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:
Apr. 03, 1984
Filed:
Sep. 16, 1982
Ronald A Masom, Bitterne, GB;
Smiths Industries Public Limited Company, London, GB;
Abstract
An oil-level detector is mounted on the outside face of a glass window in the wall of an oil tank. The detector has two fibre-optic cables which extend within a cavity between the detector and the window. The ends of the cables are mounted one above the other, one cable transmitting a beam of light at an angle .alpha. of 60.degree. to the window, through an oil in the cavity which has a refractive index substantially equal to that of the window glass. The angle .alpha. is greater than the critical angle of glass with air, and less than the critical angle of glass with the oil in the tank. When the window is covered by oil in the tank the light is refracted into the tank. When the oil level falls below the window, the light is reflected to the other cable which is connected to a control unit. The control unit gives a warning a predetermined time after the level has fallen.