Patent ID: 6705161
Filing Date: 2004-03-16
Classification: F01C,G01F

Abstract:
A flow meter comprising:a housing comprising an inner surface and an inlet port and an exit port; an inner component have an outer surface that defines at least part of a sphere; a first rotor mounted for rotation in the housing about a first axis and having a forward region and a rearward region and a first outer surface defining at least part of a sphere and adapted to intimately engages the inner surface of the housing; a second rotor having a forward portion and a rearward portion, mounted for rotation in the housing about a second axis offset from being collinear with the first axis by an angle &agr; and intersecting at the common centers of the rotors, the second rotor including a first inner surface defining at least part of a sphere having a common center with the center of the first rotor and is adapted to engage the inner component, a second outer surface defining at least part of a sphere and having a common center with the second inner surface and adapted to engage the inner surface of the housing; the first rotor further having a first contour surface that is defined by a locus formed by points on the second rotor as the second rotor rotates about the second axis, and the first rotor further has a first engagement tip which is positioned in the forward region of the first rotor; the second rotor further having a second contour surface that is defined by a locus formed by points on the first rotor as the first rotor rotates about the first axis, the second engagement surface having a base region; the points of each rotor that define the locus lie along an outer edge of a central axis is essentially a radius extending outward from the common centers of the rotor at an angle &agr;/2 from a normal to the axis of the other rotor; a counter engaged to at least one of the said rotors where the counter is adapted to count the number of rotations of the rotors; whereas the contour surfaces of the first and second rotors define operating chambers that change in volume with respects to rotation of the first and second rotors where a certain amount of fluid passes from the inlet port to the outlet port per revolution of the first and second rotors and the counter indicates the number of rotations.