WO2015089594A1

WO2015089594A1 - Telemetric fluid flow rate meter with no moving parts

Info

Publication number: WO2015089594A1
Application number: PCT/BR2013/000571
Authority: WO
Inventors: Giovani José FERNANDEZ
Original assignee: MANGANELLI, Laurindo; NACIF, Alfeu Moisés,; PENNA, Jose Arthur
Priority date: 2013-12-17
Filing date: 2013-12-17
Publication date: 2015-06-25

Abstract

Electronic telemetric fluid flow rate meter with no moving parts designed to measure the flow rate of fluids passing through ducting means, in particular cold water, as well as to measure the flow rate of other fluids, in order to process and total up this flow rate, subsequently sending same telemetrically by means of a wireless connection to another post-processing device, enabling indirect command and direct monitoring and control of the feed system of this fluid, thereby guaranteeing operation, functioning and correct information on the flow rate, to the supplier of the services managing the equipment and to the end consumer, containing a flow rate measurement chamber (x) with one or more magnetic devices (a) and measurement electrodes or sensors (y) that are designed to measure the flow rate of the fluid by means of the potential difference generated by the passage of the fluid, caused by the volume of fluid moved inside the measurement chamber (19), increasing or optionally decreasing same as a function of the polarity of the potential difference generated when actuating the magnetic sensors (16) and (17), precisely calculating the flow rate of the fluid, sending same to a circuit in which the total of same is processed.

Description

Telemetric Fluid Flow Meter Without Moving Parts

This application relates to a Telemetric Fluid Flowmeter with no moving parts, ie it does not use any component or part capable of moving internally within the meter body and which is capable of measuring the flow of passing fluids in a medium. conduction, in particular cold water, also aiming to measure the flow of other fluids, in order to process and total this flow, later transmitting it by means of a wireless connection, through a wireless connection, to another post-processing device, allowing indirectly achieve command and directly supervise and control the supply system of this fluid, thus ensuring the correct flow information, its operation and operation in favor of the service provider that manages that meter.

In the current state of the art a flow meter is a device used to measure the flow of fluids in a conduction medium, for example the flow of water in a supply pipe. Conventionally, a flowmeter, especially a hydrometer, utilizes water flow to displace a turbine that drives a gear assembly. The axis of said turbine is coupled to a gear assembly which has the sole purpose of processing and displaying the totality of that flow. This totalization is displayed as numbers printed on axial disks that will be read by the agent designated by the service provider that manages that meter.

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 for this, specialized personnel d. Along with this, there is always the attempt to breach the ^; The meter measures the placement of a foreign element in the gears which alters the mechanical characteristics of the meter and its measurement accuracy.

There are versions of gauges where there is, in the gear set as described above, the inclusion of one more specific gear to accommodate a magnet. The rotation of this magnet is detected by an accessory electronic circuit, aiming to process the totalization of this flow and transmit it for further data processing.

Given the mechanical limitations of current equipment, understood in the state of the art, inaccuracy in measurement occurs, especially in meters with advanced use time, due to wear of their various moving parts. In addition, while observing the degree of precision used for the fabrication of the mechanical parts of the conventional meter, gaps are found between the inner walls of the housing and the turbine blades, producing an unmeasured secondary flow, which incurs another inaccuracy of the measurement obtained. Another negative point to be observed in these same equipments is the contact of the water jet in the turbine blades and the narrowing made in the tube, so that this jet produces a sufficient rotation movement to overcome the moment of inertia of the gear set to which it is located. turbine is connected. This feature produces excessive wear on the turbine shaft and assembly as it is subject to the large displacement force generated by water.

In the same line of reasoning, among the many limitations that exist in the current state of the art, there is a conventional meter model, with a screw attached to the outside for the adjustment of mechanical system inherent loss compensation allowing to reduce measurement inaccuracy. This screw diverts the main flow of water out of the turbine, being an indirect loss compensation method. The external exposure of this screw becomes breach point, causing a smaller totalization than that existing at that measurement point, with damage to the service provider that manages the meter.

In existing mechanical flowmeters, the wireless transmission function, which allows fluid measurements to be sent to the service provider, is precarious, given the need for additional external equipment coupled to the Main conventional equipamejnto which, in the current estad @ * di¾êÊhidà ^"éxrgè ^{i ^'í} úrhâ cdriéxãcv with the power grid.

Also, in these same mechanical meters, the function of equipment breach information to the service provider is precarious, given the need for additional external equipment, coupled to the main conventional equipment connected to the power grid.

The present patent application contemplates a precision metered fluid flow meter and protection against fraud and tampering. The measurement results and the occurrence of fraud and violations are reported to the service provider who administers the equipment, and the consumption measurements provided to the consumer.

