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:
Nov. 29, 1988
Filed:
Dec. 18, 1986
David G Williams, Birmingham, GB;
Lucas Electrical Electronics and Systems Limited, Birmingham, GB;
Abstract
A sensor for detecting liquid at a predetermined level in a container, including an emitter, a receiver sensitive to the emission of the emitter, a support member positioned at the exterior of a region of the wall of the container transparent to the emission with, the emission of the emitter so disposed in relation to the interior surface of the wall region of the container that when the region is a container/liquid interface then emissions from the emitter generally in the direction of the emission axis will pass through the interface and will be dissipated in the liquid, but when the interface is a container/air interface such emissions will be totally internally reflected from the interface. The receiver is also carried by the support member, the receiver being sensitive to the emissions of the emitter so as to produce an output either when such emissions are incident thereupon, or alternatively when such emissions are absent and the arrangement being such that said receiver can only receive emissions from said emitter which have first been totally internally reflected from said interface, there being only a single reflection between emitter and receiver. There is also disclosed an inductor system which may make use of the sensor.