Flow meter provided with an orbiting sensing element

Claim 2

In a flow meter for liquid media, gaseous media and multicomponent media, both Newtonian and non-Newtonian, including housing means defining a chamber therein and provided with inlet means and outlet means communicating with said chamber and through which a medium is caused to flow to measure or check one or more of its flow parameters, said housing means being so constructed that the medium during its passage through said chamber is imparted at least partially with a circulatory movement, and wherein there is arranged in the chamber a sensing element in the form of a ball which is propelled by the flowing medium along a generally circular path in the chamber, and means arranged to measure the movement of the ball to determine the desired flow parameter, comprising the improvement wherein the ball is arranged to move freely in the direction of the tangential velocity component of the movement of the medium, while being positively and uninterruptedly guided along its circular path by engagement with a pair of spaced and mutually opposed continuous guide members which closely confine the ball therebetween, at least one of said guide members having a shallow guide groove formed therein which opens toward the other guide member, said guide members being fixed relative to the housing means and formed such that a boundary layer flow is permitted thereover without being appreciably disturbed, the guide members being positioned On substantially diametrically opposite sides of the ball and arranged each to engage a narrow polar cap portion of the ball with a slight clearance therebetween such that the ball is positively held between the guide members without any other contact with the surrounding housing means while effecting a clearly definable and stable rolling movement along not more than two predetermined contact circles as defined on the opposed guide members.

Claim 3

A flow meter according to claim 1, wherein the guide groove has a profile in the form of an arc of a circle.

Claim 4

A flow meter according to claim 1, wherein the guide groove has a profile composed of two circular arcs connected by an intermediate straight line.

Claim 5

A flow meter according to claim 1, wherein the guide groove has a profile composed of two straight lines connected by an intermediate circular arc.

Claim 6

A flow meter according to claim 1, wherein the guide groove has a profile composed of two outer circular arcs connected by an intermediate circular arc having a radius of curvature opposite the radius of curvature of the outer circular arcs, such that the central portion of the groove bottom is concave whereas the surrounding portions of the groove bottom are convex.

Claim 7

A flow meter according to claim 1, wherein the guide groove has a rectangular cross-sectional shape.

Claim 8

A flow meter according to claim 1, wherein the guide members comprise the end walls of said housing means and extend substantially parallel with one another and substantially parallel with the circulation plane of the flowing medium.

Claim 9

A flow meter according to claim 1, wherein the housing means includes a pair of spaced end walls defining said chamber therebetween, said guide members being provided by two support members mounted on the housing means within the chamber between and spaced from the end walls so as to be freely surrounded by the medium flowing through the chamber, said support members being oriented such that the planes of the guide members extend generally parallel with the circulation plane of the flowing medium.

Claim 10

A flow meter according to claim 1, wherein the guide groove communicates with at least one pressure pulse conducting channel which opens outwardly from the groove and is connected with a fluid signal processing system.

Claim 11

A flow meter according to claim 1, wherein said housing means includes a pair of generally parallel end walls and a substantially annular sidewall extending between and fixedly connected to said end walls so as to define said chamber therebetween, said chamber being of a generally annular configuration, said outlet means comprising an outlet opening extending substantially coaxially through one of said end walls and communicating with a central portion of said chamber, said end members constituting the guide members and having an annular ringlike shallow guide groove formed therein in substantially concentric relationship to said outlet opening, the guide grooves being formed on the inside surface of said end members in opposed relationship to one another, said ball being positioned between said end walls and disposed for rolling engagement with said opposed pair of grooves so that said ball moves throughout a circular path which is substantially concentric with and surrounds said outlet opening, said grooves as formed in said end walls being spaced radially inwardly a substantial distance from said annular sidewall whereby said ball is continuously maintained out of engagement with and spaced a substantial distance radially inwardly from said annular sidewall, and said inlet opening communicating with said chamber adjacent the outer periphery thereof, whereby the fluid medium flowing into said chamber flows directly into an outer substantially annular portion of said chamber which is spaced radially outwardly from said guide grooves so that the inflowing fluid medium does not directly impinge on said ball.

Claim 12

A flow meter according to claim 10, wherein said inlet opening is directed tangentially of said chamber so that an imaginary extension of said inlet opening does not intersect the path of movement of said ball.

Claim 13

A flow meter according to claim 11, wherein said annular sidewall includes a wall portion of spiral form extending from the radially outer edge of said inlet opening and spiraling inwardly toward the center of said chamber for causing a swirling motion of said fluid as said medium is supplied to said chamber.

