Flow amount measuring apparatus, material mixing system and non transitory computer readable medium performing material mixing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10260918-B2
Application number	US-201715493153-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 21, 2017
Priority date	Apr 21, 2017
Publication date	Apr 16, 2019
Grant date	Apr 16, 2019

Abstract

A flow amount measuring apparatus comprising: a rotating device, configured to rotate while material flows through the rotating device; a rotating bar, connected to the rotating device, configured to rotate corresponding to rotating of the rotating device; a feature acquiring device, configured to detect at least one feature of the rotating bar; and a computing unit, configured to compute a number for full rotations for the rotating bar based on the feature of the rotating bar, and configured to compute a flow amount for the material flows through the rotating device based on the number for full rotations.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A flow amount measuring apparatus, comprising:
a rotating device, configured to rotate while material flows through the rotating device;
a rotating bar, connected to the rotating device, configured to rotate corresponding to rotating of the rotating device; a feature acquiring device, configured to detect at least one feature of the rotating bar;
a computing unit, configured to compute a number for full rotations for the rotating bar based on the feature of the rotating bar, and configured to compute a flow amount for the material flows through the rotating device based on the number for full rotations;
wherein the feature acquiring device is an image sensor for sensing an image comprising the feature of the rotating bar.

2. The flow amount measuring apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the material is fluid.

3. The flow amount measuring apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the material is colloid.

4. The flow amount measuring apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the material is powder.

5. The flow amount measuring apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the rotating device is spherical.

6. The flow amount measuring apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the rotating device is cylindrical.

7. A material mixing system, comprising:
a first material providing apparatus, comprising:
a first rotating device, configured to rotate while first material flows through the first rotating device;
a first rotating bar, connected to the first rotating device, configured to rotate corresponding to rotating of the first rotating device; and
a first feature acquiring device, configured to acquire at least one feature of the first rotating bar;
a second material providing apparatus, comprising:
a second rotating device, configured to rotate while second material flows through the second rotating device;
a second rotating bar, connected to the second rotating device, configured to rotate corresponding to rotating of the second rotating device; and
a second feature acquiring device, configured to acquire at least one feature of the second rotating bar;
a computing unit, configured to compute a first number for full rotations for the first rotating bar based on the feature of the first rotating bar, configured to compute a second number for full rotations for the second rotating bar based on the feature of the second rotating bar, configured to compute first flow amount according to the first number, and configured to compute second flow amount according to the second number; and
a control unit, configured to control the first material to flow through the first rotating device or to stop based on the first flow amount, and configured to control the second material to flow through the second rotating device or to stop based on the second flow amount;
wherein the first feature acquiring device is an image sensor for sensing an image comprising a feature image for the feature of the first rotating bar, and the second feature acquiring device is an image sensor for sensing an image comprising a feature image for the feature of the second rotating bar.

8. The material mixing system of claim 7 , wherein if the first flow amount does not reach a first desired amount, the control unit controls the first material to flow through the first rotating device, wherein if the first flow amount reaches the first desired amount, the control unit controls the first material to stop flowing.

9. The material mixing system of claim 7 , wherein the material is fluid.

10. The material mixing system of claim 7 , wherein the material is colloid.

11. The material mixing system of claim 7 , wherein the material is powder.

12. The material mixing system of claim 7 , wherein the rotating device is spherical.

13. The material mixing system of claim 7 , wherein the rotating device is cylindrical.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing at least one program, a material mixing method is performed while the program is executed, the material mixing method comprising:
(a) rotating a first rotating device while first material flows through the first rotating device;
(b) rotating a first rotating bar corresponding to rotating of the first rotating device;
(c) acquiring at least one feature of the first rotating bar via sensing an image comprising a feature image for the feature of the first rotating bar;
(d) rotating a second rotating device while second material flows through the second rotating device;
(e) rotating a second rotating bar corresponding to rotating of the second rotating device;
(f) acquiring at least one feature of the second rotating bar via sensing an image comprising a feature image for the feature of the second rotating bar;
(g) computing a first number for full rotations for the first rotating bar based on the feature of the first rotating bar, computing a second number for full rotations for the second rotating bar based on the feature of the second rotating bar, computing first flow amount according to the first number, and configured to compute second flow amount according to the second number; and
(h) controlling the first material to flow through the first rotating device or to stop flowing according to the first flow amount, and controlling the second material to flow through the second rotating device or to stop according to the second flow amount.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the step (h) comprises:
if the first flow amount does not reach a first desired amount, controlling the first material to flow through the first rotating device, wherein if the first flow amount reaches the first desired amount, controlling the first material to stop flowing.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the material is fluid.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the material is colloid.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the material is powder.

Assignees

• Pixart Imaging Inc

Inventors

• Liu Feng-Chi
• Chang Yen-Min

Classifications

• G01F1/056

  Orbital ball flowmeters · CPC title

• G01F1/06 Primary

  using rotating vanes with tangential admission · CPC title

• G05D7/0617

  specially adapted for fluid materials · CPC title

• G01F1/065 Primary

  with radiation as transfer means to the indicating device, e.g. light transmission · CPC title

• G05D11/00

  Control of flow ratio (control of chemical or physico-chemical variables, e.g. pH-value, G05D21/00; control of humidity G05D22/00; control of temperature by varying the mixing ratio of two fluids having different temperatures G05D23/13; control of viscosity G05D24/00) · CPC title