Patent ID: 8280651

Claim:
Meter electronics ( 20 ) for a flow meter ( 5 ), the meter electronics ( 20 ) comprising an interface ( 201 ) for receiving three or more vibrational responses from the flow meter ( 5 ), with the three or more vibrational responses including a substantially fundamental frequency response and two or more non-fundamental frequency responses, and a processing system ( 203 ) in communication with the interface ( 201 ), with the meter electronics ( 20 ) further comprising: the processing system ( 203 ) being configured to receive the three or more vibrational responses from the interface ( 201 ), generate a pole-residue frequency response function from the three or more vibrational responses, with the pole-residue frequency response function comprising a first order pole-residue frequency response function comprising H(ω)=R/(jω−λ)+ R /(jω− λ ), and determine at least a stiffness parameter (K) from the pole-residue frequency response function, wherein the stiffness parameter (K), the damping parameter (C), and the mass parameter (M) are determined according to the equations M=1/2jRω d , K=(ω n ) 2 M, and C=2ζω n M, wherein the (R) term comprises a residue, the ( R ) term comprises a complex conjugate of (R), the (λ) term comprises a pole, the ( λ ) term comprises a complex conjugate of (λ), the (ξ) term comprises a decay characteristic, the (ω) term comprises a circular excitation frequency, the (ω n ) term comprises a natural frequency, and the (ω d ) term comprises a damped natural frequency.