Vibrating element apparatus

The invention provides a method of driving a vibrating sensor in which the drive signal is combined with an amplitude modulated high frequency carrier. The signal is demodulated at a position adjacent to the component to be driven. This method may be applied to reducing cross-talk between drive and pick-up wire pairs and also to passing both drive and pickup signals, and two drive signals, down the same wire pair.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This Application is a Section 371 National Stage Application of International Application No. PCT/GB2018/050696, filed Mar. 16, 2018 and published as WO 2018/167516 on Sep. 20, 2018, in English, which claims priority to GB Application No. 1704229.2, filed Mar. 16, 2017, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to apparatus incorporating a vibrating transducer and, in particular, to methods of driving this form of apparatus. Such forms of apparatus include, but are not necessarily limited to, instruments for measuring level, density and viscosity.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Vibrating element instruments for measuring flow, level, density and viscosity are well known. These instruments operate by applying a drive signal of known characteristics to a vibrating element, and then receiving and processing a signal from the vibrating element. The received signal varies according to changes in the environment in contact with the vibrating element and can thus be processed to give a measure of mass flow, density and viscosity through or in contact with the instrument; or whether there is a change of environment in contact with the vibrating element.

A common example of a vibrating element apparatus to which this invention may be applied is a tuning fork level switch.

Certain applications of this general type of instrument are configured such that the drive and receive or pick-up transducer(s) are spaced a significant distance from the drive and processing electronics, necessitating the use of long cables to link the two. In such applications cross-talk can arise between the large amplitude drive signal and the significantly smaller amplitude pick-up signal at the same frequency. Presently this problem is addressed by using screened cable to isolate the pick-up signal from the drive signal, but such cabling adds cost both in terms of material and in the time taken to effect the connections at both ends of the cable.

It is an object of the present invention to go at least some way in addressing the above-mentioned drawback; or to at least provide a method and/or apparatus applicable to a vibrating element apparatus, which will provide a novel and useful alternative.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, in one aspect, the invention provides a method of driving a vibrating sensor, said sensor having a vibrating element; and drive and signal processing electronics spaced from said vibrating element, wherein said method comprises transmitting a signal to excite said vibrating element as an amplitude modulated high frequency signal, and demodulating said signal close to said vibrating element.

Preferably said method is applied to driving a vibrating sensor in which the drive and processing electronics are connected to the vibrating element by un-screened cable.

Said method may be applied to driving two vibrating elements from a single pair of wires, one drive signal being transmitted as a low frequency signal and one signal being transmitted as an amplitude modulated signal on a high frequency carrier.

Preferably said method comprises demodulating the high frequency signal using discrete non-active components.

Preferably said non-active components include one or more resistors, capacitors and rectifying diodes.

In a second aspect the invention provides a vibrating sensor, said sensor having a vibrating element; and drive and signal processing electronics spaced from said vibrating element said drive and signal processing electronics being operable to transmit a drive signal to excite said vibrating element, and to receive a pick-up signal from said vibrating element, wherein said electronics is operable to transmit said drive signal as an amplitude modulated high frequency signal, said sensor further including a demodulating facility to de-modulate said drive signal close to said vibrating element.

Preferably said drive signal is transmitted from said drive and signal processing electronics to said vibrating element by un-screened cable.

Said sensor may include two vibrating elements driven from a single pair of wires, said drive and processing electronics being configured to transmit one drive signal as a low frequency signal and to transmit the other drive signal as an amplitude modulated signal on a high frequency carrier.

Preferably said non-active components include one or more resistors, capacitors and rectifying diodes.

Many variations in the way the invention may be performed will present themselves to those skilled in the art, upon reading the following description. The description should not be regarded as limiting but rather as an illustration, only, of one manner of performing the invention. Where appropriate any element or component should be taken as including any or all equivalents thereof whether or not specifically mentioned.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF WORKING EMBODIMENT

Referring firstly toFIG.1, a vibrating element sensor is shown in the form of a vibrating fork10mounted on the end of a long stem11. The stem11extends from sensor body12that, in turn, is mounted on tank13containing a liquid medium14and a gaseous medium15, the latter typically being air. Drive and processing electronics indicated schematically at16create a drive signal to vibrate the fork and also process the pick-up signal received from the fork. Adjacent to the fork are piezo transducer elements17, one of which converts the drive signal into a mechanical force to vibrate the fork, and the other of which converts the resultant mechanical displacement of the fork into a pick-up signal that is returned to the electronics16for processing. The piezo elements17are connected to the electronics16in a manner that will be discussed in greater detail below.

As is well known the pick-up signal will vary depending on whether or not the fork10is in contact with the liquid medium14or is in contact with the gaseous medium15.

Turning now toFIG.2, the drive piezo element17ais connected to the electronics16by a wire pair18awhile the pickup element17bis connected to the electronics by a wire pair18b. Conventionally, and particularly in the case of long stem vibrating forks, cross-talk between the wires18aand18bis a known problem and the respective wires must be well screened from one another to avoid this problem. However the use of screened cables is expensive in itself and further expense is incurred in installing screened cable.

The present invention addresses this shortcoming by configuring the electronics16to combine a conventional drive signal with an amplitude modulated high frequency carrier. The drive signal is demodulated close to the drive piezo element17aand, as a result, the drive and pick-up signals passing along cables18aand18bare at significantly different frequencies and cross-talk between the two is no longer a problem even when the wire pairs18aand18bare unscreened.

Demodulation of the excitation signal is preferably effected using readily available, low cost, discrete non-active components indicated schematically by20inFIG.1. In the form shown inFIG.2, demodulation is effected using a rectifying diode21and a resistor22and also makes use of the capacitor-like property of the piezo element17A. Other embodiments may include one or more filters, resistors, capacitors and rectifying diodes, the precise form of which will depend on the particular application and will be readily determinable by those skilled in the art.

Turning now toFIG.3, the same principles may be applied to a vibrating instrument incorporating an electromagnetic drive coil25and an electromagnetic pick-up coil26wherein the drive and pickup signals are passed through a single wire pair27. The drive signal is at a high frequency and, by the nature of the vibrating instrument, the pick-up signal will be at a low frequency. As will be apparent from the description that follows, these signals can co-exist on the same wire pair27and by the use of appropriate high and low pass filter components, can be directed independently to and from the drive and pick-up circuitry.

In the form shown, a high frequency carrier wave of, for example, 500 kHz, is amplitude modulated using an excitation signal of 1 kHz. The signal is passed through a high pass filter28and then, adjacent to the drive coil25, is passed into a demodulation facility being the components surrounded by dotted line30. As shown these comprise capacitors31and a rectifying diode32, these passive components being configured so that an excitation of frequency 1 kHz is applied to drive coil25. The excitation of the drive coil25generates an alternating force that causes the instrument to vibrate and, due to the resultant vibration, an alternating signal is generated in the pick-up coil26. This alternating signal can be passed back down the wire pair27and passed through low pass filter34to effect separation from the drive signal.

Also shown inFIG.3are a series of inductors33, these being configured to prevent interference by the drive signal on the pick-up signal.

It will thus be appreciated that the invention provides a simple yet effective method of separating drive and pick-up signals, between a processor and a transducer, into distinctly different frequencies and, in so doing, eliminates the problem of cross-talk. By way of example, the method described with reference toFIG.2has been shown to be effective using unscreened cable between processor and sensor over a distance of 7 metres but is by no means limited to this distance.