The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 21, 2025
Filed:
May. 17, 2022
Textron Innovations Inc., Providence, RI (US);
Nathaniel Ross Bernklau, Keller, TX (US);
Textron Innovations Inc., Providence, RI (US);
Abstract
A fluid level sensing system includes a mounting strip and fluid sensing nodes coupled to the mounting strip. Each fluid sensing node is switchable between a fluid present state and a fluid absent state. Each fluid sensing node includes a prism, a photoemitter and a photoreceptor. The photoemitter and photoreceptor are interposed between the prism and the mounting strip. In the absence of fluid around the prism, the photoreceptor receives greater than a threshold amount of light from the photoemitter internally reflected by the prism to switch the fluid sensing node to the fluid absent state. When the prism is covered in fluid, the photoreceptor receives less than the threshold amount of light from the photoemitter to switch the fluid sensing node to the fluid present state. A processor determines a fluid level based on the fluid detection states of the fluid sensing nodes.