IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
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국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
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출원번호 |
US-0227746
(2002-08-26)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
- Payne, Edward A.
- Sobota, Richard R.
- Nanaji, Seifollah S.
- Price, Brent K.
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출원인 / 주소 |
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대리인 / 주소 |
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인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
22 인용 특허 :
56 |
초록
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A lower cost turbine flow meter comprised of an inner housing constructed out of a high permeable material surrounded by an outer housing constructed out of a lower cost, lower permeable material. A port is placed in the outer housing that runs down to the surface of the inner housing to detect the
A lower cost turbine flow meter comprised of an inner housing constructed out of a high permeable material surrounded by an outer housing constructed out of a lower cost, lower permeable material. A port is placed in the outer housing that runs down to the surface of the inner housing to detect the rotation of turbine rotors that rotate inside the meter as fluid or gas flows through the meter. A pickoff coil is placed in the port to generate a magnetic signal to penetrate through the inner housing wherein the turbine rotor vanes superimpose a pulse signal on the magnetic signal. The lower cost turbine flow meter can be used for any application for measuring fluid or gas, and may be used in a service station environment for measuring fuel or vapor in vapor recovery applications.
대표청구항
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1. A turbine flow meter that measures the flow of a material, comprising:an outer housing comprised of a low permeable material forming an inlet port on one end of said outer housing and an outlet port on the other end of said outer housing; a shaft supported inside said outer housing along an axis
1. A turbine flow meter that measures the flow of a material, comprising:an outer housing comprised of a low permeable material forming an inlet port on one end of said outer housing and an outlet port on the other end of said outer housing; a shaft supported inside said outer housing along an axis parallel to said outer housing; a turbine rotor mounted on said shaft, wherein said turbine rotor rotates when the material flows through said inlet port; an orifice contained in said outer housing that forms a first pickup port wherein a first end of said orifice extends outward to the outer surface of said outer housing, and said second end of said orifice extends down to a higher permeable inner housing proximate to said turbine rotor; and a first pickup coil that is mounted within said first pickup port and excited by a signal received through said inner housing from said turbine rotor as said turbine rotor rotates. 2. The meter of claim 1, further comprising a second turbine rotor mounted on said shaft that rotates oppositely from said turbine rotor.3. The meter of claim 1, wherein said inner housing is made from a material comprised from the group consisting of monel, a nickel-copper alloy, steel, stainless steel, and 400-series non-magnetic stainless steel.4. The meter of claim 1, wherein said outer housing is made from a material comprised from the group consisting of aluminum, plastic, ceramic, ferrous metal, and non-ferrous metal.5. The meter of claim 1, wherein said turbine rotor contains a plurality of vanes that cause said turbine rotor to rotate when said material comes into contact with said plurality of vanes.6. The meter of claim 1, wherein said material is comprised from the group consisting of a liquid and a gas.7. The meter of claim 1, further comprising:a second orifice contained in said outer housing that forms a second pickup port wherein a first end of said second orifice extends outward to the outer surface of said outer housing, and said second end of said second orifice extends down to a higher permeable inner housing proximate to said turbine rotor; and a second pickup coil that is mounted within said second pickup port and excited by a signal received through said inner housing from said turbine rotor as said turbine rotor rotates. 8. The meter of claim 1, wherein said inner housing is comprised of a plug that is substantially the same size in diameter as said orifice.9. The meter of claim 1, wherein said inner housing is comprised of a cylindrical-shaped material that is placed in between said shaft and said outer housing.10. A fuel dispenser for dispensing fuel to a vehicle, comprising:a nozzle; a hose connected to said nozzle; a control system; a fuel delivery line having an inlet port that receives fuel, and an outlet port that couples to said hose; a valve located inline said fuel delivery line and under control of said control system, wherein said control system opens said valve to allow fuel to flow through said fuel delivery line to be delivered through said hose and said nozzle to the vehicle; and a turbine meter located inline said fuel delivery line, comprising: an outer housing comprised of a low permeable material forming an inlet port on one end of said outer