Gear flow meter with optical sensor
First Claim
1. A flow meter for measuring fluid volume comprising:
- a housing defining a chamber having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, the housing comprising a substantially transparent wall;
first and second gears installed within the chamber, the first and second gears being rotatable about respective first and second axes of rotation in response to fluid flow through the chamber, wherein at least one of the first and second gears comprises a distinctive optical characteristic on a top surface adjacent to the substantially transparent wall; and
an optical sensor located outside of the chamber and configured to detect an optical property of the top surface of the gears through the substantially transparent wall, wherein the first gear is configured to sweep out a first area of rotation, the second gear is configured to sweep out a second area of rotation, and the first area of rotation and the second area of rotation overlap in an intersection area, and wherein the optical sensor is positioned to detect the top surface of the gears within the intersection area without detecting only fluid during rotation of the gears.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Embodiments of the invention provide devices and methods for measuring fluid volume. Devices according to some embodiments include a chamber, having a pair of gears rotatably mounted therewithin. Fluid flow through the chamber causes rotation of the gears, such that each rotation and/or partial rotation results in a known volume of the fluid passing through the chamber. An optical sensor positioned outside of the chamber, can view the rotating gears through a substantially transparent chamber wall. The optical sensor can view an optical characteristic of one or both of the gears, and based upon this data, fluid volume, flow rate, and/or flow direction can be determined. Devices and methods disclosed herein can provide for improved precision in fluid flow meter measurement. In addition, the devices and methods used herein can be more durable and easier to fabricate than previously known positive displacement flow meters.
-
Citations
27 Claims
-
1. A flow meter for measuring fluid volume comprising:
-
a housing defining a chamber having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, the housing comprising a substantially transparent wall; first and second gears installed within the chamber, the first and second gears being rotatable about respective first and second axes of rotation in response to fluid flow through the chamber, wherein at least one of the first and second gears comprises a distinctive optical characteristic on a top surface adjacent to the substantially transparent wall; and an optical sensor located outside of the chamber and configured to detect an optical property of the top surface of the gears through the substantially transparent wall, wherein the first gear is configured to sweep out a first area of rotation, the second gear is configured to sweep out a second area of rotation, and the first area of rotation and the second area of rotation overlap in an intersection area, and wherein the optical sensor is positioned to detect the top surface of the gears within the intersection area without detecting only fluid during rotation of the gears. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
-
-
19. A method for measuring a volume of a fluid comprising:
-
providing a chamber in fluid communication with a fluid source, the chamber comprising a fluid inlet, a fluid outlet, first and second gears, and a substantially transparent wall, wherein the first gear is configured to sweep out a first area of rotation, the second gear is configured to sweep out a second area of rotation, and the first area of rotation and the second area of rotation overlap in an intersection area; providing an optical sensor outside of the chamber, the optical sensor being positioned to detect the first gear and the second gear within the intersection area without detecting only fluid during rotation of the gears; dispensing the fluid through the chamber causing the gears to rotate as the fluid passes through the chamber from fluid inlet to fluid outlet; viewing the gears through the substantially transparent wall of the chamber with the optical sensor; counting the number of rotations made by the gears with the optical sensor; and calculating the volume of fluid based upon the number of rotations made by the gears and a known chamber volume representing the volume of fluid dispensed through the chamber per rotation of the gears. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
-
Specification