Abstract:
A time-of-flight flow sensor, of the type in which a measured phase difference between upstream and downstream acoustic propagations is representative of fluid flow rates, is operated at two distinct frequencies. Operation at a relatively low propagation frequency yields a first phase difference signal that is unambiguously representative of the rate of flow but that has a larger than desired measurement error. Operation at the higher frequency provides a lower measurement error, but may be ambiguous because of the modular nature of phase detectors. The low frequency phase difference signal can be used by a signal processor to determine a compensation term that can be combined with the higher frequency phase difference signal to remove the phase detector ambiguity, if one is present.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     This invention relates to a method for measuring the flow rate of a fluid whereby the propagation times of ultrasonic signals transmitted through the fluid are detected to determine flow rate. The invention further relates to improving the precision of measurement and its, reliability. 
     2. Background 
     Ultrasonic transit-time flow sensors, also known as “time-of-flight” ultrasonic flow sensors, detect the acoustic propagation time difference between upstream and downstream ultrasonic transmissions. This time difference, which results from the movement of the flowing fluid, is processed to derive a fluid flow rate. Examples of such flow sensors are found in my U.S. Pat. No. 6,178,827 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,370,963 the disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference. The sensors described in those references use transit-time difference detection means that phase compare signals at the acoustic propagation frequencies, where the phase angle difference is proportional to the flow rate of the fluid, the distance between the transducers along the flow path, and the frequency. These phase measurement approaches, which may comprise an Exclusive-OR phase detector, are relatively simple and cost-effective but impose a performance limitation on the sensor. For example, the Exclusive-OR phase detector is unambiguous for signal phase shifts only within the range of 0+/−90 degrees. This limitation requires that an acoustic signal frequency and/or distance between the transducers be selected so that the maximum fluid flow rates never produce a greater phase shifts. 
     Thus, although the measurement precision of the sensor is nominally enhanced by operating at high acoustic frequencies and/or with large distances between the transducers, a clear limitation of the prior art is that of generating an ambiguous flow rate output if either too high a frequency or too great a distance is selected. This is a particular problem in applications in which the maximum flow rate of a range of flow rates is not known in advance of installation so that a measurement system designer is driven to select a lower acoustic propagating frequency or a shorter distance between the transducers than is actually necessary. Using a lower frequency or a smaller transducer spacing disadvantageously uses less of the modular phase response range of the phase detector and thereby reduces the phase shift detection sensitivity, which degrades the measurement precision of the sensor. 
     Ultrasonic transit-time flow sensors typically operate at acoustic propagation frequencies of several megahertz in order to be able to detect the relatively small time differences produced by flowing fluids. At these frequencies, scale or other forms of fouling on wetted transducer surfaces can severely degrade the efficiency of coupling the acoustic energy between the transducer and the fluid. This degrades the quality of measurement of the sensor or, in extreme cases, causes it to cease functioning altogether. Hence, other problems with prior art time-of-flight flow meters are an inability to detect fouling-induced performance degradation and the lack of a backup measurement capability that can be used until corrective maintenance can be performed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A preferred embodiment of an improved time-of-flight flow sensor of the invention selectively operates at two distinct frequencies. Operation at a first, relatively low propagation frequency, yields a first phase difference signal that is within the modular response range of a phase detector and is hence unambiguously representative of any flow rate within a range of specified flow rates, but that is characterized by a first measurement error that is larger than desired. The first phase difference signal is preferably used by a signal processor to determine a compensation term that can be combined with a second phase difference signal, measured at a second, higher, frequency to resolve any phase shift detector ambiguity which may occur at high fluid flow rates. The operating modes are preferably time shared and flow rate output signals corresponding to both modes are provided to the signal processor which normally uses the output signal from the lower frequency mode of operation to determine whether the phase detector output from the higher frequency mode is ambiguous or inverted and if so, make the necessary corrections to the flow rate output signal. 
     As noted above, over a period of operation of a time-of-flight sensor, accumulations of scale or other fouling can cause deterioration of performance and eventual complete failure by degrading the acoustic coupling between the transducer and fluid. This degradation generally increases with frequency, as does the acoustic loss through the fluid. Hence, sensor operation at the lower of the two frequencies is less prone to fouling-induced degradation. In a preferred mode of operation, a flow sensor of the invention detects the amplitude of the received transducer signal in the high frequency mode and, if that amplitude is below a selected level, uses only the flow rate signal from the lower frequency mode as the basis for the sensor flow rate output signal. In addition, when the lower precision flow rate signal has been selected, a preferred sensor of the invention supplies an additional output indicative of a need for maintenance. 
