# US 2018/0321067 A1 · Ultrasonic fluid meter and method for determining the flow rate and/or volume of a flowing medium > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0321067 A1 - Document ID: US20180321067A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/032,587 - Filed: 2018-07-11 - Published: 2018-11-08 - Earliest claimed: 2016-01-14 - Assignees: Diehl Metering GmbH - Applicants: Diehl Metering GmbH - Inventors: HARALD KROEMER; WILHELM OEFELEIN; MALTE BAER - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180321067A1 ## CPC - G01F 1/662: {Constructional details} - G01F 1/667: Arrangements of transducers for ultrasonic flowmeters; Circuits for operating ultrasonic flowmeters - G01F: MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME ## Abstract An ultrasonic fluid meter for determining the flow rate and/or volume of a flowing medium includes a housing, an inlet, an outlet, a first ultrasound measurement path including at least one ultrasound transducer, and a second ultrasound measurement path including at least one ultrasound transducer. The ultrasound measurement paths extend at an angle to one another inside the housing and intersect. The first ultrasound measurement path and the second ultrasound measurement path extend at an angle to one another and intersect in a common region, as seen in a projection plane of a flow cross section. A method for determining the flow rate and/or volume of a flowing medium is also provided. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An ultrasonic fluid meter for determining at least one of a flow rate or a volume of a flowing medium, the ultrasonic fluid meter comprising: a housing having an inlet, an outlet and a flow cross section with a projection plane; a first ultrasound measurement path including at least one ultrasound transducer; and a second ultrasound measurement path including at least one ultrasound transducer; said first and second ultrasound measurement paths extending at an angle relative to one another inside said housing and intersecting one another in a common region in the projection plane of the flow cross section. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The ultrasonic fluid meter according to claim 1, wherein said housing has a mid-axis, and said common region lies in a vicinity of said mid-axis in said projection plane of said flow cross section. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The ultrasonic fluid meter according to claim 1, wherein said housing has a mid-axis, and said common region lies in a vicinity of said mid-axis. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The ultrasonic fluid meter according to claim 1, wherein said housing has a mid-axis, and said first ultrasound measurement path and said second ultrasound measurement path extend obliquely relative to said mid-axis. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The ultrasonic fluid meter according to claim 1, wherein said housing has a mid-axis, and said first and second ultrasound measurement paths extend at an angle relative to one another in a projection plane lying transversely relative to said mid-axis. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The ultrasonic fluid meter according to claim 5, wherein said first and second ultrasound measurement paths extend at a right angle relative to one another. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The ultrasonic fluid meter according to claim 1, which further comprises guide plates disposed in a vicinity of said ultrasound transducers. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The ultrasonic fluid meter according to claim 1, which further comprises a diffractive acoustic plate disposed in a vicinity of said ultrasound measurement paths for splitting ultrasound signals. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The ultrasonic fluid meter according to claim 1, which further comprises an electronic module for recording, storing and processing measurement values of said ultrasound measurement paths. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The ultrasonic fluid meter according to claim 1, wherein said flow cross section of said housing is configured to reduce a proportion of regions not directly recorded by said ultrasound measurement paths. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The ultrasonic fluid meter according to claim 1, wherein said ultrasound measurement paths have different lengths. ### Claim 12 A method for determining at least one of a flow rate or a volume of a flowing medium, the method comprising the following steps: using at least one ultrasound transducer to alternately emit and receive ultrasound signals along a first ultrasound measurement path; using at least one ultrasound transducer to alternately emit and receive ultrasound signals along a second ultrasound measurement path; guiding the ultrasound signals along the first ultrasound measurement path in a flow direction and counter to the flow direction of the medium; guiding the ultrasound signals along the second ultrasound measurement path in the flow direction and counter to the flow direction of the medium; determining respective times of flight and time-of-flight differences of the ultrasound signals in the first ultrasound measurement path and the second ultrasound measurement path; and positioning the first ultrasound measurement path and the second ultrasound measurement path to extend at an angle relative to one another and to intersect one another in a common region in a projection plane of a flow cross section of the medium. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12, which further comprises forming an average value by using at least one of the times of flight or the time-of-flight differences of the first ultrasound measurement path and the second ultrasound measurement path, and using the average value for determining at least one of the flow rate or the volume of the flowing medium. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12, which further comprises emitting the ultrasound signals in the first and second ultrasound measurement paths in such a way as to not pass through the common region simultaneously. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12, which further comprises delivering measurement values of the ultrasound measurement paths to a common electronic measurement-value recording and evaluation unit. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12, which further comprises recording ultrasound signals of the ultrasound measurement paths in at least one of a single or a double transit. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12, which further comprises providing a center-weighted measurement of a flow profile. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12, which further comprises providing a linearization of measurement results over an entire measurement region.