Optical level sensor for reflective liquids

摘要

An optical sensor enables a level of reflective fluid to be detected. The optical sensor includes a prism mounted at one end of a housing. The prism has an exterior surface that is parallel to the end of the housing and a width that corresponds to a width of the end of the housing. A photoemitter and a photodetector are mounted at another end of the housing to enable light emitted by the photoemitter to be reflected by the prism when the prism contacts reflective fluid and to enable light emitted by the photoemitter to pass out of the sensor when the prism is in contact with air.

主权项

1. An optical sensor for detecting a presence and an absence of reflective fluid comprising:
a housing having at least one wall that encloses a volume and the at least one wall has a first end and a second end; a base configured to close the first end of the at least one wall of the housing; a photoemitter positioned in the base; a photodetector positioned in the base; and a prism configured to close the second end of the at least one wall of the housing, the prism having no sloped surfaces, at least one surface of the prism is parallel to the second end of the at least one wall of the housing, and the at least one surface of the prism has a width approximately equal to a width of the second end of the at least one wall of the housing to enable the photodetector to generate a signal indicative of whether a reflective fluid is contacting the prism.