Perpetual meter with noise damping

• US 10,006,794 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2017
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rg-5 Meter Company Inc.
• Original Assignee: Rg-5 Meter Company Inc.
• Inventors: Gregory, Michael Lee, Ratliff, Johnathan Scott, Sparks, Travis
• Primary Examiner(s): Laballe, Clayton E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Butler, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US15/431,749
• Publication Number:
  US 20170176232A1
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• Field of Search: 73273
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 11/24 Housings ; Casings for instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/005 Valves valves in general F16K
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/006 characterised by the use of a particular material, e.g. anti-corrosive material G01F15/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/063 using electrical means
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/14 Casings, e.g. of special material
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/18 Supports or connecting means for meters
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/185 Connecting means, e.g. bypass conduits
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 3/00 Measuring the volume flow of fluids or fluent solid material wherein the fluid passes through the meter in successive and more or less isolated quantities, the meter being driven by the flow measuring a proportion of the volume flow G01F5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 3/065 sliding-vane meters
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 3/12 Meters with nutating members, e.g. discs
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 7/00 Volume-flow measuring devices with two or more measuring ranges; Compound meters

Abstract

Disclosed are utilitarian and ornamental features of fluid flow meter housing technologies. Such housing technologies comprises removable covers where such covers are associated with the meter housings without using bolts to better distribute pressure across the surfaces of the flow measurement components inside the meter. Such configuration reduces measurement component deformation over time. Further disclosed are damping elements configured to reduce noise from the measurement elements disposed inside a fluid flow meter.

Claims

1. A housing assembly for a flow meter configured for measuring the flow of a liquid, said housing assembly comprising:

a housing defining an housing outer surface, a housing inner surface and a housing-void configured for receiving flow measurement components, wherein a portion of said housing outer surface defines a register interface configured for being mechanically associated with a register, and wherein at least part of said housing inner surface further defines a cover receiver portion defining an distal-end and a receiver inner-wall defining at least one of (a) inner-wall-threads and (b) a retaining-element receiver;

wherein said housing further comprises an input-port and an output-port wherein said input-port is configured for being associated with a fluid source to allow fluid flow into said housing-void and said output-port is configured for being associated with a supply line to allow fluid flow out of said housing-void;

wherein said receiver inner-wall defines a shelf that extends perpendicularly form said receiver inner-wall a predefined distance thereby defining a shelf-surface having a shelf-width wherein said shelf is located a predefined shelf-offset-distance from said distal-end and wherein said shelf-surface further defines a sealing-member-receiver comprising a channel running angularly along said shelf-surface and configured for receiving a sealing-member comprising an O-Ring;

a cover defining inside cover surface and an opposing outside cover surface connected by a cover peripheral edge, said cover further defining a perimeter-cover-thickness and an inner-cover-thickness and further defining a sealing surface running along the perimeter of said inside cover surface, said cover suitably configured to be associated with said cover-receiver so that said sealing surface is associated with said sealing-member;

a first damping element configured for separating at least part of said cover inside surface from at least part of said measuring components wherein said first damping element comprises a circular washer shape having a first damping element outer diameter and a first damping element inner diameter and a first damping element thickness; and

wherein said cover is releasably mechanically associated with said housing by at least one of (a) a retaining-element and (b) peripheral-edge-threads defined by said cover peripheral edge and configured for being mechanically associated with said inner-wall-threads.

2. A housing assembly for a flow meter as in claim 1, wherein said first damping element outer diameter is about 85 mm and said first damping element inner diameter is about 77 mm and a first damping element thickness is about 2.2 mm.

3. A housing assembly for a flow meter as in claim 1, further comprising a second damping element configured for separating at least a portion of the housing inner surface from said flow measurement components.

4. A housing assembly for a flow meter as in claim 3, wherein said first damping element and said second damping element are the same size.

5. A housing assembly for a flow meter as in claim 3, further comprising an output damping element configured for being associated with a measurement element output port defined by said measurement elements and configured to separated said measurement element output port from the housing output-port.

6. A housing assembly for a flow meter as in claim 5, wherein said output damping element defines a rectangular shape having an output damping element outer length and an output damping element inner length and an output damping element outer width and an output damping element inner width thereby defining an output damping element void that is larger than said measurement element output.

