JP2008107288A - Ultrasonic flowmeter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonic flowmeter capable of efficiently increasing the propagation path of ultrasonic beam in the passage, and capable of accurate flow measurement, even if an ultrasonic beam is divided into a plurality of wave packet components, having different reflection orders and propagation lengths in the passage. <P>SOLUTION: In the flowmeter, an ultrasonic beam SW, transmitted from ultrasonic wave tranmitting/receiving parts 2a and 2b of a transmission side, travels being divided into a plurality of wave packet components SW2 and SW4 having different reflection orders and propagation lengths in the passage, depending on the incident angle with respect to a reflecting member 32 by diffusion, in the radial direction from the beam central axis; ultrasonic wave tranmitting/receiving parts 2a and 2b of the receiving side can receive wave packet components SW2 and SW4 having different orders, with two or more number of times with time difference; and a representative flow calculation means 1E calculates the representative flow of measured fluid, based on the information received. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic flowmeter.

JP 2004-251653 A

  Conventionally, an ultrasonic flowmeter for measuring a flow rate of city gas or water is known. In general, a “propagation time difference method” is used as a measurement principle at that time. This is provided with a pair of ultrasonic transmission / reception units upstream and downstream in the fluid flow direction of the flow path, alternately switching the ultrasonic transmission / reception direction between the ultrasonic transmission / reception units, and transmitted from the upstream ultrasonic transmission / reception unit. The time until the ultrasonic beam reaches the downstream ultrasonic transmission / reception unit (forward propagation time) and the time until the ultrasonic beam transmitted from the downstream ultrasonic transmission / reception unit reaches the upstream ultrasonic transmission / reception unit Time (reverse propagation time) is measured, and the average flow velocity and flow rate of the fluid flowing through the flow path are obtained from the time difference between the two.

  In Patent Document 1, as such an ultrasonic current meter, an ultrasonic beam transmitted from one ultrasonic transmission / reception unit is reflected once by a pipe wall part between a pair of ultrasonic transmission / reception units. An ultrasonic flowmeter that is guided from one to the other ultrasonic transmission / reception unit is disclosed. According to this configuration, since the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit on the receiving side detects the ultrasonic wave after being reflected once, even if the installation interval of the pair of ultrasonic transmission / reception units is reduced, the propagation path of the ultrasonic beam is relatively It is said that the measurement accuracy can be improved by increasing the length. Further, in Patent Document 1, a beam stop plate in which a stop hole is formed at a position corresponding to the propagation path of the ultrasonic beam is provided, and an unnecessary reflected wave packet component due to the diffusion of the ultrasonic beam can be cut. Therefore, it is said that the measurement accuracy can be improved similarly.

  However, in Patent Document 1, the number of reflections of the ultrasonic beam is only one, and the propagation path increase effect is not necessarily sufficient. Further, the beam stop plate provided inside the flow path is not given a function beyond removing unnecessary reflected wave packet components, and does not contribute to the increase of the propagation path.

  In order to increase the propagation path, it is effective to make multiple reflections of the ultrasonic beam within the flow path. However, since the ultrasonic beam travels in a diffused manner, a plurality of reflection orders and propagation lengths differ depending on the incident angle. There arises a problem of being divided into wave packet components. As a result, a plurality of wave packet components reach the receiving-side ultrasonic transmission / reception unit with a time difference, and accurate flow rate calculation may not be performed.

  The problem of the present invention is that the propagation path of the ultrasonic beam on the flow path can be increased more efficiently, and the ultrasonic beam is divided into a plurality of wave packet components having different reflection orders and propagation lengths in the flow path. Even so, it is an object to provide an ultrasonic flowmeter capable of accurate flow measurement.

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention
A flow path forming section for forming a flow path of the fluid to be measured;
Provided at different positions in the flow direction of the fluid to be measured with respect to the flow path forming part, functioning so that one is the sending side of the measuring ultrasonic wave to the measuring fluid and the other is the receiving side of the measuring ultrasonic wave In addition, as each measurement ultrasonic wave, an ultrasonic transmission / reception unit forming a pair capable of transmitting an ultrasonic beam having directivity in a predetermined direction, and
One or a plurality of reflecting members provided at predetermined intervals in the normal direction of the plate surface, formed in a plate shape disposed along the flow path inside the flow path forming portion,
The ultrasonic beam transmitted from the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit on the transmitting side is diffused in the radial direction from the beam center axis, so that a plurality of wave packets having different reflection orders and propagation lengths in the flow path depending on the incident angle with respect to the reflecting member. The ultrasonic transmission / reception unit on the receiving side can receive the wave packet components having different orders a plurality of times with a time difference, and the representative flow rate of the fluid to be measured based on the received information. Representative flow rate value calculating means for calculating the value is provided.

  In the present invention, the plate member provided in the flow path, which is used only as the beam diaphragm plate in Patent Document 1, is utilized as a reflection member for the ultrasonic beam. The ultrasonic beam transmitted from the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit on the transmission side is guided to the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit on the reception side while being subjected to multiple reflection (two or more reflections) in the flow path using this reflecting member. I did it. As a result, compared to the case where the ultrasonic beam propagates straight between ultrasonic transmission / reception units, the propagation path length is greatly increased in a polygonal line by the number of reflections more than twice, contributing to the flow. The effect of increasing the amount of information to be performed can contribute to the improvement of flow measurement accuracy or the expansion of flow measurement rangeability. And even if it is the same propagation path length, since the path shape becomes a polygonal line, the distance of the ultrasonic transmission / reception part which makes a pair can be brought close, and it contributes also to size reduction of an apparatus.

