Patent ID: 6457371
Filing Date: 2002-10-01
Classification: G01F

Abstract:
An apparatus for measuring a flow rate of a flowing fluid, the apparatus comprising:a transmitter for transmitting bursts of electrical signals, each of the signals having a first duration; a first transducer responsive to the bursts of electrical signals and located in acoustic contact with the flowing fluid for transmitting first acoustic energy signals in response thereto along a direction of flow of the flowing fluid, and for receiving at least a component of second acoustic energy signals responsive to the flow rate of the flowing fluid; a second transducer responsive to the bursts of electrical signals and located in acoustic contact with the flowing fluid for transmitting the second acoustic energy signals in response thereto along a direction of flow of the flowing fluid, and for receiving at least a component of the first acoustic energy signals responsive to the flow rate of the flowing fluid; a transit time of the received acoustic energy signals having a second duration; at least one amplifying receiver for receiving the received acoustic energy signals from the first and second transducers; a detector for determining a difference in a first round trip transit time between each of the first acoustic energy signals projected by the first transducer to the second transducer and reflected by the second transducer back to the first transducer, and a second round trip transit time between each of the second acoustic energy signals projected by the second transducer to the first transducer and reflected back by the first transducer to the second transducer, the detector adapted to generate output signals in accordance with a difference between the first and the second round trip transit times, the output signals having errors attributable to transit time delays caused by propagation of the bursts of electrical signals through the apparatus, as well as acoustic transit time errors, canceled therefrom; and a system responsive to the output signals for determining only the flow rate of the flowing fluid.