US 4,377,090 AGranted

Through-flow monitor for liquid or gaseous media

OwnerGerhard W. Seuleninventor

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Abstract

A through-flow monitor of the type which produces a switching signal as soon as the rate of flow through a duct reaches a particular level consists of a generally tubular housing 1 which can be inserted via screw-threaded or other connections 3, 4 into the flow duct. Inside the housing 1 there is located a shallow diaphragm 5 which is biased by a coil spring 8 into a rest position against an abutment 9. The shallow diaphragm 5 is either of magnetic material or carries a magnetic element and is displaced in the downstream direction by the flow through the housing. A switch device such as a reed switch or Hall generator is located outside of the duct and is switched in as soon as the diaphragm moves to a predetermined position within the duct representative of a particular rate of flow therethrough. A variety of different embodiments are shown featuring apertured and non-apertured diaphragms and illustrating a wide range of modifications which can be used with advantage to monitor the flow of both gaseous and liquid media.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A through-flow monitor for a fluid, the monitor comprising a housing having inlet and outlet ends and therebetween an inner chamber bounded by a cylindrical wall of constant diameter;

connecting means at each of said inlet and outlet ends for connecting said housing into a flow duct for the fluid, with the cross-sectional area of said inner chamber being substantially larger than that of said flow duct;
a shallow diaphragm having a peripheral edge with a diameter almost as large as that of said cylindrical wall concentrically disposed within said inner chamber, wherein said peripheral edge cooperates with said cylindrical wall to define a narrow annular gap for the flow of fluid past said shallow diaphragm and wherein said shallow diaphragm is movable under the force of fluid flow from a rest position to an operative position;
first abutment means within said chamber defining said rest position;
a coil spring disposed concentrically within said inner chamber, said coil spring having first and second ends one of which is secured to said housing and the other of which is fastened to said shallow diaphragm to carry and guide the same within said inner chamber, wherein said coil spring biases said shallow diaphragm towards said first abutment means;
and means for detecting the presence of said shallow diaphragm when in said operative position.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.