Radiometric Meter Integrator Circuit for Low Power Level Measurement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Radiometric measuring devices have a significant energy requirement due to their high power consumption, which is not efficiently managed, especially in applications with limited energy availability.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a radiometric measuring device with a detector arrangement, integrator, and delay circuit that integrates electrical current signals and selectively delays their discharge, allowing for efficient energy use by reducing the speed demands on the control circuit and enabling rapid recharging for subsequent measurements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the control circuit rapidly processes and evaluates pulse signals in real-time, then measurement speed and productivity are improved, but energy consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The integrator performs preliminary integration of the pulse signal during the measurement period, accumulating the electrical charge before evaluation. This preliminary action allows the control circuit to evaluate a single integrated value rather than processing each individual pulse in real-time, significantly reducing the processing speed requirement and energy consumption while maintaining measurement accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The integrator acts as an intermediary between the detector arrangement and the control circuit. It transforms the stream of individual pulses into a single integrated electrical charge that represents the total measurement, allowing the control circuit to operate at lower speed and consume less energy while still obtaining accurate measurement results
2Loss of time
If the integrator discharges rapidly after integration, then the measuring device is ready for the next measurement quickly, but the control circuit must process signals faster increasing energy use
Solution Approach 1:
The integrator operates in periodic cycles: during the measurement period, it integrates pulses with the switch open; after integration, the switch closes to rapidly discharge the capacitor in preparation for the next measurement. This periodic operation allows rapid recharge while the actual signal evaluation occurs during the integration phase, separating the time-critical discharge function from the energy-consuming evaluation function
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces energy consumption and costs by allowing for slower evaluation of pulse-like signals without compromising measurement accuracy, making it suitable for applications with limited energy resources.
Implementation Method 1
A scintillator can be provided to detect the radioactive radiation, which uses it to generate light pulses which are converted into electrical pulses by a downstream detector, for example in the form of a photomultiplier (PMT), an avant-garde photodiode (APD) or a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM)
Implementation Method 2
A scintillator can be provided to detect the radioactive radiation, which uses it to generate light pulses
Implementation Method 3
The integrator or the integrator circuit is designed to integrate this electrical current signal, which leads to charging of at least one component of the integrator. The at least one component is a capacitor, for example
Data Source
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AI summary
Radiometric measuring device, especially for level measurement, with a switch that can delay the discharge of a capacitor to allow sufficient time to measure the voltage across the capacitor and analyze a series of measurements. This enables the use of relatively slow components.