Fluid flow metering device and method thereof

• US 10,094,689 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2014
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nuvoton Technology Corporation (Winbond Electronics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nuvoton Technology Corporation (Winbond Electronics Corporation)
• Inventors: Tsai, Hsi-Jung, Tseng, Jing-Shiang, Wang, Cheng-Chih, Lu, Chia-Ching
• Primary Examiner(s): Kundu, Sujoy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dinh, Lynda
• Application Number:
  US14/481,927
• Publication Number:
  US 20150241259A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,490 Days
• Field of Search: 702 45
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/00 Measuring the volume flow or mass flow of fluid or fluent solid material wherein the fluid passes through a meter in a continuous flow measuring a proportion of the volume flow G01F5/00
• 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 3/30 Wet gas-meters

Abstract

A fluid flow metering device and a method thereof are provided. The fluid flow metering device includes a fluid flow detector, a memory, a micro controller and a power generator. The fluid flow detector is disposed in a supply tube of a fluid flow provider. When the fluid flows in the supply tube, the power generator generates a supplying power through flow of the fluid, and provides the supplying power to the fluid flow detector, the memory and the micro controller. When the fluid flow detector detects the flow of the fluid, the fluid flow detector detects the flow of the fluid outputted from the supply tube to derive a detecting value. The micro controller receives the detecting value and writes the detecting value into the memory, or the micro controller converts the detecting value into a flow value and writes the flow value into the memory.

Claims

1. A fluid flow metering device, comprising:

a fluid flow detector, disposed in a supply tube of a fluid flow provider;

a memory;

a micro controller, coupled to the fluid flow detector and the memory; and

a power generator, disposed in the supply tube and is coupled to the fluid flow detector, the memory and the micro controller,

wherein when a fluid flows in the supply tube, the power generator generates a first supplying power through flow of the fluid by converting kinetic energy of the flow of the fluid to electric energy, and provides the first supplying power to the fluid flow detector, the memory and the micro controller,

when the fluid flow detector detects the flow of the fluid, the fluid flow detector detects the flow of the fluid outputted from the supply tube to derive a detecting value,

wherein the micro controller has a low power supply mode and a high power supply mode,

wherein the micro controller is in the high power supply mode when the micro controller receives a second supplying power,

when in the low power supply mode, the micro controller receives the detecting value and writes the detecting value into the memory, and when in the high power supply mode, the micro controller converts the detecting value into a flow value and writes the flow value into the memory.

2. The fluid flow metering device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

only when the micro controller receives the first supplying power generated through the flow of the fluid in the supply tube, the micro controller enters the low power supply mode.

3. The fluid flow metering device as claimed in claim 2, wherein

when the micro controller enters the high power supply mode and the fluid flow detector detects that the fluid flows simultaneously, the micro controller receives the detecting value from the fluid flow detector, and converts the detecting value and writes the same into the memory, and

when the micro controller enters the high power supply mode, and the detecting value is stored in the memory, the micro controller reads the detecting value, converts the detecting value into the flow value, and writes the flow value into the memory.

4. The fluid flow metering device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the micro controller converts the detecting value into the flow value according to a plurality of parameters, wherein the parameters comprise a friction coefficient between the fluid and the supply tube, and a kinetic energy or electric energy conversion coefficient of the power generator.

5. The fluid flow metering device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the micro controller comprises a value conversion unit, and when the micro controller enters the high power supply mode, the micro controller converts the detecting value into the flow value through a table lookup method.

6. The fluid flow metering device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a battery module, coupled to the fluid flow detector, the memory and the micro controller, wherein the battery module supplies the second supplying power to the fluid flow detector, the memory and the micro controller when an electric quantity of the battery module is greater than a predetermined value or the power generator is unable to provide the first supplying power, wherein the micro controller is in the high power supply mode.

7. The fluid flow metering device as claimed in claim 6, wherein

the battery module is a solar energy battery.

8. The fluid flow metering device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a wireless module, coupled to the memory, wherein when the wireless module is connected to an external device through a wireless connection method, the wireless module transmits the flow value or the detecting value stored in the memory to the external device.

9. The fluid flow metering device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the wireless connection method is complied with a wireless fidelity (WiFi), a Bluetooth, a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), a near field communication (NFC), a radio frequency identification (RFID) or a long term evolution (LTE).

10. The fluid flow metering device as claimed in claim 8, wherein

the wireless module is further coupled to the fluid flow detector and the micro controller, and

when the wireless module is connected to the external device through the wireless connection method, the wireless module receives a second supplying power from the external device, and supplies the second supplying power to the fluid flow detector, the memory and the micro controller.

11. The fluid flow metering device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a display unit, coupled to the micro controller,

wherein when the micro controller determines that the flow value is greater than a threshold, the micro controller controls the display unit to display a warning message.

12. The fluid flow metering device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the memory is a non-volatile memory.

13. The fluid flow metering device as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the memory is a resistive random-access memory (RRAM), a ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), a magneto resistive RAM (MRAM), a phase change RAM (PRAM), or a conductive bridge RAM (CBRAM).

14. A method for metering fluid flow, adapted to a fluid flow metering device disposed in a supply tube supplying a fluid, the method for metering fluid flow comprising:

receiving, by a micro controller, a first supplying power generated by converting kinetic energy of a flow of the fluid to electric energy when the fluid flows;

detecting, by a fluid flow detector, the flow of the fluid to obtain a detecting value-when the first supplying power is received; and

receiving the detecting value and writing the detecting value into the memory by the micro controller when in a low power supply mode, and converting the detecting value into a flow value and writing the flow value into the memory by the micro controller when in a high power supply mode,

wherein the micro controller is in the high power supply mode when the micro controller receives a second supplying power.

15. The method for metering fluid flow as claimed in claim 14, the method further comprises:

entering the low power supply mode only when the first supplying power generated through the flow of the fluid in the supply tube is received by the micro controller.

16. The method for metering fluid flow as claimed in claim 15, wherein the step of converting the detecting value into the flow value comprises:

reading the detecting value, converting the detecting value into the flow value, and writing the flow value into the memory when the micro controller enters the high power supply mode and the memory is stored with the detecting value.

17. The method for metering fluid flow as claimed in claim 15, wherein the step of converting the detecting value into the flow value comprises:

converting the detecting value into the flow value according to a plurality of parameters, wherein the parameters comprise a friction coefficient between the fluid and the supply tube, and a kinetic energy or electric energy conversion coefficient of the supplying power.

18. The method for metering fluid flow as claimed in claim 15, wherein the step of entering the high power supply mode comprises:

receiving the second supplying power from a battery module.

19. The method for metering fluid flow as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

connecting an external device wirelessly; and

transmitting the detecting value stored in the memory to the external device.

20. The method for metering fluid flow as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

receiving the second supplying power from an external device according to a wireless power supplying mechanism.

21. The method for metering fluid flow as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

controlling a display unit to display a warning message when it is determined that the flow value is greater than a threshold.