JPH07209037A - Flow meter - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To continuously carry out the accurate measurement of flow with a low resistance and no pulsation by removing the inversion of a ball and a flow. CONSTITUTION:A fluid inlet 22 and a fluid outlet 24 are obliquely connected to the lower side of a circular pipe 20, and balls 1 to 12 whose number is equivalent to the sum of number staying in a lower side part A between the fluid inlet 22 and the fluid outlet 24 and number which is more than two and exists in an upper side part B are accomodated in the circular pipe 20, and the number of balls which are pushed by the measured fluid for moving and circulating is detected by a sensor 13 and counted by a counting device 14, and the flow of the measured fluid is computed by an arithmetic unit 15 and displayed on a display device 16.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a flow meter of ball blubar type in which an appropriate number of balls are housed in an endless tube, that is, a circular conduit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional Bourva type flow meter, a ball and a piston move in a cylinder to measure a volume and stop at the end of the cylinder so that the flow path is switched and the flow is reversed. It is designed to measure the flow rate.

[0003]

Therefore, a switching valve for the flow passage is required, the pipe is complicated, pulsating flow is generated, and the cylinder diameter must be increased.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a flow meter having a simple structure and a compact structure capable of continuously performing high-accuracy flow rate measurement with low resistance and no pulsation without eliminating ball and flow reversal.

[0005]

According to the present invention, a plurality of balls having a diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of a tube are housed in an endless tube having an inflow port and an outflow port, a sensor for detecting passage of the balls, and a detection by the sensor. It is characterized in that a monitor provided with a calculation means for calculating the flow rate by the output and a display means for displaying the flow rate calculated by the calculation means is provided.

Further, according to the present invention, the endless tube is characterized by being circular.

Further, according to the present invention, the inflow port is obliquely connected to the endless pipe.

Further, according to the present invention, the endless tube is vertically installed, and the balls are retained below the inlet and the outlet.

Further, according to the present invention, the number of balls in the endless tube is the sum of the number of balls retained in the lower portion of the inlet and the outlet and the number of two or more existing in the upper portion. I am trying.

Further, according to the present invention, the endless tube is a non-magnetic material, the ball is a magnetic material, and the sensor is a magnetically sensitive element.

Further, according to the present invention, the ball has a specific gravity larger than that of the fluid to be measured.

[0012]

In the flow meter constructed as described above, when a ball near the outlet of the ball in the upper portion between the inlet and the outlet passes through the outlet due to the flow of fluid, it stays in the lower portion. The group of balls to be pushed is pushed, the leading ball is pushed to the inflow port, and is moved to the upper portion by the fluid. A sensor detects the number of balls that move in this circulating motion,
Calculate the flow rate and display it.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, an inflow pipe 21 is obliquely connected to the center side of the circular pipe 20 on one side of the lower end of the circular pipe 20 which is made of an endless pipe, that is, made of a non-magnetic material and installed vertically. The outflow pipe 23 is connected to the inflow pipe 21 symmetrically. Inside the circular tube 20, a plurality of (12 in the illustrated example) balls 1 to 12 formed of a magnetic material are housed so that there is almost no leakage between the balls 1 to 12.

Of the balls 1 to 12, nine balls (for example, balls 3 to 11 are the inlet 22 and the outlet 2).
4 and the remaining three or more balls 1, 2 and 12 are located in the upper part B between the inlet 22 and the outlet 24. In the illustrated example, of the three balls 1, 2 and 12, the ball 12 is in a position to close the inflow port 22,
Is at a position moved by the fluid to be measured as described later.

On the other hand, a sensor 13 composed of a magnetically sensitive element is provided on the outer side of the top of the circular tube 20. A counting device 14 that counts the number of balls passing through, a computing device 15 that computes a flow rate based on the counting result of the counting device 14, and a display device 16 that displays the computing result of the computing device 15 are sequentially connected to the sensor 13. And these members 13
Monitor C is composed of 16 to 16.

Next, the mode of measuring the flow rate will be described.

In the state of FIG. 1, when the fluid to be measured flows in from the inflow pipe 21, the ball 12 closing the inflow port 22 is pushed and moved as shown in FIG. At this time, ball 1
Since the fluid to be measured is incompressible and invariable in the volume a between the balls 1 and 2, the balls 1 and 2 are moved to the outlet 24 side by the piston action. Therefore, as shown in FIG.
The ball 1 passes through the sensor 13 of the circular tube 20, the ball 2 approaches the outlet 24, and the measured fluid in the portion b between the ball 2 and the outlet 24 in FIG. 1 flows out from the outlet 24. Let

Further, when the ball 12 moves, the ball 2
Moves to the position of the ball 3 in FIG. 3 and pushes the ball 11 to the position where the inflow port 22 is closed, and the same operation as described above is repeated, so that the balls 1 to 12 circulate in the circular tube 20.
The fluid to be measured enters through the inflow port 22 and flows out through the outflow port 24.

On the other hand, the balls 1 to 1 through which the sensor 13 passes
2 is detected and a detection signal is output. Then, the counting device 1
4 counts the number of detection signals, and the arithmetic unit 15 calculates the flow rate from the count number and the volume a and displays it on the display unit 16.

[0021]

Since the present invention is constructed as described above, it has the following effects.

Since it is a circular tube, the structure is simple and compact, and the balls move smoothly.

Since the circular tube is a non-magnetic material, the ball is a magnetic material, and the sensor is a magnetically sensitive element, the sensor can be easily installed and the resistance is small.

Further, since the balls in the lower portion between the inflow port and the outflow port are pushed out and circulate, a switching mechanism is not necessary for moving the balls.

Therefore, the flow rate can be continuously measured with high accuracy and without pulsation.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which the ball at the top of the lower portion has been pushed and moved from the state of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing a state where the ball has further moved from the state of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A ... Lower part B ... Upper part C ... Monitor a ... Volume between balls 1-12 ... Ball 13 ... Sensor 14 ... Counting device 15 ... Computing device 16 ... Display device 20 ... Circular pipe 21 ... Inflow pipe 22 ... Inflow port 23 ... Outflow pipe 24 ... Outflow port

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A sensor for accommodating a plurality of balls having a diameter substantially equal to a pipe inner diameter in an endless pipe having an inlet and an outlet, a sensor for detecting passage of the balls, an arithmetic means for arithmetically operating a flow rate based on a detection output of the sensor, and an arithmetic operation. A flowmeter comprising a monitor having display means for displaying the flow rate calculated by the means. 2. The flowmeter according to claim 1, wherein the endless tube has a circular shape. 3. The flowmeter according to claim 1, wherein the inlet is obliquely connected to the endless pipe. 4. The flowmeter according to claim 1, wherein the endless tube is installed vertically and balls are retained below the inlet and the outlet. 5. The number of balls in the endless tube is the sum of the number of balls retained in the lower portion of the inlet and the outlet and the number of two or more existing in the upper portion. Through 4
Flowmeter as described. 6. The flowmeter according to claim 1, wherein the endless tube is a non-magnetic material, the ball is a magnetic material, and the sensor is a magnetically sensitive element. 7. The flowmeter according to claim 1, wherein the ball has a specific gravity larger than that of the fluid to be measured.