Through inventive activity applied to precision mechanical components and the use of telemetry, an estimated level of measurement error of 3% (three per cent) is therefore lower than current values in the range of 15% ( fifteen percent) to twenty percent (20%) for conventional mechanical gauges.

Summary of the Invention

Considering that there are no moving parts in the equipment and that they account for the vast majority of defects found on conventional meters, a noticeable reduction in the need for maintenance is achieved. As a result, a longer life span is achieved, and because there is no mechanical slack between your meter components there is no need for calibrations over their lifetime.

From the displacement of water perpendicular to a field generated by high flux density magnetic material, a potential difference is produced on the perpendicular axis to the former. This potential difference is proportional to the displaced volume and is totaled by electronic circuits coupled to the equipment.

By the polarity generated by the potential difference then obtained, the direction of flow can be determined, thus enabling the increase or decrease of the totalization coherently to the direction of fluid flow. Having detected the flow (positive or negative) of ffuídò suá 'flow ¹ ' is ^; determined from pre - conversion tables "stored:. in memory of this microprocessor in the meter Likewise, the extent of aggregation is also ^'acquired directly integrating the values Θ for each flow.

The meter in question innovates in its ability to measure reduced flows because the measurement of values is made in an appropriate chamber which is capable of adjusting the fluid velocity to a more accurate measurement by narrowing the tube in such a chamber. that conducts the fluid at a different speed, making it larger if there is a narrowing in the passage tube. Thus, the presence of a measurable potential difference is observed, even in small fluid outflows such as those present in most residential connections, allowing the flow measurement and the computation of the obtained measurements to be feasible. This narrowing of the measuring chamber is calculated in such a way that the pressure drop on the meter caused by the area reduction itself is within the limits set by the standards used by the drinking water utilities.

Along with this new way of performing a fluid flow measurement, suitable mechanical and electronic components are used which enable simplified measurement. In other words, measurements such as those suggested here were previously technologically unviable due to the lack of magnetic materials capable of generating sufficient information for low flow measurement. In the same way, very high sensitivity electronic circuits are currently found and can be used which fully lend themselves to the measurements mentioned above for this meter. This set of technologies was not found until a few years ago in the market.

In order to prevent fraud attempts, external magnetic fields could be placed close to the meter in order to change the magnetic field formed by the permanent magnet and thus produce uncertain readings in the electrodes, mechanisms were created to mitigate this possible problem, under the external magnetic field approach sensors that report this occurrence to the electronic system and generate an alarm signal that can be transmitted to the external data collection unit and the latter transmits it to the service provider that manages that equipment. In addition, existing housing tamper sensors on the meter, in Any attempts to open the equipment will produce an alarm signal to protect the entire assembly from fraud.

Additionally, the equipment has an electromagnetic shield to prevent possible attempts at fraud when approaching or placing an external magnetic field, immediately issuing a warning to the service provider, not interfering or stopping the flow measurement process while maintaining its accuracy.

To provide information on the flow measurements obtained, the equipment has a display where items such as total read processing, instantaneous or momentary flow and battery status can be checked. This information can be obtained through an external access button, which allows you to choose which items to display on the display for a sufficient reading time only to save battery power.

In order to use the minimum power supplied by the battery, when the meter does not detect the presence of fluid movement, it may go into hibernation, returning to full operation as soon as the presence of fluid movement is detected and the consequent need for it. measured by the sensors in the equipment. Hibernation also occurs at long time intervals between the actuation of the sensors as well as at small fluid flows.

At a previously scheduled date, the equipment will transmit the totalization of the obtained fluid flow measurement, associated with the meter identification code, allowing its capture by the service provider that administers the equipment. In cases of fraud, critical level of battery charge and interference from fields or electromagnetic signals, the equipment alarm is triggered generating information for the service provider that manages the equipment, allowing the necessary steps to be taken to remedy the event. thus ensuring the functionality of supervision and indirect control of the equipment.

The present patent application is described in the following lines with reference to the attached drawings, duly numbered and identified as follows: Figure 1 shows the Telemetric Fluid Flow Meter. No Mounted Moving Parts, where it is presented with the lid.- -prQtetpcr. ο »· displayj-inft position; i open.

Figure 2 presents the exploded view of the equipment where its main components placed near its connection points can be observed.

Figure 3 shows the flow measurement chamber, designed to condition the velocity of the passing fluid and to measure its flow rate.

