Method for determining and/or monitoring the viscosity of a medium, and vibration sensor
AssigneeEndress + Hauser GmbH + Co. KG
InventorsTobias Brengartner, Berthold Fuchs, Laura Mignanelli, Harald Bauer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for determining and/or monitoring the viscosity of a medium with a vibration sensor in which the oscillations of a unit, which can be mechanically oscillated, of the vibration sensor are used to determine whether the medium covers the unit which can be mechanically oscillated. If it does, subsequent oscillations are used to determine whether the medium continues to cover the unit. If it does not, a development over time of the oscillation quality is used to ascertain a statement about the viscosity of the medium. The invention also relates to a vibration sensor.
Claims9
1-8. (canceled)
A method for determining and/or monitoring the viscosity of a medium with a vibration sensor, the method comprising:
- exciting a mechanically oscillating unit of the vibration sensor to mechanically oscillate;
- receiving the mechanical oscillations of the mechanically oscillating unit;
- determining whether the medium covers the mechanically oscillating unit by using at least one measured value for an oscillation quantity of the mechanical oscillations received;
- when the medium covers the mechanically oscillating unit, determining whether the medium continues to cover the mechanically oscillating unit by using the at least one measured value for the oscillation quantity of subsequently received mechanical oscillations;
- when the mechanically oscillating unit is not covered by the medium, determining measured oscillation quality values from the at least one measured value for the oscillation quantity of subsequently received mechanical oscillations, and
- making a statement about a viscosity of the medium from a development of the measured oscillation quality values over time.
A vibration sensor, comprising:
- a mechanically oscillating unit;
- and
- a control device for operating the mechanically oscillating unit and for recording oscillations of the mechanically oscillating unit;
- wherein the control device is designed to:
- excite the mechanically oscillating unit to mechanically oscillate;
- receive the mechanical oscillations of the mechanically oscillating unit;
- determine whether a medium covers the mechanically oscillating unit by using at least one measured value for an oscillation quantity of the mechanical oscillations received;
- when the medium covers the mechanically oscillating unit, determine whether the medium continues to cover the mechanically oscillating unit by using the at least one measured value for the oscillation quantity of subsequently received mechanical oscillations;
- when the mechanically oscillating unit is not covered by the medium, determine measured oscillation quality values from the at least one measured value for the oscillation quantity of subsequently received mechanical oscillations, and
- make a statement about a viscosity of the medium from a development of the measured oscillation quality values over time.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.