Laser-Based, Non-Intrusive, Fluid Level Sensors

Some of the frequency-domain hardware components and subsystems of Ciencia's lifetime sensing technology can be reconfigured to implement a compact, low-cost, high-resolution laser ranger. Based on this approach, Ciencia has developed a system for fluid level measurement with range of 15 meters, resolution of 1 mm, and measurement rate of 10 Hz. The principle of operation is to measure the phase difference between a modulated signal reflected from the fluid surface with that of an internal reference. The sensor is self-calibrating, able to operate outdoors under ambient illumination, and it does not require a retroreflector on the target.

Under a contract from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ciencia is currently evaluating the feasibility of this technology for ocean water level measurements in NOAA's National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON) for monitoring sea level change. Ciencia is also developing products targeted to the tank gauging and industrial fluid level sensing markets.