I'm looking for a way to sense a fluid's level from above, in a small package, with a relatively low dead zone. Most commonly available ultrasonic sensors (which I would see as the best option) have dead zone's of at least 5 inches/13 cm like this one.
What I'm wondering is if that dead zone of around 13 cm comes from the IC's used in the package, or the physical limit of the transducer.
- In the first case, are there packages out there that do overcome this, or would it be an option to purchase an individual transducer and hook it up to my own circuitry, optimized for a very low dead zone, and if so, any examples out there on how to go about building such a sensor out of a transducer?
OR
- In the second case, are there any alternatives to a ultrasonic sensor that would help me achieve this goal? The liquid in the container or the container itself may in this application not be affected.