Ultrasonic transit-time flowmeter and method for detecting a failure in an ultrasonic transit-time flowmeter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9625305-B2
Application number	US-201414215911-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 17, 2014
Priority date	Mar 17, 2014
Publication date	Apr 18, 2017
Grant date	Apr 18, 2017

Abstract

An ultrasonic transit-time flowmeter and a method for detecting a failure in an ultrasonic transit-time flowmeter are provided. The flowmeter includes a first ultrasonic transducer and a second ultrasonic transducer, wherein the transducers each are configured to transmit and receive signals, wherein the signals are transmitted between the transducers and measurements of transit-times of the signals and a transit-time difference based upon the transit-times are used to calculate a fluid flow velocity. Further, the flowmeter has a first reference element and a second reference element, wherein the first and second reference elements each provide a reference signal, and an electronic controller, wherein a predetermined value is stored in a memory of the controller. A reference value based upon the reference signals is compared with the predetermined value and a failure of the ultrasonic flowmeter is identified based upon a comparison of the reference value with the predetermined value.

First claim

We claim:

1. Ultrasonic transit-time flowmeter comprising:
a first ultrasonic transducer and a second ultrasonic transducer, wherein the first and second transducers are each configured to transmit and receive signals;
an electronic controller, wherein the first and second ultrasonic transducers are connected to the electronic controller; and
a first acoustic delay element and a second acoustic delay element, the first and second acoustic delay elements comprising piezoelectric crystals bonded to a glass plate, wherein the first and second acoustic delay elements are connected to the electronic controller and each provide a reference signal,
wherein the electronic controller is configured to:
store a predetermined value in a memory of the electronic controller,
compare a reference value based upon the reference signals with the predetermined value, and
identify a failure of the ultrasonic flowmeter based upon a comparison of the reference value with the predetermined value.

2. The ultrasonic transit-time flowmeter as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electronic controller is configured to compare the predetermined value with the reference value.

3. The ultrasonic transit-time flowmeter as claimed in claim 2 , further comprising:
an output,
wherein the electronic controller is configured to place the output into an operating state which indicates that a failure has occurred when the reference value fails to correspond to the predetermined value.

4. The ultrasonic transit-time flowmeter as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first and second acoustic delay elements each have a different delay time, and wherein a time difference between the different delay times is the predetermined value.

5. The ultrasonic transit-time flowmeter as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first and second acoustic delay elements are located inside an enclosure of the ultrasonic flowmeter.

6. The ultrasonic transit-time flowmeter as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first and second acoustic delay elements are located in a separate enclosure outside an enclosure of the ultrasonic flowmeter.

7. Method for detecting a failure in an ultrasonic transit-time flowmeter comprising:
providing a first ultrasonic transducer and a second ultrasonic transducer, wherein the first and second transducers are each configured to transmit and receive signals;
storing a predetermined value in a memory of an electronic controller, the first and second ultrasonic transducers being connected to the electronic controller;
providing reference signals by a first acoustic delay element and a second acoustic delay element, the first and second acoustic delay elements comprising piezoelectric crystals bonded to a glass plate;
determining a reference value based upon the reference signals;
comparing the reference value with the predetermined value; and
identifying an error within the ultrasonic flowmeter based upon a comparison of the reference value and the predetermined value.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the reference signals are provided as outputs of the first and second acoustic delay elements with a time delay.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8 , further comprising:
providing the reference signals in an alternating manner by operating the first and second acoustic delay elements in an alternating manner;
determining transit times of the reference signals; and
determining a time difference based upon the transit times of the reference signals;

wherein the time difference is compared to the predetermined value.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein each acoustic delay element comprises a different delay time.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein a time difference between the different delay times of the delay elements is stored as the predetermined value.

12. The method as claimed in claim 7 , further comprising:
placing an output of the ultrasonic flowmeter into an operating state which indicates that a failure has occurred when the reference value fails to correspond to the predetermined value.

Assignees

• Siemens Ag

Inventors

• Schaefer Robert
• Chilleme Joseph
• Fierro Steven

Classifications

• G01F25/0007 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G01F1/667 Primary

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

• G01F25/10 Primary

  of flowmeters · CPC title