  Further, although the flow path is divided into a plurality of parts in the axial cross section by the reflecting member, the reflecting member also functions as a rectifying element for the fluid to be measured, so that the flow can be stabilized and made uniform, This also contributes to the improvement of flow rate measurement accuracy. In particular, if the flow can be sufficiently uniformed in the direction in which the flow path is divided by the reflecting member, the flow to be measured can be handled approximately as a two-dimensional flow, which is further advantageous in terms of improving measurement accuracy. . The idea of providing a rectifying plate in the flow channel has existed in the past, but the distance that can be secured between the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving units is also limited as a result of dimensional restrictions by arranging the rectifying element inside the limited flow channel. Arise. However, by adopting the present invention, the propagation path length can be sufficiently expanded by the multiple reflection effect even if there are such dimensional constraints.

  The ultrasonic beam transmitted from the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit does not have complete directivity, but has a property of diffusing to some extent from the beam center axis in the radial direction. Therefore, the ultrasonic beam travels by being divided into a plurality of wave packet components having different reflection orders and propagation lengths in the flow path according to the incident angle with respect to the reflecting member. As a result, the receiving-side ultrasonic transmission / reception unit receives a plurality of wave packet components a plurality of times with a time difference. Therefore, there is a case where the conventional ultrasonic flowmeter cannot perform accurate flow rate calculation. However, in the present invention, since the representative flow rate value calculating means for calculating the representative flow rate value of the fluid to be measured is provided based on the reception information of the plurality of wave packet components, such a problem can be avoided.

  More specifically, the ultrasonic flowmeter of the present invention is a representative wave packet component that is representative for use in calculation of the flow velocity or flow rate of the fluid to be measured, among wave packet components detected multiple times by the receiving-side ultrasonic transmission / reception unit. A wave packet component selection means for selecting. Then, the representative flow value calculation means calculates a representative flow value of the fluid to be measured based on the reception information of the representative wave packet component. According to this configuration, even when a plurality of wave packet components are detected, a specific wave packet component (representative wave packet component) is selected from them, so that accurate flow rate calculation can be performed.

  In this case, the wave packet component selection means selects, as a representative wave packet component, a wave packet component that arrives at a predetermined order from among wave packet components that arrive at the receiving side ultrasonic transmission / reception unit multiple times with a time difference. For example, it is possible to select the second time or the third time among the wave packet components that reach three times.

  Further, it is desirable that the wave packet component selection means can change the order of wave packet components to be selected according to the flow rate of the fluid to be measured. For example, the second wave packet component is selected when the flow rate is high, and the first wave packet component is selected when the flow rate is low. This makes it possible to select an optimal wave packet component for flow rate measurement.

  Furthermore, in the ultrasonic flowmeter of the present invention, it is desirable that the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit on the reception side includes unnecessary wave packet component invalidating means for invalidating detection of unnecessary wave packet components other than the representative wave packet component. This eliminates the need to detect unnecessary wave packet components.

  More specifically, it is preferable that the unnecessary wave packet component invalidating unit includes a flow rate calculation prohibiting unit that prohibits a flow rate calculation process using a wave packet component other than the representative wave packet component by the representative flow rate value calculating unit. This eliminates the need for extra computations for calculating the flow rate.

  For example, the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit can transmit an ultrasonic beam having a pulsed ultrasonic waveform. The representative flow rate value calculating means detects zero cross points of the pulse-shaped received waveform in the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving unit on the receiving side and generates zero cross pulses, and ultrasonic waves in the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving unit on the transmitting side. A time measurement unit that measures the time from when the beam pulse output is excited until the zero-cross pulse is detected as the ultrasonic propagation time, and calculates the representative flow rate value based on the measured ultrasonic propagation time Can be a thing. If it does in this way, it is possible to measure ultrasonic propagation time using a zero cross pulse.

  In this case, the flow rate calculation prohibiting means causes the zero cross pulse generating means to generate a zero cross pulse only for the pulsed received waveform derived from the representative wave packet component, and for the zero cross pulse for the pulse received waveform derived from the other wave packet component. It can be prohibited from occurring. In this way, only the zero cross pulse derived from the representative wave packet component is generated, and the one derived from the unnecessary wave packet component is not generated. This simplifies the flow rate calculation process.

  In addition, the flow rate calculation prohibiting means has a zero cross pulse measuring means for causing the zero cross pulse generating means to sequentially generate zero cross pulses only for pulsed received waveforms derived from a plurality of wave packet components and to measure the number of zero cross pulse detections. However, only the zero cross pulse when the number of detection times reaches a predetermined number may be adopted as the zero cross pulse derived from the representative wave packet component.

  On the other hand, the representative flow rate calculation means may calculate the flow rate of the fluid to be measured from the propagation times of the wave packet components having different orders, and calculate the average value of the calculated flow rates as the representative flow rate value. According to this configuration, the average value of the flow rates obtained from a plurality of wave packet components can be calculated, and a more reliable flow rate calculation result can be obtained.

