Low differential pressure generator

• US 5,693,871 A
• Filed: 07/12/1996
• Issued: 12/02/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Department of Health and Human Services (State of Victoria)
• Original Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Administrator Of The National Aeronautics And Space Administration
• Inventors: Deyoe, Richard T., Stout, Stephen J.
• Primary Examiner(s): RAEVIS, ROBERT R
• Application Number:
  US08/695,071
• Time in Patent Office: 508 Days
• Field of Search: 73/4 R, 73/4 V, 73/3, 73/1.68, 73/1.69
• US Class Current: 73/1.68
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 27/005 Apparatus for calibrating pressure sensors

Abstract

A method and apparatus for evaluating low differential pressure transducers includes a pressure generator in the form of a piston-cylinder assembly having a piston that may be manually positioned precisely within the cylinder to change the volume and thus the pressure at respective sides of the piston. At one side of the piston the cylinder communicates with a first chamber and at the other side of the piston the cylinder communicates with a second chamber, the first and second chambers being formed within a common tank by a partition wall. The chambers each communicate with the transducer to be evaluated and a standard pre-calibrated transducer, the transducers being connected fluidly in parallel so that a pressure differential between air in the two chambers resulting from movement of the piston within the cylinder is communicated to both the transducer to be evaluated and the standard transducer, and the outputs of the transducers is observed and recorded.

Claims

1. A method for calibrating low differential pressure transducers comprising:

(a) providing a closed gas .fluid system including a pair of adjacent chambers of substantially equal physical volumes, each chamber having a first port and a second port,

(b) increasing the pressure of gas in one of the chambers while simultaneously decreasing the pressure of gas in the other of said chambers by feeding gas through the first port of said one chamber and expelling gas through the first port of the other chamber so as to provide a differential gas pressure between the second ports of said chambers,

(c) placing a transducer to be calibrated and a standard pre-calibrated transducer at a respective location relative to said second ports permitting each transducer to be exposed to said differential gas pressure,

(d) obtaining a signal from said standard pre-calibrated transducer in response to the pressure differential, and

(e) obtaining a signal from said transducer to be calibrated in response to said pressure differential.

2. A method for calibrating low differential pressure transducers as recited in claim 1, wherein the pressure in said chambers are adjusted until the signal from the standard pre-calibrated transducer corresponds to a desired pressure differential of the gas between the second ports of said chambers, and then recording the signal from the transducer to be calibrated.

3. A method for calibrating low differential pressure transducers as recited in claim 1, wherein said transducer to be calibrated and said standard pre-calibrated transducer are fluidly connected in parallel.

4. A method for calibrating low differential pressure transducers as recited in claim 1, wherein the pressure increase in said one chamber is accompanied by a substantially equal decrease in pressure in said other chamber.

5. A method for calibrating low differential pressure transducers as recited in claim 4, wherein the pressure in said chambers are adjusted until the signal from the standard pre-calibrated transducer corresponds to a desired pressure differential of the gas between the second ports of said chambers, and then recording the signal from the transducer to be calibrated.

6. A method for calibrating low differential pressure transducers as recited in claim 1, wherein said fluid system includes a cylinder having a piston including two sides movable therein, a fluid line communicating said cylinder at one side of said piston with said one chamber and a fluid line communicating said cylinder at the other side of said piston with said other chamber, said increasing of the pressure in said one chamber and decreasing of the pressure in said other chamber comprising moving said piston a controlled amount.

7. Apparatus for calibrating low differential pressure transducers comprising, a closed fluid system including a transducer to be calibrated and a standard precalibrated transducer each having an electrical output when exposed to a pressure differential, a pair of chambers, each chamber having a respective first port and a respective second port, a cylinder having two ends and including a piston therein, a rod secured to said piston and extending out the exterior of said cylinder, means on said piston rod for moving said piston controlled amounts selectively relative to said cylinder, conduit means communicating one end of said cylinder to the first port of one of said chambers, conduit means connecting the other of said cylinders to the first port of the other of said chambers, movement of said piston thereby increasing the volume in the interior of said cylinder at one side of the piston and reducing the volume at the other side of said piston thereby resulting in a pressure differential between said chambers, means communicating said second port of each chamber with each of said transducer to be calibrated and said standard pre-calibrated transducer such that each of said transducers is exposed to said pressure differential, whereby the output from said transducer to be calibrated may be compared to the output of said standard transducer at selected pressure differentials.

8. Apparatus for calibrating low differential pressure transducers as recited in claim 7, wherein said piston rod is threadedly mounted relative to said cylinder.

9. Apparatus for calibrating low differential pressure transducers as recited in claim 8, wherein said chambers comprise a tank having a partition wall for dividing said tank into substantially equal volumes.

10. Apparatus for calibrating low differential pressure transducers as recited in claim 9, wherein said tank is thermally insulated about said chambers.

11. Apparatus for calibrating low differential pressure transducers as recited in claim 7, wherein said chambers comprise a tank having a partition wall for dividing said tank into substantially equal volumes.

12. Apparatus for calibrating low differential pressure transducers as recited in claim 11, wherein said transducer to be calibrated and said standard transducer are fluidly connected in parallel.

13. Apparatus for calibrating low differential pressure transducers as recited in claim 12, including means for measuring and recording the outputs from said transducer to be calibrated and said standard transducer.

14. Apparatus for calibrating low differential pressure transducers as recited in claim 11, wherein said tank is thermally insulated about said chambers.

15. Apparatus for calibrating low differential pressure transducers as recited in claim 7, wherein said transducer to be calibrated and said standard transducer are fluidly connected in parallel.

16. Apparatus for calibrating low differential pressure transducers as recited in claim 7, including means for measuring and recording the outputs from said transducer to be calibrated and said standard transducer.