CA3159040A1

CA3159040A1 - Non-invasive fluid volume measurement device, method, and system for determining fluid volume within a movable pond

Info

Publication number: CA3159040A1
Application number: CA3159040A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Gagarin Anibal Sepulveda Leon
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2019-11-20
Filing date: 2019-11-20
Publication date: 2021-05-27
Also published as: PE20221200A1; WO2021099820A1; AU2019475492A1; ZA202206536B

Abstract

The present technology relates to a device, a method and a non-invasive fluid volume measurement system, for determining the fluid volume within a movable pond, the device being located on a face of the pond and comprising an electronic circuit with a processor, at least one acoustic transducer, located on the contact face, and an inertial measurement unit. Wherein the device determines a spatial tilt angle and an acceleration of the pond by the inertial measurement unit, and then the acoustic transducer emits a plurality of ultrasound waves and receives a plurality of bounced ultrasound waves or echoes. The processor determines the height of a wave rebound point on the surface of the fluid, based on a density of the fluid to be measured and the travel time of the waves; and determines the volume of the fluid using the height of the rebound point, the spatial tilt angles, the acceleration of the pond, the location of the acoustic transducer, and the geometry of the pond. Wherein the device transmits the determined fluid volume by a first two-way communication means to a second bi-directional communication means, and from the second two-way communication means to a server.

Description

Non-invasive fluid volume measurement device, method, and system for determining fluid volume within a movable pond SPECIFICATION
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
5 The present invention is designed to determine the volume of a fluid contained in a movable pond, wherein the ponds are used to store and transport different types of fluids or, for example, the water tanks of the tank trucks and the tanks that store fuel used to operate the engines of vehicles, whether diesel, gasoline or others, for example, but not limited, to the ponds used in the vehicles of the large mining or any vehicle either maritime or land, whether they consume and/or transport 10 fluids stored in movable ponds. More particularly, the invention relates to a real-time measurement system employing read integration techniques from one or more sensors and data processing techniques from a plurality of sensors to determine the volume of a fluid contained in a movable pond.
The present invention is a method and system for real-time, non-invasive determination of fluid 15 volume within a movable pond by a non-invasive fluid volume measurement device. The present technology informs other external devices of the measured fluid volume value, as well as transmits other state parameters of the system, pond, and fluid contained in the pond for remote monitoring.
The present invention comprises a system, a device and a method for determining the fluid volume within a movable pond, with an error of less than 5%, and more preferably with an error of less 20 than 1.5%.
PRIOR ART
The devices found in the literature, whether of external or internal installation to the ponds, are designed to measure the height of a fluid contained in a pond and do not consider other relevant parameters such as: the geometry of the pond, the tilt to which it is exposed and the temperature 25 of the fluid which affects the height measured through the density change, so that the indication of this is an approximation of the fluid volume in the pond, which prevents them from being adequate elements to inform the precise volume to other devices or the user.
Inside the external installation devices, we have for example what is taught in the document US20170350746A1, which teaches a device for the measurement of fluid levels in fuel tanks of 30 mining trucks that comprises a sensor mounted externally to the pond by means of a set of vertical pipes attached to the lower and upper ends of the pond using the effect of communicating vessels, which allows to measure the height of a column of fluid inside an outer pipe without considering neither the shape nor the volume of the pond. One of the problems of the technology described in document US20173350746A1 is that when the pond and the outer pipes are tilted, the measured 5 height varies depending on the tilt angle of the pond and the tilt of the pipe, although the volume is the same in all cases.
Another prior art device related to internal installation devices are the floats anchored to the inner structure of the pond, as is the case found in patent document ES2166177, in which the use of a float together with other electronic elements to detect and visualize the fuel level thereof is 10 disclosed. In this case the device measures height and does not relate to the geometry of the pond.
The aforementioned devices are invasive since they require the intervention of the pond for the installation of pipes or floats.
One of the drawbacks of the installation of these prior art devices in ponds in operation is the necessary modification to the construction characteristics of the ponds, which generates technical 15 problems due to interventions that do not respect the structural calculations of the original design of said ponds, and may even affect safety, especially when in the presence of ponds that store fuels. Additionally, in the event of possible failures of the mechanism used, the pond must be intervened again, implying time losses in the intervention and increasing the risk of leakage.
To avoid structural intervention of the ponds, other measurement devices and methods have been 20 developed. For example, that disclosed in patent G B1377054A describing a system for indicating the level of fuel in a tank comprising a transducer mounted on the bottom or top of the tank and responsive to electrical signals to emit ultrasonic pulses into the tank, means for detecting the ultrasonic echo pulses reflected back from the fuel surface, a timing circuit for measuring the time lapse between the emission of an ultrasonic pulse and the detection of the corresponding echo 25 pulse and display means responsive to the timing circuit to display a variable which increases or decreases in accordance with the measured time lapse as an indication of fuel level in the tank, which allows to know the distance that exists between the specific point from which the ultra sound signal originated and the bounce point of the signal on the surface of the fluid, which is located perpendicular to the point of emission. However, this technology only allows to know the height of 30 a specific point of the surface, without delivering information regarding to the fluid volume in the pond and without considering the geometry of the pond.
Another means of measurement disclosed in patent US20050178198A1 corresponds to a non-invasive method for measuring the fluid level existing in a container at a certain level point existing on one of the side walls of the pond, which is based on monitoring the oscillation of the outer walls resulting from a load impact applied to the outer surface of the container, which reports when the fluid level has reached the level point to be observed.
Finally, the technology based on a widely diffused ultrasound emission in the market is known in 5 the prior art, which consists in reading the fluid level from the upper face of the pond through a perforation of said upper face to the surface of the fluid or to the foam that the latter may have, that is, where the ultrasound wave travels through the air. This technology requires that there is a perforation in the upper face of the pond so that the ultrasound wave travels, which makes it invasive and can also have precision losses by confusing the foam that is generated in some 10 liquids due to the turbulence of the movement, with the surface of the fluid and additionally, only measures the distance to a specific point of the surface of the fluid so that in the best of cases it only delivers an approximation of the height at the point of the surface of the monitored fluid, without measuring the volume inside the pond.
The solutions proposed in the patent documents recited above or in the prior art, only seek to know 15 the fluid level existing in a pond at a certain point of the surface thereof and do not contemplate knowing the actual fluid volume contained therein, which depends on a plurality of variables such as the height of the fluid at a certain point of the surface, the geometry of the pond, the tilt of the pond, the level of turbulence of the surface of the fluid, the inertial movements of the mass of the fluid that occur with the accelerations and decelerations of the pond and the physical conditions of 20 the fluid such as the density and temperature.
Importantly, prior art proposals that are invasive generate an undesirable consequence, which is associated with a possible loss of warranty given by pond manufacturers and means of transport manufacturers, as appropriate. This is because the prior art structurally modifies a pond which was built under certain operating and certification assumptions, which did not contemplate in their 25 original design and certification the modifications required by the invasive prior art.
According to the deficiencies detected in the prior art, it is necessary to have a method and a non-invasive measurement system that allows to know in real time the fluid volume contained in a movable pond, and that transmits the information to other devices according to different parameters measured by sensors that deliver their data to a device, which is part of the 30 measurement system, which delivers a determined volume value based on at least one data integration method, and that said system does not risk a possible loss of manufacturer's warranty.

