Ultrasonic flow rate metering

• Main Authors: Deng, Wenpeng, Evett, James William, Dames, Andrew Nicholas, Bennett, Jan, Healy, David
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 21.04.2020
• Subjects: ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; DIAGNOSIS; FOR PERFORMING MECHANICAL WORK IN GENERAL; GENERATING OR TRANSMITTING MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS IN GENERAL; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; IDENTIFICATION; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION ORRERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; MEASUREMENT OF MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS OR ULTRASONIC, SONIC ORINFRASONIC WAVES; MEASURING; MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUIDLEVEL; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; METERING BY VOLUME; METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR GENERATING OR TRANSMITTING MECHANICALVIBRATIONS OF INFRASONIC, SONIC, OR ULTRASONIC FREQUENCY; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; SURGERY; TESTING; TRANSPORTING

A method for an ultrasonic time-of-flight flow meter (1) includes driving an ultrasonic transducer (2, 3) using a first waveform (V1(t)) for a first duration (Δt1), the first waveform (V1(t)) configured to cause oscillation (21) of the ultrasonic transducer (2, 3). The method also includes driving the ultrasonic transducer (2, 3) using a second waveform (V2(t)) for a second duration (Δt2). There is a discontinuity between the first waveform (V1(t)) and the second waveform (V2(t)). The second waveform (V2(t)) and the second duration (Δt2) are configured to maintain a voltage (VT(t)) across the ultrasonic transducer (2, 3) within a predetermined range (VH, VL).