For example, the upstream ultrasonic transmission / reception unit arranged on the upstream side of the flow path coincides with the first reference direction in which the beam center axis is inclined at a certain angle upstream with respect to the normal direction of the reflecting surface of the reflecting member. The downstream ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving unit which is attached to the wall of the flow path forming unit and is disposed on the downstream side of the flow path has a first reference with respect to the normal direction of the reflecting surface of the reflecting member. It is inclined and attached to the wall portion of the flow path forming portion so as to coincide with the second reference direction determined by being inclined to the downstream side at the same angle as the direction,
The pair of ultrasonic transmission / reception units is arranged with respect to the flow path forming unit in such a manner that a plurality of reflecting member groups are sandwiched in the arrangement direction, and the wave packet component is subjected to multiple reflection evenly in the waveguide space. After that, lead to the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit on the receiving side,
The ultrasonic transmission / reception unit on the reception side can detect both the wave packet component reflected twice by the reflecting member group and the wave packet component reflected four times, and the wave packet component selection means reflects four times out of the wave packet components. It can be set as the structure which selects a thing. According to this configuration, in the so-called Z-type ultrasonic flow meter, it is possible to select a wave packet component reflected twice and a wave packet component reflected twice, and a wave packet component reflected four times. Compared to the two-time reflection, the four-time reflection has a longer propagation length, and therefore it is easier to calculate an accurate flow rate.

  Further, the wave packet component selection means selects the first wave packet component detected by the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit on the receiving side when the flow rate of the fluid to be measured is low and the flow rate of the fluid to be measured is high. In the case of the flow rate state, the wave packet component detected for the second time may be selected. In this way, the wave packet component to be selected can be switched between the high flow rate state and the low flow rate state, and a more accurate flow rate calculation result can be expected.

An embodiment of an ultrasonic flowmeter according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a basic configuration of an embodiment of an ultrasonic flow meter used as a general residential gas meter or the like. The ultrasonic flowmeter 1 is provided with a flow path forming portion 3 that forms a flow path of the fluid to be measured GF, and a position different from the flow path forming portion 3 in the flow direction of the fluid to be measured GF. Functions as the transmission side of the measurement ultrasonic wave to the fluid GF to be measured and the other as the reception side of the measurement ultrasonic wave, and the directivity in a predetermined direction as each measurement ultrasonic wave A pair of ultrasonic transmission / reception units 2a and 2b capable of transmitting an ultrasonic beam SW having a flow path, and a plate surface method arranged along the flow path inside the flow path forming unit 3 and a plate surface method. And a plurality of reflecting members 31 and 32 provided at predetermined intervals in the line direction. Then, the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 2a, 2b serving as the reception side while the ultrasonic beam SW transmitted from the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 2a, 2b serving as the transmission side is subjected to multiple reflection in the flow path using the reflecting members 31, 32, It leads to 2b. The flow path forming unit 3 is made of metal, for example.

  The flow path forming unit 3 including the reflecting members 31 and 32 and the ultrasonic transmission / reception units 2a and 2b constitute a flow meter main body 1M, and the flow meter main body 1M and the control circuit unit 1E (representative flow value calculation means of the present invention). Thus, the entire ultrasonic flowmeter 1 is configured. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a cross-sectional structure of the flow meter main body 1M. In FIG. 1, the control circuit unit 1E includes a pair of ultrasonic transmission / reception units 2a and 2b, the upstream ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 2a located on the upstream side of the flow channel serving as the transmission side, and positioned on the downstream side of the flow channel. There is an ultrasonic drive mechanism 4 that is driven to be switchable between a first drive mode in which the downstream ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 2b side is the reception side and a second drive mode that is the opposite.

  A flow rate measurement gas (fluid) flows in the flow direction shown in the flow rate measurement flow path 3P of the ultrasonic flowmeter 1. In the flow path 3P, a downstream ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 2b is provided on the downstream side in the flow direction, and an upstream ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 2a is provided on the upstream side in the flow direction. These ultrasonic transmission / reception units 2a and 2b are ultrasonic transducers having an ultrasonic transducer such as a piezoelectric transducer, and have an ultrasonic transmission function for transmitting an ultrasonic beam by applying a drive voltage, It is combined with an ultrasonic wave reception function that outputs an electrical signal (reception signal) upon reception. The ultrasonic beam for measurement is sent out in a pulse shape having a predetermined wave number or less so as not to generate a standing wave between the ultrasonic transmission / reception units 2a and 2b in the flow path.

  When the measurement target is gas, the axial cross-sectional shape of the flow path forming portion 3 that forms the flow path 3P may be any shape that forms a space closed by the wall portion 3J. For example, a circular shape, an elliptical shape, or a square shape Any of a rectangular shape and the like may be adopted. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the flow path forming portion 3 is formed in a rectangular shape, the upstream ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving unit 2a is formed on the upper wall 3Ja, and the downstream ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving unit 2b is formed on the lower wall 3jb. It is attached. That is, the ultrasonic transmission / reception units 2 a and 2 b forming a pair are arranged with respect to the flow path forming unit 3 in such a manner that the plurality of reflecting members 31 and 32 are sandwiched in the arrangement direction. In this case, the ultrasonic beam SW undergoes multiple reflections in an even order within the waveguide space 3W.