SOLUTION TO THE TECHNICAL PROBLEM
To remedy the problem raised, a non-invasive system, method and device are presented to determine the volume of a fluid contained in a movable pond, without invading or modifying the structure of the movable pond, which allows to know in real time the fluid volume contained therein.
5 The present technology comprises a system, a method and a non-invasive device for determining the volume of a fluid contained in a movable pond, for determining the fluid volume within a movable pond with an error of less than 5% and that to determine the fluid volume contained in the movable pond emits ultrasound waves from a main acoustic transducer located on the lower face or on the upper face of the movable pond and that receives a plurality of echoes of the plurality 10 of emitted ultrasound waves that bounce at a bounce point of the surface of the fluid, then determining a travel time representative of the ultrasound waves, between the emission time of each ultrasound wave and the time in which its echo is received, both times measured by a real time clock. Next, the height of the fluid at the point of the surface of the fluid located in the vertical projection of the main acoustic transducer is determined and then the fluid volume in the inside of 15 the pond is determined employing the height of the point of the surface of the fluid determined, the angles of spatial tilt of the movable pond, the acceleration of the movable pond, the temperature of the pond, the location of the main acoustic transducer and the geometry of the pond, thereby determining the fluid volume within the movable pond with greater precision than what has been achieved in the prior art, since it allows to correct the volume measured based on the changes in 20 density of the fluid, allows to correct the variations by volume measured due to the changes in the tilt of the surface of the fluid due to accelerations of the pond, the changes in the tilt of the movable pond and the turbulence that may exist on the surface of the fluid.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view of a movable pond containing a fluid and having a non-invasive 25 fluid volume measurement device.
FIG. 2a shows a schematic view of a movable pond with irregular geometry containing a fluid.
FIG. 2b, shows a schematic view of a movable pond with irregular geometry containing a fluid, wherein the surface of the fluid is inclined with respect to the base of the pond.
FIG. 2c, shows a schematic view of a movable pond with irregular geometry containing a fluid, 30 where part of the surface of the fluid is in contact with the upper face of the movable pond.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic where a set of movable ponds is monitored by non-invasive fluid volume measurement devices that are in communication with a server.
FIG. 4 shows a schematic of the components of a non-invasive fluid volume measurement device of the present invention, according to an exemplary embodiment.
5 FIG. 5 shows a schematic of the components of a non-invasive fluid volume measurement device of the present invention, according to an exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 6 shows a schematic of the components of a non-invasive fluid volume measurement system of the present invention, according to an exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 7 shows a schematic of the components of a non-invasive fluid volume measurement system, 10 according to an exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 8 shows a schematic of the components of a non-invasive fluid volume measurement system, according to an exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 9a shows a location scheme of a main acoustic transducer together with two secondary acoustic transducers, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
15 FIG. 9b shows a location diagram of two main acoustic transducers together with two secondary acoustic transducers, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 10a shows a location scheme of a main acoustic transducer together with nine secondary acoustic transducers, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 10b shows a location diagram of four main acoustic transducers together with six secondary 20 acoustic transducers, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 11a shows a side schematic view of a movable pond having a non-invasive fluid volume measurement device on a bottom face of the movable pond, positioned with a tilt angle twice the tilt angle of the bottom face of the movable pond.
FIG. 11b shows a side schematic view of a movable pond having a non-invasive fluid volume 25 measurement device on an upper face of the movable pond, positioned with a tilt angle twice the tilt angle of the upper face of the movable pond.
FIG. 12a shows a schematic side view of a movable pond having two non-invasive fluid volume measurement devices on a lower face of the movable pond.

FIG. 12b shows a schematic side view of the movable pond of FIG. 12a wherein there is a lower fluid volume FIG. 12c shows a side schematic view of a movable pond having two non-invasive fluid volume measurement devices on two upper faces of the movable pond.
5 FIG. 12d shows a schematic side view of the movable pond of FIG. 12c wherein there is a lower fluid volume.
FIG. 13 shows a schematic side view of a movable pond with irregular geometry containing a fluid and having a non-invasive fluid volume measurement device, wherein the pond has inward projections forming solid blocks.
10 FIG. 14 shows a schematic with different waveforms of emission of ultrasound waves.
FIG. 15 shows a schematic with movable ponds on board of different vehicles.
FIG. 16a shows a graph of wave amplitude over time where an ultrasound wave emitted within a movable pond is observed with fluid therein and an echo of the same emitted wave.
FIG. 16b shows a graph of wave amplitude over time as that of Figure 16a where the pond has a 15 lower fluid level so that the emitted ultrasound wave and the echo thereof overlap.
FIG. 16c shows a graph of wave amplitude over time as in Figure 16b where the emission power has been reduced to differentiate the emitted ultrasound wave and the echo thereof.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is described below with reference to the accompanying figures, with respect 20 to a preferred form, but not seeking to be limited to the illustrations and details illustrated therein but merely by the scope of the accompanying claims.
The present technology determines the fluid volume contained in movable ponds regardless of the type of fluid within the pond, since the present invention allows to measure a number of parameters of the fluid to determine in real time physical properties of the fluid and conditions of the time by 25 processing values that are obtained from a plurality of sensors.
For the emission and reception of the ultrasound waves between an emission point and a bounce point on the surface of the fluid, the device generates ultrasound waves by activating at least one main acoustic transducer, which excites with an adjustable power such that said ultrasound signal is capable of traversing the wall or face of the movable pond wherein the non-invasive fluid volume measurement device is installed, said wall or face may be metallic, polymeric or other material.
Additionally, the main acoustic transducers are excited with an adjustable power that is regulated 5 so that the ultrasound wave and the echo of said ultrasound wave traverse the sediments usually deposited at the bottom of the movable ponds, which are an obstacle to the emission of the signal.
To achieve this, the device contemplates the mechanisms that correctly control the propagation of the signal, which are: automatic determination of the natural resonance frequency of the pond, with which the device self-adjusts the frequency that will be used to excite the transducer;
10 generation of an ultrasound signal based on a waveform where the harmonic components that are stopped by the construction material of the lower face of the pond and by the sediments accumulated inside the movable pond are eliminated, causing the energy used in the generation of waves to be used to increase the signal level of the frequencies that if they are passed through, without wasting energy in emitting wave components in frequencies that do not traverse the 15 construction material of the pond.
The main acoustic transducers are positioned with a correction of the angle of contact with the movable pond, so as to correct the effect caused by the tilt refraction of the face of the pond from where the ultrasound signal is being emitted relating to the plane of the surface of the resting fluid, that is, relating to the horizontal earth plane, as indicated in Figures 1 la and 11 b.
20 To prevent the electronic signals generated and processed by the device of the invention from being annulled or interfered with by electromagnetic radiation, which could be generated by the proximity to the pond of elements generating such radiation, as occurs in certain types of fuel tank transporting vehicles used in large mining, in some embodiments of the invention, the non-invasive fluid volume measurement device has a container with an element that protects the inside of the 25 device with a Faraday Cage, which isolates the device and makes it immune to such interference.
The Faraday cage effect is achieved when the container comprises a protection for electromagnetic radiation, for example, when the container is constructed of a metal material or incorporates on its surface a protection such as a metal mesh or the like that provides the protection against electromagnetic radiation.
30 The installation of the non-invasive fluid volume measurement device on a face of the movable pond is carried out by externally adhering to the movable pond, the container of the device, the acoustic transducers and external sensors of the device to the movable pond by means of fixing means such as glues, magnets, straps or other non-invasive fixing means, fixing the device on an external face of the pond to be measured, which allows the device to be installed without the need to intervene or modify the structure of said movable pond in any way.
In order to know the fluid volume contained in the pond, it is necessary to consider the following factors that influence the measurement, which are:
1. Height of a specific point on the surface of a fluid, which is variable, with respect to the vertical projection of said point on the surface to a projected point located on the bottom face of the pond and the coordinates of said projected point relating to a reference point.

