmission (not shown) to external devices, such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

[0067] In order to reduce the cost of the device, a dielectric ring 36 (Fig. 6) is installed on the shaft 20 of the electric drive 21, on which there is a current collector 37 interacting with two brushes 38 installed on the control unit 26 and connected to a source 39 of electric current. The shaft 20 of the electric drive 21 is made hollow, and the wires (not shown) connecting the collector 37 with the microwave module 10 pass inside the shaft 20.

[0068] In each position of the electric drive 21, the distances are measured from all transceivers 14 from all segments 19. When the shaft 20 of the electric drive 21 rotates, the distance measurements are repeated in each position of the shaft of the electric drive 21 and the measurement results in each position of the shaft of the electric drive 21 are sent to the control unit 26. After performing multiple movements of the shaft of the electric drive 21, all distance measurements in all corresponding positions of the shaft of the electric drive 21 are accumulated in the control unit 26.

[0069] For measurements in the 360° range, it is sufficient to rotate the electric drive 21 by an angle determined by the formula: 2 where: n is the number of segments 19.

[0070] The number of measurements over a certain period of time is directly proportional to the number of segments 19.

[0071] All measurements are stored in the memory of the control unit 26 in the form of a data array containing distances to points on the surface 18 of bulk material 1. Since the position of the device in space relative to the container 2 is known in advance, and the directions of measurements are also determined by the angle of rotation of the drive 21 and the position of the microwave emitters-receivers 14, the necessary data are provided for constructing a three-dimensional model of the surface 18 of bulk material 1. In the control unit 26, a three-dimensional model of the container 2 is pre-recorded and, due to this, the computing means built into the control unit 26 construct a three-dimensional model of the surface 18 of the material 1 and calculate the volume of material 1 in the container 2, taking into account the dimensions of the container 2. The measurement is carried out continuously, the calculated values ​​of the volume of bulk material 1 are updated in real time. This makes it possible to continuously observe on the display 30 (Fig. 7) the change in the profile of the surface 18 and the volume of bulk material 1.

[0072] The device operates as follows.

[0073] During operation, the microwave emitters-receivers 14 emit signals and receive a corresponding set of echo signals from the surface 18 of the bulk material 1 (Fig. 8). From the difference in the time of emission and reflection of signals from the surface 18 of the bulk material 1, the distances to the points of the bulk material 1 on the surface 18 are determined. Due to the spherical lens 15 (Fig. 2), the electromagnetic wave from each pair of microwave emitters-receivers 14 has a narrow directional pattern. This allows measuring the distances to the points of the surface 18 (Fig. 8) of the bulk material 1 with high accuracy.

[0074] The signal emitted by the transmitting antenna 14b, hitting the surface of the bulk material 1, is reflected from it and received by the receiving antenna 14a. The signal itself is formed and processed by the BID. The preferred method of forming and processing the signal is FMCW (continuous emission with frequency modulation).

[0075] The entire process of measuring the volume, level and constructing a three-dimensional model of the surface 18 of the bulk material 1 is performed in accordance with the algorithm (Fig. 9). The electric drive 21, based on signals coming from the control unit 26, rotates the measuring head 9 with the lower part of the BPPED 32 by a given angle.

[0076] In the variant of using electric drive 21 without a built-in position sensor, the shaft position is determined by sensor 24. Data on the basic position of the shaft of electric drive 21 from sensor 24 is sent to CU 26.

[0077] The actuation of the sensor 24 signals the control unit 26 about the zero position of rotation or the reference point relative to which the measurement by angle (p (in the spherical coordinate system) will be performed). The control unit 26, by means of data transmission via the wireless data transmission modules 34a and 346 via the optical communication line, initiates the measurement of distances by the microwave module 10 in all available directions and sends the results to the control unit 26 also via the optical modules 34a and 346. The obtained measurements are selected in accordance with the known maximum distance limited by the dimensions of the container 2 and the signal quality criteria, for example, the signal-to-noise ratio. The remaining measurement data are stored in the memory of the control unit 26 in the form of points P in the spherical coordinate system: p(r, e, ), where: r is the measured distance, 9 is the angle of inclination of the beam 16 with respect to the axis of rotation of the electric drive 21, φ is the angle of rotation of the electric drive 21.

