US 11,904,196 B2
Magnetic trap suppression tank level sensor
Marcin Piech, East Hampton, CT (US); Cezary Jedryczka, Lniano (PL); Wojciech Szelag, Poznan (PL); Rafal Wojciechowski, Szamotuly (PL); and Tadeusz Pawel Witczak, Farmington, CT (US)
Assigned to Carrier Corporation, Palm Beach Gardens, FL (US)
Appl. No. 17/254,335
Filed by Carrier Corporation, Palm Beach Gardens, FL (US)
PCT Filed Oct. 2, 2019, PCT No. PCT/US2019/054223
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 21, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/112241, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 4, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/773,272, filed on Nov. 30, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0275850 A1, Sep. 9, 2021
Int. Cl. A62C 37/50 (2006.01); A62C 35/02 (2006.01); G01F 23/72 (2006.01)
CPC A62C 37/50 (2013.01) [A62C 35/023 (2013.01); G01F 23/72 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for manufacturing a fire suppressant storage device, the fire suppressant storage device (20) comprising:
a tank (22) having a first port (40), a second port (70), and an interior (32) for storing fire suppressant;
a discharge assembly (46) mounted to the first port and comprising:
a discharge valve (48); and
a discharge conduit (50) at least partially within the interior and having:
an interior; and
an exterior; and
a liquid level measurement assembly (82; 200; 250; 300; 400) mounted to the second port and comprising:
a tube (100) at least partially within the tank interior and having:
an interior sealed relative to the surrounding tank interior; and
an exterior;
a float (120; 220) surrounding the tube; and
a member (122; 222; 252; 302) axially movable within the tube interior,
wherein:
the liquid level measurement assembly is a second liquid level measurement assembly;
one of the float and the member comprises an upper magnet (130; 230) and a lower magnet (132; 232); and
the other of the float and the member magnetically cooperates with the upper magnet and the lower magnet to relatively axially trap the member to the float,
the method comprising:
removing a first liquid level measurement assembly from the second port, the first liquid level measurement assembly comprising:
a tube at least partially within the interior and having:
an interior sealed relative to the surrounding tank interior; and
an exterior;
a float surrounding the tube and having one or more magnets at only a single axial position; and
mounting the second liquid level measurement assembly to the second port, the float of the second liquid level measurement assembly comprising said upper magnet and said lower magnet.