Flow meter apparatus including two polarized magnets in opposite direction and magnetic field sensors to sense direction and intensity of magnetic field
AssigneeM.T.R. Wireless Communications Ltd.
InventorsShlomo Isicovich, Erez Ben-Enosh
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A flow meter apparatus comprising: at least two magnets polarized in substantially opposite directions, mechanically coupled to a mechanical element mounted in a flow conduit and movable by a substance flowing through the flow conduit, for imparting movement from the mechanical element to the magnets, and at least two magnetic field sensors, each of the sensors deployed in a respective position next to the magnets, configured to sense a direction of a magnetic field in the position and to generate a signal indicative of the direction.
Claims20
A flow meter apparatus comprising:
- at least two magnets polarized in substantially opposite directions, mechanically coupled to a mechanical element mounted in a flow conduit and movable by a substance flowing through the flow conduit, for imparting movement from the mechanical element to said magnets;
- and
- at least two magnetic field sensors, each of said sensors deployed in a respective position next to said magnets and configured to sense direction and intensity of a magnetic field in said position and to generate a first signal upon said sensed direction being a first direction and said sensed intensity being greater than a threshold for intensity in said first direction, and for any direction and intensity sensed by said sensor later, until said later sensed direction is an opposite direction and said later sensed intensity is greater than a threshold for intensity in said opposite direction.
A method for flow metering, comprising the steps of:
- a) installing at least two magnets polarized in substantially opposite directions, mechanically coupled to a mechanical element mounted in a flow conduit and movable by a substance flowing through the flow conduit, for imparting movement from said mechanical element to said magnets;
- b) deploying at least two magnetic field sensors, each sensor being deployed in a respective position next to said magnets;
- and
- c) sensing a direction and an intensity of a magnetic field in each of the positions, using the sensor deployed in the position;
- and generating a first signal upon said sensed direction being a first direction and said sensed intensity being greater than a threshold for intensity in said first direction, and for any direction and intensity sensed using the sensor later, until said later sensed direction is an opposite direction and said later sensed intensity is greater than a threshold for intensity in said opposite direction.
A flow meter kit, comprising:
- a processor, configured to communicate with at least two magnetic field sensors and calculate a parameter characterizing flowing of a substance through a flow conduit, using changes in a signal generated by each respective one of the sensors, the signal being indicative of a direction and an intensity of a magnetic field in position of the sensor, the signal being a first signal upon said direction being a first direction and said intensity being greater than a threshold for intensity in said first direction, and for any later direction and intensity of the magnetic field, until said later direction is an opposite direction and said later intensity is greater than a threshold for intensity in said opposite direction, the magnetic field being produced by at least two magnets polarized in substantially opposite directions and mechanically coupled to a mechanical element mounted in the flow conduit and movable by the substance flowing through the flow conduit, for imparting movement from the mechanical element to the magnets.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.