US 12,352,612 B2
Level measuring instrument with radar system on chip
Roland Welle, Hausach (DE); Joerg Boersig, Schapbach (DE); and Steffen Waelde, Niedereschach (DE)
Assigned to VEGA GRIESHABER KG, Wolfach (DE)
Filed by VEGA GRIESHABER KG, Wolfach (DE)
Filed on Feb. 24, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/174,185.
Application 18/174,185 is a continuation of application No. 16/753,586, granted, now 11,619,537, previously published as PCT/EP2017/075530, filed on Oct. 6, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2023/0221164 A1, Jul. 13, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G01F 23/284 (2006.01); G01F 23/2962 (2022.01); G01F 23/80 (2022.01); G01S 7/03 (2006.01); G01S 13/88 (2006.01)
CPC G01F 23/284 (2013.01) [G01F 23/2962 (2013.01); G01F 23/802 (2022.01); G01S 7/032 (2013.01); G01S 13/88 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A level measuring instrument configured as a frequency-modulated continuous-wave signal level measuring device, the level measuring instrument comprising:
a microwave integrated circuit in a form of a radar system on chip with at least two transmission hardware channels, each configured to generate a transmission signal, and at least two receiving hardware channels, each configured to receive the transmission signal reflected from a product surface, wherein an antenna is connected to at least two of the transmission hardware channels;
a noise level reduction device being configured to
increase a signal-to-noise ratio of a received signal, which relates to the transmitted signals reflected from the product surface, by averaging results of several measurements carried out in succession in time,
wherein each of the measurements carried out in succession in time comprises a frequency sweep and the results comprise a plurality of data acquired during each single frequency sweep, and
determine, after averaging the results of the several measurements carried out in succession in time, whether the signal-to-noise ratio of a received signal is above a threshold and to trigger further measurements, results of which are also fed to the averaging, if the signal-to-noise ratio of a received signal is not above the threshold; and
a signal level increasing device being configured to combine, by means of an inverse Wilkinson divider, two of the at least two transmission hardware channels to produce a combined transmission signal with increased power or to combine two of the receiving hardware channels to produce a combined reception signal with increased power.