TWI479130B - Dual processor radar level gauge - Google Patents

Description

Dual processor radar level gauge

The present invention relates to a radar level gauge, and more particularly to a dual processor radar level gauge.

Radar level gauges are usually used to measure the distance (water level) of a solid or liquid. There are two main methods of calculation. One is Time Domain Reflection (TDR), which is calculated by using the time difference between the detection signal and the received reflection signal. Another calculation method is Frequency Modulation Continuous Wave (FMCW), which adjusts the frequency of the detection signal to make the frequency of the detection signal steadily increase (or decrease), and mixes the detection signal with the reflected signal to calculate the transmission and reception. The frequency has a stable frequency difference, and then the object distance is calculated according to the frequency difference. This calculation method has higher precision.

The main circuit block of the existing radar level gauge is further described below. Referring to FIG. 3, the existing radar level meter includes: a signal transceiver module 91 for transmitting a detection signal and receiving a reflection signal; A power unit 93 is provided for supplying the working power required by the radar level gauge and has an adjustable current consumption function; the power unit is connected to an external remote host 100, and the power is detected by the remote host 100. The central processing unit 92 is connected to the signal transceiver module 91 and the power unit 93, and drives the signal transceiver module 91 to transmit the detection signal. Waiting to receive the reflected signal, and after receiving the reflected signal, calculating the distance between the radar level gauge and the object to be tested according to the detection signal and the reflected signal, adjusting the current consumption of the power unit 93 according to the calculation result, The remote host 100 detects that the power unit 93 currently consumes current, and further knows the distance corresponding to the current current consumption.

Since the position of the radar level gauge is usually quite far from the position of the remote host, the current communication method of adjusting the current consumption is used to achieve the long-distance transmission measurement result; however, this current communication method must be After the central processing unit 92 calculates the distance, it adjusts and continuously controls the power consumption of the power unit 93 to maintain the distance, and ensures that the remote host 100 can correctly detect the current consumption of the power unit 93 aperiodically. The distance is known; and the current consumption of the power unit 93 of the radar level gauge is controlled by the central processing unit 92, so the central processing unit 92 must always be in an awake state to adjust and maintain the current consumption of the power unit 93.

Since the central processing unit 92 has to process the high frequency detection signal and the reflected signal, it is necessary to use a high operation clock processor. Therefore, the power consumption of the central processing unit 92 is based on the power consumption being proportional to the square of the clock. Compared with the low-to-medium operation clock processor, the central processing unit 92, which is added with the existing radar level gauge, must always be in an awake state, so that the existing radar level gauge is quite power-consuming and prone to power exhaustion. Problems that cannot be measured, are not ideal for use, and must be improved.

In view of the above-mentioned radar material level gauge, it is necessary to consume a large amount of power. The main object of the present invention is to propose a dual processor radar level gauge.

The main technical means used to achieve the above purpose is that the dual-processor radar level gauge includes: a signal transceiver module for transmitting a detection signal and receiving a reflection signal; a power unit is used for Supplying the working power required by the radar level gauge and having an adjustable current consumption function; a computing processor is connected to the signal transceiver module, and has a built-in calculation program and a sleep state; wherein the calculation processing The calculation program is executed to drive the signal transceiver module to transmit the detection signal, and then wait for receiving the reflection signal, and after receiving the reflection signal, calculate the radar liquid level meter and the test according to the transmission signal and the reflection signal. a distance of the object, and the computing processor enters the sleep state when the computing program is not executed; a communication processor is connected to the computing processor and the power unit, and the radar device is calculated according to the computing processor The calculation result of the distance between the liquid level meter and the object to be tested, and adjusting the current consumption of the power unit, so that the remote host detects the current current consumption of the power unit, and further Currently known distance corresponding current consumption.