  FIG. 3 shows details of the internal structure of the flow meter main body 1M. The reflecting members 31 and 32 are arranged on both sides with respect to the cross-sectional central axis O of the flow path, and specifically, are disposed in a positional relationship that is symmetric with respect to the cross-sectional central axis O of the flow path. In any case, the reflection surface of the ultrasonic beam SW is disposed so as to be parallel to the central axis of the flow path. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, when the direction perpendicular to both the normal direction of the reflecting surface and the direction of the cross-sectional central axis O of the flow path is defined as the flow path width direction, the flow of the reflecting members 31 and 32 is increased. Both edges in the road width direction are coupled to the inner surfaces of the wall portions 3J on both sides in the flow path width direction of the flow path forming portion 3.

  When the acoustic impedance of the fluid to be measured (medium) is Z1 and the acoustic impedance of the reflective member is Z2, the reflecting members 31 and 32 are Z1 /. A material having an acoustic impedance Z2 that satisfies Z2 << 1 may be selected. In this case, the acoustic impedance Z2 of the reflecting members 31 and 32 is sufficiently larger than the acoustic impedance Z1 of the medium, so that the ultrasonic beam SW is transmitted through the reflecting members 31 and 32 forming the boundary (reflecting surface). Since it can be blocked and almost totally reflected, the propagation loss of the ultrasonic beam SW is reduced, and highly sensitive transmission / reception can be achieved. Specifically, the acoustic impedance ratio Z1 / Z2 may be 1/10 or less, and examples of specific materials of the reflecting members 31 and 32 include metals, ceramics, and plastics.

  In addition, it is desirable that the thickness of the reflecting members 31 and 32 is secured to 0.4 mm or more in consideration of the mechanical properties and workability of the material. If the thickness of the reflecting members 31 and 32 is equal to ½ of the ultrasonic wavelength λ, as shown in FIG. 19, the sound wave transmittance of the reflecting member increases very steeply due to resonance, and almost no reflection occurs. Therefore, it is desirable that the thickness is smaller than λ / 2 (about 1.25 mm), specifically, set to 1 mm or less.

  Furthermore, the surface roughness of the reflecting surfaces of the reflecting members 31 and 32 (the arithmetic average height Ra defined in JIS B0601 (2001) is adopted) is finished to 1/10 or less of the ultrasonic wavelength λ. It is desirable. As a result, the loss of ultrasonic energy due to irregular reflection on the reflecting surface is reduced and almost total reflection is performed, so that the propagation loss of the ultrasonic beam is suppressed, and highly sensitive transmission / reception can be realized.

  As shown in FIG. 3, an ultrasonic beam SW transmitted from an ultrasonic transmission / reception unit on the transmission side (upstream ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 2a in the first drive mode, and downstream ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 2b in the second drive mode). Is an ultrasonic transmission / reception unit on the receiving side while being multiple-reflected in the waveguide space 3W formed between the pair of reflecting members 31 and 32 (in the first drive mode, the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 2b on the downstream side, In the two-drive mode, it is guided to the upstream ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 2a).

  The reflection members 31 and 32 are formed with beam introduction holes 31h and 32h through which the ultrasonic beam SW from the ultrasonic transmission / reception units 2a and 2b facing the reflection members 31 and 32 is introduced into the waveguide space 3W. . The ultrasonic beam SW is divided into a plurality of wave packet components having different reflection orders and propagation lengths in the flow path depending on the incident angle with respect to the reflecting member due to diffusion in the radial direction from the beam center axis. That is, part of the ultrasonic beam SW transmitted from the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit on the transmission side proceeds as the wave packet component SW2 reflected twice between the reflecting members 31 and 32, and the other part is reflected four times. It proceeds as a wave packet component SW4. The reception-side ultrasonic transmission / reception unit can receive the wave packet components SW2 and SW4 having different orders a plurality of times with a time difference.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when a drive signal is transmitted to the transmission / reception ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 2a, an ultrasonic beam is transmitted. In the reception / transmission ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 2b, the two-reflection wave packet component SW2 and the four-reflection reflection Wave packet component SW4 is detected with a time difference. At this time, the representative flow rate value calculating means 1E applies a mask signal when detecting the wave packet component SW2 reflected twice, so that the zero cross pulse Ve is not generated. Further, when the wave packet component SW4 reflected four times is detected, the mask signal is cut off and the zero cross pulse Ve is generated. By measuring the time from when the drive signal is input until the zero cross pulse Ve is detected, the propagation time of the wave packet component SW4 can be measured, and based on this, the representative flow rate value of the fluid to be measured is calculated.

