WO2015089595A1

WO2015089595A1 - Telemetric fluid flow rate meter with mechanical exchange

Info

Publication number: WO2015089595A1
Application number: PCT/BR2013/000572
Authority: WO
Inventors: Giovanni José FERNANDEZ
Original assignee: MANGANELLI, Laurindo; MOISÉS NACIF, Alfeu; PENNA, José, Arthur
Priority date: 2013-12-17
Filing date: 2013-12-17
Publication date: 2015-06-25

Abstract

Telemetric fluid flow rate meter with mechanical exchange used to measure the flow rate of cold water using a conventional hydrometer, by replacing the mechanical dry part of same with an equivalent electronic part, the primary function of which is to totalize said flow rate, sending same by means of a wireless connection to another post-processing device in order to provide indirect control and direct monitoring of the feed system of said fluid, sending the required information telemetrically. The present meter is intended to measure the flow rate of fluids with greater durability on account of the reduced pressure drop and additional functions compared to conventional measurement. Said meter can be used directly in many drinking water connections for residential supply in which remote metering is particularly desirable. The inventive step applied to precision mechanical components and the use of electronic data processing technology enables a measurement error rate of 3% with a reduction in the number of moving parts in the meter, and a considerable reduction in the moment of inertia of the meter, increasing the service life of the system and maintaining the accuracy of same during said service life. The magnetic coupling provided by the wet part of the meter generates electrical signals in magnetic sensors that are analyzed by a digital circuit in order to determine the flow rate and totalize same. This variation is generated by the rotating magnet on static magnetic sensors arranged close to the shaft of the rotor. The flow causes the desired movement of the rotor, this being proportional to the volume moved. Once rotation has been detected, the speed of same is determined by measuring the time interval between this first pass and the next pass. The measured total is also acquired directly by counting the number of revolutions of the rotor. The total measured is sent on a scheduled date along with the specific identity code of the meter so that this information can be used by the supervisory system of the owner of the equipment.

Description

Telemetric Fluid Flow Meter with Clock Change

The present invention, hereinafter referred to as the Telemetric Clock Exchange Fluid Flow Meter, is suitable for measuring cold water flow from a conventional hydrometer by replacing its mechanical and dry part with another electronic equivalent, which has the primary function of totaling said flow by transmitting it wirelessly to another post-processing device in order to indirectly achieve control and direct supervision of the fluid delivery system, transferring the desired information telemetrically.

In the prior art, a flow meter is the device used to measure the flow of a fluid in a conduction medium. For example, the flow of water in a pipe. Conventionally, a flow meter, especially the hydrometer, uses water flow to displace a turbine that drives a gear assembly. The axis of said turbine is magnetically coupled to a set of gears which has the sole purpose of presenting the totalization of the flow. This totalization is displayed as numbers printed on axial disks to be read by an agent designated by the meter owner.

There are meter versions where there is, in the large gear set described above, the inclusion of one more specific gear to accommodate a magnet. The rotation of this magnet is detected by accessory electronic circuit in order to make the electronic totalization of the flow and transmit it. for further data processing. However, these meters still preserve the large set of gears that aims to present the totalization in numerical form. Given the large number of gears used for the presentation of the reading totalization, it is observed the difficulty in its assembly and eventual maintenance, requiring specialized personnel. In addition, there is always the attempt to tamper with the meter by affixing a foreign element to the gears which alters the mechanical characteristics of the meter and its measurement accuracy.

In the same vein, continues to present problems or _i existing limitations of the prior art by exist in conventional large gauge number of gears, the load loss of the meter is presented with values above the minimum achieved with only the weight of the turbine . This, moving all the watchmaking of the equipment presents with a high inertial moment. If it rotated freely, without coupling to many gears, it would present inertia much lower than the values commonly observed.