     A preferred time-of-flight flow meter of the invention comprises two transducers spaced out along a direction in which fluid flows when the device is in use. This preferred apparatus comprises at least one oscillator for supplying transducer-driving signals at each of at least two distinct frequencies so as to cause each of the two transducers to propagate a respective acoustic signal through whatever fluid is present between them. In some embodiments the sensor comprises a switching circuit for sequentially applying only one of the transducer-driving signals at a time to each of the two transducers. It will be understood, of course, that one could also elect to use separate oscillators for each frequency. In addition, the preferred apparatus comprises at least one receiver circuit that may be time shared for receiving the transmitted acoustic signals at each of the at least two frequencies and at least one phase detector for detecting a respective phase difference between the acoustic signals transmitted in the opposite directions at each of the at least two frequencies. Again, it will be understood that although the preferred apparatus is configured to operate in a switched, time shared mode, one could also elect to use greater numbers of some of the components. The preferred apparatus also comprises a signal processor for comparing the phase differences and selecting one of them for use in determining the rate at which the fluid flows. 
     In a particular preferred embodiment, the transducers comprise piezoelectric elements mechanically configured and sized to resonate at both of the two selected frequencies. This arrangement provides for efficient coupling of the acoustic energy to the fluid at each frequency. 
     In preferred methods of operation, the two selected frequencies are integral multiples of each other. As will be made clear in the following detailed description, this is a matter of convenience. All that is required is that the two selected operating frequencies be distinct in the sense of being sufficiently different that for a given transducer-to-transducer spacing and a given maximum directly measurable phase difference, there is at least one choice of fluid flow rate within a selected operating range that leads to a situation in which a measured flow-induced phase difference at the higher of the two operating frequencies corresponds to one of several possible flow rates, while the phase difference measured at the lower frequency yields an unambiguous flow rate. 
     Although it is believed that the foregoing recital of features and advantages may be of use to one who is skilled in the art and wishes to practice the invention, it will be recognized that the foregoing is not intended to list all of the features and advantages. Moreover, it may be noted that various embodiments of the invention may provide various combinations of the heretofore recited features and advantages of the invention, and that less than all of the recited features and advantages of the invention, may be provided by some embodiments. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The various advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art by reading the following specification and claims and by referencing the following drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a simplified, partly schematic, side view section of an ultrasonic transit-time flow sensor in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is an elevational view of a preferred transducer used in the sensor of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the functional blocks of electronic circuitry in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG.  4 . is a graphical representation of the detected phase signals output from the circuit of FIG.  5 . 
     FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a preferred electronic phase detector usable in the circuit of FIG.  3 . 
     FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a hard-wired logic circuit that may be used in a signal processor of the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Relatively simple embodiments of the invention have been selected for the drawings to explain the related concepts. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other embodiments may also be used. 
     Referring to FIG. 1, a simplified ultrasonic transit-time flow sensor  10  is shown mounted in a pipe  12 . Two transducers  14 ,  16 . which may be disposed in respective protective housings  18 ,  20 , are used to transmit to and receive acoustic energy from each other along the direction  22  in which a fluid  24  may flow. The electrical signals associated with the transducers are originated by or transmitted to the supporting electronics  26 . 
     The supporting electronics  26  of a transit-time flow sensor  10  use one or more phase detectors to detect a flow-induced difference in the transit-time required for the acoustic energy to travel between the transducers  14 ,  16 . The phase detectors operate at the frequency of the acoustic signals to simplify circuitry and to reduce costs. A convenient form of a phase detector is an Exclusive-OR circuit which is commercially available as a high speed, low cost integrated circuit. Its primary limitation is that it has a 180° phase detection range, outside of which its output slope reverses, and continues to reverse with a triangular pattern every one hundred eighty degrees thereafter. Another convenient form of a phase detector is a flip flop triggered into one state by one of its input signals and returned to its original state by the other input signal. It has a modular response over a 360° phase detection range that repeats with a sawtooth pattern, as depicted in the upper curve of FIG.  4 . In either case, as discussed in my Patents No: U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,178,827 and 6,370,693, in prior art transit time flow meters the limited range of phase detection requires that the frequency of transducer operation be low enough to prevent phase differences from exceeding those ranges at the highest flow rate that is to be measured. A relatively low frequency or a shorter acoustic path between transducers spaced along the flow direction must be used in some applications, which reduces the measurement precision. It may also be noted that an acoustic beam between the transducers may be angled with respect to the flow direction and may involve the use of one or more reflecting surfaces as depicted in FIGS. 2 a  and 2 b  of my U.S. Pat. No. 6,370,963, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     The prior art problem of having to trade off phase detector operating range for measurement precision problem may be overcome by operating the sensor at two different frequencies—e.g., four megahertz and one megahertz. In this arrangement the higher frequency is used to provide the measurement precision by minimizing measurement error, and the lower frequency is used to resolve phase detector ambiguities that can occur at higher flow rates. 
