Ducted wave meter

Abstract

Abstract A METER FOR MEASURING WAVE CHARACTERISTICS IS DISCLOSED IN WHICH A PAIR OF ORTHOGONALLY POSITIONED SENSORS ARE CARRIED IN THE WATER ON A PIVOTABLE SHAFT, EACH METER INCLUDING AN IMPELLER CONTAINED IN A SHROUD WHICH PREVENTS ITS RESPONDING TO WAVE MOTION COMPONENTS OTHER THAN THOSE SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO ITS AXIS. TYPICALLY THESE METERS ARE POSITIONED TO SENSE HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL COMPONENTS OF WAVE MOTION, AND EACH PRODUCES AN ELECTRICAL PULSE OUTPUT WHOSE FREQUENCY AND PULSE TIMING RELATIONSHIP VARIES WITH THE VELOCITY AND DIRECTION, RESPECTIVELY, OF THE FLOW PAST THE IMPELLER. THE PULSE OUTPUTS ARE CONNECTED TO AMPLIFICATION AND GATING CIRCUITS AND TIME CONSTANT CIRCUITS PRODUCING AN OUTPUT WHICH MAY CINSIST OF A SERIES OF PULSES WHOSE POLARITY AND FREQUENCY ARE DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL TO THE DIRECTION AND VELOCITY OF THE IMPELLER ROTATION, OR WHICH MAY BE A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM DIRECT CURRENT VOLTAGE WHOSE POLARITY VARIES WITH DIRECTION OF FLOW AND WHOSE MAGNITUDE IS PROPORTIONAL TO THE AVERAGE VELOCITY OF FLOW THROUGH THE IMPELLER INTEGRATED OVER A SIGNIFICANT PERIOD, DEPENDING UPON WHETHER SHORT TERM INSTANTENEOUS PEAK VALUES ARE DESIRED, OR LONGER TERM AVERAGE VALUES. THE OUTPUT SIGNAL MAY BE UTILIZED BY ANY OF A NUMBER OF OUTPUT DEVICES SUCH AS A STRIP CHART, A DIGITAL COUNTER, ETC.

Inventors

• 👤 Jack Althouse
• 👤 Duane E Maddux
• 👤 Noel B Plutchak

Bibliographic Details