[0078] Points can be transformed into points in the Cartesian coordinate system using the following formulas: where x, y, z are coordinates in the Cartesian coordinate system.

[0079] Then, the computing means of the control unit 26 construct a model of the surface of the bulk material 1, approximating the missing points on the surface 18, based on the saved measurements. The model of the surface 18 can be constructed using one of the known triangulation algorithms [https: / / en.wikipedia.org / wiki / Delaunay_triangulation] or by representing the surface of the bulk material 1 as a set of points. The model of the surface 18 is limited by a three-dimensional model of the container 2. The volume of the bulk material 1 in the container 2 can be calculated using one of the known algorithms for calculating the volume of bodies using integrals [for example, https: / / mathhelpplanet. sot / static. php?p=vychislenie-obemov-tel-s-pomoshchyu- integralov]. The measurement process is repeated (Fig. 9). After rotation at all fixed rotation angles of the measuring head 9, a large array of points distributed over the entire surface 18 of the material 1 is accumulated in the BU 26.The constructed three-dimensional model of the surface 18 of the material 1 corresponds to the shape of the surface 18 of the measured bulk material 1 with a minimum geometric error. Since the three-dimensional model of the bulk material 1 very accurately corresponds to its actual shape, the values ​​of the level and volume of the bulk material 1 are therefore calculated with high accuracy.

[0080] All elements of the device are placed in a sealed housing 3 and are protected from the effects of the external environment. The radar principle of measuring the range makes the device insensitive to dustiness and dust deposits on the surface of part 22 of the lens 15. Due to the rotary electric drive 21 and the number of segments 19 with microwave emitters-receivers 14, the number of rotations of the base 11 for measuring the level and volume of bulk material 1 in the container 2 is reduced. This ensures high productivity and accuracy of measuring the relief of the surface 18 and the volume of bulk material 1 in the container 2 compared to known technical solutions. The presence of wireless data and energy transmission via the BBPED 29 increases the reliability of the device.

Claims

CLAUSE OF INVENTION 1. A radar device for measuring the level and volume of bulk materials in a container, containing: - the body of the device with fastening means on the lid of the container, - a measuring head (MH), consisting of - a microwave module having at least one microwave emitter-receiver, containing at least one receiving and one transmitting antenna / one receiving-transmitting antenna, - an electric drive of the microwave module, designed to change the position of the microwave module above the surface of the material, - electric drive shaft position sensor, - control unit for the electric drive of the microwave measuring head module, - display connected to the control unit, - a spherical lens made of a dielectric material, installed in the body of the device so that its part facing the surface of the bulk material protrudes from the body, characterized in that - the body of the device contains two parts separated by a partition, where one part, which is the lower part, is intended for placement under the lid of the container, and the other part, which is the upper part, is intended for placement above the lid of the container, - the control unit for the electric drive of the microwave measuring head (MH) module is located in the upper part of the housing and contains computing means, - the microwave module is located in the lower part of the housing and contains a base connected by means of a coupling to the shaft of the electric drive, while the radar device contains an antenna system installed in the base and consisting of emitters-receivers located above the surface of the dielectric spherical lens at a distance necessary for the spherical lens to form a directional pattern; - the electric drive is installed in the upper part of the device body on the partition so that the electric drive shaft passes through the opening in the partition into the lower part of the body and enters the connecting sleeve of the microwave module base, and the geometric axis of the electric drive shaft passes through the spherical lens.

2. A radar device according to item 1, characterized in that the base of the antenna system has a number n of protruding segments, determined by the formula: where a П ov, - the angle of rotation of the electric drive shaft when scanning the surface of bulk material in the container.

3. A radar device according to item 1, characterized in that it contains at least one segment.

4. A radar device according to claim 1, characterized in that the dielectric spherical lens is a Luneberg lens.

5. A radar device according to claim 1, characterized in that the device has a unit for wireless transmission of energy and data exchange between the control unit and the microwave module.

6. A radar device according to item 1, characterized in that a dielectric ring is installed on the coupling of the base of the transmitter-receiver, on which a current collector is located, interacting with two brushes installed on the base and connected to a source of electric current.

7. A radar device according to item 1, characterized in that it contains at least two segments, wherein the electric drive shaft is hollow, and the connections of the microwave emitters-receivers with the current source pass inside the hollow shaft.

8. A radar device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit contains means for wireless transmission of data to external devices.

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