OPTICAL SENSOR DEVICE FOR MEASURING A FILL LEVEL AND/OR THE REFRACTIVE INDEX OF A LIQUID IN A CONTAINER, AND METHOD FOR OPERATING AN OPTICAL SENSOR DEVICE FOR MEASURING A FILL LEVEL AND/OR THE REFRACTIVE INDEX OF A LIQUID IN A CONTAINER

摘要

The invention relates to an optical sensor device (10) for measuring a fill level (h) and/or the refractive index (n) of a liquid (F) in a container (1), comprising: a housing (G) which can be installed on a base or a lateral wall of the container (1); a laser light source (2) which is arranged in the housing (G) and by means of which a laser beam (L) can be generated and emitted into the liquid (F); a deflecting device (3) for the laser beam (L) which is arranged in or on the housing (G) and by means of which the laser beam (L) can be emitted in the direction of a liquid surface (FS) and into the liquid (F) and/or substantially parallel to the liquid surface (FS) and can be oriented towards a scattering element (StE) within the liquid (F), wherein the laser beam (L) can be at least partly reflected back into the laser light source (2) by the scattering element (StE) and/or by a container lid (1a) and can be coupled into the laser light source, the scattering element (StE) is arranged in or on the housing (G), and the liquid (F) can pass at least partly through the housing (G) or can surround same; a photo element (FE) which is arranged on or in the laser light source (2) and by means of which the intensity of the laser beam (L) emitted by the laser light source (2) can be detected; and an analysis device (AE) for ascertaining the fill level (h) and/or the refractive index (n). The fill level (h) can be ascertained from the optical path length of the laser beam (L) between the laser light source (2) and the container lid (1a), said container lid (1a) being arranged above the liquid surface (FS), and/or the refractive index (n) can be ascertained from the optical path length between the laser light source (2) and the scattering element (StE). In each case, the optical path length can be ascertained from a variation in the intensity of the laser beam (L) emitted by the laser light source (2). The optical sensor device also comprises a controller (SE), by means of which the laser light source (2) can be operated with a modulation signal.