Capacitance probe for fluid flow and volume measurements
US5596150A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 8, 1995 |
| Grant date | Jan 21, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 8, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01F1/64
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Method and apparatus for making measurements on fluids are disclosed, including the use of a capacitive probe for measuring the flow volume of a material within a flow stream. The capacitance probe has at least two elongate electrodes and, in a specific embodiment of the invention, has three parallel elongate electrodes with the center electrode being an extension of the center conductor of a co-axial cable. A conductance probe is also provided to provide more accurate flow volume data in response to conductivity of the material within the flow stream. A preferred embodiment of the present invention provides for a gas flow stream through a micro-gravity environment that allows for monitoring a flow volume of a fluid sample, such as a urine sample, that is entrained within the gas flow stream.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.