Additionally, in essentially mechanical flowmeters, to add functionality such as wireless transmission of totalizers or the production of complementary information such as system breach alarms or exceeding the maximum allowed flow to the instrument, items of legitimate relevance in measurement, There is a need for additional external equipment to the equipment which, in the current market, requires connection to the power grid, and is therefore not desirable item.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention aims to provide a fluid flow meter with superior durability, reduced pressure drop and additional functionality over conventional metering. Such meter has direct applicability in large number of drinking water connections for residential supply where remote measurement proves to be of great attraction. Through inventive activity applied to precision mechanical components and the use of electronic data processing technology, a measurement error level of 3% is achieved, much lower than the 15% to 20% values found in conventional meters. which use various mechanical parts, especially those with advanced use. Considering the reduction in the number of moving parts in the meter, as opposed to the many moving parts in the conventional meter, a considerable reduction in the meter's moment of inertia is achieved. This remarkable feature results in a drastic reduction of wear on this moving part, producing greater system longevity while maintaining its accuracy during its use time.

From the magnetic coupling provided by the wetted part of the meter, electrical signals are produced in magnetic sensors which are analyzed by a digital circuit in order to determine the flow and total it. This variation is produced by the rotating magnet on static magnetic sensors placed near the rotor shaft. The flow produces the desired displacement in the rotor which is proportional to the displaced volume.

By positioning the two magnetic sensors, the direction of flow can be determined, thus enabling the increase or decrease of the totalization coherently to the direction of fluid flow. Once rotation has been detected, its speed is determined by counting the time interval between this first pass and the next. Thus, knowing the volume displaced over time, the flow is easily calculated. Similarly, the totalization of the measurement is also acquired directly by counting the number of rotor turns. In preventive action against possible attempts at fraud, external magnetic fields could eventually be placed near the meter to prevent rotor movement or to produce uncertain readings by the sensors. To mitigate this eventual problem, external magnetic field approach sensors inform the digital system of the presence of such an event, producing an alarm signal to be transmitted to a data collecting unit and to the meter owner. In addition, meter housing aperture sensors produce an alarm signal, fulfilling a similar function and purpose.

Despite the measurements mentioned in the previous paragraph, an electromagnetic shield is placed between the body of the meter and its housing so that, if an attempt was made to detect fraud by means of an external magnetic field, the meter does not cease the measurement work, preserving the integrity. of totalization. In order to provide the meter user with occasional information about the measurements, the equipment has a reading indicative display where items such as totalization, instantaneous flow and the battery state of the meter can be checked. By means of an external access button, the items to be shown on the display can be chosen. The display of the requested value is made in sufficient time for reading only, and the display is then turned off to save battery power.

In alignment with the purpose of using minimal energy, the meter, having not detected the presence of fluid movement, goes into hibernation and returns to full operation as soon as any measurement need is detected informed by the system sensors. This hibernation system is also used in the long time intervals between activation of the sensors, observed in small flows. During these sensor idle intervals, the system hibernates.

On a scheduled date, the measurement totalization is transmitted, along with the meter-specific representative code, so that this information can be used by the equipment owner's supervisory system. However, in the event of an alarm, produced by the various sensors present in the system or the occurrence of a critical level of battery charge, it will be transmitted immediately, activating the control system of the said owner. In this way, the functionality of the indirect control of the system is guaranteed, because in the event of the alarm, corrective measures can be taken. Description of the Invention

The present invention is described in the following lines with reference to typical embodiments thereof and with reference to the accompanying drawings as follows:

Figure 1 shows the meter, object of the present order, assembled, where it is presented with the protective cover of the display in the open position. Figure 2 presents the exploded view of the equipment where its main components placed near its connection points can be observed.

Figure 3 presents the block diagram of the electronics that make up the measurement system. Referring to Figure 1, the traditional gauge consists of the turbine (1), the external adjusting screw (2) and the gear assembly (3) where, for clarity of illustration, not all gears are drawn. The indicator arrow (4) shows the direction of positive flow. The meter is presented assembled, as shown in figure 2, and consists of an upper housing (5) with opening for the display (6) and hinged lid (7) for its closing. The hinged lid has an opening angle greater than 90 degrees allowing for a wide view of the measurement.

Figure 2 shows the meter in exploded view, where you can see, in addition to the items already shown in figure 2, the various components of the equipment. For clarity of design, complementary and ordinary parts such as screws and washers have been deleted. In the upper housing (5), next to the display (6), is placed the function button (8) which provides to provide measurement information. The upper housing (5) also comprises the data transmission system antenna (9), the battery holder (10), the battery (11), the magnetic field sensor (12) and the housing aperture sensor ( 13).

