Flow meter
AssigneeSpirax-Sarco Limited
InventorsNashtara Islam, Ben Frisby, Grant Needham
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed aspects relate to a flow meter comprising a flow target arranged to be disposed in a fluid flow path in a conduit; a beam coupled to the flow target and arranged to extend outside of the conduit; a sensor having a moveable sensor part coupled to the beam at a position which in use is outside of the conduit, and a static sensor part, wherein displacement of the moveable sensor part with respect to the static sensor part generates a signal. In use, fluid flow acting on the flow target causes displacement of the moveable sensor part, thereby generating a signal which is representative of the fluid flow rate.
Claims19
A flow meter, comprising:
- a flow target configured to be disposed in a fluid flow path in a conduit;
- a beam coupled to the flow target and configured to extend outside of the conduit;
- an inductive sensor having a moveable sensor part coupled to the beam at a position which in use is outside of the conduit, and a static sensor part, wherein displacement of the moveable sensor part with respect to the static sensor part generates a signal;
- wherein the beam is configured so that fluid flow acting on the flow target causes displacement of the moveable sensor part, thereby generating a signal which is representative of the fluid flow rate;
- wherein the inductive sensor is configured to have a non-linear response over at least a part of its range;
- and
- wherein the flow meter is configured so that the sensor operates at least partly in the non-linear range so that the sensitivity of the sensor to displacement decreases as a function of the displacement of the moveable sensor part.
A flow meter, comprising:
- a flow target configured to be disposed in a fluid flow path in a conduit;
- a beam coupled to the flow target and configured to extend outside of the conduit;
- an inductive sensor having a moveable sensor part coupled to the beam at a position which in use is outside of the conduit, and a static sensor part, wherein displacement of the moveable sensor part with respect to the static sensor part generates a signal;
- wherein the beam is configured so that fluid flow acting on the flow target causes displacement of the moveable sensor part, thereby generating a signal which is representative of the fluid flow rate;
- wherein the sensor is a non-contact sensor;
- wherein the static sensor part comprises a printed circuit board provided with at least one primary coil and at least one secondary coil;
- wherein the inductive sensor is configured to supply the primary coil with an alternating current which in use induces an induced current in the secondary coil, the induced current being a function of the displacement of the moveable sensor part;
- and
- wherein the moveable sensor part comprises a conductor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.