housing and an outlet port on the other end of said outer housing; a shaft supported inside said outer housing along an axis parallel to said outer housing; a turbine rotor mounted on said shaft, wherein said turbine rotor rotates when the material flows through said inlet port; an orifice contained in said outer housing that forms a first pickup port wherein a first end of said orifice extends outward to the outer surface of said outer housing, and said second end of said orifice extends down to a higher permeable inner housing proximate to said turbine rotor; and a first pickup coil that is mounted within said first pickup port and excited by a signal received through said inner housing from said turbine rotor as said turbine rotor rotates; said turbine meter measures the amount of fuel traveling through said fuel delivery line and sends a signal indicated of the amount of fuel to said control system. 11. The fuel dispenser of claim 10, wherein said turbine meter further comprises a second turbine rotor mounted on said shaft that rotates oppositely from said turbine rotor.12. The fuel dispenser of claim 10, wherein said turbine rotor contains a plurality of vanes that cause said turbine rotor to rotate when said material comes into contact with said plurality of vanes.13. The fuel dispenser of claim 10, wherein said turbine meter further comprises:a second orifice contained in said outer housing that forms a second pickup port wherein a first end of said second orifice extends outward to the outer surface of said outer housing, and said second end of said second orifice extends down to a higher permeable inner housing proximate to said turbine rotor; and a second pickup coil that is mounted within said second pickup port and excited by a signal received through said inner housing from said turbine rotor as said turbine rotor rotates. 14. The fuel dispenser of claim 10, wherein said inner housing is comprised of a plug that is substantially the same size in diameter as said orifice.15. The fuel dispenser of claim 10, wherein said inner housing is comprised of a cylindrical-shaped material that is placed in between said shaft and said outer housing.16. The fuel dispenser of claim 10, further comprising a totals display that displays the total amount of fuel metered through said turbine meter.17. A vapor recovery system, comprising:an underground storage tank that contains fuel and vapor; a vent coupled to said underground storage tank; a membrane coupled inline to said vent that receives said vapor from said underground storage tank and substantially separates said vapor into a hydrocarbon mixture and an air mixture; a pressure valve coupled inline to said vent downstream of said membrane wherein said pressure valve is opened to release said air mixture to atmosphere when said underground storage tank is under a threshold pressure and said hydrocarbon mixture is returned back to said underground storage tank; and a turbine flow meter that measures the amount of air being released to atmosphere, comprising: an outer housing comprised of a low permeable material forming an inlet port on one end of said outer housing and an outlet port on the other end of said outer housing; a shaft supported inside said outer housing along an axis parallel to said outer housing; a turbine rotor mounted on said shaft, wherein said turbine rotor rotates when said material flows through said inlet port; an orifice contained in said outer housing that forms a first pickup port wherein a first end of said orifice extends outward to the outer surface of said outer housing, and said second end of said orifice extends down to a higher permeable inner housing proximate to said turbine rotor; and a first pickup coil that is mounted within said first pickup port and excited by a signal received through said inner housing from said turbine rotor as said turbine rotor rotates; said turbine meter measures the amount of air mixture traveling through said vent. 18. The system of claim 17, wherein said turbine meter further comprises a second turbine rotor mounted on said shaft that rotates oppositely from said turbine rotor.19. The system of claim 17, wherein said turbine rotor contains a plurality of vanes that cause said turbine rotor to rotate when said material comes into contact with said plurality of vanes.20. The system of claim 17, wherein said turbine meter further comprises:a second orifice contained in said outer housing that forms a second pickup port wherein a first end of said second orifice extends outward to the outer surface of said outer housing, and said second end of said second orifice extends down to a higher permeable inner housing proximate to said turbine rotor; and a second pickup coil that is mounted within said second pickup port and excited by a signal received through said inner housing from said turbine rotor as said turbine rotor rotates. 