VARIABLE AREA FLOWMETER, SYSTEM COMPRISING A VARIABLE AREA FLOWMETER AND AN EXTERNAL CONTROL UNIT, AND METHOD FOR OPERATING A VARIABLE AREA FLOWMETER

• US 20200132525A1
• Filed: 10/24/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2018
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Krohne Messtechnik GmbH & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: Krohne Messtechnik GmbH & Co. KG
• Inventors: DZIEIA, Colin
• Application Number:
  US16/662,147
• Publication Number:
  US 20200132525A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/26 of the valve type
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/40 Details of construction of the flow constriction devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/005 Valves valves in general F16K
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/024 involving digital counting
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/063 using electrical means
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/24 by measuring variations of resistance of resistors due to contact with conductor fluid
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 25/10 of flowmeters
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1391 Bistable or multi-stable liquid crystal cells G02F1/141 takes precedence

Abstract

A variable area flowmeter having a float and having a display unit, the display unit includes a pointer element, the pointer element is connected directly or indirectly to the float such that the pointer element is mechanically deflected by the float during the measuring process. The variable area flowmeter that operates particularly reliably and is flexibly applicable at the same time is achieved in that the display unit comprises at least one bi-stable display which only requires an energy supply in order to modify the displayed representation and/or to restore the representation.

Claims

1. A variable area flowmeter, comprising:

a float; and

a display unit, wherein the display unit comprises a pointer element,

wherein the pointer element is connected directly or indirectly to the float such that the pointer element is mechanically deflected by the float during a measuring process, and

wherein the display unit comprises at least one bi-stable display, requiring energy supply only in order to modify a displayed representation or to restore the displayed representation.

2. The variable area flowmeter according to claim 1, wherein the at least one bi-stable display is configured as a bi-stable e-paper display or as a bi-stable liquid crystal display.

3. The variable area flowmeter according to claim 1, wherein the at least one bi-stable display displays a first representation during operation, wherein the first representation comprises at least one value scale dependent on the measuring range, or at least one further process-relevant parameter or an evaluation of the displayed measured values in the form of an evaluation scale, or a limit value or a total flow.

4. The variable area flowmeter according to claim 1, wherein the display unit has an interface for connection to an external control unit, such as a USB interface or a manufacturer-specific interface.

5. The variable area flowmeter according to claim 1, wherein the variable area flowmeter has an internal control unit, wherein the internal control unit is arranged to restore or at least partially modify the displayed representation of the bi-stable display.

6. The variable area flowmeter according to claim 5, wherein the internal control unit has a memory unit, wherein a plurality of individual representations of the display unit is stored in the memory unit, wherein the individual representations are preferably based on different process parameters.

7. The variable area flowmeter according to claim 5, further comprising at least one sensor element for measuring at least one further parameter, wherein the at least one sensor element is connected in such a manner to the internal control unit, that, during operation, the measured value of the at least one further parameter is transmitted to the internal control unit, wherein the internal control unit is configured to modify the representation of the at least one bi-stable display at least partially depending on the measured value of the at least one sensor element.

8. The variable area flowmeter according to claim 5, wherein the variable area flowmeter is arranged in a bypass configuration, and that the internal control unit is arranged to at least partially modify the displayed representation of the at least one bi-stable display depending on a flow ratio value.

9. A system, comprising:

a variable area flowmeter; and

an external control unit,

the variable area flowmeter, comprising;

a float; and

a display unit, wherein the display unit comprises a pointer element,

wherein the pointer element is connected directly or indirectly to the float such that the pointer element is mechanically deflected by the float during a measuring process, and

wherein the display unit comprises at least one bi-stable display, requiring energy supply only in order to modify a displayed representation or to restore the displayed representation,

wherein the display unit has an interface, such as a USB interface or a manufacturer-specific interface, wherein the display unit is connected to the external control unit via the interface, wherein the external control unit is configured to restore or at least partially modify a representation of the bi-stable display.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the external control unit has a memory unit, wherein a plurality of individual representations of the display unit is stored in the memory unit, wherein the individual representations are based on different process parameters.

11. The system according to claim 9, further comprising at least one sensor element for measuring at least one further parameter, wherein the at least one sensor element is connected to the external control unit in such a manner that, during operation, a measured value of the at least one further parameter is transmitted to the external control unit, wherein the external control unit is configured to modify the representation of the bi-stable display at least partially depending on the measured value of the at least one further parameter.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein the variable area flowmeter is arranged in a bypass configuration, and the external control unit is configured to at least partially modify the representation of the bi-stable display depending on a flow ratio value.

13. A method for operating a variable area flowmeter, comprising:

altering a representation of a bi-stable display of a display unit at least partially, depending on at least one process parameter, by an internal control unit or an external control unit, wherein the display unit comprises a pointer element; and

deflecting mechanically the pointer element by a variable area flowmeter during a measuring process,

wherein the pointer element is connected directly or indirectly to a float for the pointer element to be deflected mechanically by the variable area flowmeter during the measuring process, and

wherein the bi-stable display requires energy supply only for changing the representation or for restoring the representation.