Patent · US Expired

Ultrasonic flowmeter

US4452090A · kind A · utility

26Cited by
2References
5Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 17, 1982
Grant dateJun 5, 1984
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 17, 2002

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01F1/667
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An ultrasonic flowmeter which measures gas velocity including a pair of ultrasonic transducers oppositely located around a conduit at a predetermined angle to the flow direction. Each transducer alternates between acting as a transmitter and a detector of ultrasonic frequencies, thus as one transducer transmits, the other receives. A measurement is made of the time of flight of the ultrasonic signal between the transmitter transducer and the receiver transducer and a microcomputer calculates the velocity of the gas by a known mathematical relationship utilizing the difference between the time of flight of the ultrasonic signals traveling upstream and those traveling downstream. The time of flight is determined by the phase shift or difference in phase angle between the signal at the transmitter transducer and the signal detected by the receiver transducer. To prevent ambiguity arising when the phase angle difference exceeds 360.degree., the microcomputer periodically determines, by taking into account the differing gases and density thereof being measured, a zero flow phase by calculating an averaged value phase angle of the ultrasonic signals in both the upstream and downstream di…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.