Ultrasonic flow switch

• US 9,671,263 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2016
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Keyence Corporation (Keyence)
• Original Assignee: Keyence Corporation (Keyence)
• Inventors: Otsu, Shinichiro, Ishikawa, Daishiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Thompson, Jewel V
• Application Number:
  US15/134,403
• Publication Number:
  US 20160334251A1
• Time in Patent Office: 411 Days
• Field of Search: 7386127, 7386128, 7386129
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/662 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/667 Arrangements of transducers for ultrasonic flowmeters; Circuits for operating ultrasonic flowmeters
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/14 Casings, e.g. of special material
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/18 Supports or connecting means for meters

Abstract

Provided is an ultrasonic flow switch which can be stably mounted on pipe. A clamp part is mounted on an outer surface of the pipe. A casing part which integrally or independently holds the first and second ultrasonic wave elements is fixed to the clamp part by a sensor fixing screw. The clamp part is configured to restrict displacement of the casing part in an axial direction of the pipe and in a circumferential direction of the pipe and to allow displacement of the casing part in a radial direction of the pipe in a state where the casing part is not fixed.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic flow switch to output an ON/OFF signal based on a flow rate of a fluid in a pipe, the ultrasonic flow switch comprising:

a first ultrasonic wave element configured to transmit an ultrasonic wave to a fluid in a pipe;

a second ultrasonic wave element configured to receive the ultrasonic wave from the fluid in the pipe;

a calculator configured to calculate a flow rate of the fluid in the pipe based on an output signal from the second ultrasonic wave element;

an output part configured to output the ON/OFF signal based on the flow rate calculated by the calculator and a preset flow rate threshold value;

an element holder integrally or independently holding the first ultrasonic wave element and the second ultrasonic wave element;

a mounting member detachably mounted on an outer surface of the pipe, configured to support the element holder; and

a fixing member fixing the element holder to the mounting member,

wherein, in a state where the element holder is not fixed by the fixing member, the mounting member is configured to restrict displacement of the element holder in an axial direction of the pipe and in a circumferential direction of the pipe and to allow displacement of the element holder in a radial direction of the pipe.

2. The ultrasonic flow switch according to claim 1, wherein

the first ultrasonic wave element includes a transmission surface transmit the ultrasonic wave,

the second ultrasonic wave element includes a reception surface to receive the ultrasonic wave,

the mounting member includes a first contact surface to contact an outer surface of the pipe and a second contact surface to contact an outer surface of the pipe, and

the first and second contact surfaces are positioned on one side and the other side of a plane of symmetry so as to be symmetrically inclined with each other with respect to the plane of symmetry, the plane of symmetry intersecting the transmission surface and the reception surface, and including the radial direction and the axial direction.

3. The ultrasonic flow switch according to claim 1, wherein the mounting member includes a guide portion to guide the element holder such that the element holder is not displaceable in the axial direction and in the circumferential direction and is displaceable in the radial direction in a state where the element holding part is not fixed by the fixing member.

4. The ultrasonic flow switch according to claim 1, wherein the mounting member includes:

a first mounting member contacted to an outer surface of the pipe, configured to support the element holder;

a second mounting member contacted to the outer surface of the pipe; and

a fastening member fastening the first and second mounting members to each other in a state where the first mounting member and the second mounting member face each other with the pipe sandwiched therebetween.

5. The ultrasonic flow switch according to claim 4, wherein the first mounting member is contacted to the pipe at a first portion and a second portion, and the second mounting member is contacted to the pipe at a third portion.

6. The ultrasonic flow switch according to claim 4, wherein

the fastening member includes a screw member rotatably mounted on the first mounting member,

the second mounting member forms first and second threaded holes threadedly engaged by the screw member, and

the first and second threaded holes are arranged at different positions in the radial direction.

7. The ultrasonic flow switch according to claim 6, wherein

the second mounting member is capable of being arranged with respect to the first mounting member in a first direction in which the first and second threaded holes are respectively positioned on one side and the other side in the axial direction, and in a second direction in which the first and second threaded holes are respectively positioned on the other side and the one side in the axial direction,

the screw member is threadedly engaged with the first threaded hole in a case where the second mounting member is arranged in the first direction, and

the screw member is threadedly engaged with the second threaded hole in a case where the second mounting member is arranged in the second direction.

8. The ultrasonic flow switch according to claim 6, wherein the mounting member further includes a posture maintaining mechanism which maintains a posture of the screw member with respect to the first mounting member such that a distal end portion of the screw member is directed toward the second mounting member.

9. The ultrasonic flow switch according to claim 8, wherein the first mounting member has a through hole through which the screw member is passed, and the posture maintaining mechanism includes a spring member which urges the screw member such that the distal end portion of the screw member is directed toward the second mounting member.

10. The ultrasonic flow switch according to claim 4, wherein

the element holder includes a first holding part which holds the first ultrasonic wave element and a second holding part which holds the first ultrasonic wave element, and

the first holding part is mounted on the first mounting member, and the second holding part is mounted on the second mounting member.

11. The ultrasonic flow switch according to claim 1, wherein

the mounting member includes:

a fixed part mounted on the pipe; and

a movable part mounted on the fixed part such that the movable part is movable between a first position and a second position,

when the movable part is at the first position, an operation of mounting the fixed part on the pipe is allowed and an operation of mounting the element holder on the mounting member is not allowed, and

when the movable part is at the second position, the operation of mounting the fixed part on the pipe is not allowed and the operation of mounting the element holder on the mounting member is allowed.

12. The ultrasonic flow switch according to claim 1, wherein the fixing member includes first and second fixing members arranged with the first and second ultrasonic wave elements sandwiched therebetween in the axial direction.

13. The ultrasonic flow switch according to claim 1, wherein the mounting member and the element holder are configured such that the operation of mounting the mounting member on the pipe and the operation of fixing the element holder to the mounting member by the fixing member are performed from a common direction.

14. The ultrasonic flow switch according to claim 13, further including a display part which displays the flow rate calculated by the calculator and the threshold value,

wherein the display part is provided on the element holder such that the display part is viewable from the common direction.

15. The ultrasonic flow switch according to claim 13, further including a connecting part to which a connecting line for transmitting the ON/OFF signal outputted from the output part is connectable,

wherein the connecting part is provided to the element holder such that the connecting line is connectable to the connecting part from the common direction.

16. The ultrasonic flow switch according to claim 15, wherein the first and second ultrasonic wave elements acquire electric power through the connecting part.

17. The ultrasonic flow switch according to claim 1, wherein

the second ultrasonic wave element is further configured to transmit an ultrasonic wave to the fluid in the pipe;

the first ultrasonic wave element is further configured to receive the ultrasonic wave from the fluid in the pipe;

a calculator is configured to calculate a flow rate of the fluid in the pipe based on an output signal from the first ultrasonic wave element and the second ultrasonic wave element.