Figure 4 presents the block diagram of the electronics that make up the measurement system. The meter is shown assembled in figure 1, being composed 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 1, 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 (14), next to the display (6), the function button (8) is placed to provide information on the measurement obtained. The upper housing (14) also comprises the data transmission system antenna (9), the battery (11), the magnetic field sensor (12) and the housing opening sensor (13).

The meter body (5) is mounted in series with the water flow. The magnetic material (15) is mounted with its poles aligned with the upper and lower faces of the parallelepiped formed in the center of the meter body (5). The electrodes (16) and (17) are mounted with their faces aligned with the side faces of the parallelepiped formed in the center of the meter body (5).

The upper housing (14) and the lower housing (10) are internally coated with a special material layer intended for electromagnetic shielding in order to protect the measuring system against electromagnetic noise or external magnetic fields. All electronics are mounted on the printed circuit board (18). Is- ^"~ is powered by the battery (11) placed compartment in the housing formed by the bottom (10).

Figure 3 shows the flow measurement chamber (23) within the section meter body. It can clearly be seen from this the narrowing (23) designed to increase the water velocity at the measuring point which enables low flow measurement to be made possible.

Figure 4 shows the block diagram of the digital measurement system. The sensor block (20) detects fluid movement, determines its direction and magnitude, informing the microprocessor block (19) the need for totalization. In order to use the minimum energy from the battery, the microprocessor block (19) may go into sleep mode if it does not detect fluid movement within a certain time interval and may hibernate during the intervals between the battery detection. movement when the vacuum is very low. This way, the display (6) will be in the normal operating condition as off, being only turned on for a short time, in response to the requests made by the device activation, by using the function button (8), provided to such an end.

Function button (8) is used to display accumulated volume readings, instantaneous flow rate and estimated battery charge percentage.

The battery monitor unit (22) monitors the estimated amount of charge still present in the battery (11) and the ^'tells the microprocessor unit (19). This in turn, in addition to the other assignments, monitors the state of the housing aperture sensor (13) and the external magnetic field sensor (12).

In the event of a tripping of the magnetic field sensor (12), the housing aperture sensor (13) or the presence of a critical battery charge level, as indicated by the battery monitor block (22), an alarm will be generated to the system, when there will be the consequent immediate telemetric transmission of this information to the service provider by the microprocessor block (19) using the transceiver (21).

Another hypothesis for data transmission is its transfer upon request from the collecting equipment, when the transceiver block (21) is activated by the data collector, thus activating the microprocessor block (19) ^; in order for the data to be transmitted and received. In this instance, initiated by the request received through the transceiver block (21), the meter identification number, the current total reading and a coherence check number of the transmitted data are transmitted.

As soon as the meter transmits its reading, either upon request or proactively, in the event of fraud or tampering, it waits for confirmation of receipt by the data collection unit. If it does not confirm receipt, the microprocessor block (19) will resend the information until it is needed, or as many times as determined by the service provider that manages that equipment, in which case it is up to the data collection equipment to determine and report. to the supervisory system the inactivity of that meter. However, it will not cease its measurement activities.

The features set forth in this description, the claims and the drawings may be provided independently or in any appropriate combination, without, however, uncharacterizing the primary scope of telemetrically measuring fluid flow. A feature of some subsidiary claim, thus, may be embodied in a claim to which it is not dependent. The preferred embodiment is thus described, but others resulting from the combination of the principles presented can be obtained without disregarding the required scope of protection.

Claims

1. Telemetric flowmeter without moving parts, composed of a body (5) with a camera (23) which is a narrowing in the tube, where magical devices (15) and measuring electrodes (16) and (17) are arranged. ), characterized in that it is a fluid flow meter capable of calculating the totalization of the flow of the passing fluid, by measuring the potential difference produced by its passage in a measuring chamber, where the speed of the passing fluid is conditioned according to measurement accuracy required. In the measuring chamber 23 there are increasing or decreasing lines of a magnetic field based on the polarity of the potential difference generated by the fluid passage. Aimed at measuring the flow of passing fluids in a conduction medium, especially cold water, the device described here also aims to further measure the flow of other fluids, in order to process and total this flow, later transmitting it. telemetry by means of a wireless connection to another post-processing device, enabling indirect control and direct supervision and control of the fluid supply system, thereby ensuring operation, operation and correct transfer of the flow information used to the service provider administering the equipment and to the end consumer.

Telemetric flowmeter of fluids without moving parts according to claim 1, characterized in that it uses area reduction of the pipe section to increase the fluid velocity and allows the measurement of its flow according to claim 3.

Telemetric flowmeter without moving parts according to Claim 1, characterized in that it uses a neodymium magnet to produce an initial magnetic field for the measurement of the displaced fluid volume.