Steam trap operation detector

• US 4,898,022 A
• Filed: 11/28/1988
• Issued: 02/06/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TLV Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: TLV Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yonemura, Masao, Yamada, Yoshito, Fujiwara, Yoshiyasu, Nagase, Mamoru, Okamoto, Masakatsu, Yumoto, Hideaki, Hosokawa, Yasutoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Wayner, William E.
• Application Number:
  US07/261,830
• Time in Patent Office: 435 Days
• Field of Search: 73/592, 73/46, 236/94
• US Class Current: 73/46
• CPC Class Codes: F16T 1/48 Monitoring arrangements for inspecting, e.g. flow of steam and steam condensate

Abstract

A steam trap operation detector provided with a vibration detecting section and a arithmetric section. The detecting section includes a probe, a diaphragm for generating ultrasonic vibration in response to mechanical vibrations sensed by the probe and a vibration sensor for converting the ultrasonic vibration into an electrical signal. The detector also includes an arthimetric section for receiving an amplified signal from the vibration sensor and processing the same into information indicative of the operation of the steam trap.

Claims

1. A steam trap operation detector comprising a detecting section (1) and an arithmetic section (50);

said detection section (1) including;

a probe (2) arranged to be brought into contact with an object to be detected with a predetermined pressure given by an elastic member for detecting mechanical vibration owing to a steam current and a condensed-water current within said object to be detected;

diaphragm means (21) for generating ultrasonic vibration in response to said mechanical vibration detected by said probe (2);

a vibration sensor (16) provided in opposition to said diaphragm means (21) for converting said ultrasonic vibration into an electric signal;

a circuit board (20) containing an amplifying circuit for amplifying an output signal of said vibration sensor (16) so as to transmit the amplified output to the outside;

said arithmetic section (50) including;

a memory (M) for storing data corresponding to a variety of steam traps inclusive of said object to be detected;

a central processing unit (CPU) for performing computation while executing comparison between the output signal transmitted from said detecting section (1) and predetermined data selectively obtained from said data stored in said memory (M); and

output units (D;

S) for displaying the result of computation of said central processing unit (CPU) and/or for generating a sound output of an audible frequency.

2. A steam trap operation detector according to claim 1, in which said memory (M) included in said arithmetic section (50) has data stored therein corresponding to distinction in construction of said variety of steam traps, so that a result corrected in accordance with distinction in kind of said object to be detected is computed out.

3. A steam trap operation detector according to claim 1, in which said memory (M) included in said arithmetic section (50) has data stored therein corresponding variations of steam pressure within steam traps, so that a result corrected in accordance with steam pressure used in said object to be detected is computed out.

4. A steam trap operation detector according to claim 1, in which a temperature sensor (10) is disposed at a top end portion of said probe (2) which is to be brought into contact with said object to be detected so that a temperature of said object to be detected is detected so as to generate an electric output corresponding to the detected temperature, and in which temperature data are preliminarily stored in said memory (M) in said arithmetic section (50), whereby whether the operation of said object to be detected is good or not is judged on the basis of comparison between an output of said temperature sensor (10) and predetermined data selectively obtained from said temperature data stored in said memory (M).

5. A steam trap operation detector according to claim 4, in which said temperature sensor (10) is attached in a concavity (41) of said probe (2) through a heat insulator (43) for preventing heat conduction without influence on transmission of vibration through said probe (2).

6. A steam trap operation detector according to claim 4 or 5, in which a pointed-end projection (62, 67) is formed at the top end of said probe (2) and a concavity (63) is formed at a position lower than said pointed-end projection, so that said temperature sensor (65) is kept to be pressed toward said pointed-end projection by an elastic material (64) provided in said concavity.

7. A steam trap operation detector according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, in which said diaphragm means for generating ultrasonic vibration owing to said mechanical vibration transmitted from said probe (2) includes a plurality of diaphragms (81 to 84) which are fixed at predetermined intervals in an axial direction of said probe.

8. A steam trap operation detector according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, in which said diaphragm (21, 81 to 84) and said ultrasonic microphone (16) are enclosed by a hollow elastic member (34'"'"') and one end of said hollow elastic member (34'"'"') is attached to a diaphragm mounting member (11), so that said mechanical vibration is transmitted from said probe (2) to said ultrasonic microphone (16) without influence of outside vibratory noise.

9. A steam trap operation detector according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, in which said circuit board (20) is attached to a body (5) through an elastic member (93), and terminals of said ultrasonic microphone (16) are flexibly connected to terminals of said circuit board (20) through soft conductive wire (92), so that said mechanical vibration is transmitted from said probe (2) to said ultrasonic microphone (16) without influence of outside vibratory noise.