# US 2013/0239698 A1 · Flow Meter Assembly, Gate Assemblies and Methods of Flow Measurement > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2013/0239698 A1 - Document ID: US20130239698A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/870,857 - Filed: 2013-04-25 - Published: 2013-09-19 - Earliest claimed: 2009-08-18 - Assignees: Rubicon Research Pty Ltd. - Applicants: Rubicon Research Pty Ltd. - Inventors: David John Aughton; Damien Vernon Pearson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130239698A1 ## CPC - G01F 1/662: {Constructional details} - E02B 7/26: Vertical-lift gates - E02B 7/28: with sliding gates - E02B 7/40: Swinging or turning gates - E05D 15/48: allowing alternative movements ({E05D15/0604 takes precedence } ; for vertically-sliding wings E05D15/22) - E05F 15/00: Power-operated mechanisms for wings (motor-operated accessories in locks for completing closing or initiating opening of a wing E05B17/00) - G01F 1/002: wherein the flow is in an open channel - G01F 1/667: Arrangements of transducers for ultrasonic flowmeters; Circuits for operating ultrasonic flowmeters - E05Y 2900/40: for gates - G01F: MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME - E02B: HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING (ship-lifting E02C; dredging E02F) - E05D: HINGES OR SUSPENSION DEVICES FOR DOORS, WINDOWS OR WINGS (pivotal connections in general F16C11/00) - E05F: DEVICES FOR MOVING WINGS INTO OPEN OR CLOSED POSITION; CHECKS FOR WINGS; WING FITTINGS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, CONCERNED WITH THE FUNCTIONING OF THE WING - E05Y: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES E05D AND E05F, RELATING TO CONSTRUCTION ELEMENTS, ELECTRIC CONTROL, POWER SUPPLY, POWER SIGNAL OR TRANSMISSION, USER INTERFACES, MOUNTING OR COUPLING, DETAILS, ACCESSORIES, AUXILIARY OPERATIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR, APPLICATION THEREOF ## Abstract The present invention provides an acoustic flow meter assembly (2) for pipes or open channels, said assembly including a frame (24) with a predetermined geometry. The frame has at least one user accessible port (36-42) with the at least one user accessible port (36-42) adapted to receive an interchangeable cartridge (44) which contains at least one acoustic transducer (46) to measure fluid velocity through said frame (24). ## Claims ### Claim 1 An acoustic flow meter assembly for pipes or open channels, said assembly including a frame with a predetermined geometry, said frame including at least one user accessible port, said at least one user accessible port adapted to receive an interchangeable cartridge which contains at least one acoustic transducer to measure fluid velocity through said frame. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The acoustic flow meter assembly of claim 1, further including a plurality of user accessible ports with an associated cartridge. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The acoustic flow meter assembly of claim 2, wherein said user accessible ports are located in corners of a rectangular or square orientation formed by said frame. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The acoustic flow meter assembly of claim 3, wherein a pair of cartridges are diagonally directed towards each other. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The acoustic flow meter assembly of claim 1, wherein each cartridge includes a plurality of acoustic transducers for measuring flow at predetermined depths. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The acoustic flow meter assembly of claim 1, wherein the, or each cartridge has associated therewith an acoustic water level sensor. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The acoustic flow meter assembly of claim 6, wherein said acoustic water level sensor is releasably located within a part of the associated cartridge. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The acoustic flow meter assembly of claim 1, further including a hollow tube for coupling at either end to a pipeline to determine the velocity through said pipeline. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The acoustic flow meter assembly of claim 8, wherein each transducer is located at one end of a respective sound transmission tube and the other end opens into said hollow tube. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The acoustic flow meter assembly of claim 9, wherein each sound transmission tube is associated with a respective cartridge and angled towards an associated facing sound transmission tube. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The acoustic flow meter assembly of claim 8, wherein each sound transmission tube contains fluid from said hollow tube. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The acoustic flow meter assembly of claim 11, wherein each sound transmission tube contains still fluid and is not in the path of the fluid flow. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The acoustic flow meter assembly of claim 8, wherein each sound transmission tube is filled with an acoustic transmissive material. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The acoustic flow meter assembly of claim 13, further including a boundary interface between the fluid in said sound transmission tube and the flowing fluid, said boundary interface formed of a material of suitable acoustic properties to enable ready transmission of the acoustic signals. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The acoustic flow meter assembly of claim 14 in which the fluid in the sound transmission tubes is contained in a sealed well such that the fluid couples the transducers to the inner face of the sound transmission tubes. ### Claim 16 A tilt lift gate assembly including a gate member which can be raised and lowered from a vertically closed position through to a substantially horizontal disposition, said gate member being pivotally mounted at the top end thereof to a mechanism for pulling said gate member inwardly from the vertically closed position to the substantially horizontal disposition and at least one extension projecting from said gate member with a pivot point at the end of said at least one extension, said pivot point co-operating with a downwardly angled guide means whereby movement of said gate member does not cross said downwardly angled guide means. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The tilt lift gate assembly of claim 16, wherein a pair of extensions are located on each side of said gate member which co-operate with respective downwardly angled guide means. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The tilt lift gate assembly of claim 16, wherein said tilt lift gate assembly is located in an open fluid channel, said at least one extension being positioned substantially two thirds of the depth of the fluid. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) An open channel fluid velocity system for measuring the fluid velocity of the fluid flowing through said system, said system including an open channel containing said flowing fluid, the acoustic flow meter assembly of claim 1 and a tilt lift gate assembly downstream of said acoustic flow meter assembly, wherein said gate member predictably influences the surface velocity of said flowing fluid. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) An open channel fluid velocity system for measuring the fluid velocity of the fluid flowing through said system, said system including an open channel containing said flowing fluid, an acoustic flow meter assembly and the tilt lift gate assembly of claim 16 downstream of said acoustic flow meter assembly, wherein said gate member predictably influences the surface velocity of said flowing fluid. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) An open channel fluid velocity system for measuring the fluid velocity of the fluid flowing through said system, said system including an open channel containing said flowing fluid, the acoustic flow meter assembly of claim 1 and an undershot gate downstream of said acoustic flow meter assembly, wherein said gate allows the fluid level in front of said gate to back to provide a uniform depth of fluid through said acoustic flow meter assembly. ### Claim 22 A method of measuring fluid velocity in a pipe or open channel, said method including the steps of: providing a timing circuit which includes a first circuit having at least one upstream acoustic transducer and a second circuit having at least one downstream acoustic transducer, measuring the time delay in detecting the acoustic signal from said at least one upstream acoustic transducer to said at least one downstream acoustic transducer from said first circuit, measuring the time delay in detecting the acoustic signal from said at least one downstream acoustic transducer to said at least one upstream acoustic transducer from said second circuit, measuring the time delay in said first circuit when said at least one upstream acoustic transducer is bypassed in said first circuit, measuring the time delay in said second circuit when said at least one downstream acoustic transducer is bypassed in said second circuit, and calculating the fluid velocity using said measurements. ### Claim 23 An acoustic flow meter for a pipe, said assembly including at least three pairs of acoustic transducers, each pair of said acoustic transducers located on opposing sides of said pipe and offset longitudinally along said pipe to provide upstream and downstream transducers, each pair of acoustic transducers, in use, having their acoustic paths intersecting at a point along the axis of said pipe to provide redundancy in measuring flow through said pipe if one of said acoustic transducers should fail. ### Claim 24 A method of measuring acoustic transit times in an open channel or river, said method including the steps of: providing a first circuit having at least one upstream acoustic transducer on one side of said open channel or river and a second circuit having at least one downstream acoustic transducer on the opposite side of said open channel or river, said first and second circuits including respective timing circuitry which are not synchronised with one another, each of said timing circuits measuring their respective signal transmit and receive events, at least one of said first or second circuits including an RF or laser to provide synchronising signals between said first and second circuits, an RF or laser synchronising signal is transmitted between said first and second circuits prior to an acoustic signal transmitted from one of said acoustic transducers between said first and second circuits whereby said RF or laser synchronising signal allows synchronisation between the respective timing circuitry of said first and second circuits of said acoustic signal.