The invention is responsible for detecting the transmission and reception of the high-frequency signal such as the signal and the reflected signal and the distance of the object to be tested, and the communication processor is responsible for adjusting the current consumption of the power unit; thus, the high operation is required. The clock calculation processor enters the sleep state when the calculation program is not executed, and reduces the power consumption of the radar level gauge.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the dual-processor radar level gauge of the present invention comprises: a signal transceiver module 10 for transmitting a detection signal and receiving a reflection signal; and a power unit 20 for supplying the radar. The working power supply required by the liquid level gauge has an adjustable current consumption function; the power unit is connected to an external remote host 100, and the remote host 100 detects the current consumption current of the power unit. For example, the power unit 20 can adjust the current consumption to be 4 to 20 mA as a current signal of 4-20 mA specifications, and the power unit 20 is provided with a power storage unit 21 for storing electrical energy for supply and consumption by the power unit 20. When the current is insufficient, a computing processor 30 is connected to the signal transceiver module 10 and has a built-in computing program and a sleep state; wherein the computing processor executes the computing program to drive the signal transceiver module 10 Transmitting the detection signal, waiting for receiving the reflected signal, and after receiving the reflected signal, calculating the distance between the radar level gauge and the object to be tested according to the detection signal and the reflected signal, The calculation processor 30 enters the sleep state when the calculation program is not executed. In the embodiment, the calculation processor 30 periodically executes the calculation program, and after the calculation program ends, according to the calculation of the radar level gauge and The distance of the object to be tested outputs a measured value and enters a sleep state, and the calculation program mixes the detection signal and the reflected signal, and performs fast Fourier transform and discrete Fourier transform (FFT&DFT, ie, ChripZ Transform) to calculate the detection signal and reflection. The frequency difference of the signal, and then calculating the distance between the radar level gauge and the object to be tested according to the frequency difference; a communication processor 40 is connected to the calculation processor 30 and the power unit 20, and according to the calculation processor 30 calculated radar level gauge The calculation result of the distance from the object to be tested is adjusted, and the current consumption of the power unit 20 is adjusted for the remote host 100 to detect the current consumption current of the power unit 20, thereby knowing the distance corresponding to the current current consumption. In this embodiment, The communication processor 40 has a Serial Peripheral Interface Bus (SPI) and is connected to the power unit 20 by the sequence peripheral interface to receive the measured value output by the calculation processor 30 and then adjust the power unit 20 The current is consumed, and the operation clock of the communication processor 40 is lower than the operation clock of the calculation processor 30; an operation keyboard 50 is connected to the communication processor 40 and is operated by the user to set the communication processor 40. a plurality of operating parameters and inputting various databases; a display 60 is connected to the communication processor 40 to display various operating parameters and various databases in the communication processor 40; a communication port 70 is associated with the communication The processor is connected and is connected to an external remote host 100, so that the remote host 100 can set a plurality of operation parameters to the communication processor 40 through the communication port 70. Inputting various databases and the like, in the present embodiment, the communication port 70 may be connected to HART connection port.

Please further refer to FIG. 2, which is a timing diagram of the action of the dual-processor radar level gauge of the present invention. When the calculation processor 30 starts to periodically execute the calculation program, during the period t _{1 of} executing the calculation program, the calculation processor must The energy consumption is sequentially executed in the calculation program to transmit the detection signal t ₁₂ , receive the reflected signal and sample t ₁₃ , ChripZ convert t ₁₄ and analyze the frequency difference to calculate the distance value and output it to the communication processor 40 (t ₁₅ ), and then The sleep state can be entered to reduce power consumption, and during the period t ₂ when the computing processor 30 enters the sleep state, only the communication processor 40 continuously controls and maintains the current consumption of the power unit 20, and the processing is possible to receive from the outside at any time. Communication requirements, such as remote host 100 change settings, request to read the database and other communication operations, because the sampling and calculation of the high frequency transceiver signal is processed by the calculation processor 30, the communication processor 40 can be a low working clock Processing the wafer, the power consumption is much less than that of the computing processor 30, and maintaining power consumption for a long time does not consume a large amount of power; therefore, power storage The accumulated charge element 21, typically in the calculation processor 30 performs signal transceiver, sampling, t ₁ is consumed during the transition analysis, the calculation processor 30 to enter t _2, the radar level gauge because the total power consumption during hibernation Can be greatly reduced, the power storage unit 21 can quickly accumulate power to provide the calculation program 30 to perform the calculation process of the next cycle, so the radar level gauge of the present invention can save the calculation processor 30 to enter the sleep state. In addition to the overall consumed power, it can also speed up the recovery of the power storage unit.

