Apparatus responsive to fluid flow

Claim 1

A VOLUME FLOW METER FOR MEASURING FLUID FLOW COMPRISING A TUBULAR CASING HAVING AN INTERNAL CYLINDRICAL SURFACE, A STABILIZER DISPOSED WITHIN SAID TUBULAR CASING, SAID STABILIZER HAVING MOVABLE HELICOIDAL BLADES FOR IMPARTING TO THE FLUID PASSING THERETHROUGH A ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT WITH RESPECT TO THE MAJOR AXIS OF SAID FLOW METER, A MEASUREING MEANS COMPRISING A TURBINE MOUNTED OPERATIONALLY BEHIND SAID STABILIZER, SAID TURBINE HAIVNG A SHAFT ADAPTED TO BE COUPLED TO REGISTERING MEANS FOR THE RECORDING OF THE VOLUME FLOW OF THE FLUID PASSING THROUGH SAID METER, A REGULATING MEANS COMPRISING A VELOCITY-SENSING ELEMENT DISPOSED OPERATIONALLY BEHIND SAID TURBINE AND MOUNTED FOR FREE ROTATION ABOUT SAID MAJOR AXIS OF SAID FLOW METER UNDER THE ACTION OF THE RESIDUAL ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT OF THE FLUID ISSUING FROM SAID TURBINE, AND MECHANICAL ACTUATING MEANS CONSISTING OF A MECHANICAL LINKAGE CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID VELOCITYSENSING ELEMENT AND SAID HELICOIDAL BLADES FOR DIRECTLY CONVERTING THE ROTATION OF SAID ELEMENT INTO A MOTION WHICH CHANGES THE ANGLE OF ORIENTATION OF SAID BLADES IN A DIRECTION WHICH TENDS TO REDUCE TO ZERO THE RESIDUAL ROTATIONAL SPEED OF THE FLUID ISSUING FROM SAID TURBINE.