7. A housing assembly for a flow meter as in claim 6, wherein said output element defines an output damping element base defining a base thickness and an output element sealing portion wherein said output element sealing portion extends perpendicularly from said output damping element base.

8. A housing assembly for a flow meter as in claim 7, wherein the output damping element outer length is about 33 mm, said output damping element inner length is about 30 mm, said output damping element outer width is about 25.75 mm, output damping element inner width is about 18.25 mm, and wherein said output element base thickness is about 2 mm and wherein said output damping element sealing portion extends away from the base about 1 mm.

9. A fluid meter damping assembly configured for reducing noise generated by a fluid meter, said fluid meter damping assembly comprising:

a first damping element configured for separating at least part a fluid meter cover inside surface from at least part of flow measuring components disposed inside a fluid meter housing wherein said first damping element comprises a circular washer shape having a first damping element outer diameter and a first damping element inner diameter and a first damping element thickness;

a second damping element configured for separating at least a portion the inner surface of said fluid meter housing from at least part said flow measuring components; and

an output damping element configured for being removably mechanically associated with a flow-output defined by said flow measuring components, said output damping elements configured for separating at least part of said flow-output from said fluid meter housing.

10. A fluid meter damping assembly as in claim 9, wherein said first damping element outer diameter is about 85 mm and said first damping element outer diameter is about 77 mm and a first damping thickness is about 2.2 mm.

11. A fluid meter damping assembly as in claim 9, wherein said second damping element defines a circular washer shape having a first damping element outer diameter and a first damping element inner diameter and a first damping element thickness.

12. A fluid meter damping assembly as in claim 11, wherein said second damping element is the same size as the first damping element.

13. A fluid meter damping assembly as in claim 9, wherein said output damping element defines a rectangular shape having an output damping element outer length and an output damping element inner length and an output damping element outer width and an output damping element inner width thereby defining an output damping element void that is larger than said measurement element output.

14. A fluid meter damping assembly as in claim 13, wherein said output damping element defines an output damping element base defining a base thickness and an output element sealing portion extending perpendicularly from said output damping element base.

15. A fluid meter damping assembly as in claim 14, wherein output damping element outer length is about 33 mm, said output damping element inner length is about 30 mm, said output damping element outer width is about 25.75 mm, output damping element inner width is about 18.25 mm, and wherein said output element base thickness is about 2 mm and wherein said output damping element sealing portion extends away from the base about 1 mm.

16. A fluid meter noise damping assembly configured for reducing noise generated by a fluid meter, said fluid meter noise damping assembly comprising:

an output damping element configured for being removably mechanically associated with a measuring component output port defined by flow measuring components disposed inside a fluid meter wherein said fluid meter defines a meter output port and wherein said output damping element is configured for separating at least part of said meter output port from said measuring component output port to attenuate noise; and

wherein said output damping element further provides a seal between said meter output port and said measuring component output port.

17. A fluid meter noise damping assembly as in claim 16, wherein said measuring component output port defines a rectangularly shaped Measuring Component void (MC-void) and wherein said output damping element defines a rectangular shape having an output damping element outer length and an output damping element inner length and an output damping element outer width and an output damping element inner width thereby defining a rectangularly shaped Output Damping Element void (ODE-void).

18. A fluid meter noise damping assembly as in claim 17, wherein said output damping element defines an output damping element base defining a base thickness and an output element sealing portion extending perpendicularly from said output damping element base.

19. A fluid meter noise damping assembly as in claim 18, wherein output damping element outer length is about 33 mm, said output damping element inner length is about 30 mm, said output damping element outer width is about 25.75 mm, output damping element inner width is about 18.25 mm, and wherein said output element base thickness is about 2 mm and wherein said output damping element sealing portion extends away from the base about 1 mm.

20. A fluid meter noise damping assembly as in claim 18, further comprising:

a first washer shaped damping element configured for separating at least part a fluid meter cover inside surface from at least part of said flow measuring components wherein said first washer shaped damping element defines an outer diameter and an inner diameter and a first damping element thickness; and

a second damping element configured for separating at least a portion the inner surface of said fluid meter housing from at least part of said flow measuring components.