Method and measuring device for determining measurement information

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10852171-B2
Application number	US-201916262993-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2019
Priority date	Apr 24, 2018
Publication date	Dec 1, 2020
Grant date	Dec 1, 2020

Abstract

A method for determining measurement information includes conducting waves excited by first oscillation transducers to second oscillation transducers or back to the first transducers and recording to determine measurement data. The measurement information is determined using first and second data or first data determine an excitation parameter of a second wave. The first transducers excite the second wave with polarities reversed relative to a polarity for excitation of a first wave, or subgroups of the first transducers operate differently to excite the first and second waves, and/or first and second subgroups of the first or second transducers are used for recording. Only measurement signals of the first subgroup are used, or measurement signals of first and second subgroups are added to record the first data. Only measurement signals of the second subgroup are used, or measurement signals of subgroups are subtracted, or vice versa, to record second data.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for determining measurement information with a measuring device or a flow meter having a measuring tube for at least one of receiving a fluid or conducting a fluid flow through the measuring tube, the method comprising the following steps:
exciting first and second waves conducted in a side wall of the measuring tube in chronological succession by using first oscillation transducers disposed on the side wall of the measuring tube and conducting the first and second waves directly in the side wall or indirectly through the fluid to second oscillation transducers disposed on the side wall or on a further side wall of the measuring tube or along a propagation path back to the first oscillation transducers, and recording the first and second waves there to determine first measurement data for the first wave and second measurement data for the second wave; and
in a first alternative determining the measurement information as a function of the first and second measurement data or in a second alternative using the first measurement data to determine a parameter of the excitation of the second wave and determining the measurement information as a function of the second measurement data; and
in both alternatives:
using a first and a second subgroup, the respective subgroup including one or more of the first or second oscillation transducers for the recording, recording the first measurement data by adding measurement signals of the first and second subgroups together, and recording the second measurement data by subtracting measurement signals of the first and second subgroups from one another, or vice versa.

2. The method according to claim 1 , which further comprises determining the measurement information as at least one of:
a phase velocity or a group velocity of at least one of the first or second wave in or out of the side wall, or
a temperature of at least one of the measuring tube or the fluid, or
a setpoint frequency of a drive signal used to operate the first oscillation transducers when determining fluid information relating to the fluid or the fluid flow.

3. The method according to claim 2 , which further comprises determining the setpoint frequency by minimizing a deviation of a relative phase angle from a setpoint value or 180° by varying a frequency of a drive signal used to operate the first oscillation transducers to excite the first and the second wave.

4. The method according to claim 1 , which further comprises determining the measurement information either as a function of a relative phase angle of respective signal profiles recorded as first and second measurement data, or as a function of a time-of-flight difference between the first and second waves, the time-of-flight difference being determined using envelopes of the signal profiles.

5. The method according to claim 1 , which further comprises using the first measurement data to determine an excitation frequency of an excitation signal for the first oscillation transducers to excite the second wave as the parameter of the excitation.

6. The method according to claim 5 , which further comprises determining the excitation frequency by minimizing an amplitude of the signal profile recorded as first measurement data by the first or second oscillation transducers by varying a frequency of a drive signal used to operate the first oscillation transducers to excite the first wave.

7. The method according to claim 1 , which further comprises operating all of the first oscillation transducers with a common drive signal, and using a switching device to switch a polarity with which the drive signal is delivered to the respective oscillation transducers for at least some of the first oscillation transducers.

8. The method according to claim 7 , which further comprises providing each of the first oscillation transducers with two respective electrodes being energized to initiate an oscillation of the respective oscillation transducer, and using the switching device to selectively connect the electrodes to a first potential and a second potential.

9. The method according to claim 8 , which further comprises using the drive signal to determine the first potential, and the second potential being constant.

10. The method according to claim 1 , which further comprises using two measuring terminals of a recording device to record the first and second measurement data, and providing at least one of the first or second oscillation transducers with two electrodes to be selectively coupled to the measuring terminals by the switching device.

11. The method according to claim 1 , which further comprises operating all of the first oscillation transducers to excite the second wave with polarities reversed relative to a polarity used for the excitation of the first wave or operating mutually different subgroups of the first oscillation transducers, each subgroup including precisely one or a plurality of the first oscillation transducers, to excite the first and second waves.

12. A measuring device, comprising:
a measuring tube at least one of receiving a fluid or conducting a fluid flow through said measuring tube;
first oscillation transducers disposed on a side wall of said measuring tube; and
a recording device configured to carry out a method for determining measurement information, the method including the following steps:
driving said first oscillation transducers to excite first and second waves conducted in the side wall of the measuring tube in chronological succession, the first and second waves being conducted directly in the side wall or indirectly through the fluid to second oscillation transducers of the measuring device disposed on the side wall or on a further side wall of the measuring tube or along a propagation path back to the first oscillation transducers;
using the first oscillation transducers or the second oscillation transducers to record first measurement data for the first wave and second measurement data for the second wave and determining the measurement information;
in a first alternative determining the measurement information as a function of the first and second measurement data or in a second alternative using the first measurement data to determine a parameter of the excitation of the second wave and determining the measurement information as a function of the second measurement data; and
in both alternatives:
using a first and a second subgroup, the respective subgroup including one or more of the first or second oscillation transducers, for the recording, recording the first measurement data by adding measurement signals of the first and second subgroups together, and recording the second measurement data by subtracting measurement signals of the first and second subgroups from one another, or vice versa.

Assignees

• Diehl Metering Gmbh

Inventors

• Ploss Peter
• Mayle Michael

Classifications

• G01F1/667 Primary

  Arrangements of transducers for ultrasonic flowmeters; Circuits for operating ultrasonic flowmeters · CPC title

• G01F1/662

  Constructional details · CPC title

• G01F1/66

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