  Next, the operation of the ultrasonic flowmeter will be described based on the circuit block diagram shown in FIG. 4 and the timing chart shown in FIG. The circuit block diagram of FIG. 4 is a part of the ultrasonic flowmeter and is a part constituting the wave packet component selection means 1F of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the output of the reception-side ultrasonic element is voltage amplified (for example, non-inverted amplification) by an amplifier 7 (for example, an operational amplifier), and the amplified signal Va is input to the zero cross point detector 9. In the zero cross point detector 9, the amplified signal Va is input to a zero cross comparator 91 (first comparator: for example non-inverting input) and a differential comparator 92 (second comparator: for example inverting input). The comparator output Vc is input to port #R of an RS flip-flop circuit (hereinafter referred to as RSFF circuit) 93. Further, the comparator output Vb1 is input to the AND circuit 94, and an output signal Vb2 is output after taking a logical product with the mask signal. The output signal Vb2 is input to the port #S of the RSFF circuit 93. As shown in FIG. 5, the mask signal (L) is input with the first pulse of the first comparator output Vb1 when the reflected wave packet component SW2 is received twice as a trigger. The circuit output Vb2 is held at L. Further, when the first comparator output Vb1 of the four-time reflected wave component SW4 is output, the mask signal is not input and the AND circuit output Vb2 is output. As shown in the figure, the output Vd of the port #Q of the RSFF circuit is not output when the twice reflected wave component SW2 is input, but is output when the four reflected wave component SW4 is input. Then, by this output Vd, the zero cross point pulse generation circuit 94 constituted by a monostable multivibrator or the like outputs the zero cross point detection signal Ve to the time measuring unit 10. Based on the zero cross point detection signal Ve, the time measuring unit 10 counts the number of clock pulses from the clock pulse generation circuit 102 (for example, a crystal oscillator or an astable multivibrator) by a pulse counter circuit 101 (for example, a JK flip-flop circuit). The arrival time detection signal Vf is output. Based on this arrival time detection signal Vf, a representative flow rate value is calculated. Note that the output of the port #Q output Vd and the zero cross point detection signal Ve of the RSFF circuit 93 is controlled so as to end with only one output (see FIG. 5).

  By configuring as described above, the wave packet component selection unit 1F is used to calculate the flow velocity or flow rate of the fluid to be measured among the wave packet components (SW2, SW4) detected a plurality of times by the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit on the reception side. Therefore, it is possible to select a representative wave packet component (SW4) as a representative for the purpose.

  In other words, with the above configuration, an unnecessary wave packet component invalidating unit is realized in which the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit on the reception side invalidates detection of unnecessary wave packet components (SW2) other than the representative wave packet component SW4. Furthermore, it can be said that the flow rate calculation prohibiting means for prohibiting the flow rate calculation process using the wave packet component (SW2) other than the representative wave packet component (SW4) is realized.

  More specifically, the flow rate calculation prohibiting unit causes the zero-cross pulse generation circuit 94 to generate a zero-cross pulse only for the pulse-shaped received waveform derived from the representative wave packet component SW4, and for the pulse-shaped received waveform derived from other wave packet components. By prohibiting the generation of the zero cross pulse, the flow calculation process of the unnecessary wave packet component is prohibited.

  Returning to FIG. The ultrasonic drive mechanism 4 includes a transmission unit 5, a reception unit 6, and a switching unit 4s. The transmission unit 5 is a circuit for inputting drive signals to the ultrasonic transmission / reception units 2a and 2b. The receiving unit 6 includes a switch or the like, and the drive mode is switched by switching the switch. The switching control of the receiving unit 6 is performed by the switching unit 4s. The time measurement unit 10 in the first drive mode until the ultrasonic beam SW transmitted from the upstream ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 2a reaches the downstream ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 2b (until the representative wave packet component SW4 is detected). Forward propagation time and until the ultrasonic beam SW transmitted from the downstream ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 2b in the second drive mode reaches the upstream ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 2a (until the representative wave packet component SW4 is detected). Measure backward propagation time. Moreover, the calculating part 11 calculates the representative flow velocity and representative flow value of the fluid which flows through the flow path 3P from the time difference between said forward propagation time and reverse propagation time.

  In the present invention, since the propagation path is a polygonal line due to multiple reflection, in the case of the configuration of FIG. 3, the flow rate Q can be calculated as follows (the dimensions of each part are described with symbols shown in FIG. 6). To do). First, among the spaces partitioned by the reflecting members 31 and 32, the heights of the upper wall side space 3C, the waveguide space 3W, and the lower wall side space 3C ′ are h1, h2, h3, and the cross-sectional area is S1, S2 and S3. Further, when the thickness of the reflecting members 31 and 32 is t, the offset length of the stagnation space 2d is L0, and the attachment angle of the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving units 2a and 2b is θ, the propagation path length L is calculated by the following equation.

L = {(h1-t / 2) / SINθ
+ 5 · (h2−t) / SINθ + (h3−t / 2) / SINθ} + 2L0 (1)
Moreover, since the reflecting members 31 and 32 are provided in the vertical direction with respect to the flow path center axis O,
h1 = h3 = h ′ (2)
S1 = S3 = S '(3)

Next, the flow rate cross section including the triangular portion other than the waveguide space 3W, that is, the flow velocity V ′ and the instantaneous flow rate Q ′ in the upper wall portion side space 3C and the lower wall portion side space 3C ′ are calculated. First, in the propagation path, the length L ′ of the portion belonging to the upper wall side space 3C and the lower wall side space 3C ′ is:
L ′ = 2 · {h′−t / 2) / SINθ + L0} (4)
It is. Then, the forward propagation time T1 ′ is
T1 ′ = L ′ / (K + V′COSθ) (5)
(However, K is the speed of sound in the measured gas)
Similarly, the backward propagation time T2 ′ is
T2 ′ = L ′ / (K−V′COSθ) (5) ′
Therefore, the flow velocity V ′ in the upper wall side space 3C and the lower wall side space 3C ′ is
V ′ = (L ′ / COSθ) (1 / T1′−1 / T2 ′) (6)
Similarly, the instantaneous flow rate Q ′ is
Q '= V' · 2S '(7)