     The piezoelectric element  32  depicted in FIG. 2 is an example of a transducer component that is able to operate efficiently at the two selected frequencies. When excited by an alternating voltage applied to its leads  34 , the piezoelectric element can resonate in several modes. For example, if the piezoelectric element  32  is chosen to be a lead zirconate titrate ceramic having a thickness  36  of twenty thousandths of an inch and a width  38  of eighty thousandths of an inch, the element will resonate in the thickness mode at about four megahertz and in the width mode at about one megahertz, where the resonant frequencies are essentially inversely proportional to the ratio of the dimensions. Although resonant operation is important with these types of transducers for efficient coupling to a fluid such as water, those skilled in the art will recognize that one can operate a sensor of the invention under non-resonant conditions with suitably responsive transducers having an efficient coupling to the fluid. 
     FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of preferred circuitry  40  of the invention. In this circuitry an oscillator  42  generates a signal that is input into a frequency divider  44  having two output frequency signals connected to respective poles of a switching element  46  controlled by appropriate timing circuits  48  are used to selectively connect the signals at one or the other driving frequency through the amplifiers  68 ,  70  to the transducers  14 ,  16  in order to produce the acoustic energy. The acoustic signals received by the transducers produce corresponding electrical signals which are amplified by respective associated receivers  50 ,  52 , and that are then input to phase detectors  28 ,  30 , each of which is connected to a respective low pass filter  54 ,  56  and a respective sample and hold circuit  58 ,  60 . When the higher operating frequency has been selected, the first sample and hold circuit  58  is operated by the timing circuits to provide a high precision rate signal to the signal processor  62 . Correspondingly, when the switching element  46  is controlled to select the lower driving frequency, the output from one of the receivers  52  is inverted by an inverter  64  and the phase comparison is made by a second phase detector  30 . The output from the second phase detector  30  is routed through the associated low pass filter  56  and detected by the second sample and hold  60  to provide a reference rate signal to the signal processor  62 . An additional input to the signal processor  62  is supplied by a magnitude detector  66  that detects the amplitude of the output signal of the receiver  50 . 
     In an operating cycle of a preferred embodiment, the oscillator  42  generates an eight megahertz burst signal which enters the frequency divider  44  to produce corresponding bursts of four and one megahertz signals. Both signal bursts appear at the corresponding poles of the switching element  46 . In the high frequency operating mode, the four megahertz signal is selected to be routed through the amplifiers  68 ,  70  to respective transducers  14 ,  16  which then simultaneously radiate the corresponding acoustic energy through the fluid  24  to each-other. The electrical signals resulting from the reception of the acoustic energy are amplified by the receivers  50 ,  52 , which supply output signals to a phase detector  28  which has a modular 360° sawtooth response characteristic, as depicted in the upper curve  72  of FIG.  4 . This sawtooth waveform repeats as the phase changes through additional cycles of three hundred sixty degrees. The four megahertz carrier components of the output from the phase detector  28  are removed by the low pass filter  54  so that the sample and hold  58  detects what amounts to a DC pulse corresponding in magnitude to the phase difference between the four megahertz burst signals received from the two transducers. The magnitude of the DC signal from the sample and hold  58  is therefore proportional to the fluid flow rate, as long as the actual phase shift is less than the three hundred sixty degree range of the phase detector  28  and the time sequence of the signals into the phase detector  58  is known. If the actual phase shift is greater than three hundred sixty degrees, or the time sequence is unknown, the output from the sample and hold can be interpreted ambiguously as being representative of one of several possible flow rates. 