The spindle of the metering disc (14) magnetically mates with the rotating magnetic device of the lower meter housing. Connected to this axis is the measuring disc (15). Aligned with this disc are the measuring sensors (16) and (17).

The upper housing (5) is coated with the magnetic shield (18) in order to protect the measuring system from electromagnetic noise or external magnetic fields.

Referring again to Figure 3, it can be observed that, by the order of actuation of the measuring sensors (16) and (17), the direction of rotation of the measuring disc (15) is determined. Thus, the flow rate is defined as positive or negative and the consequent increase or decrease. For example, if the measuring sensor (16) is activated in advance and immediately upon the activation of the measuring sensor (17), there will be counterclockwise rotation and consequent positive fluid flow. If the measuring sensor (16) is activated after and immediately after the measuring sensor (17) is activated, there will be clockwise rotation and consequent negative flow of the fluid. All electronics are mounted on the printed circuit board (23) where the hole for mounting the meter disc shaft (14) is also provided. In addition to its electrical function, the printed circuit board (23) has the function of acting as a point of alignment of the meter disc axis (14), which is supported on it and also guided magnetically by the magnetic axis formed at the bottom of the hydrometer.

Figure 3 shows the block diagram of the digital measurement system. The sensor block (19) detects movement and determines the direction of rotation of the metering disk (15), informing the microprocessor block (20) of the presence and polarity of the fluid flow.

In order to consume minimal battery power, the microprocessor block 20 may enter hibernation mode if it does not detect rotor movement within a certain time interval and may hibernate during the intervals between motion detections when flow rate is too low. Likewise, the display (6) is in the normal operating condition as off, only being switched on for a short time in response to requests made by the function button (8). Function button (8) is used to display accumulated volume readings, instantaneous flow rate and estimated battery charge percentage.

The battery monitor block (21) monitors the estimated amount of battery charge (11) and informs it to the microprocessor block (20). This in turn, in addition to the other assignments, monitors the state of the housing aperture sensor (13) and the magnetic field sensor (12).

In the event of a tripping of the magnetic field sensor (12) or the housing aperture sensor (13) or the presence of a critical battery charge level indicated by the battery monitor block (21), the system alarm will be generated when there will be a consequent immediate transmission of this information to the owner by the microprocessor block (20) using the transceiver (22).

Another hypothesis for data transmission is data transfer upon request from the data collector equipment, when the transceiver block (22) is triggered by the data collector, thereby triggering the microprocessor block (20) to be transmitted and received. Dice. In this case, initiated by the request received through the transceiver block 22, the meter identification number, the current totalizer reading and a coherence check number of the transmitted data are transmitted.

As soon as the meter transmits the reading, upon request, it waits for confirmation of receipt of the information by the data collection unit. If it does not confirm receipt, the microprocessor block 20 will resend the requested information as many times as determined by the system owner, in which case the data collection equipment shall determine and inform the supervisory system of the meter's inactivity. However, it will not cease its measurement activities.

Each feature set forth in this description, claims or drawings may be provided independently or in any appropriate combination. A feature of a subsidiary claim may be embodied in a claim to which it is not dependent.

Claims

1. Telemetric Clock-Changing Fluid Flowmeter for fluid metering using a measuring disk (15) with measuring sensors

(16) and (17) characterized in that the fluid flow total is calculated by counting the number of revolutions of the measuring disc (15) and the displaced volume, increasing or decreasing it based on the sequence of activation of the measuring sensors. (16) and

(17); and by calculating the fluid flow rate based on the time elapsed between the actuation of the metering sensor (16) and the metering sensor (17) and vice versa.

Telemetric Clock-Changing Fluid Flow Meter according to Claim 1, characterized in that it uses measuring sensors (16) and (17) positioned perpendicular to the cross-sectional plane of the driving means.

Telemetric Clock-Changing Fluid Flow Meter according to Claim 1, characterized in that it uses a measuring disk (15) magnetically coupled to the turbine shaft of the traditional meter's lower casing to determine the fluid volume. displaced.