Next, when the flow velocity: V ″ and the instantaneous flow rate Q ″ in the waveguide space 3W are similarly calculated, the length L ″ of the portion belonging to the waveguide space 3W in the propagation path is
L ″ = N · {(h2−t) / SINθ} (7) ′
(However, N is the reflection order (number of reflections))
It is. Then, the forward propagation time T1 ″ is
T1 ″ = L ″ / (K + V ″ COSθ) (8)
Similarly, the backward propagation time T2 ″ is
T2 ″ = L ″ / (K−V ″ COSθ) (9)
Therefore, the flow velocity V ″ in the waveguide space 3W is
V ″ = (L ″ / COSθ) (1 / T1 ″ −1 / T2 ″) (10)
Similarly, the instantaneous flow rate Q "
Q ”= V” · S2 (11)

From the above, the total flow value Q is the sum of the flow rates of the waveguide space 3W (S2), the upper wall side space 3C, and the lower wall side space 3C ′ (S ′ + S ′ = 2S ′).
Q = Q ′ + Q ″ (V ′ · 2S ′ + V ″ · S2) (12)
Can be calculated as

  According to the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 3, the propagation path length is increased by the number of times of reflection more than twice as compared with the case where the ultrasonic beam SW propagates straight between the ultrasonic transmission / reception units 2a and 2b. Increases in a polygonal line, which can contribute to the improvement of flow measurement accuracy or the rangeability of flow measurement. Further, even if the propagation path length is the same, the path shape becomes a polygonal line, so that the distance between the paired ultrasonic transmission / reception units 2a and 2b can be reduced, contributing to the miniaturization of the apparatus. Moreover, although the flow path 3P is divided into a plurality of parts within the axial cross section by the reflecting members 31 and 32, the reflecting members 31 and 32 also function as a rectifying element for the fluid GF to be measured. From this point of view, it contributes to the improvement of the flow rate measurement accuracy. In particular, if the flow can be sufficiently uniform in the direction of dividing the flow path by the reflecting members 31 and 32, the flow to be measured can be handled as a two-dimensional flow approximately, and further in terms of improving measurement accuracy. It will be advantageous.

  In addition, in the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit on the reception side, wave packet components having different reflection orders are received a plurality of times with a time difference. In the present invention, representative wave packet components are selected from the plurality of wave packet components. You can choose. That is, it is possible to select a wave packet component that is optimal for the flow rate calculation.

  Next, FIG. 12 shows a circuit configuration example for each ultrasonic flow meter 1. In this embodiment, the output Vb of the first comparator 91 is not input to the AND circuit 94 but is directly input to the port #S of the RSFF circuit 93. As a result, the timing chart is as shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the zero cross point detection signal Ve is output corresponding to each of the two-time reflected wave component SW2 and the four-time reflected wave component SW4, and each zero cross point detection signal Ve is output after the drive signal is input. Time until is measured. Each measurement result is input to the calculation unit 11.

  FIG. 14 shows a block diagram of the calculation unit 11. The calculation unit 11 is configured as a normal computer, and includes a CPU 111, a ROM 112 that stores a control program 112a, a RAM 113, an input / output unit (I / O) 114, and a line 115 that connects these configurations. . When the CPU 111 reads and executes the control program 112a, the wave packet component selection unit, the unnecessary wave packet component invalidation unit, the flow rate calculation prohibition unit, and the zero cross pulse measurement unit of the present invention are realized.

  Next, the operation of the control program 112a will be described using the flowcharts of FIGS. First, in step S1, a process of resetting a variable n used for a counter described later is performed. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S2, and a drive signal is output in the first direction (that is, to the upstream ultrasonic transmitting / receiving unit 2a). Thereafter, time measurement is performed in S3, and the process proceeds to S4 to determine whether or not a zero cross pulse has occurred. When the zero cross pulse is generated, the process proceeds to S5 and the pulse counter n is incremented by one. Then, the process proceeds to S6, where it is determined whether n is larger than a predetermined value na (for example, 2). When n = 1, it is determined No, so the process returns to S3 and time measurement is performed again. When the second zero cross pulse is detected in S4, n = 2 in S5, Yes in S6, and the process proceeds to S7. By performing these processes, a time T1 (forward propagation time) until the second zero cross pulse is detected is obtained. In S7, this value is stored.

  Then, the process of S8-S14 is performed. Here, a drive signal is output in the second direction (that is, to the downstream ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 2b), and the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 2a receives the ultrasonic beam. Again, by performing the same processing as S1 to S7, a time T2 (reverse propagation time) until the second zero cross pulse is detected is obtained, and this value is stored in S14. Next, the process proceeds to S15, and the flow rate Q is calculated based on the above equation 12.

  By performing the above processing, only the zero cross pulse when the number of zero cross pulse detection times reaches a predetermined number (here, the second time) can be adopted as the zero cross pulse derived from the representative wave packet component. .

  As shown in FIG. 16, na can be changed. In this flowchart, the processes from S1 to S15 in FIG. 15 are defined as S18. For example, if na = 4 is substituted in S17, the flow rate Q can be measured using the fourth zero cross pulse.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 17, the flow rate Q (1) is measured using the first zero cross pulse, and the flow rate Q (2) is measured similarly using the second zero cross pulse. An average value can also be calculated. First, the variable n is reset in S16, and na = 1 is substituted in S17. Then, by processing S18, the flow rate Q (1) is measured using the first zero cross pulse, and this is stored in S19. Next, S20 to S23 are processed. Here, by setting na = 2 in S21, the flow rate Q (2) is measured using the second zero cross pulse, and this value is stored in S23. After these processes are completed, an average value of Q (1) and Q (2) is calculated in S24.