2. Pond geometry referenced to the reference point, which can be a simple geometry or composed of different volumes of different geometries joined to achieve a fluid storage pond.

3. Tilt of the pond due to the tilts of the roads or surge through which they are being transported. Because the fluid tends to stay parallel to the earth's surface, by changing the tilt of the pond.

4. Turbulences of different intensity that occur on the surface of the fluid that is stored in a movable pond, either product of the movement of the pond or, product of the turbulence 15 generated by the fluid flows that are being entered or removed from or to the pond.

5. Inertial movement of the mass of fluid product of accelerations or deceleration suffered by the movable ponds.

6. Temperature to which the fluid contained in the pond is subjected, since temperature changes produce changes in the density of the fluid.

In another preferred embodiment, the system comprising the non-invasive fluid volume measurement device of the present invention further comprises a plurality of communication subsystems for interconnecting and feeding information from control systems, such as: fleet control systems, maintenance control systems, resource control system such as business resource planning systems. This plurality of communication subsystems for interconnecting and feeding information from control systems are provided for delivering to other devices in communication with the devices and the non-invasive fuel volume measurement system the values determined by the system, such as acceleration and temperature conditions of the devices and movable ponds, as well as the fluid volume that the invention determines containing the measured ponds.
To ensure the correct delivery of this value, in one preferred embodiment the system of the present invention comprises elements that ensure the delivery of the measured volume, such as electronic connection means based on industrial protocols on wired transmission that ensure the integrity of the data sent between the components of the system and from components of the system to other devices in communication with components of the system of the present invention;
To ensure the correct delivery of this value, in a preferred embodiment the system of the present invention comprises elements that ensure the delivery of the measured volume, such as algorithms 5 waiting for confirmation that the data have been correctly received by other devices in communication with components of the system of the present invention, and detecting when the confirmation is not received or detecting that the sent data have not been correctly received;
To ensure the correct delivery of this value, in a preferred embodiment the system of the present invention comprises elements that ensure the delivery of the measured volume, such as dynamic 10 data loggers that allow storing in the auxiliary memory the data that has not been transmitted correctly to ensure the persistence of the data in the event that the communication means does not exist, so that when the communication is re-established, the data logger deletes from the auxiliary memory (303) the data once the data is transmitted.
To ensure the correct delivery of this value, in a preferred embodiment the system of the present 15 invention comprises elements that ensure the delivery of the measured volume, such as algorithms that check in real time that the information of the volume determined in a present measurement and the volume determined in past measurements that have not been transmitted, is stored until its correct sending ensuring that said data are delivered.
In another preferred configuration, the non-invasive fluid volume measurement device comprises 20 an autonomous heating system that protects the electronic circuit of the device so that its operation is not interrupted when the working temperature is lower than a predetermined minimum operating temperature, for example, but not limited to, the minimum operating temperature of the electronic components comprising the device, the ambient condensation temperature, a temperature less than 5 C, or a temperature less than 0 C. It is heating system can incorporate an auxiliary power 25 source, such as a battery of its own.
In a preferred configuration, the system may further include an auxiliary computer on-board the vehicle transporting the movable pond. Wherein the on-board auxiliary computer may contain the inertial measurement unit, the real-time clock, and may perform the determination of the fluid volume contained within the movable pond based on the information received from the non-30 invasive fluid volume measurement device. This preferred configuration allows to reduce the processing load within the non-invasive fluid volume measurement device, transferring part of the processes to the auxiliary computer.

