Ultrasonic measurements and ultrasonic manometer

Claim 2

A U-tube manometer for measuring the difference between the pressures applied to its legs including means for measuring the difference in the travel times of sound signals sent through working liquid in its legs by suitably energized transducers and reflected from the top surfaces of the working liquid, said difference in travel times measured by means for counting signals from a source of repetitive signals over a time interval defined by said difference in travel times, wherein the improvement is in means for synchronizing the energization of the transducers with a signal from said source of repetitive signals, comprising means for generating a signal for energizing said transducers, and means interposed between said energizing signal generating means and said transducers, for delaying the application of the energizing signal to the transducers until the occurrence of the repetitive signal occurring after said energizing signal.

Claim 3

A U-tube manometer as in claim 1 wherein said interposed means comprises a flip-flop having clearing, enabling, and clock pulse inputs and generating an output signal after being cleared and after having input signals at both the enabling and clock pulse inputs, and including means for applying said energizing signal to the clearing input of the flip-flop to clear it, means for delaying the same energizing signal and for applying the delayed energizing signal to the enabling input of the flip-flop, and means for applying said repetitive signals to the clock pulse input for the purpose of causing the flip-flop to generate an output signal at the repetitive signal occurring after the enabling signal, said output signal applied to the transducers as an energizing signal.

Claim 4

A U-tube manometer as in claim 1 including means for measuring said difference in travel times by measuring the time interval between the receipt by said transducers of the echoes of the sound signals reflected from the top surfaces of the working liquid in the legs, said echoes being substantially in the form of sinusoidal waves, and including means for disregarding a predetermined initial portion of the echo sinusoidal wave in each leg and using for the purpose of defining said time interval only a predetermined subsequent portion of the sinusoidal wave in each leg.

Claim 5

A U-tube manometer as in claim 1 including means for compensating for any difference between the relative physical positions of the transducers comprising adjustable means for delaying signals from one of said transducers by a predetermined amount.

Claim 6

A U-tube manometer for measuring the difference in the pressures applied to the working liquid in its legs including means for measuring the difference in the travel times of sound signals sent through the working liquid in its legs by suitably energized transducers, said difference in travel times measured by means for measuring the time intervAl between the receipt by said transducers of the echoes of the sound signals reflected from the top surfaces of the working liquid in the legs, said echoes being substantially in the form of sinusoidal waves, wherein the improvement comprises means for eliminating a predetermined initial portion of the echo sinusoidal wave in each leg and using for the purpose of defining said time interval only a predetermined subsequent portion of the sinusoidal wave in each leg.

Claim 7

A U-tube manometer for measuring the difference in the pressures applied to the working liquid in its legs including means for measuring the difference in the travel times of sound signals sent through the working liquid in its legs by suitably energized transducers, said difference in travel times measured by means for measuring the time intervAl between the receipt by said transducers of the echoes of the sound signals reflected from the top surfaces of the working liquid in the legs, said echoes being substantially in the form of sinusoidal waves, wherein the improvement comprises means for eliminating a predetermined initial portion of the echo sinusoidal wave in each leg and using for the purpose of defining said time interval only a predetermined subsequent portion of the sinusoidal wave in each leg.

Claim 8

A U-tube manometer as in claim 5 wherein said improvement includes means for eliminating the first positive peak of the echo sinusoidal wave in each leg and using for the purpose of defining said time interval only the second positive peak of the echo sinusoidal wave in each leg.

Claim 9

A U-tube manometer as in claim 5 including means for compensating for difference between the relative physical positions of the transducers comprising adjustable means for delaying signals from one of said transducers by a predetermined amount.

Claim 10

A U-tube manometer for measuring the difference in pressures applied to the top surfaces of working liquid in its legs including means for measuring the difference in travel times of sound signals sent through the working liquid in the legs by suitably energized transducers and reflected from the top surfaces of the working liquid, wherein the improvement is in means for compensating for difference between the relative physical positions of the transducers comprising adjustable means for delaying signals from one of said transducers by a predetermined amount.