  Further, the flowchart shown in FIG. 18 may be employed. In this embodiment, after the processing of S16 to S24 is performed (the description is omitted because it is the same as FIG. 17), the process proceeds to S25 and it is determined whether or not the average value Q of the flow rate is larger than the predetermined flow rate Qa. To do. If it is determined Yes (high flow rate state), the process proceeds to S27, and Q (2) is adopted as the representative flow rate value. In the case of No (low flow rate state), the process proceeds to S26, and Q (1) is adopted as the representative flow rate value.

  Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, in the waveguide space 3W formed by the pair of reflecting members 31 and 32, between the pair of reflecting members 31 and 32 at positions adjacent to the front and rear of the multiple reflection section of the ultrasonic beam SW. In this example, rectifying partition plates 33′A and 33′B are inserted. The large gap 33g between the rectifying partition plates 33'A and 33'B allows passage of the secondary wave packet component SW2 together with the fourth wave packet component SW4, and is received at different timings by the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit on the receiving side. The Of these wave packet components, the representative flow rate value is calculated based on the reception information of the representative wave packet component (SW2 or SW4).

  In the configuration of FIG. 8, an intermediate reflection member 33 that divides the waveguide space 3 </ b> W formed by the reflection members 31 and 32 is interposed between the reflection members 31 and 32. Further, a beam passing hole 33h for allowing the ultrasonic beam SW4 from one side to the other side of each divided waveguide space 3W to pass therethrough is formed in the intermediate reflecting member 33. In this configuration, the fourth-order wave packet component SW4 and the eighth-order wave packet component SW8 are received. These wave packet components SW4 and SW8 are introduced into the first waveguide space 3W1 formed between the first reflecting member 31 and the intermediate reflecting member 33 to cause the first multiple reflection, and then the beam passage hole 33h. After that, the second multiple reflection is introduced into the second waveguide space 3W2 formed between the second reflecting members 31, 32 forming the other of the reflecting members 31, 32 paired with the intermediate reflecting member 33. (The first drive mode; in the second drive mode, the reverse is true). Of these wave packet components SW4 and SW8, for example, an eighth-order wave packet component SW8 can be adopted as the representative wave packet component.

  Next, in the configuration of FIG. 9, the ultrasonic transmission / reception units 2a and 2b are gathered and arranged on one side of the flow path forming unit 3 in the normal direction of the reflection surfaces of the reflection members 31 and 32, and the lower wall 3Jb. A V-shaped propagation path is formed in such a manner that the inner wall surface is also used as a reflecting surface. As shown in the figure, the fifth-order and ninth-order wave packet components SW5 and SW9 can reach the reception-side ultrasonic transmission / reception unit. The second reflecting member 32 includes an outward path and a return path between the lower wall portion side space 3C ′ and the waveguide space 3W of the wave packet components SW5 and SW9 reflected by the V shape on the inner wall surface of the lower wall portion 3Jb. And a through hole 32h that allows both of the light to pass therethrough. The wave packet components SW5 and SW9 are subjected to the first multiple reflection in the waveguide space 3W, then pass through the transmission hole 32h, are reflected once by the lower wall portion 3Jb, and pass through the transmission hole 32h again to guide the wave space. Second multiple reflection at 3W. Of these wave packet components SW5 and SW9, for example, the ninth-order wave packet component SW9 is selected as the representative wave packet component.

  In the configuration of FIG. 10, the secondary and quaternary wave packet components SW2 and SW4 are introduced into the waveguide space 3W so as to wrap around the upstream or downstream edges of the reflecting members 31 and 32. Formation of the beam introduction hole on the reflecting members 31 and 32 is omitted. Further, in the configuration of FIG. 11, notched (that is, not hole) beam introducing portions 31 c and 32 c are formed at the upstream or downstream edge of the reflecting members 31 and 32.

The schematic diagram which shows the whole structure which concerns on 1st Example of the ultrasonic flowmeter of this invention. The cross-sectional perspective view which shows the internal structure of the flowmeter main body of the ultrasonic flowmeter of FIG. The figure which shows the whole operation | movement of the ultrasonic flowmeter of FIG. Part of the block diagram of the ultrasonic flowmeter. An example of a timing chart. The figure for demonstrating the height, cross-sectional area, etc. of a flow path. Explanatory drawing which shows the basic composition of 2nd Example. Explanatory drawing which shows the basic composition of 3rd Example. Explanatory drawing which shows the basic composition of 4th Example. Explanatory drawing which shows the basic composition of 5th Example. Explanatory drawing which shows the basic composition of 6th Example. A part of block diagram of the seventh embodiment. The timing chart of FIG. The block diagram of a calculating part. The 1st Example of a flowchart. The 2nd Example of a flowchart. The 3rd Example of a flowchart. The 4th Example of a flowchart. The graph which shows the result of having simulated the relationship between the thickness of a reflection member, and ultrasonic transmittance.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ultrasonic flowmeter 1E Representative flow value calculation means 1F Wave packet component selection means GF Fluid to be measured 2a, 2b Ultrasonic transmission / reception part 3 Flow path formation part 3P Flow path 31, 32 Reflective member 9 Zero cross point detection part 10 Time measurement part