Claim 14

A flow meter, particularly for measuring or indicating at least one of the parameters of a flowing medium, comprising housing means including a substantially annular sidewall defining therein a flow chamber having a generally cylindrical shape, said housing means being so constructed that the fluid medium during its passage through said chamber is imparted at least partially with a circulatory movement, inlet means associated with said housing means for permitting said flowing medium to be supplied to said chamber, outlet means associated with said housing for permitting said flowing medium to be discharged from said chamber, said outlet means including an outlet opening communicating with a central portion of said chamber and extending in a direction substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of said chamber, sensing means disposed within said chamber for indicating at least one of the flow parameters of said flowing medium, said sensing means including a ball positioned within said chamber and propelled by the flowing medium along a generally circular path within said chamber, said ball having a cross-sectional area which is substantially less than the cross-sectional area of said chamber as measured from the longitudinal axis thereof radially outwardly to the surrounding sidewall, and guide means associated with said ball for positively and uninterruptedly guiding said ball around a circular path while permitting free movement of said ball along said path, said guide means including a pair of spaced and mutually opposed continuous guide members fixed relative to said housing means and having said ball disposed therebetween, at least one of said guide members having a shallow ringlike guide groove formed therein, said ringlike groove defining generally a plane which is substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis and being spaced radially outwardly so as to substantially encircle said outlet opening, said ball being engaged with the opposed guide members and disposed so that said ball projects into said shallow groove whereby the diametrically opposite narrow polar cap portions of the ball are each disposed in point-like engagement with a respective one of said guide members so that said ball is rolling supported solely for stable rolling movement along two opposed contact circles as defined on the opposed guide members, said guide means maintaining said ball spaced radially inwardly from and continuously out of engagement with said annular sidewall.

Claim 15

A flow meter, particularly for measuring or indicating at least one of the parameters of a flowing medium, comprising housing means including a substantially annular sidewall defining therein a flow chamber having a generally cylindrical shape, said housing means being so constructed that the fluid medium during its passage through said chamber is imparted at least partially with a circulatory movement, inlet means associated with said housing means for permitting said flowing medium to be supplied to said chamber, outlet means associated with said housing for permitting said flowing medium to be discharged from said chamber, said outlet means including an outlet opening communicating with a central portion of said chamber and extending in a direction substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of said chamber, sensing means disposed within said chamber for indicating at least one of the flow parameters of said flowing medium, said sensing means including a ball positioned within said chamber and propelled by the flowing medium along a generally circular path within said chamber, said ball having a cross-sectional area which is substantially less than the cross-sectional area of said chamber as measured from the longitudinal axis thereof radially outwardly to the surrounding sidewall, and guide means associated with said ball for positively and uninterruptedly guiding said ball around a circular path while permitting free movement of said ball along said path, said guide means including a pair of spaced and mutually opposed continuous guide members fixed relative to said housing means and having said ball disposed therebetween, at least one of said guide members having a shallow ringlike guide groove formed therein, said ringlike groove defining generally a plane which is substantially perpendicular to said longitudinal axis and being spaced radially outwardly so as to substantially encircle said outlet opening, said ball being engaged with the opposed guide members and disposed so that said ball projects into said shallow groove whereby the diametrically opposite narrow polar cap portions of the ball are each disposed in point-like engagement with a respective one of said guide members so that said ball is rolling supported solely for stable rolling movement along two opposed contact circles as defined on the opposed guide members, said guide means maintaining said ball spaced radially inwardly from and continuously out of engagement with said annular sidewall.

Claim 16

A flow meter according to claim 13, wherein said shallow groove has a depth which is extremely small in comparison to the radius of said ball.

Claim 17

A flow meter according to claim 14, wherein said pair of guide members comprise a pair of housing end walls which are disposed in substantial parallel relationship to one another and are fixedly connected to said annular sidewall which extends therebetween, said outlet opening being formed substantially centrally within one of said end walls so as to be substantially coaxially aligned with the longitudinal axis of said chamber, and each of said end walls having a relatively smooth inner surface and each having a shallow ringlike annular groove formed therein, the grooves on said opposed end walls being disposed directly opposite one another and concentric with and in surrounding relationship to said outlet opening, and the depth of each of said grooves being a small fraction of the radius of said ball, said grooves being spaced radially inwardly a substantial distance from said annular sidewall for positIvely preventing said ball from moving into engagement with said sidewall.