The method for determining the fluid volume in ponds further comprises storing the data by a data logger that stores the data that has not been transmitted to the other devices of the system, and that then deletes the data once the data is transmitted to other devices of the system. The data logger makes it possible to store data that has not been sent when communication between the 5 devices of the system is interrupted, so as not to lose the data information obtained, but rather that the untransmitted information is stored until communication between the devices is re-established.
The data logger may store data in the memory system of the device or in the memory of external devices connected to the device such as, for example, an auxiliary computer on-board the vehicle transporting the movable pond.
10 In another preferred configuration, the main acoustic transducer is located on an upper face of the movable pond, and both the container and the main acoustic transducer are detachable from the upper face of the movable pond, wherein in yet another more preferred configuration, both the container and the main acoustic transducer are attached by a removable coupling to said movable pond.
15 In another preferred configuration of the present invention, the system comprises a second device with a container arranged on an upper face of the movable pond.
In another preferred configuration of the present invention, the real-time clock corresponds to a real-time clock integrated circuit comprising a battery that allows it to be autonomously energized.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the non-invasive method of measuring fluid 20 volume comprises emitting a plurality or train of ultrasound waves at the resonance frequency determined for the movable pond by a wave generator, which is amplified by a signal amplifier and transformed into acoustic waves by the main acoustic transducers. Wherein the emission frequency between the ultrasound waves of the ultrasound wave train has a variable frequency in a range from 1 to 1,000 Hz.
25 According to another aspect of the present invention, the non-invasive method of measuring fluid volume includes transforming the volume of the existing pond into a cloud of three-dimensional points that is rotated with respect to the horizontal axes according to the tilt angles obtained by the tilt sensor possessed by the device of the invention. The walls of the rotated volume are intersected by a horizontal plane in which the bounce point is contained from the coordinate where the 30 ultrasound signal is emitted. The resulting volume below the projected plane of the surface of the fluid intersecting the three-dimensional point cloud is formed by a plurality of sub-volumes, formed by geometric bodies preferably formed by polygons, each with a volume defined by the algorithm the sum of the sub-volumes being the total fluid volume contained in the pond.
The number of sub-volumes is increased to achieve greater accuracy in the calculation of the fluid volume within the movable pond.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the non-invasive fluid volume measurement system comprises: a first two-way communication means 500 and a second two-way communication 5 means 600 communicated with each other, at least one non-invasive fluid volume measurement device 200 connected to the first two-way communication means 500, wherein the at least one volume measurement device 200 comprises: a container 201, which contacts a contact face of the movable pond 100, an electronic circuit 202 located within the container 201, wherein the electronic circuit 202 comprises: at least one processor 203, a memory storage system 300 connected with 10 the at least one processor 203, a first and a second signal amplifier 205, 209, a wave generator 204 connected to each other with the at least one processor 203 and the first signal amplifier 205, an analog-to-digital converter 210 connected to each other with the at least one processor 203 and the second signal signals 209, a real-time clock 216 in communication with the at least one processor 203, and a communication interface 217 connected with the at least one processor 203, 15 at least one main acoustic transducer 207, located on the contact face, and connected with the first and second signal amplifiers 205, 209, and an electrical power means 218, which energizes the electronic circuit 202, an inertial measurement unit 215 in communication with the at least a processor 203, a server 700 connected to the second two-way communication means 600, wherein the processor 203 determines a spatial tilt angle and an acceleration of the movable pond 100 by 20 the inertial measurement unit 215, wherein the at least one main acoustic transducer 207 emits a plurality of ultrasound waves at a set emission power and receives a plurality of bounced ultrasound waves or echoes of the plurality of emitted ultrasound waves, wherein the processor 203 determines a time of each of the ultrasound waves, between the time of emission of the wave and the time at which its echo is received, and then determines a representative travel time, 25 wherein the processor 203 determines the height of a wave rebound point on the surface of the fluid, based on a density of the fluid to be measured and the representative travel time, and wherein the processor 203 determines the fluid volume within the movable pond 100 employing the height of the bounce point, the spatial tilt angle of the movable pond 100, the acceleration of the movable pond 100, a location of the at least one main acoustic transducer 207, and a geometry of the 30 movable pond 100, which may be a simple geometry or one composed of different volumes of different geometries joined to achieve a geometry equivalent to that of the movable pond 100 and wherein the processor 203 transmits the determined fluid volume by the first communication two-way 500 to the second two-way communication means 600, and from the second two-way communication means 600 to the server 700.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, each main acoustic transducer 207 has a tilt angle twice the tilt angle of the contact face of the movable pond 100 relating to the horizontal, with a maximum angle of 90 between each main acoustic transducer 207 and the horizontal.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the electronic circuit 202 further comprises a first electric current flow protector 206 connected between each main acoustic 5 transducer 207 and the first signal amplifier 205, and a second electric current flow protector 208 connected between each main acoustic transducer 207 and the second signal amplifier 209. These flow protectors restrict the flow of electrical current to a single predetermined direction.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the at least one non-invasive fluid volume measurement device 200 further comprises a secondary signal amplifier 213, a secondary 10 analog-to-digital converter 214 and two or more secondary acoustic transducers 211, wherein two or more secondary acoustic transducers 211 are located on the contact face of the movable pond 100 and connected with the electronic circuit 202. These secondary acoustic transducers enable improved reception of the bounced signal from the surface of the fluid.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the secondary acoustic transducers 211 15 are positioned substantially concentric with center on one of the at least one main acoustic transducer 207.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the electronic circuit 202 further comprises a secondary reverse signal flow protector 212 between each secondary acoustic transducer and the secondary signal amplifier 213.
20 In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the secondary acoustic transducers 211 are configured to operate only as receivers.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the at least one non-invasive fluid volume measurement device 200 further comprises a pond temperature sensor 219, located on the contact face of the movable pond 100 via a fixing means, and connected with the electronic 25 circuit 202, wherein said pond temperature sensor 219 transmits the temperature of the movable pond 100 to determine the temperature of the fluid contained in the movable pond 100 and correct the considered density for said fluid.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the container 201 further comprises a protection against electromagnetic radiation that produces the effect of a Faraday cage.
30 In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the at least one non-invasive volume measurement device 200 communicates with a display screen 900 via the communication interface 217.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the at least one non-invasive fluid volume measurement device 200 further comprises a heating system 400 connected to the processor 203 comprising a circuit temperature sensor 401, a comparator 402, and a heat source 5 403, wherein the heating system 400 emits heat to the electronic circuit 202 when the temperature measured by the circuit temperature sensor 401 is less than a minimum operating temperature of the components of the electronic circuit 202.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the memory storage system 300 comprises at least one temporary memory storage 302 and at least one permanent memory 10 storage 301.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the non-invasive fluid volume measurement system further comprises an auxiliary memory 303 storing the data recorded by a data logger, wherein the data logger stores in the auxiliary memory 303 the data that has not been transmitted by the communication interface 217 and wherein the data logger deletes the data from 15 the auxiliary memory 303 once the data are transmitted by the communication interface 217.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the auxiliary memory 303 is part of the memory system of the at least one non-invasive fluid volume measurement device 200.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the inertial measurement unit 215 is part of the electronic circuit 202.
20 In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the system further comprises an auxiliary computer 800 on-board a vehicle 150 transporting the movable pond 100.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the auxiliary memory 303 is located in the auxiliary computer 800.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the inertial measurement unit 215 is 25 located on the auxiliary computer 800, and wherein the auxiliary computer 800 has an auxiliary real-time clock 816.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the auxiliary computer 800 determines the fluid volume within the movable pond 100 employing the height of the bounce point, the spatial tilt angle of the movable pond 100, the acceleration of the movable pond 100, a location of the at 30 least one main acoustic transducer 207, and a geometry of the movable pond 100. Wherein the auxiliary computer 800 transmits the determined fluid volume to the server 700 via the communication interface 217, the first two-way communication means 500, and the second two-way communication means 600.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the at least one non-invasive fluid 5 volume measurement device 200 is two or more non-invasive fluid volume measurement devices 200.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the non-invasive fluid volume measurement device 200 comprises: a container 201, which has contact with a contact face of the movable pond 100; an electronic circuit 202 located within the container 201, wherein the electronic 10 circuit 202 comprises: at least one processor 203; a memory storage system 300 connected with the at least one processor 203; a first and a second signal amplifier 205, 209; a wave generator 204 connected to each other with the at least one processor 203 and the first signal amplifier 205;
a digital-to-analog converter 210 connected to each other with the at least one processor 203 and the second signal amplifier 209; a real-time clock 216 in communication with the at least one 15 processor 203; an inertial measurement unit 215 connected in communication with the at least one processor 203, and a communication interface 217 connected with the at least one processor 203;
at least a main acoustic transducer 207, located on the contact face of the movable pond 100, and connected with the first and second signal amplifiers 205, 209; and an electrical power supply means 218, energizing the device 200; wherein the processor 203 determines spatial tilt angles 20 and an acceleration of the movable pond 100 by the inertial measurement unit 215; wherein the at least one main acoustic transducer 207 emits a plurality of ultrasound waves at a set emission power and receives a plurality of bounced ultrasound waves or echoes of the plurality of emitted ultrasound waves; wherein the processor 203 determines a travel time of each of the ultrasound waves, between the time of emission of the wave and the time at which its echo is received, and 25 then determines a representative travel time; wherein the processor 203 determines the height of a wave bounce point on the surface of the fluid, based on in a density of the fluid to be measured and the representative travel time, and wherein the processor 203 determines the fluid volume within the movable pond 100 employing the height of the bounce point, the spatial tilt angle of the movable pond 100, the acceleration of the movable pond 100, a location of the at least one main 30 acoustic transducer 207, and a geometry of the movable pond 100; and wherein the processor 203 transmits the determined fluid volume through the communication interface 217.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the invention relates to a non-invasive method of measuring fluid volume, comprising the steps of: providing at least one non-invasive fluid volume measurement device 200, a first two-way communication means 500, a second two-way communication means 600, and a server 700 connected to the second two-way communication means 600; positioning at least one main acoustic transducer 207 from at least a non-invasive fluid volume measurement device 200 on a contact face of the movable pond 100;
defining a geometry of the movable pond 100; defining a density of the fluid within the movable pond 100; determining, 5 by the inertial measurement unit 215, spatial tilt angles and an acceleration of the movable pond 100; establishing an emission power; establishing an emission frequency;
establishing an emission waveform; emitting a plurality of ultrasound waves at the emission power, the emission frequency and with the form of emission by the at least one main acoustic transducer 207; receiving a plurality of echoes of the plurality of ultrasound waves by the at least one main acoustic transducer 207;
10 determining a travel time of the ultrasound waves, between the time of emission of each ultrasound wave and the time at which its echo is received, both measured by a real-time clock 216;
determining a representative travel time from the travel times of the ultrasound waves; determining the height of a wave rebound point on the surface of the fluid, based on the density of the fluid, and the determined representative travel time; determining the fluid volume within the movable 15 pond 100 employing the height of the rebound point, the spatial tilt angle of the movable pond 100, the acceleration of the movable pond 100, the location of the at least one main acoustic transducer 207, and the geometry of the movable pond 100; and transmitting, the determined fluid volume, by the first two-way communication means 500 to the second two-way communication means 600, and from the second two-way communication means 600 to the server 700.
20 In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the step of establishing an emission power further comprises: defining an initial power; defining an initial frequency; defining an initial waveform, defining a minimum reception power and a minimum percentage of admissible reception powers; emitting a plurality of ultrasound waves at the initial power, initial frequency, and with the initial waveform by the at least one main acoustic transducer 207;
receiving a plurality of 25 echoes of the plurality of ultrasound waves emitted at the initial power by the at least one main acoustic transducer 207; determining the reception power of each of the received echoes;
determining a percentage of admissible reception powers based on the number of reception powers above the minimum reception power relating to the total of the emitted ultrasound waves;
increasing the initial power and emitting a plurality of ultrasound waves at the increased initial 30 power, initial frequency and in the form of initial wave by the at least one main acoustic transducer 207 until the percentage of permissible reception powers is greater than the minimum percentage of permissible reception powers, and establishing the emission power to a power greater than or equal to the initial power.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the step of receiving a plurality of echoes 35 of the plurality of ultrasound waves emitted at the initial power further comprises: increasing the initial power and emitting a plurality of ultrasound waves at the increased initial power, initial frequency and with the initial waveform by the at least one main acoustic transducer 207 until the number of echoes received from the plurality of ultrasound waves emitted is greater than zero.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the step of establishing an emission 5 frequency further comprises: emitting a plurality of ultrasound waves at the emission power, with an initial waveform and at a plurality of different emission frequencies by the at least one main acoustic transducer 207; receiving a plurality of echoes of the plurality of ultrasound waves emitted at a plurality of different emission frequencies by the at least one main acoustic transducer 207;
determining the reception power of each of the received echoes; establishing the emission 10 frequency at the emission frequency associated with the received echo with the highest reception power.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the step of establishing the emission waveform further comprises: emitting a plurality of ultrasound waves at the emission power, at the emission frequency, and with a plurality of different waveforms by the at least one main acoustic 15 transducer 207; receiving a plurality of echoes of the plurality of ultrasound waves emitted with a plurality of different waveforms by the at least one main acoustic transducer 207, determining the reception power of each of the received echoes; establishing the emission waveform a according to the waveform associated with the received echo with the highest reception power.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, before determining the height of the 20 bounce point the method further comprises the steps of: obtaining the temperature of the movable pond 100 through a pond temperature sensor 219, and correcting the fluid density defined based on the temperature of the movable pond 100.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the step of determining the travel time of each of the ultrasound waves further comprises the step of discarding the travel times of the 25 waves that are outside a range of feasible travel times determined based on a Kalman filter.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method further comprises the step of transmitting to the server 700 the height of the bounce point, the temperature of the contact face of the movable pond 100, the angles of spatial tilt of the movable pond 10D, and the acceleration of the movable pond 100, by the first two-way communication means 500 to the second two-way 30 communication means 600, and from the second two-way communication means 600 to the server 700.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the step of determining the height of a bounce point further comprises determining the coordinates of the bounce point relating to the reference point.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method further comprises the step of transmitting to the server 700 the coordinates of the bounce point, by the first two-way 5 communication means 500 to the second two-way communication means 600, and from the second two-way communication means 600 to the server 700.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method further comprises:
positioning two or more secondary acoustic transducers 211 on a contact face of the movable pond 100; and receiving the plurality of echoes of the plurality of ultrasound waves emitted by the 10 two or more secondary acoustic transducers 211.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method further comprises positioning the secondary acoustic transducers 211 concentrically centered on one of the at least one main acoustic transducer 207, to improve the reception of the ultrasound waves.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method further comprises.
15 comparing the determined fluid volume to a minimum volume value; and emitting a low volume alarm if the determined fluid volume is less than the minimum fluid volume value.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the method further comprises displaying the determined fluid volume value via a display screen 900.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the step of positioning at least one 20 main acoustic transducer 207 the method further comprises: determining a positioning area on the contact face of the movable pond 100 whose vertical projection reaches the opposite face of the movable pond 100 without traversing solid blocks; and positioning at least one main acoustic transducer 207 in the positioning area.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the step of positioning at least one 25 main acoustic transducer 207 the method further comprises: positioning the main acoustic transducer 207 with a tilt angle twice the tilt angle of the contact face of the movable pond 100 with respect to the horizontal, with a maximum angle of 900 between the main acoustic transducer 207 and the horizontal.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the server method receives a plurality 30 of signals from a plurality of two-way communication means 500 associated with the same plurality of movable ponds 100.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the non-invasive method of measuring fluid volume is configured to measure the level of waste and debris deposited within the movable pond 100. To achieve this objective, the associated device is configured to measure the level of effluent employing the step of establishing an emission power, since for ponds with the same 5 construction and geometry containing the same fluid, the parameter that varies the emission power is the level of waste and debris deposited within the movable pond 100. By establishing an initial emission power for a pond without waste or accumulated waste, and comparing it to an initial emission power for one or more movable ponds 100 with a given level of waste and debris deposited, a correlation can be established between the level of waste and debris deposited within 10 the movable pond 100, so that it can be determined what is the level of waste and debris inside the pond as a function of the initial emission power employed for the pond.
This function allows to know when the waste and debris within a pond reaches a level that makes it necessary to clean the pond before the deposited waste and debris endanger of contamination and clogging to systems connected to the movable pond 100 and which employ, transport, or process the fluid 15 contained within the movable pond 100.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, an alert is emitted indicating that the pond requires cleaning due to the level of waste and debris deposited within the pond.
EXAMPLES OF APPLICATION
Examples of different embodiments of the present invention are described below.