Claims (12)

A flow path forming section for forming a flow path of the fluid to be measured;
Provided at positions different from each other in the flow direction of the fluid to be measured with respect to the flow path forming portion, one side is a transmission side of the ultrasonic waves for measurement to the fluid to be measured, and the other side is a reception side of the ultrasonic waves for measurement And a pair of ultrasonic transmission / reception units capable of transmitting an ultrasonic beam having directivity in a predetermined direction as the measurement ultrasonic waves,
One or a plurality of reflective members provided at a predetermined interval in the normal direction of the plate surface, formed in a plate shape disposed along the flow path inside the flow path forming portion,
The ultrasonic beam transmitted from the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit on the transmission side has a reflection order and a propagation length in the flow path depending on an incident angle with respect to the reflection member due to diffusion in a radial direction from a beam center axis. The ultrasonic transmission / reception unit on the receiving side is capable of receiving a plurality of wave packet components of different orders a plurality of times with a time difference based on the reception information. An ultrasonic flowmeter comprising a representative flow value calculation means for calculating a representative flow value of the fluid to be measured. Of the wave packet components detected a plurality of times by the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit on the receiving side, comprising: a wave packet component selection means for selecting a representative wave packet component to be used for calculation of the flow velocity or flow rate of the fluid to be measured;
The ultrasonic flowmeter according to claim 1, wherein the representative flow value calculation means calculates a representative flow value of the fluid to be measured based on reception information of the representative wave packet component.   The wave packet component selection means selects, as the representative wave packet component, a wave packet component that arrives at a predetermined order among the wave packet components that arrive at the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit on the receiving side multiple times with a time difference. The ultrasonic flowmeter according to claim 1.   4. The ultrasonic flowmeter according to claim 3, wherein the wave packet component selection means changes the order of the wave packet components to be selected according to the flow rate of the fluid to be measured.   The ultrasonic flow rate according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the reception-side ultrasonic transmission / reception unit includes unnecessary wave packet component invalidation means for invalidating detection of unnecessary wave packet components other than the representative wave packet component. Total.   6. The ultrasonic flowmeter according to claim 5, wherein the unnecessary wave packet component invalidating unit includes a flow rate calculation prohibiting unit that prohibits the flow rate calculation process using a wave packet component other than the representative wave packet component by the representative flow rate value calculating unit. . The ultrasonic transmission / reception unit transmits the ultrasonic beam as having a pulsed ultrasonic waveform,
The representative flow rate value calculating means includes:
Zero-cross pulse generating means for generating a zero-cross pulse by detecting a zero-cross point of a pulse-like reception waveform in the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit on the reception side, and pulse output of the ultrasonic beam in the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit on the transmission side And a time measuring unit that measures the time from the excitation until the zero cross pulse is detected as an ultrasonic propagation time, and calculates the representative flow rate value based on the measured ultrasonic propagation time. The ultrasonic flowmeter according to claim 6.   The flow rate calculation prohibiting means causes the zero-cross pulse generating means to generate the zero-cross pulse only for the pulse-shaped received waveform derived from the representative wave packet component, and for the zero-cross pulse for the pulse-shaped received waveform derived from the other wave packet components. The ultrasonic flowmeter according to claim 7, wherein the generation is prohibited.   The flow rate calculation prohibiting unit causes the zero cross pulse generating unit to sequentially generate the zero cross pulse only for a pulse-shaped received waveform derived from a plurality of wave packet components, and to measure the number of detections of the zero cross pulse. The ultrasonic flowmeter according to claim 7, wherein only the zero cross pulse when the number of detection times reaches a predetermined number is adopted as a zero cross pulse derived from the representative wave packet component.   2. The super flow rate calculation unit according to claim 1, wherein the representative flow rate value calculation unit calculates a flow rate of the fluid to be measured from propagation times of wave packet components having different orders, and calculates an average value of the calculated flow rates as the representative flow rate value. Sonic flow meter. The upstream ultrasonic transmission / reception unit arranged on the upstream side of the flow path coincides with a first reference direction in which the beam center axis is determined by being inclined at a certain angle upstream with respect to the normal direction of the reflection surface of the reflection member. The downstream ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving unit that is attached to the wall portion of the flow path forming unit and is disposed on the downstream side of the flow path is configured such that the beam center axis is relative to the normal direction of the reflective surface of the reflective member. It is attached to the wall portion of the flow path forming portion so as to coincide with the second reference direction that is determined by inclining downstream at the same angle as the first reference direction,
The ultrasonic transmitting / receiving units forming a pair are arranged with respect to the flow path forming unit in such a manner that a plurality of the reflecting member groups are sandwiched in the arrangement direction, and the wave packet components are even-ordered in the waveguide space. And then reflected to the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit on the receiving side,
The reception-side ultrasonic transmission / reception unit is capable of detecting both the wave packet component reflected twice by the reflecting member group and the wave packet component reflected four times, and the wave packet component selection means includes the wave packet component The ultrasonic flowmeter according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the one reflected four times is selected.   When the flow rate of the fluid under measurement is low and the flow rate is low, the wave packet component selection unit selects the first wave packet component detected by the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit on the reception side, and the flow rate of the fluid under measurement is The ultrasonic flowmeter according to claim 11, wherein the wave packet component detected at the second time is selected in the case of many high flow rates.

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