Claim 11

A U-tube manometer for measuring the difference in pressures applied to the top surfaces of working liquid in its legs including means for measuring the difference in travel times of sound signals sent through the working liquid in the legs by suitably energized transducers and reflected from the top surfaces of the working liquid, wherein the improvement is in means for compensating for difference between the relative physical positions of the transducers comprising adjustable means for delaying signals from one of said transducers by a predetermined amount.

Claim 12

A U-tube manometer as in claim 8 wherein said time interval is defined as the interval between the receipt by the respective transducers of echoes of their respective sound signals, the transducers capable of detecting said echoes and of converting said echoes into electrical signals, the delaying means delaying the electrical signals from one of said transducers.

Claim 13

A U-tube manometer for measuring the difference between the pressures applied to its legs including means for measuring the time difference in the travel times of sound signals sent through working liquid in its legs by suitably energized transducers and reflected from the top surfaces of the working liquid, wherein the improvement comprises damping valve means positioned in the path of the working liquid flowing between the two manometer legs, said valve means restricting the flow as a function of the rate of flow.

Claim 14

A U-tube manometer for measuring the difference between the pressures applied to its legs including means for measuring the time difference in the travel times of sound signals sent through working liquid in its legs by suitably energized transducers and reflected from the top surfaces of the working liquid, wherein the improvement comprises damping valve means positioned in the path of the working liquid flowing between the two manometer legs, said valve means restricting the flow as a function of the rate of flow.

Claim 15

A U-tube manometer as in claim 10 including means for restricting the flow in inverse proportion to the rate of flow, said damping valve means having a set minimum restriction value.

Claim 16

A U-tube manometer for measuring the difference between the pressures applied to the working liquid in its legs by measuring the difference in the travel times of sound signals sent through the working liquid in the legs by suitably energized transducers, said difference in travel times measured by determining the time interval between the receipt by said transducers of the echoes of the sound signals reflected from the top surfaces of the working liquid columns in the legs, wherein each of the legs comprises a hollow tube having an internal diameter of at least 1 inch, so that the meniscus at the top surfaces of a working liquid column enclosed by each tube has a central flat portion having an area substantially larger than the area of the curved marginal portion such that a sound signal reflected from the meniscus is reflected primarily from the central flat portion of the meniscus rather than from the curved marginal portion.

Claim 17

A U-tube manometer for measuring the difference between the pressures applied to the working liquid in its legs by measuring the difference in the travel times of sound signals sent through the working liquid in the legs by suitably energized transducers, said difference in travel times measured by determining the time interval between the receipt by said transducers of the echoes of the sound signals reflected from the top surfaces of the working liquid columns in the legs, wherein each of the legs comprises a hollow tube having an internal diameter of at least 1 inch, so that the meniscus at the top surfaces of a working liquid column enclosed by each tube has a central flat portion having an area substantially larger than the area of the curved marginal portion such that a sound signal reflected from the meniscus is reflected primarily from the central flat portion of the meniscus rather than from the curved marginal portion.

Claim 18

A U-tube manometer comprising: a. a first substantially vertical tube and a second substantially vertical tube, the two tubes open to each other near their bottom ends and containing respectively a first column and a second column of sound transmitting liquid, each column having a top surface in the shape of a meniscus capable of reflecting as echoes sound signals propagating uPwardly in the column, each of said first tube and second tube comprising a hollow tube having an internal diameter of at least 1 inch so that the meniscus has a central flat portion having an area substantially greater than the area of the curved marginal portions, such that an upwardly propagating sound signal reflected from the meniscus is reflected primarily from the central flat surface area rather than from the curved marginal surface area; b. means for applying a first fluid pressure to the top surface of the first column and for applying a second fluid pressure, equal to or lower than the first, to the top surface of the second column; c. a first transducer coupled with the first column and a second transducer coupled with the second column, each transducer capable of emitting an upwardly propagating sound signal when suitably energized, and also capable of detecting sound signals propagating downwardly in the column with which the transducer is coupled, whereby a sound signal emitted by a suitably energized transducer propagates in the column of that transducer and is reflected from the top surface of that column toward the transducer as an echo signal; d. means for energizing the two transducers essentially simultaneously to cause the first transducer to emit a first sound signal propagating upwardly in the first column and to cause the second transducer to emit a second, essentially simultaneous sound signal propagating upwardly in the second column; e. means for generating at a constant high rate a series of repetitive signals; f. means for counting said repetitive signals and for accumulating the count; g. means, responsive to the detection by the first transducer of the echo of the first sound signal, said echo reflected from the top surface of the first column, for connecting said means for generating repetitive signals to said means for counting, whereby the counting means begins accumulating a count of the repetitive signals; and h. means, responsive to the detection by the second transducer of the echo of the second sound signal, said echo reflected from the top surface of the second column, for disconnecting said means for generating repetitive signals from said means for counting, whereby a measure is obtained of the difference in height, if any, between the two columns and thus of the difference between the fluid pressures applied to the top surfaces of the columns.

