Apparatus for the measurement of the volume and flow rate of liquids

Claim 1

In apparatus for the measurement of the volume and flow rate of a flowing liquid which includes a syphon arrangement adapted to operate on the syphon-suction principle, a container for the collection and discharge of the flowing liquid and a discharge orifice, the arrangement comprising a housing being open at one end and having a reduced opening at the other end thereof, and first and second closely cooperating members of cylindrical symmetry securely received within said housing, said first member being formed of a central portion with first and second extensions thereto of narrower cross-section, defining with said central portion a conduit through said first member along the longitudinal axis thereof, said conduit having first and second orifices at the respective free ends of said extensions, the first extension of said first member protruding through the reduced opening of said housing to define said discharge orifice, said second member of cylindrical symmetry being substantially in the form of a hollow cylinder opened at one end for receiving into the interior thereof the second extension of said first member, the shape of said first and second cooperating members and the arrangement thereof within said housing being such as to define from the open end of said housing to said discharge orifice a continuous path for liquid flow which includes said syphon arrangement and said container, said apparatus further comprising sensing means predeterminably arranged relative to said continuous path for detecting the presence of liquid, said container having an electrically conducting wall forming a first element of a capacitor device for measuring the liquid level in the container and one of said members of cylindrical symmetry containing an electrically conducting layer forming a second element of said capacitor device.