Fluid flow meter
First Claim
1. A fluid flow meter, comprising:
- a turbine having a hub for mounting on a supporting structure affixed to the interior of a housing having inlet and outlet ends, for both rotational and downstream movement of said turbine with respect to said supporting structure, in response to the rate of flow of fluid through said housing;
means for biasing said turbine with forces in directions opposite to those applied to said turbine by said fluid flow; and
means for determining the combined rotational and downstream displacement of said turbine, whereby said flow rate can be translated to more than 360°
of angular displacement of said turbine.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A fluid flow meter with a turbine rotationally supported within a transparent cylindrical housing and biased against its rotational response to the flow of fluid whereby flow rates are read on a circumferential scale mounted on the turbine. In an alternative embodiment, in addition to rotational movement the turbine is biased against axial movement whereby a helical scale mounted on the turbine may be calibrated and read along more than a single 360° of angular movement. In another alternative embodiment, a compression spring in combination with a threaded axle which mates with a threaded cavity within the turbine, provides helical displacement of the turbine for permitting the calibration of more than 360° of angular rotation.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. A fluid flow meter, comprising:
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a turbine having a hub for mounting on a supporting structure affixed to the interior of a housing having inlet and outlet ends, for both rotational and downstream movement of said turbine with respect to said supporting structure, in response to the rate of flow of fluid through said housing; means for biasing said turbine with forces in directions opposite to those applied to said turbine by said fluid flow; and means for determining the combined rotational and downstream displacement of said turbine, whereby said flow rate can be translated to more than 360°
of angular displacement of said turbine. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A fluid flow meter comprising:
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a cylindrical housing having an inlet and outlet at opposite ends thereof; a supporting structure affixed to the interior of said housing, including; a base member extending to the central area of said housing, and an axle protruding upstream from said central area; a turbine having a hub open at its downstream end for mounting on said axle in rotational relation thereto; means within said housing for biasing said turbine with forces in at least one direction opposite to that produced by the fluid flow; and means for determining the displacement of said turbine. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10)
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Specification