Claim 19

A U-tube manometer comprising: a. a first substantially vertical tube and a second substantially vertical tube, the two tubes open to each other near their bottom ends and containing respectively a first column and a second column of sound transmitting liquid, each column having a top surface in the shape of a meniscus capable of reflecting as echoes sound signals propagating uPwardly in the column, each of said first tube and second tube comprising a hollow tube having an internal diameter of at least 1 inch so that the meniscus has a central flat portion having an area substantially greater than the area of the curved marginal portions, such that an upwardly propagating sound signal reflected from the meniscus is reflected primarily from the central flat surface area rather than from the curved marginal surface area; b. means for applying a first fluid pressure to the top surface of the first column and for applying a second fluid pressure, equal to or lower than the first, to the top surface of the second column; c. a first transducer coupled with the first column and a second transducer coupled with the second column, each transducer capable of emitting an upwardly propagating sound signal when suitably energized, and also capable of detecting sound signals propagating downwardly in the column with which the transducer is coupled, whereby a sound signal emitted by a suitably energized transducer propagates in the column of that transducer and is reflected from the top surface of that column toward the transducer as an echo signal; d. means for energizing the two transducers essentially simultaneously to cause the first transducer to emit a first sound signal propagating upwardly in the first column and to cause the second transducer to emit a second, essentially simultaneous sound signal propagating upwardly in the second column; e. means for generating at a constant high rate a series of repetitive signals; f. means for counting said repetitive signals and for accumulating the count; g. means, responsive to the detection by the first transducer of the echo of the first sound signal, said echo reflected from the top surface of the first column, for connecting said means for generating repetitive signals to said means for counting, whereby the counting means begins accumulating a count of the repetitive signals; and h. means, responsive to the detection by the second transducer of the echo of the second sound signal, said echo reflected from the top surface of the second column, for disconnecting said means for generating repetitive signals from said means for counting, whereby a measure is obtained of the difference in height, if any, between the two columns and thus of the difference between the fluid pressures applied to the top surfaces of the columns.

Claim 20

A U-tube manometer as in claim 13 including means for synchronizing the energizing of the transducers with the occurrence of one of said repetitive signals.

Claim 21

A U-tube manometer as in claim 13 wherein each of said echoes is substantially in the form of a sinusoidal wave, and including means for delaying the connecting of the means for generating repetitive signals to the means for counting until the detection of the second positive section of the echo of the first sound signal, and including means for delaying the disconnecting of the means for generating repetitive signals from the means for counting until the detection of the second positive section of the echo of the second sound signal.

Claim 22

A U-tube manometer as in claim 13 including means for delaying the connecting of the means for generating repetitive signals to the means for counting for an adjustable length of time.

Claim 23

A U-tube manometer as in claim 13 including damping valve means for restricting the flow of the sound transmitting liquid between the two tubes as a function of the rate of flow.

Claim 24

A U-tube manometer as in claim 13 including means for maintaining the sound transmitting liquid in the two tubes at a constant predetermined temperature.

Claim 25

A U-tube manometer as in claim 13 wherein each of said first tube and second tube comprises a hollow tube having an internal diameter of at least 11/2 inches.

Claim 26

A U-tube manometer as in claim 13 wherein each of said first tube and second tube comprises a hollow tube having an internal diameter of at Least 17/16 inches.

Claim 27

A U-tube manometer as in claim 12 wherein each of said legs comprises a hollow tube having an internal diameter of at least 1 1/2 inches. 22 A U-tube manometer as in claim 12 wherein each of said legs comprises a hollow tube having an internal diameter of at least 1 7/16 inches.