Net fluid computing unit for use with central computer

Claim 2

In a system computing the quantity of fluid A in a mixture of fluids A plus B flowing in a line during selected intervals of time, the system including first means producing pulses each representing the flow of a predetermined quantity of said mixture, a computing unit comprising: a. a first accumulator electrically connected with said means and accumulating said pulses, the accumulator producing an output which represents the total quantity of fluid A plus B flowing during at least one of said intervals, b. a converter electrically connected with the accumulator and responding to Said first means pulses to digitize an input signal which represents the proportion of fluid A in the mixture A plus B, and as said pulses are received, and a transducer connected in said line and producing said input signal, there being an output register receiving the digitized signal, and c. another accumulator electrically connected with said register and accumulating a digital quantity which represents the net amount of fluid A in the mixture A plus B that has flowed from the beginning of that one interval.

Claim 3

The unit of claim 1 including an input terminal for said pulses, an input terminal for said input signal, and means generating said pulses and said input signal respectively applied to said terminals.

Claim 4

The unit of claim 2 wherein the converter includes a control circuit responding to pulse reception to enable said digitizing.

Claim 5

The unit of claim 3 wherein the converter comprises an ADC having a comparator connected between the input terminal for the input signal and said output register.

Claim 6

A computing system including a central computer, and multiple computing units as defined in claim 3, and which include multiple first accumulators and other accumulators, the computer connected with said first and other multiple accumulators to scan said outputs and said digital quantities.

Claim 7

A computing unit as defined in claim 1 wherein said first means include multiple positive displacement meters and multiple first accumulators receiving and storing pulses from said multiple positive displacement meters each pulse representing the flow of a predetermined quantity of fluid A plus B, the converter successively connected to said first accumulators.

Claim 8

The computing units as defined in claim 6 including multiple transducers connected with multiple flow lines to produce multiple of said input signals, and multiple input terminals for said input signal, the converter successively connected to said input terminals in synchronized relation to said successive connection to said first accumulators.

Claim 9

For use in a computing system, apparatus for computing the quantity of fluid A in a mixture of fluids A plus B flowing in a line during a selected interval of time, the combination comprising: a. first means for producing pulses each representing the flow of a predetermined quantity of fluid A plus B, b. accumulator means connected with said first means for accumulating said pulses and having an output which represents the total quantity of fluid A plus B flowing from the beginning of said interval, c. transducer means connected with said line to produce a signal which at any time represents the proportion of fluid A in the mixture A plus B flowing at that time, d. converter means connected to be responsive to said signal and to said first means pulses to digitize said signal as said pulses are received, there being an output register connected to receive the digitized signal, and e. another accumulator connected with the output of said output register to accumulate a digital quantity which at any time represents the net amount of fluid A in the mixture A plus B that has flowed from the beginning of said interval.

Claim 10

For use in a computing system, apparatus for computing the quantity of fluid A in a mixture of fluids A plus B flowing in a line during a selected interval of time, the combination comprising: a. first means for producing pulses each representing the flow of a predetermined quantity of fluid A plus B, b. accumulator means connected with said first means for accumulating said pulses and having an output which represents the total quantity of fluid A plus B flowing from the beginning of said interval, c. transducer means connected with said line to produce a signal which at any time represents the proportion of fluid A in the mixture A plus B flowing at that time, d. converter means connected to be responsive to said signal and to said first means pulses to digitize said signal as said pulses are received, there being an output register connected to receive the digitized signal, and e. another accumulator connected with the output of said output register to accumulate a digital quantity which at any time represents the net amount of fluid A in the mixture A plus B that has flowed from the beginning of said interval.

Claim 11

The combination of claim 8 wherein the converter includes a control circuit responding to pulse reception to enable said digitizing.

Claim 12

The combination of claim 9 wherein the converter comprises an ADC having a comparator connected between the input terminal for the input signal and said output register.

Claim 13

A computing system including a central computer, and multiple computing units each as defined by the combination of claim 8, the computer connected with the multiple accumulators to scan said outputs and said quantities.

Claim 14

The combination of claim 10 wherein the ADC includes a DAC, there being an input terminal for a variable T to be connected to the DAC to provide reference input, another input terminal for a variable Delta P To be connected to the ADC operating as a divider during a certain time interval to produce an output representative of the quantity Delta P/T to be transmitted to the DAC, and yet another input terminal for a variable P to be connected to the DAC operating as a multiplier during another time interval to produce an output representative of the quantity Delta P/T X P, said certain and other time intervals being separate from the time during which the converter operates to digitize said transducer produced signal as a function of pulse reception.

Claim 17

The method of claim 13 including the step of generating said pulses and said input signal.

Claim 18

The method that includes performing the computations as defined in claim 13 at each of a plurality of stations associated with different mixtures of fluids A plus B, and repeatedly and sequentially transmitting to a central computing location said outputs and digital quantities associated with said stations.