In a first example of the present invention, a three-month experimental test was carried out in an open-pit mine in a fleet of 5 mining trucks with a capacity of 330 tons of payload, and with fuel tanks with a capacity of 5,000 liters of diesel oil with a mostly rectangular shape. In each of the ponds, measurement devices of the present invention were installed with a main transducer and 25 the volume of fuel within the pond was measured during normal operation of the trucks, then based on the fluid volume within the pond and the capacity of the pond, the missing fluid volume within the pond was determined, which corresponds to the volume of fuel to be refueled. Then, each time the fuel of the trucks was refilled, the information of how rnuch fuel was needed to refill according to the measurement delivered by the present invention was contrasted with the information 30 delivered by a precision flowmeter existing in the fuel dispenser, determining that the average actual error of the present invention during the test was on average less than 1%, in particular it was 0.88% on average. The information of the operating averages of the five trucks is summarized in Table 1.
Lacking Average Lacking Average Difference Average Absolute Volume to be Volume Refueled A verageL] Error on Total [
Refueled Indicated [L]
Volume by the Invention [L]
Truck n 1 4.170 4.200 30 0.60%
Truck No.2 4.050 3.990 -60 1.20%
Truck No.3 3.760 3.800 40 0.80%
Truck No.4 3.950 4.000 50 1.00%
Truck No.5 2.891 2.850 -41 0.82%
Average 0.88%
Table 1: Summary of measurements made during an experimental test of the 5 technology in a fleet of 5 mining extraction trucks.

