Optical flow measuring device and method of operation
AssigneeFluke Electronics Corporation
InventorsMalcolm Charles Brown, Keith Norman McMann
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A flow measuring device, comprising a container for receiving a flow of liquid, a plurality of optical sensors associated with the container, each of the plurality of optical sensors producing an output signal dependent upon the presence of liquid reaching a level in the container associated with each optical sensor, means for modifying the output signal in accordance with at least one predetermined temperature compensation factor, and means for calculating a flow rate from the time at which the liquid traverses between two levels in the container.
Claims18
A flow measuring device, comprising:
- a container for receiving a flow of liquid;
- a plurality of optical sensors associated with the container, each of the plurality of optical sensors producing an output signal dependent upon the presence of liquid reaching a level in the container associated with each optical sensor;
- means for modifying the output signal in accordance with at least one predetermined temperature compensation factor;
- and
- means for calculating a flow rate from the time at which the liquid traverses between two levels in the container.
A method for controlling a flow measuring device, the flow measuring device comprising a container for receiving a flow of liquid and a plurality of optical sensors associated with the container and positioned to define at least two levels in the container, the method comprising the steps of:
- sensing at least one output signal from each of the plurality of optical sensors (VOut) that is dependent upon the presence of liquid reaching a level in the container associated with each optical sensor;
- modifying the sensed output signal in accordance with at least one predetermined temperature compensation factor;
- and
- calculating a flow rate from the time at which the liquid traverses between two levels in the container.
A non-transitory computer program product having computer-executable instructions stored thereon for controlling a flow measuring device, the flow measuring device comprising a container for receiving a flow of liquid and a plurality of optical sensors associated with the container and positioned to define at least two levels in the container, the computer program product comprising:
- computer-executable instructions for sensing at least one output signal from each of the plurality of optical sensors (VOut) that is dependent upon the presence of liquid reaching a level in the container associated with each optical sensor;
- computer-executable instructions for modifying the sensed output signal in accordance with at least one predetermined temperature compensation factor;
- and
- computer-executable instructions for calculating a flow rate from the time at which the liquid traverses between two levels in the container.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.