NON-INVASIVE CAPACITIVE LIQUID LEVEL SENSING DEVICE

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

In Research II, Third Draft of Chapter I




Submitted by:
Rubante Shaira D
Sabuero Pamela Jenna
Tiangco Eastefanny Claire
III-Newton
June 30,2014
Submitted to:
Mr. Aaron Bren E. Julaton

CHAPTER I
A. INTRODUCTION
Accuracy and precision, when first heard, might be ignored or might be
disregarded but what people dont know is that this factor contributes hugely to a
research problem. It helps the development of a study; of how one would adjust and
revise things in order for it to go as it should. These two things also make an object more
refined and detailed, more exact and more correct. It also makes a space for further
improvement, specifications; therefore leading into more enhanced inventions(Global
Spec 2006).
Many industries, such as healthcare and industrial, need or require non-invasive
monitoring though few only have one. A common example is in the healthcare industry:
Vaccine vials. Vaccine vials typically hold from five up to ten ml of liquid. The accuracy
would always matter in this case since the medical practitioner is always tasked to know
whether the vaccine had enough liquid available to hold an additional amount or whether
a replacement vial should be ordered from a pharmacy. Such monitoring could also be
used to pre-order vaccine vials based on a typical amount of vaccine used in a given
period. The liquid level sensors one more benefit on these vials is that you can measure
them without having to open them.
Here enters the study about the non-invasive liquid-level sensing system and
method. It focuses mainly on measuring liquids, as stated, precisely and accurately. One
of its many importance falls directly under the medical field. All hospitals provide
medicines (the liquid ones) one way or another and they use an object to store it; when it
is not yet decided to be given away. That object can be a jar or any container but the most
commonly used are the vials. Now, the liquid medicines that are stored inside the vials
can be the ones that are to be delivered in a pharmacy or another hospital, but whatever
the location is, the fact that the amount of liquid inside might be wrong or imprecise; it
will always affect those who would consume it afterwards (James E. Davis, 1993). The
invention is made to be able to make all the measurement of the liquid stored right and
adequate to those who will use it. One cant simply open a medicine or a liquid because it
was sealed for it not to be contaminated on the first place so it would only be rightful to
invest on something that would not only help in making the measurements accurate but
also doesnt take a risk on making people sick just because their prescribed medicine
wasnt enough or the other way around (industrial-directory, 2011).
B. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
One common problem in the healthcare industry is the observations and
measurements of the liquid levels in containers, bottles, vials and other holders. The
mere fact that the amount of liquid poured in a container isnt always enough affects the
whole lot, making it a chain of effects a domino effect made by just a slight difference.
Discrepancies in the amount of values arent what you think it is. It might just be a
milliliter or two, but the effect and consequences can go more than a thousand.
In this device, it is desirable to have knowledge of the level of the liquid in the
container such that the device used can be controlled to remove contact with the contents
of the container. In this manner contamination between samples and reagents is totally
removed. In such systems the probe is introduced into the liquid container without having
contact with the content.
On the U.S. Patent number 4326851, it discloses a level sense apparatus and
method for use in an automatic clinical analyzer in which a variable capacitor is formed
by a grounded probe and a metal plate, which is connected to the detection circuit,
disposed below the sample vessel. A fixed frequency excitation signal is utilized and the
capacitance change of the metal probe resulting from the probe contacting the liquid is
detected as a voltage change in the detection circuit. This arrangement presents a problem
that spills on the electrode or supply tray can change the circuit operation and the circuit
requires the use of shielding pads.
Another U.S. patent, with Pat. No. 4736638 discloses a liquid level sense
apparatus for use in an manual clinical analyzer. A metal plate disposed under the sample
vessel and connected to a fixed frequency oscillator emits low frequency electromagnetic
radiation up through the sample. The dispense probe serves as an antenna and is
connected to a detection circuit, having appropriate bandpass filtering, which detects a
voltage amplitude change when the probe contacts the liquid sample. This circuit has
many of the disadvantages In addition, the use of low frequency limits the time response
of the circuit.
The problem with many of these prior sensors is that they tend to be run at
relative high frequencies which are made from expensive machineries. It also needs
contact with the container that can cause contamination to the liquid. The researchers
want to make a cheap capacitive liquid level sensor that does not need contact with the
content.
C . Statement of the Objectives
The following are the objectives of this research:
To create a Capacitive liquid level sensor to be used in
To know the measurement of the liquid inside the container without
contaminating it.

D . STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The study aims to make a liquid level sensing device to observe a certain amount of
liquid in a certain container. A platform is to be made to hold the said container and a
source for generating capacitive signal. To make the study more plausible, the following
questions below had been listed:
I. Will the following affect the accuracy of the liquid sensor in determining the
amount of liquid inside the container?
a. Thickness of the container
b. Temperature of the liquid
c. Type of liquid
d. Composition of container
e. Size of container

Statement of the Hypothesis
I. The hypothesis regarding the research are as follows:
a. The thickness of the container can possibly affect the accuracy of the
sensor because capacitive signal would have o pass through the container
before reaching the liquid itself
b. The temperature of the liquid may affect the accuracy of the sensor in
determining the amount of liquid
c. The type of liquid can affect the accuracy of the sensor because the time
needed may vary depending the viscosity of the liquid.
d. The composition of the container can affect the accuracy of the sensor.
e. The size of the container wont affect the accuracy of the sensor in
determining the amount of the liquid inside.

E. Significance of the Study
Through this project, one of the problems in the medical field, knowing the
measurement of the content without contaminating the liquid, will be solved. Even
though making a censoring device will cost money, it will be easier for chemist and
doctors to identify the content of liquid even without transferring this to a measuring
device. This sensor based measuring device will be essential in vaccine vials, since
support trays are often used in a medical setting to support multiple vaccine vials
containing the same or different vaccines, it would be beneficial if the amount of vaccine,
i.e., the liquid level, in each of the multiple vaccine vials be could ascertain while
positioned on the support trays. This would provide a medical practitioner the desired
information concerning the amount of vaccine in a given vial in an economic and timely
manner. In other words, it would be desirable for the medical practitioner to be able to
either have the liquid levels available at any point, upon request, or at a designated time.
Monitoring in this manner could be done for each of the vaccine vials essentially
simultaneously or at least serially, but within a very minimal amount of time.
In order to meet the needs of such monitoring requirements, a liquid level
monitoring apparatus needs to be non-invasive and able to determine a liquid level with
sufficient resolution. Such an apparatus further needs to be able to monitor more than
one vaccine vial at a time, whether in a serial or parallel manner, and should not require
any modification to the containers being monitored so as to accommodate as many
industries as practical.

E. Scopes and Delimitations
A non-invasive liquid level sensing system is to be developed in observing the
amount of liquid in a certain container without contaminating it. The use of the invention
is limited to medical containers such as vials, beakers, and graduated cylinder. This will
also be limited on just knowing the level of the liquid not the exact volume of the said
liquid. Unlike other expensive liquid sensor like LVCN630, it will not be able to hold
big containers such as tanks and other huge water storage.

F. DEFENITION OF TERMS
1. Container- is a large reusable receptacle that can accommodate smaller cartons or cases
in a single shipment, designed for efficient handling of cargo.
(The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, 2009)

2. Level of measurement- in statistics and quantitative research methodology, levels of
measurement or scales of measure are types of data that arise in the theory of scale types
developed by the psychologist Stanley Smith Stevens. The types are nominal, ordinal,
interval, and ratio consist of the economic systems of a country of other area; the labor,
consumption of goods and services of that area.
(The Free Dictionary, 2000)

3. Liquid- flowing freely like water; smooth and unconstrained in movement (Merriam-
Webster) - is a state of matter in which a substance exhibits a characteristic readiness to
flow, little or no tendency to disperse, and relatively high incompressibility.
(The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, 2009)

4. Measurement- the act or process of measuring; the size, amount, or extent that is
found by measuring.
(Webster's New World second Edition, 1999)