In a second example of the present invention, a month-long test was carried out in an open-pit mine in a fleet of 3 mining trucks with a capacity of 330 tons of payload, each with an irregularly geometric pond of 5.6 m3 by volume, similar to that indicated in Figures 2a, 2b and 2c. In each of 10 the ponds, measurement devices of the present invention were installed with one main transducer and three secondary transducers, wherein the main transducer was positioned 1 meter away from the two major walls of the pond, and the secondary transducers were located radially 0.3 meters from the main transducer. Then, the volume of fuel within the pond was measured during normal operation of the trucks, and based on the fluid volume within the pond and the capacity of the pond, 15 the volume of missing fluid, which corresponds to the volume of fuel to be refueled, was determined. The information obtained was transmitted to a central server, from which the remaining fuel of each truck was monitored and the ordered refuel of the truck fleet was coordinated based on the measurement. Then, each time the fuel of the trucks was refilled, the information of how much fuel was needed to refill according to the measurement delivered by the 20 present invention was contrasted with the information delivered by a precision flowmeter existing in the fuel dispenser, determining that the average real error of the present invention during the test was 45 liters of difference in absolute value, which represents an error of 3.8% regarding to the nominal volume of the ponds.
EXAMPLES
25 In a third example of the present invention, a one-month test was carried out on a drinking water distribution circuit by tanker trucks with water ponds with a capacity of 20 m3. The pond of one of the trucks was equipped with the device of the present invention, locating the main transducer in the lower axis of the pond at a distance of 2 meters from one end and proceeded to measure the basal tilt angle, of 10 which was entered from the server as a correction of the instantaneous tilt 5 that it would have depending on the movement. The information of how much water was needed to refill the pond according to the measurement delivered by the present invention was contrasted with the information delivered by a precision flowmeter existing in the drinking water dispenser, determining that the average real error of the present invention during the test was 130 liters of difference in absolute value, which represents an error of 0.65% with respect to the nominal volume 10 of the pond.
Finally, in order to facilitate the reading and understanding of the present invention, a list with the reference numbers of the aforementioned components is incorporated below.
100 - movable pond 150 - vehicle 15 200 - non-invasive fluid volume measurement device 201 - Container 202 - electronic circuit 203 - processor 204 - wave generator 20 205 - first signal amplifier 206 - first electric current flow protector 207 - main acoustic transducer 208 - second electric current flow protector 209 - second signal amplifier 25 210 - analog-to-digital converter 211 - secondary acoustic transducers 212 - secondary reverse signal flow protector 213 - secondary signal amplifier 214 - secondary analog-to-digital converter 30 215 - inertial measurement unit 216 -real-time clock 217 - communication interface 218- power supply means 219 - pond temperature sensor 35 300 - memory storage system 301 - permanent memory storage 302 - temporary memory storage 303 - auxiliary memory 400 - heating system 5 401 - circuit temperature sensor 402 - comparator 403 - heat source 500 - First two-way communication means 600 - second two-way communication means 10 700 - server 800 - auxiliary computer 816 - auxiliary real-time clock 900 - display screen

Claims

1. A non-invasive fluid volume measurement system, to determine the fluid volume within a movable pond (100), with an error of less than 5%, wherein it comprises:
a first two-way communication means (500) and a second two-way communication means (600) communicating with each other;
at least one non-invasive fluid volume measurement device (200) connected to the first two-way communication means (500), wherein the at least one volume measurement device (200) comprises:
a container (201), which contacts a contact face of the movable pond (100);
an electronic circuit (202) located within the container (201), wherein the electronic circuit (202) comprises:
at least one processor (203);
a memory storage system (300) connected with the at least one processor (203);
a first and a second signal amplifier (205, 209);
a wave generator (204) connected to each other with the at least one processor (203) and the first signal amplifier (205);
an analog-to-digital converter (210) connected between the at least one processor (203) and the second signal amplifier (209);
a real-time clock (216) in communication with the at least one processor (203); and a communication interface (217) connected with the at least one processor (203);
at least one main acoustic transducer (207), located on the contact face, and connected with the first and second signal amplifiers (205, 209); and an electrical power supply means (218), which energizes the electronic circuit (202);
an inertial measurement unit (215) in communication with the at least one processor (203); a server (700) connected to the second two-way communication means (600);
wherein the processor (203) determines a spatial tilt angle and an acceleration of the movable pond (100) by the inertial measurement unit (215);
wherein the at least one main acoustic transducer (207) emits a plurality of ultrasound waves at an established emission power and receives a plurality of bounced ultrasound waves or echoes of the plurality of emitted ultrasound waves;
wherein the processor (203) determines a travel time of each of the ultrasound waves, between the emission time of the wave and the time at which its echo is received, and then determines a representative travel time;
wherein the processor (203) determines the height of a wave rebound point on the surface of the fluid, based on a density of the fluid to be measured and the representative travel time;
wherein the processor (203) determines the fluid volume within the movable pond (100) employing the height of the bounce point, the spatial tilt angles of the movable pond (100), the acceleration of the movable pond (100), a location of the at least one main acoustic transducer (207), and a geometry of the movable pond (100);
wherein the processor (203) transmits the determined fluid volume by the first two-way communication means (500) to the second two-way communication means (600), and from the second two-way communication means (600) to the server (700); and wherein each main acoustic transducer (207) has a tilt angle twice the tilt angle of the contact face of the movable pond (100) relating to the horizontal, with a maximum angle of 90 between each main acoustic transducer (207) and the horizontal.

2. The non-invasive fluid volume measurement system, according to claim 1, wherein the electronic circuit (202) further comprises a first electric current flow protector (206) connected between each main acoustic transducer (207) and the first signal amplifier (205), and a second electric current flow protector (208) connected between each main acoustic transducer (207) and the second signal amplifier (209).

3. The non-invasive fluid volume measurement system, according to claim 1, wherein the at least one non-invasive fluid volume measurement device (200) further comprises a secondary signal amplifier (213), a secondary analog-to-digital converter (214) and two or more secondary acoustic transducers (211), wherein two or more secondary acoustic transducers (211) are located on the contact face of the movable pond (100) and connected with the electronic circuit (202).

4. The non-invasive fluid volume measurement system, according to claim 3, wherein the secondary acoustic transducers (211) are positioned concentrically centered on one of the at least one main acoustic transducer (207).

5. The non-invasive fluid volume measurement system, according to claim 3, wherein the electronic circuit (202) further comprises a secondary reverse signal flow protector (212) between each secondary acoustic transducer and the secondary signal amplifier (213).

6. The non-invasive fluid volume measurement system, according to claim 3, wherein the secondary acoustic transducers (211) are configured to operate as receivers only.

