Patent ID: 6520028
Filing Date: 2003-02-18
Classification: G01F

Abstract:
A flowmeter having a material inlet, a material outlet, and flow tube apparatus connected between said inlet and said outlet, said flowmeter being adapted to receive a material flow at said inlet and to extend said material flow through said flow tube apparatus to said outlet; said flowmeter further comprising:a driver that cyclically deforms said flow tube apparatus by vibrating said flow tube apparatus at a drive frequency in a drive plane that includes said longitudinal axis of said flow tube apparatus; said material flow rotates in said flow tube apparatus about said longitudinal axis of said vibrating flow tube apparatus; said flow tube apparatus is responsive to said cyclic deformation and to said rotation of said material flow to generate a cyclic gyroscopic mode deformation of said flow tube apparatus in a gyroscopic plane; said cyclic gyroscopic mode deformation has an amplitude related to the magnitude of said material flow; pickoff apparatus responsive to said gyroscopic mode cyclic deformation that generates gyroscopic signals indicative of the magnitude of said material flow; and meter electronics responsive to the generation of said gyroscopic signals that generates output information pertaining to said material flow.