Non-obstructive high-sensitivity flowmeter
AssigneeNotation Labs, Inc.
InventorDavid A. Daniel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A flowmeter including a body having a wall configured to communicate a fluid between an inlet and an outlet, and an ultrasonic transducer configured to transmit an ultrasonic signal to another ultrasonic transducer along a path in the body. A plurality of reflectors are disposed in the wall and are configured to reflect the ultrasonic signal multiple times across the body along the path in the fluid flowing through the housing. A processor is coupled to the ultrasonic transducers and is configured to determine a time the ultrasonic signal takes to travel the path and determine a flow rate of the fluid as a function of a determined time.
Claims18
A flowmeter, comprising:
- a body having a wall configured to communicate a fluid between an inlet and an outlet;
- a first ultrasonic transducer configured to transmit an ultrasonic signal to a second ultrasonic transducer in the body along a path in the fluid flowing through the body;
- a plurality of reflectors coupled to the wall and configured to reflect the ultrasonic signal multiple times across the body along the path in the fluid flowing through the body, wherein a first of the plurality of reflectors is positioned directly across the body from the first ultrasonic transducer such that the first ultrasonic transducer is configured to transmit the ultrasonic signal in a direction perpendicular to the body wall, wherein the first reflector is angled and configured to maintain a front of the ultrasonic signal without widening the front during reflection, wherein the first reflector is recessed in the wall and configured to not obstruct the path of the fluid, and a second of the plurality of reflectors is positioned directly across the body from the second ultrasonic transducer such that the second transducer is configured to transmit the ultrasonic signal in a direction perpendicular to the body wall, wherein the second reflector is angled and configured to maintain a front of the ultrasonic signal without widening the front during reflection, wherein the second reflector is recessed in the wall and configured to not obstruct the path of the fluid;
- and
- a processor coupled to the ultrasonic transducers and configured to determine a time that the ultrasonic signal takes to travel the path and determine a flow rate of the fluid as a function of a determined time.
A method of operating a flowmeter having a body having a wall configured to communicate a fluid between an inlet and an outlet, an ultrasonic transducer configured to transmit an ultrasonic signal in the body to another ultrasonic transducer along a path in the fluid flowing through the body, a plurality of reflectors coupled to the wall and configured to reflect the ultrasonic signal multiple times across the body along the path in the fluid flowing through the body, wherein the first reflector is angled and configured to maintain a front of the ultrasonic signal without widening the front during reflection, wherein the first reflector is recessed in the wall and configured to not obstruct the path of the fluid, and a second of the plurality of reflectors is positioned directly across the body from the second ultrasonic transducer such that the second transducer is configured to transmit the ultrasonic signal in a direction perpendicular to the body wall, wherein the second reflector is angled and configured to maintain a front of the ultrasonic signal without widening the front during reflection, wherein the second reflector is recessed in the wall and configured to not obstruct the path of the fluid, and a processor coupled to the ultrasonic transducers and configured to determine a time that the ultrasonic signal takes to travel the path and determine a flow rate of the fluid as a function of a determined time, the method comprising the steps of:
- determine the time that the ultrasonic signal takes to travel the path;
- and determine the flow rate of the fluid as a function of a determined time.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.