In summary, the calculation processor of the dual-processor radar level gauge of the present invention can enter a sleep state when the calculation program is not executed, thereby saving the overall power consumption, and also enabling the power storage unit to be quickly recovered to provide calculation processing. The device performs the calculation of the amount of power required for the next cycle.

10‧‧‧ Signal Transceiver Module

20‧‧‧Power unit

21‧‧‧Power storage unit

30‧‧‧Computation processor

40‧‧‧Communication Processor

41‧‧‧Sequence peripheral interface

50‧‧‧Operating keyboard

60‧‧‧ display

70‧‧‧Communication connection埠

91‧‧‧ Signal Transceiver Module

92‧‧‧Central Processing Unit

93‧‧‧Power unit

100‧‧‧Remote host

Figure 1 is a block diagram of a circuit of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a timing chart showing the operation of the circuit of the present invention.

Figure 3: Schematic block diagram of an existing radar level gauge.

10‧‧‧ Signal Transceiver Module

20‧‧‧Power unit

21‧‧‧Power storage unit

30‧‧‧Computation processor

40‧‧‧Communication Processor

41‧‧‧Sequence peripheral interface

50‧‧‧Operating keyboard

60‧‧‧ display

70‧‧‧Communication connection埠

100‧‧‧Remote host

Claims (8)

A dual-processor radar level gauge includes: a signal transceiver module for transmitting a detection signal and receiving a reflection signal; and a power unit for supplying the radar level gauge Working power supply, and having an adjustable current consumption function; a computing processor is connected to the signal transceiver module, and has a built-in computing program and a sleep state; wherein the computing processor executes the calculation program to drive the signal transmission and reception The module transmits the detection signal, waits for receiving the reflected signal, and after receiving the reflected signal, calculates a distance between the radar level gauge and the object to be tested according to the transmitted signal and the reflected signal, and the computing processor is Entering the sleep state when the computing program is not executed; a communication port is connected to an external remote host; and a communication processor is connected to the computing processor, the communication port, and the power unit, and Calculating the calculation result of the distance between the radar level gauge and the object to be tested calculated by the calculation processor, and adjusting the current consumption of the power unit for detection by the remote host At present the consumption current power unit, and further that the current from the corresponding current consumption, and for receiving the distal end of the communications requirements issued by the host; wherein when the communication operation of the processor clock is lower than the arithmetic calculation processing unit pulse. The dual processor radar level gauge of claim 1 further comprising: an operating keyboard coupled to the communications processor for operation by a user; and a display coupled to the communications processor. The dual-processor radar level gauge of claim 2, the communication port is a HART port. The dual processor radar level gauge according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the calculation processor periodically executes the calculation program, and after the calculation program ends, according to the calculation of the radar level gauge and The distance of the object to be tested outputs a measured value and enters a sleep state; the communication processor has a sequence of peripheral interfaces, and connects the power unit with the sequence peripheral interface, and adjusts the power unit after receiving the measured value output by the calculation processor Current consumption. The dual processor radar level gauge according to claim 4, wherein the calculation program mixes the detection signal and the reflected signal, and performs fast Fourier transform and discrete Fourier transform to calculate the frequency difference between the detection signal and the reflected signal, and further The frequency difference calculates the distance between the radar level gauge and the object to be tested. A dual processor radar level gauge as claimed in claim 4, wherein the power unit is provided with a power storage unit for storing electrical energy. The dual processor radar level gauge of claim 5, wherein the power unit is provided with a power storage unit for storing electrical energy. The dual-processor radar level gauge according to claim 7, wherein the power unit can adjust the current consumption from 4 to 20 mA to output the current signal of the 4-20 mA specification.