Measurement device and method for ascertaining a pressure in a measurement volume

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10837851-B2
Application number	US-201816160309-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 15, 2018
Priority date	Nov 21, 2017
Publication date	Nov 17, 2020
Grant date	Nov 17, 2020

Abstract

A measurement device for ascertaining a pressure in a measurement volume which receives a fluid or through which fluid flows. The measurement volume is bounded at least sectionally by a side wall and a vibration transducer is arranged on the side wall. The vibration transducer is actuable by a control device of the measurement device to excite a wave that is guided through the side wall. The guided wave is able to be guided through the side wall along a propagation path back to the vibration transducer or to at least one further vibration transducer and it is captured there by the control device in order to ascertain measurement data. The pressure in the measurement volume is then ascertained by the control device in dependence on the measurement data.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A measurement device for ascertaining a pressure in a measurement volume containing a fluid, the measurement device comprising:
a side wall bounding at least a section of the measurement volume;
a vibration transducer disposed on said side wall of the measurement volume;
a control device configured to actuate said vibration transducer for exciting a wave to be guided through said side wall, wherein the guided wave is guided through said side wall along a propagation path back to said vibration transducer, or to a further vibration transducer connected to said control device, where the guided wave is captured and said control device ascertains measurement data; and
wherein said control device is configured to determine the pressure in the measurement volume by way of a time-of-flight measurement in dependence on the measurement data and ascertain a time period until the guided wave returns along the propagation path to the vibration transducer or until it reaches the further vibration transducer;
wherein the side wall forms a measurement pipe surrounding measurement volume, and wherein said propagation path extends at least once in the circumferential direction around the measurement pipe.

2. The measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein said side wall has at least one attenuation element configured to attenuate the guided wave.

3. The measurement device according to claim 2 , wherein said side wall further has at least one reflection element configured to at least partially reflect the guided wave.

4. The measurement device according to claim 3 , wherein said sidewall is formed with at least one cutout and/or with at least one protrusion forming said attenuation element and/or said reflection element.

5. The measurement device according to claim 4 , wherein the propagation path is laterally bounded at least in one section of the propagation path by said attenuation element and/or said reflection element.

6. The measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein said side wall has at least one reflection element configured to at least partially reflect the guided wave.

7. The measurement device according to claim 6 , wherein said reflection element is formed by at least one cutout formed in said side wall and/or by at least one protrusion on said side wall.

8. The measurement device according to claim 6 , wherein the propagation path is laterally bounded at least in one section of the propagation path by said reflection element.

9. The measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein the side wall has a different wall thickness in a region of the propagation path than in a section of the side wall adjacent the region of the propagation path.

10. The measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein the guided wave is guided along the propagation path at least once back to said vibration transducer and past said vibration transducer in order to be guided once more to said vibration transducer, and wherein said control device is configured to capture the measurement data, or at least portions of the measurement data, when the guided wave is guided back once more to said vibration transducer.

11. The measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein said control device, the side wall and said vibration transducer are configured to excite the guided wave in the form of a wave selected from the group consisting of a Rayleigh wave, a quasi-Scholte wave and a Lamb wave.

12. The measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein said side wall has, at least in a region of the propagation path, a constant wall thickness.

13. The measurement device according to claim 12 , wherein an inner surface and/or an outer surface of said side wall has, at least in a region of the propagation path, a constant curvature without a change in sign.

14. The measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein an inner surface and/or an outer surface of said side wall has, at least in a region of the propagation path, a constant curvature without a change in sign.

15. A method for ascertaining a pressure in a measurement volume which receives a fluid or through which fluid flows, wherein the measurement volume is bounded at least sectionally by a side wall, the method comprising:
providing a vibration transducer arranged on the side wall and actuating the vibration transducer by a control device to excite a wave to be guided through the side wall;
guiding the wave through the side wall along a propagation path back to the vibration transducer, or to at least one further vibration transducer, and capturing the wave at the vibration transducer or the at least one further vibration transducer in order to ascertain measurement data; and
determining the pressure in the measurement volume by the control device by way of the time-of-fight measurement in dependence on the measurement data and ascertaining a time period until the guided wave returns along the propagation path to the vibration transducer or until it reaches the further vibration transducer; and
providing a measurement pipe surrounding the measurement volume formed by the side wall, where the propagation path extends at least once in the circumferential direction around the measurement pipe.

Assignees

• Diehl Metering Gmbh

Inventors

• Ploss Peter
• Mayle Michael
• Benkert Andreas
• Ponschab Michael

Classifications

• G01F1/7082

  using acoustic detecting arrangements · CPC title

• G01F1/666

  by detecting noise and sounds generated by the flowing fluid · CPC title

• G01L11/06 Primary

  Ultrasonic means · CPC title

• G01F1/66

  by measuring frequency, phase shift or propagation time of electromagnetic or other waves, e.g. using ultrasonic flowmeters · CPC title