# US 2014/0190238 A1 · Vibratory meter and method for determining resonant frequency > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0190238 A1 - Document ID: US20140190238A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/127,236 - Filed: 2011-07-13 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2011-07-13 - Assignees: Micro Motion, Inc. - Inventors: Craig B. Mcanally; Andrew S. Kravitz - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140190238A1 ## CPC - G01H 13/00: Measuring resonant frequency - G01F 1/8431: {electronic circuits} - G01F 1/8436: {signal processing} - G01F 1/8468: {vibrating measuring conduits} - G01F 1/8472: {having curved measuring conduits, i.e. whereby the measuring conduits' curved center line lies within a plane (G01F1/8481 takes precedence)} - G01N 9/002: {using variation of the resonant frequency of an element vibrating in contact with the material submitted to analysis (G01N9/34 takes precedence)} - G01H: MEASUREMENT OF MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS OR ULTRASONIC, SONIC OR INFRASONIC WAVES - G01F: MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) ## Abstract A vibratory meter (5) is provided, including one or more flow conduits (103), one or more pickoff sensors (105, 105′), and a driver (104). Meter electronics (20) is configured to vibrate the one or more flow conduits (103) using a drive signal including an initial vibration frequency and to receive a pickoff sensor signal from the one or more pickoff sensors (105, 105′) in response, iteratively offset a phase difference between the drive signal and the pickoff sensor signal by a predetermined phase increment and measure a resulting vibrational frequency and amplitude, with the offsetting operatively sweeping the vibration frequency over a predetermined vibration frequency range and therefore generating a plurality of vibration amplitudes and a corresponding plurality of vibration frequencies, and determine a substantially maximum amplitude response in the plurality of vibration amplitudes and designate the corresponding vibration frequency as comprising the resonant frequency. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vibratory meter (5) comprising one or more flow conduits (103), one or more pickoff sensors (105, 105′) affixed to the one or more flow conduits (103), and a driver (104) configured to vibrate the one or more flow conduits (103), with the vibratory meter (5) being characterized by: meter electronics (20) coupled to the one or more pickoff sensors (105, 105′) and to the driver (104), with the meter electronics (20) being configured to vibrate the one or more flow conduits (103) of the vibratory meter (5) using a drive signal including an initial vibration frequency and to receive a pickoff sensor signal from the one or more pickoff sensors (105, 105′) in response, iteratively offset a phase difference between the drive signal and the pickoff sensor signal by a predetermined phase increment and measure a resulting vibrational frequency and amplitude, with the offsetting operatively sweeping the vibration frequency over a predetermined vibration frequency range and therefore generating a plurality of vibration amplitudes and a corresponding plurality of vibration frequencies, and determine a substantially maximum amplitude response in the plurality of vibration amplitudes and designate the corresponding vibration frequency as comprising the resonant frequency. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vibratory meter (5) of claim 1, with the meter electronics (20) being further configured to measure the resulting vibrational frequency and the resulting vibrational amplitude after a predetermined settling period from the offsetting. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The vibratory meter (5) of claim 1, with the drive signal including a substantially constant amplitude. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vibratory meter (5) of claim 1, with the vibratory meter (5) comprising a vibrating densitometer, a vibrating gas densitometer, or a Coriolis mass flow meter. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The vibratory meter (5) of claim 1, with the meter electronics (20) being further configured to use the resonant frequency to generate one or more flow material quantifications. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The vibratory meter (5) of claim 1, wherein the predetermined vibration frequency range is selected to include a presumed resonant frequency. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The vibratory meter (5) of claim 1, with the meter electronics (20) being further configured to narrow the predetermined vibration frequency range to a predetermined narrowed frequency range after the resonant frequency is found, wherein the offsetting and determining is repeated in order to locate the resonant frequency within the predetermined narrowed frequency range. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The vibratory meter (5) of claim 1, with the meter electronics (20) being further configured to narrow the predetermined vibration frequency range to a predetermined narrowed frequency range after the resonant frequency is found, with the predetermined narrowed frequency range being substantially centered on the found resonant frequency and the offsetting and determining is repeated in order to locate the resonant frequency within the predetermined narrowed frequency range. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The vibratory meter (5) of claim 1, with the meter electronics (20) being further configured to widen the predetermined vibration frequency range to a predetermined widened frequency range if the resonant frequency is not found, wherein the offsetting and determining is repeated in order to locate the resonant frequency within the predetermined widened frequency range. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The vibratory meter (5) of claim 1, wherein the resonant frequency can be determined for one or both of a particular vibratory meter or a particular flow material. ### Claim 11 A method of determining resonant frequency in a vibratory meter, with the method including vibrating one or more flow conduits of the vibratory meter using a drive signal including an initial vibration frequency and receiving a pickoff sensor signal in response, with the method being characterized by: iteratively offsetting a phase difference between the drive signal and the pickoff sensor signal by a predetermined phase increment and measuring a resulting vibrational frequency and amplitude, with the offsetting operatively sweeping the vibration frequency over a predetermined vibration frequency range and therefore generating a plurality of vibration amplitudes and a corresponding plurality of vibration frequencies; and determining a substantially maximum amplitude response in the plurality of vibration amplitudes and designating the corresponding vibration frequency as comprising the resonant frequency. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, with the method further comprising measuring the resulting vibrational frequency and the resulting vibrational amplitude after a predetermined settling period from the offsetting. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, with the drive signal including a substantially constant amplitude. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, with the vibratory meter comprising a vibrating densitometer, a vibrating gas densitometer, or a Coriolis mass flow meter. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, with the method further comprising using the resonant frequency to generate one or more flow material quantifications. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the predetermined vibration frequency range is selected to include a presumed resonant frequency. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the predetermined vibration frequency range is narrowed to a predetermined narrowed frequency range after the resonant frequency is found, wherein the offsetting and determining is repeated in order to locate the resonant frequency within the predetermined narrowed frequency range. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the predetermined vibration frequency range is narrowed to a predetermined narrowed frequency range after the resonant frequency is found, wherein the predetermined narrowed frequency range is substantially centered on the found resonant frequency and wherein the offsetting and determining is repeated in order to locate the resonant frequency within the predetermined narrowed frequency range. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the predetermined vibration frequency range is widened to a predetermined widened frequency range if the resonant frequency is not found, wherein the offsetting and determining is repeated in order to locate the resonant frequency within the predetermined widened frequency range. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the resonant frequency can be determined for one or both of a particular vibratory meter or a particular flow material.