Device for measuring/determining a physical quantity of a medium

• US 8,029,731 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2001
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Company KG (Endress+Hauser AG)
• Original Assignee: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Company KG (Endress+Hauser AG)
• Inventors: Krause, Michael, Stengele, Florian
• Primary Examiner(s): Warden; Jill
• Assistant Examiner(s): TURK, NEIL N
• Application Number:
  US10/333,913
• Publication Number:
  US 20040101717A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,723 Days
• Field of Search: 422/68.1, 422/82.05, 204/228.2, 73/10.2, 73/530.1
• US Class Current: 422/68.1
• 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 15/00 Details of, or accessories for, apparatus of groups G01F1/00 - G01F13/00 insofar as such details or appliances are not adapted to particular types of such apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/11 Automated chemical analysis

Abstract

A device for measuring/determining a physical quantity of a medium. The device comprises a sensor part and an electronic part, whereby at least the electronic part is arranged inside a housing and at least one fuel cell is provided which at least partially covers the energy demand of the device.

Claims

1. A device for determining a physical quantity of a process medium in a container which is chosen from the group consisting of pressure, flow rate, temperature, and chemical composition, comprising:

a sensor part;

an electronic part;

at least one fuel cell, said sensor part, said electronic part and said at least one fuel cell being electrically connected, wherein;

said electronic part and said at least one fuel cell are disposed in one housing;

said housing is spatially separated from said sensor part in such a way that said sensor part is disposed in the process medium or in the vicinity of the process medium, while said electronic part is located outside the container that contains the process medium; and

a closed control loop, assures that the energy furnished by the fuel cell is made available as a function of the particular power demand of said sensor part and of said electronic part.

2. The device as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a remote control point; and

at least one data line connecting said remote control point with the combination of said sensor part and said electronic part, by way of which the measurement data of the physical quantity is transmitted to said remote control point.

3. The device as defined in claim 2, further comprising:

a microprocessor disposed in said housing, wherein;

said microprocessor evaluates the measurement data generating information thereby, and transmits said information via said at least one data line to said remote control point.

4. The device as defined in claim 2, further comprising:

a microprocessor disposed in the housing, wherein;

said microprocessor communicates with said remote control point.

5. The device as defined in claim 2, further comprising:

a transceiver unit disposed in the housing, wherein;

said transceiver transmits the measurement data of the physical quantity in a wireless fashion to said remote control point.

6. The device as defined in claim 2, further comprising:

a transceiver unit disposed in the housing, which communicates in wireless fashion with said remote control point.

7. The device as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the housing is an encapsulated housing.

8. The device as defined in claim 2, further comprising:

a microprocessor disposed in the housing, wherein;

said microprocessor outputs a warning/error report as soon as at least one fuel cell no longer adequately covers the energy demand of said device.

9. The device as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a charger unit connected to at least one fuel cell, said charger unit serving to charge said at least one fuel cell when necessary.