21. The system of claim 17, wherein said inner housing is comprised of a plug that is substantially the same size in diameter as said orifice.22. The system of claim 17, wherein said inner housing is comprised of a cylindrical-shaped material that is placed in between said shaft and said outer housing.23. The system of claim 17, wherein said first pickup coil generates a signal indicative of the amount of air mixture and communicates said signal to a site controller.24. A vapor recovery system that captures vapors expelled from a vehicle during refueling and returns the vapors to an underground storage tank, comprising:a fuel dispenser comprising a control system and a vapor recovery system that captures vapors expelled from the vehicle during refueling and returns the vapors through a vapor return line to the underground storage tank; a turbine flow meter coupled inline to said vapor return line that measures the amount of vapors being returned to the underground storage tank wherein said control system adjusts said vapor recovery system to vary the rate of recovery of the vapors based on the measurement of the amount of vapors being returned to the underground storage tank, said turbine flow meter comprising: an outer housing comprised of a low permeable material forming an inlet port on one end of said outer housing and an outlet port on the other end of said outer housing; a shaft supported inside said outer housing along an axis parallel to said outer housing; a turbine rotor mounted on said shaft, wherein said turbine rotor rotates when the material flows through said inlet port; an orifice contained in said outer housing that forms a first pickup port wherein a first end of said orifice extends outward to the outer surface of said outer housing, and a second end of said orifice extends down to a higher permeable inner housing proximate to said turbine rotor; and a first pickup coil that is mounted within said first pickup port and excited by a signal received through said inner housing from said turbine rotor as said turbine rotor rotates; said first pickup coil generates a signal indicative of the amount of vapors passing through said turbine meter. 25. The vapor recovery system of claim 24, wherein said turbine meter further comprises a second turbine rotor mounted on said shaft that rotates oppositely from said turbine rotor.26. The vapor recovery system of claim 24, wherein said turbine rotor contains a plurality of vanes that cause said turbine rotor to rotate when said material comes into contact with said plurality of vanes.27. The vapor recovery system of claim 24, wherein said turbine meter further comprises:a second orifice contained in said outer housing that forms a second pickup port wherein a first end of said second orifice extends outward to the outer surface of said outer housing, and said second end of said second orifice extends down to a higher permeable inner housing proximate to said turbine rotor; and a second pickup coil that is mounted within said second pickup port and excited by a signal received through said inner housing from said turbine rotor as said turbine rotor rotates. 28. The vapor recovery system of claim 24, wherein said inner housing is comprised of a plug that is substantially the same size in diameter as said orifice.29. The vapor recovery system of claim 24, wherein said inner housing is comprised of a cylindrical-shaped material that is placed in between said shaft and said outer housing.30. The vapor recovery system of claim 24, wherein said signal indicative of the amount of vapor passing through said turbine meter is communicated to a site controller.31. The vapor recovery system of claim 24, wherein said control system divides the amount of vapor by the amount of fuel dispensed by said fuel dispenser to determine a vapor-to-liquid (V/L) ratio.32. The vapor recovery system of claim 31, wherein said control system adjusts said vapor recovery system in order to maintain a desired V/L ratio.33. A method of measuring the flow rate of a material, comprising the steps of:passing a material through an inlet port of an inner housing comprised of a high permeable material; rotating a turbine rotor mounted inside said inner housing as said materials passes through said inner housing; receiving a signal from a first pickup coil mounted on said inner housing proximate to said turbine rotor and within a first pickup port in an outer housing of a low permeable material formed around said inner housing to detect rotation of said turbine rotor; and correlating the rotation of said turbine rotor into a flow rate of said material. 34. The method of claim 33, further comprising the steps of:receiving a second signal from a second pickup coil offset from said first pickup coil and mounted on said inner housing proximate to said turbine rotor and within a second pickup port in said outer housing to detect rotation of said turbine rotor; and determining the direction of rotation of said turbine meter based on said signal and said second signal. 35. A method of manufacturing a turbine flow meter, comprising the steps of:forming an outer housing constructed of a low permeable material; placing a turbine rotor on a shaft; placing said shaft inside said outer housing on an axis in parallel with said outer housing; placing an orifice in said outer housing that forms a first pickup port wherein a first end of said orifice extends outward to the outer surface of said outer housing, and said second end of said orifice extends down to a higher permeable inner housing placed proximate to said turbine rotor; and placing said first pickup port in said outer housing proximate to the location of said turbine rotor that runs down to the outer surface of said inner housing.
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