7. The non-invasive fluid volume measurement system, according to claim 1, wherein the at least one non-invasive fluid volume measurement device (200) further comprises a pond temperature sensor (219), located on the contact face of the movable pond (100) by means of a fixing means, and connected with the electronic circuit (202).

8. The non-invasive fluid volume measurement system, according to claim 1, wherein the container (201) further comprises a protection against electromagnetic radiation, and wherein the at least one non-invasive volume measurement device (200) communicates with a display screen (900) through the communication interface (217).

9. The non-invasive fluid volume measurement system, according to claim 1, wherein the at least one non-invasive fluid volume measurement device (200) further comprises a heating system (400) connected to the processor (203) comprising a circuit temperature sensor (401), a comparator (402) and a heat source (403), wherein the heating system (400) emits heat into the electronic circuit (202) when the temperature measured by the circuit temperature sensor (401) is less than a minimum operating temperature of the components of the electronic circuit (202).

10. The non-invasive fluid volume measurement system, according to claim I, wherein the memory storage system (300) comprising at least one temporary memory storage (302) and at least one permanent memory storage (301).

11. The non-invasive fluid volume measurement system, according to claim 10, wherein it further comprises an auxiliary memory (303) that stores the data recorded via a data logger;
wherein the data logger stores in the auxiliary memory (303) the data that has not been transmitted by the communication interface (217); and wherein the data logger deletes the data from the auxiliary memory (303) once the data is transmitted by the communication interface (217).

12. The non-invasive fluid volume measurement system, according to claim II, wherein the auxiliary memory (303) is part of the memory system of the at least one non-invasive fluid volume measurement device (200).

13. The non-invasive fluid volume measurement system according to claim 12, wherein the inertial measurement unit (215) is part of the electronic circuit (202).

14. The non-invasive fluid volume measurement system, according to claim 11, wherein the system further comprises an auxiliary computer (800) on-board a vehicle (150) transporting the movable pond (100).

15. The non-invasive fluid volume measurement system, according to claim 14, wherein the auxiliary memory (303) is located in the auxiliary computer (800).

16. The non-invasive fluid volume measurement system, according to claim 15, wherein the inertial measurement unit 215 is located in the auxiliary computer 800, and wherein the auxiliary computer 800 has an auxiliary real-time clock 816.

17. The non-invasive fluid volume measurement system, according to claim 16, wherein the auxiliary computer (800) determines the fluid volume within the movable pond (100) employing the height of the bounce point, the spatial tilt angles of the movable pond (100), the acceleration of the movable pond (100), a location of the at least one main acoustic transducer (207), and a geometry of the movable pond (100); and wherein the auxiliary computer (800) transmits the determined fluid volume to the server (700) via the communication interface (217), the first two-way communication means (500), and the second two-way communication means (600).

18. The non-invasive fluid volume measurement system, according to claim 1, wherein the at least one non-invasive fluid volume measurement device (200) is two or more non-invasive fluid volume measurement devices (200).

19. The non-invasive fluid volume measurement device (200), for determining the fluid volume within a movable pond (100) with an error of less than 5%, wherein it comprises:
a container (201), which has contact with a contact face of the movable pond (100);
an electronic circuit (202) located within the container (201), wherein the electronic circuit (202) comprises:
at least one processor (203);
a memory storage system (300) connected with the at least one processor (203);
a first and a second signal amplifier (205, 209);
a wave generator (204) connected to each other with the at least one processor (203) and the first signal amplifier (205);

an analog-to-digital converter (210) connected between the at least one processor (203) and the second signal amplifier (209);
a real-time clock (216) in communication with the at least one processor (203);
an inertial measurement unit (215) connected in communication with the at least one processor (203); and a communication interface (217) connected with the at least one processor (203); the at least one main acoustic transducer (207), located on the contact face of the movable pond (100), and connected with the first and second signal amplifiers (205, 209);
and an electric power supply means (218), which energizes the device (200);
wherein the processor (203) determines a spatial tilt angle and an acceleration of the movable pond (100) by the inertial measurement unit (215);
wherein the at least one main acoustic transducer (207) emits a plurality of ultrasound waves at an established emission power and receives a plurality of bounced ultrasound waves or echoes of the plurality of emitted ultrasound waves;
wherein the processor (203) determines a travel time of each of the ultrasound waves, between the emission time of the wave and the time at which its echo is received, and then determines a representative travel time;
wherein the processor (203) determines the height of a wave rebound point on the surface of the fluid, based on a density of the fluid to be measured and the representative travel time;
wherein the processor (203) determines the fluid volume within the movable pond (100) employing the height of the bounce point, the spatial tilt angles of the movable pond (100), the acceleration of the movable pond (100), a location of the at least one main acoustic transducer (207), and a geometry of the movable pond (100);
wherein the processor (203) transmits the determined fluid volume via the communication interface (217); and wherein each main acoustic transducer (207) has a tilt angle twice the tilt angle of the contact face of the movable pond (100) relating to the horizontal, with a maximum angle of 90 between each main acoustic transducer (207) and the horizontal.

20. The non-invasive fluid volume measurement device (200) according to the claim 19, wherein the electronic circuit (202) further comprises a first electric current flow protector (206) connected between each main acoustic transducer (207) and the first signal amplifier (205), and a second electric current flow protector (208) connected between each main acoustic transducer (207) and the second signal amplifier (209).

21. The non-invasive fluid volume measurement device (200) according to the claim 19, wherein it further comprises a secondary signal amplifier (213), a secondary analog-to-digital converter (214) and two or more secondary acoustic transducers (211), wherein two or more secondary acoustic transducers (211) are located on the contact face of the movable pond (100) and connected to the electronic circuit (202).

22. The non-invasive fluid volume measurement device (200) according to the claim 21, wherein the secondary acoustic transducers (211) are positioned concentrically centered on one of the at least one main acoustic transducer (207).

23. The non-invasive fluid volume measurement device (200) according to the claim 21 wherein the electronic circuit (202) further comprises a secondary reverse signal flow protector (212) between each secondary acoustic transducer and the secondary signal amplifier (213).

24. The non-invasive fluid volume measurement device (200) according to the claim 21, wherein the secondary acoustic transducers (211) are configured to operate only as receivers.

25. The non-invasive fluid volume measurement device (200) according to the claim 19, wherein it further comprises a pond temperature sensor (219), located on the contact face of the movable pond (100) by a fixing means, and connected to the electronic circuit (202).

26. The non-invasive fluid volume measurement device (200) according to the claim 19, wherein the container (201) further comprises a protection against electromagnetic radiation, and wherein the non-invasive volume measurement device (200) communicates with a display screen (900) via the communication interface (217).

27. The non-invasive fluid volume measurement device (200) according to the claim 19, wherein it further comprises a heating system (400) connected to the processor (203) comprising a circuit temperature sensor (401), a comparator (402) and a heat source (403), wherein the heating system (400) emits heat towards the electronic circuit (202) when the temperature measured by the circuit temperature sensor (401) is lower than a minimum operating temperature of the components of the electronic circuit (202).

28. The non-invasive fluid volume measurement device (200) according to the claim 19, wherein the memory storage system (300) comprising at least one temporary memory storage (302) and at least one permanent memory storage (301).

