Fluid quantification instrument and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10309808-B2
Application number	US-201514841079-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 31, 2015
Priority date	May 26, 2011
Publication date	Jun 4, 2019
Grant date	Jun 4, 2019

Abstract

A fluid quantification instrument is provided according to the invention. The fluid quantification instrument includes one or more sensor probes and meter electronics in communication with the one or more sensor probes. The meter electronics are configured to receive one or more raw fluid measurements from the one or more sensor probes, process the one or more raw fluid measurements using a predictive system model to produce one or more optimized fluid measurements, and determine one or more fluid quantifications using at least the one or more optimized fluid measurements.

First claim

I claim:

1. A fluid quantification instrument, comprising:
one or more sensor probes; and
meter electronics in communication with the one or more sensor probes, with the meter electronics being configured to:
receive one or more raw fluid measurements from the one or more sensor probes;
process the one or more raw fluid measurements using a predictive system model to produce one or more optimized fluid measurements, wherein to produce the one or more optimized fluid measurements comprise filtering the one or more raw fluid measurements by selecting a set of sample points from the one or more raw fluid measurements and using the selected set of sample points to capture a mean and covariance of an output of the processing, wherein to process comprises comparing the one or more raw fluid measurements to at least one fluid measurement predicted using the predictive system model to generate at least one error value and comparing the at least one error value to an error value threshold;
automatically managing power consumed by the fluid quantification instrument by adjusting a fluid measurement interval based upon the comparison of the at least one error value to an error value threshold, wherein the adjusting comprises decreasing the fluid measurement interval if the at least one error value is greater than the error value threshold; and
determine one or more fluid quantifications using at least the one or more optimized fluid measurements, wherein the one or more fluid quantifications comprise a fluid measurement indirectly measured via calculation from the one or more optimized fluid measurements.

2. The fluid quantification instrument of claim 1 , with the predictive system model being provided by an unscented Kalman filter.

3. The fluid quantification instrument of claim 1 , with the one or more raw fluid measurements including at least a raw fluid depth measurement signal and a raw fluid velocity measurement signal that are used to determine a volume flow rate of the fluid.

4. The fluid quantification instrument of claim 1 , with the meter electronics being further configured to generate a plurality of Fourier coefficients related to a flow state periodicity.

5. The fluid quantification instrument of claim 1 , with the meter electronics being further configured to generate a plurality of Fourier coefficients related to a periodicity in one or more elements of a state vector.

6. The fluid quantification instrument of claim 1 , further comprising:
comparing one or more elements of the predictive system model to one or more corresponding thresholds; and
performing one or more optimization actions if the one or more elements do not satisfy the one or more corresponding thresholds.

7. The fluid quantification instrument of claim 6 , with the one or more elements of the predictive system model comprising a predicted measurement error |(y k −ŷ k − )| that is compared to predetermined scaled elements of the sensor covariance matrix (Py), an estimated measurement error |(y k −ŷ k + )| that is compared to predetermined scaled elements of the sensor covariance matrix (Py), or an estimated state error |({circumflex over (x)} k + −{circumflex over (x)} k − )| that is compared to predetermined scaled elements of the state covariance matrix (Px).

8. The fluid quantification instrument of claim 6 , with performing one or more optimization actions comprising decreasing a measurement interval if the one or more elements of the predictive system model do not satisfy the one or more corresponding thresholds.

9. The fluid quantification instrument of claim 6 , with performing one or more optimization actions comprising determining a future timing of one or more predetermined raw measurements based on the one or more elements of the predictive system model or selecting one or more predetermined sensors to use based on the one or more elements of the predictive system model in order to affect power consumption of the fluid quantification instrument.

10. The fluid quantification instrument of claim 1 , wherein a predetermined optimized fluid measurement is obtained by combining two or more predetermined raw fluid measurements through statistical sensor fusion.

11. A fluid quantification method, comprising:
receiving, using one or more sensor probes of a fluid quantification instrument, one or more raw fluid measurements;
processing, using meter electronics of the fluid quantification instrument, the one or more raw fluid measurements using a predictive system model to produce one or more optimized fluid measurements, wherein to produce the one or more optimized fluid measurements comprise filtering the one or more raw fluid measurements by selecting a set of sample points from the one or more raw fluid measurements and using the selected set of sample points to capture a mean and covariance of an output of the processing, wherein the processing comprises comparing the one or more raw fluid measurements to at least one fluid measurement predicted using the predictive system model to generate at least one error value and comparing the at least one error value to an error value threshold;
automatically managing power consumed by the fluid quantification instrument by adjusting a fluid measurement interval based upon the comparison of the at least one error value to an error value threshold, wherein the adjusting comprises decreasing the fluid measurement interval if the at least one error value is greater than the error value threshold; and
determining, using the meter electronics of the fluid quantification instrument, one or more fluid quantifications using at least the one or more optimized fluid measurements, wherein the one or more fluid quantifications comprise a fluid measurement indirectly measured via calculation from the one or more optimized fluid measurements.

12. The method of claim 11 , with the predictive system model being provided by an unscented Kalman filter.

13. The method of claim 11 , with the one or more raw fluid measurements including at least a raw fluid depth measurement signal and a raw fluid velocity measurement signal that are used to determine a volume flow rate of the fluid flow.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising generating a plurality of Fourier coefficients related to a flow state periodicity.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising generating a plurality of Fourier coefficients related to a periodicity in one or more elements of a state vector.

16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
comparing one or more elements of the predictive system model to one or more corresponding thresholds; and
performing one or more optimization actions if the one or more elements do not satisfy the one or more corresponding thresholds.

17. The method of claim 16 , with the one or more elements of the predictive system model comprising a predicted measurement error |(y k −ŷ k − )| that is compared to predetermined scaled elements of the sensor covariance matrix (Py), an estimated measurement error |(y k −ŷ k + )| that is compared to predetermined scaled elements of the sensor covariance matrix (Py), or an estimated state error |({circumflex over (x)} k + −{circumflex over (x)} k − )| that is compared to predetermined scaled elements of the state covariance matrix (Px).

18. The method of claim 16 , with performing one or more optimization actions comprising decreasing a measurement interval if the one or more elements of the predictive system model do not satisfy the one or more corresponding thresholds.

Assignees

• Hach Co

Inventors

• Rick David Langley

Classifications

• G01F1/002 Primary

  wherein the flow is in an open channel · CPC title

• G01N33/182 Primary

  Specific anions in water · CPC title

• G01N27/4168 Primary

  Oxidation-reduction potential, e.g. for chlorination of water (water analysis G01N33/18) · CPC title

• G01N27/4167

  pH (electrodes therefor G01N27/302, G01N27/36) · CPC title

• Y10T436/12

  Condition responsive control · CPC title