Patent ID: 11860009
Assignee: THE FORD METER BOX COMPANY, INC.
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G  F | IPC F  G

Claim 0:
1. An automated meter testing system comprising:
a bench sized to support at least one meter;
a fluid inlet valve fluidly coupled both to a fluid source and an inlet on the at least one meter;
wherein the fluid source provides fluid pressure to move fluid through the at least one meter;
a flow control valve fluidly coupled to the at least one meter opposite the fluid inlet valve;
a valve controller that operates the flow control valve;
wherein the flow control valve is at an outflow side of the at least one meter;
a discharge pipe fluidly coupled to an outflow side of the flow control valve to receive the fluid that passes through the at least one meter;
a tank that receives and collects the fluid from the discharge pipe;
a scale that weighs the fluid collected in the tank;
a thermocouple in contact with the fluid in the tank to determine temperature of the fluid in the tank; and
a controller electrically connected to the valve controller, the fluid inlet, the scale, and the thermocouple;
wherein the controller sends at least one signal to the fluid inlet valve to open or close same to supply or stop a flow of the fluid into the at least one meter;
wherein the controller sends at least one signal to the valve controller to incrementally open or restrict the flow control valve to increase or decrease a flow rate of the fluid through the at least one meter;
wherein the controller determines the temperature from the thermocouple of a volume of fluid at test end when the volume of fluid has all been collected in the tank; and
wherein the controller determines an adjusted volume of fluid at the test end based on the temperature and a weight of the volume of fluid that has all been collected in the tank.