29. The non-invasive fluid volume measurement device (200) according to the claim 19, wherein the memory storage system (300) further comprises an auxiliary memory (303) that stores the data recorded by a data logger;
wherein the data logger stores in the auxiliary memory (303) the data that has not been transmitted by the communication interface (217); and wherein the data logger deletes the data from the auxiliary memory (303) once the data is transmitted by the communication interface (217).

30. A non-invasive method of measuring fluid volume, to determine fluid volume within a movable pond (100) with an error of less than 5%, wherein it comprises the steps of:
providing at least a non-invasive fluid volume measurement device (200), a first two-way communication means (500), a second two-way communication means (600), and a server (700) connected to the second two-way communication means (600);
positioning at least one main acoustic transducer (207) of the at least one non-invasive fluid volume measurement device (200) on a contact face of the movable pond (100) with an tilt angle twice the angle of the contact face of the movable pond (100) with respect to the horizontal, with a maximum angle of 90 between the main acoustic transducer (207) and the horizontal;
defining a geometry of the movable pond (100);
defining a density of the fluid within the movable pond (100);
determining, by the inertial measurement unit (215), spatial tilt angles and an acceleration of the movable pond (100);
establishing an emission power;
establishing an emission frequency;
establishing an emission waveform;
emitting a plurality of ultrasound waves at the emission power, the emission frequency and the emission form by the at least one main acoustic transducer (207);
receiving a plurality of echoes of the plurality of ultrasound waves by the at least one main acoustic transducer (207);
determining a travel time of the ultrasound waves, between the time of emission of each ultrasound wave and the time at which its echo is received, both measured by a real-time clock (216);
determining a representative travel time from the travel times of the ultrasound waves;
determining the height of a wave rebound point on the surface of the fluid, based on the density of the fluid, and the determined representative travel time;
determining the fluid volume within the movable pond (100) using the height of the bounce point, the spatial tilt angles of the movable pond (100), the acceleration of the movable pond (100), the location of the at least one main acoustic transducer (207), and the geometry of the movable pond (100);
transmitting the determined fluid volume, by the first two-way communication means (500) to the second two-way communication means (600), and from the second two-way communication means (600) to the server (700).

31. The non-invasive method of measuring fluid volume according to claim 30, wherein the step of establishing an emission power further comprises:
defining an initial power;
defining an initial frequency;
defining an initial waveform;
defining a minimum reception power and a minimum percentage of permissible reception powers;
emitting a plurality of ultrasound waves at the initial power, initial frequency and with the initial waveform by the at least one main acoustic transducer (207);
receiving a plurality of echoes of the plurality of ultrasound waves emitted at the initial power by the at least one main acoustic transducer (207);
determining the reception power of each of the received echoes;
determining a percentage of permissible reception powers based on the number of reception powers above the minimum reception power with respect to the totality of ultrasound waves emitted;
increasing the initial power and emitting a plurality of ultrasound waves at the increased initial power, initial frequency, and with the initial waveform by the at least one main acoustic transducer (207) until the percentage of permissible reception powers is greater than the minimum percentage of permissible reception powers; and establishing the emission power to a power greater than or equal to the initial power.

32. The non-invasive method of measuring fluid volume according to the claim 31, wherein the step of receiving a plurality of echoes of the plurality of ultrasound waves emitted at the initial power further comprises: increasing the initial power and emitting a plurality of ultrasound waves at the increased initial power, initial frequency and with the initial waveform by the at least one main acoustic transducer (207) until the number of echoes received from the plurality of ultrasound waves emitted is greater than zero.

33. The non-invasive method of measuring fluid volume according to the claim 30, wherein the step of establishing an emission frequency further comprises:
emitting a plurality of ultrasound waves at the emission power, with an initial waveform and at a plurality of different emission frequencies by the at least one main acoustic transducer (207);
receiving a plurality of echoes of the plurality of ultrasound waves emitted at a plurality of different emission frequencies by the at least one main acoustic transducer (207);
determining the reception power of each of the received echoes;
establishing the emission frequency to the emission frequency associated with the received echo with the highest reception power.

34. The non-invasive method of measuring fluid volume according to claim 30, wherein the step of establishing the emission waveform further comprises:
emitting a plurality of ultrasound waves at the emission power, the emission frequency and with a plurality of different waveforms by the at least one main acoustic transducer (207);
receiving a plurality of echoes of the plurality of ultrasound waves emitted with a plurality of different waveforms by the at least one main acoustic transducer (207);
determining the reception power of each of the received echoes;
establishing the emission waveform a according to the waveform associated with the received echo with the highest reception power.

35. The non-invasive method of measuring fluid volume according to the the method of claim 30, wherein prior to determining the height of the bounce point the method further comprises the steps of:
obtaining the temperature of the movable pond (100) through a pond temperature sensor (219);
and correcting the defined fluid density based on the temperature of the movable pond (100).

36. The non-invasive method of measuring fluid volume according to the claim 30, wherein the step of determining the travel time of each of the ultrasound waves further comprises the step of discarding the travel times of the waves that are outside a range of feasible travel times determined based on a Kalman filter.

37. The non-invasive method of measuring fluid volume according to the claim 30, wherein it further comprises the step of:
transmitting to the server (700) the height of the bounce point, the temperature of the contact face of the movable pond (100), the angles of spatial tilt of the movable pond (100), and the acceleration of the movable pond (100), by the first two-way communication means (500) to the second two-way communication means (600), and from the second two-way communication means (600 ) to the server (700).

38. The non-invasive method of measuring fluid volume according to claim 30, wherein the step of determining the height of a bounce point further comprises:
determining the coordinates of the bounce point relating to the reference point.

39. The non-invasive method of measuring fluid volume according to the claim 37, wherein it further comprises the step of:
transmitting to the server (700) the coordinates of the bounce point, by the first two-way communication means 500 to the second two-way communication means 600, and from the second two-way communication means 600 to the server 700.

40. The non-invasive method of measuring fluid volume according to the claim 30, wherein it further comprises:
positioning two or more secondary acoustic transducers (211) on a contact face of the movable pond (100); and receiving the plurality of echoes of the plurality of ultrasound waves emitted by the two or more secondary acoustic transducers (211).

41. The non-invasive method of measuring fluid volume according to the claim 40, wherein it comprises positioning the secondary acoustic transducers (211) concentrically centered on one of the at least one main acoustic transducer (207), to improve reception of the ultra sound waves.

42. The non-invasive method of measuring fluid volume according to the claim 30, wherein it further comprises:
comparing the determined fluid volume to a minimum volume value; and emitting a low volume alarm if the determined fluid volume is less than the minimum fluid volume value.

43. The non-invasive method of measuring fluid volume according to the claim 30, wherein it comprises displaying the value of the determined fluid volume through a display screen (900).

44. The non-invasive method of measuring fluid volume according to the method of claim 30, wherein in the step of positioning at least one main acoustic transducer (207) further comprises:
determining a positioning area on the contact face of the movable pond (100) whose vertical projection reaches the opposite face of the movable pond (100) without traversing the solid blocks; and positioning at least one main acoustic transducer (207) in the positioning area.

45. The non-invasive method of measuring fluid volume according to claim 30, wherein the server receives a plurality of signals from a plurality of two-way communication means (500) associated with the same plurality of movable ponds (100).