     The preferred approach of using a single oscillator having an output that is divided by two different integer values to yield the two operating frequencies provides a highly symmetrical waveform which is better utilized by the other circuitry. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other approaches could be used and that such approaches include, but are not limited to, using two separate oscillators to directly generate the two respective frequencies. 
     Preferred phase detectors are of the flip-flop or latch type in which a signal appearing on one input causes the output to go high and an input appearing on the other input causes the output to go low. Over a three hundred sixty degree phase difference between the two input signals, the output duty cycle linearly changes from 0 to 100% and the corresponding DC output waveform is that of a sawtooth. An example of such a phase detector is illustrated in FIG. 5 where receivers  50 ,  52  provide square wave input signals to the phase detector. A first input capacitor  74  and first resistor  76  form a short time constant differentiating circuit having a positive output that passes through a first diode  78  to a first inverter  80  to make its output signal go low, and through a second resistor  82  to a second inverter  84  to make its output signal go high in a latched state because of the positive feedback provided by a third resistor  86 . A second input capacitor  88  and fourth resistor  90  form a second short time constant differentiating circuit whose positive output passes through a second diode  92  to cause the output of the second inverter  84  to go low, thus resetting the flip-flop to its original state. An output resistor  94  and capacitor  96  pair form a low pass filter to smooth the DC output. 
     In the high precision rate curve of FIG. 4 the sawtooth waveform characteristic is illustrated for a five volt supply. As is known in prior art transit-time flow sensors, at zero flow rate the signals arrive at the phase detector  28  at the same time and therefore there is an uncertainty as to whether the output will be the maximum output corresponding to the top of the sawtooth or the minimum output corresponding to the bottom of the sawtooth, or some intermediate value arising from circuit noise and finite component response time. Signal phase shifts can be introduced to avoid this problem. For example, the output from receiver can be phase shifted one hundred eighty degrees with an inverter so that the phase detector  28  is operating in the middle of its sawtooth at zero flow rate. In another example, the output from a receiver is phase shifted a small amount so that at zero flow rate, phase detector operation is slightly up from zero on the sawtooth, and that increases in flow rate will only be in the direction to increase the phase detector output. However, in either example, as the flow rate is increased, eventually the phase shift will exceed three hundred sixty degrees and the sawtooth will repeat, thereby introducing signal ambiguities which destroy the credibility of the sensor. While a lower operating frequency will prevent this repetition, if used alone, as in the prior art, the lower frequency reduces the precision of the flow rate measurement because the phase difference available for a given flow rate is also reduced. 
     In order to avoid the prior art dilemma of having to trade precision of measurement for maximum operating flow rate, the invention provides dual frequency operation in which a measurement at a relatively low frequency is used to remove ambiguity from a measurement made at a higher frequency. 
     In the lower frequency operating mode, the one megahertz signal is selected to be routed through the driving amplifiers  68 ,  70  and transducers  14 ,  16 , and the received signals are amplified by the associated receivers  50 ,  52 . In this case the output from a second phase detector  30  is utilized with the input from one of the receivers  52  being inverted. The inversion causes the detector to operate at the midpoint of its operating range at zero flow rate, as depicted in the lower curve  98  of FIG.  4 . Because that curve  98  does not repeat within the maximum flow rates in each direction, it may be used to resolve any repeating ambiguity associated with the high precision operating mode. 
     FIG. 6 illustrates, in accordance with FIG. 4, a preferred hardware embodiment of a portion of the logic circuit in the signal processor, which is connected to the reference rate signal and consists of voltage comparators, and voltage dividing resistors. In the operation of this logic circuit: 
     A first voltage comparator  100  has its positive input connected to the reference rate signal and its negative input connected to +3.75 volts so as to provide a high output when the signal from the first receiver into the first phase detector leads the signal output from the second receiver signal by between 360 and 720 degrees. 
     A second voltage comparator  102  also has its positive input connected to the reference rate signal, but its negative input is connected to 2.5 volts so that its output is high when the phase difference between the receiver outputs is positive and between zero and 720 degrees. 
     A third voltage comparator  104  has its negative input connected to the reference rate signal and its positive input connected to 2.5 volts so that its output is high when the phase difference between the receiving outputs is negative and between zero and −720 degrees. 
     The fourth voltage comparator  106  also has its negative input connected to the reference rate signal, but its positive input is connected to 1.25 volts so that its output is high when the phase difference is negative and between −360 and −720 degrees. 
