초록 ▼

A conventional rupturable curved disc in a pressure relief valve for high pressure cylinders serves as one plate of a capacitor. A curved segmented disc, alterable in curvature in response to deformation of the adjacently located curved disc, serves as the other plate of the capacitor. The segmented

A conventional rupturable curved disc in a pressure relief valve for high pressure cylinders serves as one plate of a capacitor. A curved segmented disc, alterable in curvature in response to deformation of the adjacently located curved disc, serves as the other plate of the capacitor. The segmented disc accommodates and conforms to the normal expected deformation of the curved disc, which deformation is due to repeated fill cycles of the cylinder, without altering the maximum and minimum capacitance during each cycle. The segmented disc physically bears against a translatable electrically conductive plunger element. The plunger element is electrically connected to an impedance variation sensing circuit, which circuit senses and provides an output signal responsive to a change in the capacitance between the curved and segmented discs during each cycle; such output signal reflects the actual pressure, and hence state of fill, of the cylinder.

대표청구항 ▼

A pressure relief valve apparatus operatively attached to a high pressure cylinder for providing an indication of the pressure within the cylinder, said apparatus comprising in combination: (a) impedance means disposed within the pressure relief valve for providing an impedance representative of the

A pressure relief valve apparatus operatively attached to a high pressure cylinder for providing an indication of the pressure within the cylinder, said apparatus comprising in combination: (a) impedance means disposed within the pressure relief valve for providing an impedance representative of the pressure within the cylinder, said impedance means comprising a capacitor having a first disc flexibly responsive to the pressure within the cylinder for defining one plate of said capacitor and a second disc for defining another plate of said capacitor, said second disc comprising a segmented disc having a plurality of inwardly directed segments extending inwardly from a peripheral annular band of said second disc; (b) means for sensing the impedance of said capacitor and for indicating at least a relative value for the pressure within the cylinder; and (c) means for electrically interconnecting each of said first and second discs with said sensing and indicating means.