Abstract: A capacitive proximity or limit switch comprises a capacitive probe having a sensor electrode and a guard electrode. The sensor electrode is connected to an oscillator formed by a feedback system of two operational amplifiers, of which one operational amplifier is configured as a differential amplifier, the other operational amplifier as a voltage follower. The probe electrode is connected to the inverting input of the differential amplifier, in the feedback circuit of which a capacitor is provided, as a result of which the AC gain is determined. An adjustable portion of the output voltage of the differential amplifier is applied to the non-inverting input of the voltage follower, the output of which is connected to the non-inverting input of the differential amplifier to which the guard electrode is connected.

Abstract: The capacitive level limit switch used for monitoring the level of a material in a container has a capacitive probe fitted at the height of the level to be monitored so that it is covered by the material when the level has attained this height. The capacitance of the probe is compared to a threshold value determining the switching point, for establishing whether the probe is covered by material or not. For setting the switching point, the capacitance of the probe measured in one condition of the probe is stored as a first reference value and a provisional second reference value is calculated from the first reference value by addition or subtraction of a predetermined amount and is also stored. From the stored reference values the threshold value is calculated according to a prescribed function so that it lies between the two reference values.

Abstract: A transmitting station is connected to a receiving station by a two-wire line via which the supply current required for operating the transmitting station is transferred from the receiving station to the transmitting station. The transmitting station comprises a supply circuit including a voltage regulator for maintaining the operating voltage of the transmitting station constant and an energy store for compensating current and/or voltage fluctuations. Via the two-wire line a signal current, variable between two limit values, is further transferred from the transmitting station to the receiving station. This signal current consists of the supply current for the transmitting station and a supplementary current determined by the transmitting station. For transfer of the communication information between the transmitting station and the receiving station, a symmetrical communication current is superimposed on the signal current.

Abstract: The circuit arrangement is used for capacitance or admittance measurement by the principle of apparent current measurement in that to the capacitance or admittance to be measured an AC voltage of fixed magnitude and fixed frequency is applied and the AC current flowing through the capacitance or admittance is used as a measure of the measured value. The test object whose capacitance or admittance is to be measured lies in the emitter circuit of a transistor connected as voltage follower, to the base electrode of which the AC voltage is applied. The emitter terminal of the transistor connected to the test object is connected to the corresponding pole of the operating voltage source via an adjustable current source. The collector connection of the transistor is connected via an impedance of high resistance for alternating current to the other pole of the operating voltage source.

Abstract: A plastic scintillation detector (14) generates on the basis of ionizing radiation coming from a radiation source (16) light flashes which are converted by a photoelectric transducer (20), for example a photoelectron multiplier, to electrical output pulses. An evaluation circuit (22) counts the output pulses as a measure of the radiation intensity. For automatic stabilization of the scintillation detector a light source (24) is controlled by a driving circuit (26) in such a manner that it transmits light pulses whose intensity is modulated in accordance with a predetermined periodic function, for example a sawtooth function. The modulated light pulses are also intercepted by the photoelectric transducer (20) and converted by the latter into electrical reference pulses. A monitoring circuit (28) determines in each modulation period the number of reference pulses whose amplitude exceeds a predetermined reference threshold value lying in the modulation interval.

Abstract: An ultrasonic filling position limit switch having disposed in the container at the full level thereof, at least one ultrasonic transducer for sending out ultrasonic pulses and for receiving echo pulses reflected off the opposite container wall. An amplifier of the electric output signals of the transducer is connected to a threshold limit switch which provides an output signal when the amplifier output signal exceeds a predetermined threshold value. The amplifier output is fed back to an amplifier control input by means of an amplifier control circuit which seeks to maintain the amplifier output signal at an adjustable constant nominal value. A control device blocks the control circuit for the duration of time in each sending period required for the sending out of the ultrasonic sending pulses and for receiving the echo pulses.