     Thus, a combination of the comparator outputs uniquely defines the one of the four possible modular cycles in which the high resolution flow rate measurement is taking place. This allows the signal processor to make the necessary compensations so as to provide corrected output signals. More generally, the preferred logic circuit has the measured phase difference at the lower frequency and a plurality of reference voltages as inputs and has a plurality of outputs, the combination of which uniquely determines a correction term applied to the phase difference measured at the higher frequency in order to determine the total phase difference at the higher frequency. 
     Typically, both digital and analog outputs are provided by the signal processor  62 . Digital outputs generally have a high capacity of both resolution and span. Analog outputs, which may be more limited, can be expanded as in the following examples: Sensor flow rate operation is initially within a range of flow rates corresponding to the 0 to 360° phase difference range in the high frequency mode during which time the signal processor supplies an analog output of 0 to +5 volts (i.e., that span being the rail to rail voltage difference). Should the flow rate increase beyond that range, the incremental increase would then become the variable output signal and a second output signal would be provided indicating that the first increment of flow rate, corresponding to 5 volts, had been achieved. In a second example, the signal processor  62 , sensing that the third or fourth voltage comparators have high outputs, must invert the high precision rate signal for it to correspond directly to a flow rate and either provide a negative going signal with increasing flow rate or another output signal indicative of flow rate in the opposite direction. The dynamic range of the analog output signal is thereby greatly extended and flow direction determined. 
     Those skilled in the signal processing arts will recognize that other types of phase detectors, such as the Exclusive-OR type discussed earlier in this disclosure, may have different operating ranges (e.g., a plus or minus ninety degree phase range over which no ambiguity occurs) that may call for more or fewer ambiguity resolving comparator outputs. Moreover, although a hardwired logic comparison circuit may be preferred for some embodiments of the invention, it will be recognized that the signal processor may optionally comprise an A/D  61  converter for performing level conversions, and a microprocessor  63  operating under control of a program stored in ROM  65  to provide the necessary comparisons by software means. 
     Thus, generally speaking, a method of the invention comprises the steps of operating a time-of-flight flow sensor  10  at both a relatively low and a relatively high frequency in order to detect respective phase differences representative of the flow rate. A characteristic of the time-of-flight flow sensor is a phase detector having a modular output. That is, the output signal is uniquely associated with each phase difference within the modulus of the phase detector. As noted above, an Exclusive-OR detector has a modulus of one hundred eighty degrees (i.e., −90° to +90°), and a flip flop has a modulus of three hundred sixty degrees. Whatever the modulus of the phase detector may be, if the total phase difference exceeds the modulus, the phase detector provides an ambiguous output signal modulo its modulus. Thus, operation at the relatively high frequency provides a relatively high precision phase difference comprising a modular offset. Operation at the relatively low frequency, on the other hand, provides a relatively low precision phase difference measurement that is uniquely representative of a fluid flow rate and that can be used to provide a correction term representative of the integral number of moduli of phase offset that are to be added into the indicated high frequency phase difference in order to obtain a total high frequency phase difference. 
     A preferred signal processor also uses the output signal from the magnitude detector to determine that maintenance is required. As noted previously, fouling-induced problems tend to be worse at higher operating frequencies, hence, in the event the magnitude of the received signal is below a selected preset amount, which is considered the minimum for reliable operation at the higher frequency, the processor will use the lower frequency flow rate signal as a temporary output signal. In addition, the preferred signal processor also provides another signal to indicate the need for maintenance. 
     In the embodiments discussed in detail herein, both the higher and lower frequency modes of operation can time share the transducers and most of the electronic circuitry. In other embodiments, one could choose to use amplifiers having linear characteristics to provide the signals at both operating frequencies at the same time. In this case, there would be no need to time share the circuitry, and the switching element depicted in the drawing could be omitted. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the dual frequency operation taught in this disclosure can also be implemented by apparatus in which the higher and lower frequency modes of operation are carried out by separate hardware. 
     The preferred 4:1 ratio between the high precision rate and reference rate signals is convenient and practical. Those skilled in the art will recognize that this ratio could be increased dramatically in order to increase measurement precision at low flow rates. Moreover, the method and apparatus of the invention are useable with more than two distinct frequencies. For example, one could configure a piezoelectric element having three resonant modes of operation by appropriate selection of the thickness, length and width of the element and thereby readily provide apparatus of the invention for use at three distinct operating frequencies.