Abstract: Meter electronics for a Coriolis flowmeter capable of being intrinsically safe. A signal conditioner receives power from a power supply in a host system remote from the signal conditioner. Drive circuitry in the signal conditioner generates a drive signal and applies the drive signal to a driver affixed to at least one conduit of the Coriolis flowmeter. Pick-off signal conditioning circuitry in the signal conditioner receives input signals from a first pick-off sensor and a second pick-off sensor affixed to the at least one conduit of the Coriolis flowmeter, generates information indicating properties of a material flowing through the conduit from the input signals, and transmits output signals containing the information to the host system.

Abstract: A signal analysis system and method for analyzing an input signal acquired from a mechanical system. The mechanical system may include at least one rotating apparatus. The signal analysis system may be configured to: (a) receive samples of the input signal, (b) perform an invertible joint time-frequency transform (e.g.

Abstract: This invention pertains to the detection of leaks in plastic water distribution pipes by processing the sound or vibration induced in the pipe by water escaping under pressure. Acoustic leak signals are measured at two (or more) contact points with the pipe, e.g., fire hydrants or valves, using vibration sensors or hydrophones. The signals are digitally recorded using the computer's soundcard. The leak is located using the difference in arrival times of two leak signals as determined from the cross-correlation function traditionally used in leak detection applications or an enhanced impulse response function. The enhanced impulse response function eliminates the need to filter leak signals before processing and hence avoids the uncertainty involved in selecting filter cutoff frequencies for non-experts. Listening to leak sound in plastic pipes is made possible in software by shifting their low-frequency content to an audible higher range.

Abstract: A method is provided for determining multiple feature variances in a medium. Acoustic sources are positioned on one side of a selected scattering direction. Acoustic receivers are positioned on an opposite side of the selected scattering direction such that, for each acoustic source, there is a corresponding acoustic receiver located at a mirror-imaged position relative to the selected scattering direction, and such that a Bragg scattering wave vector associated with each acoustic source/receiver pair is parallel to the selected scattering direction. Each acoustic source is operated at a unique time to direct a broadband ultrasonic pulse at the region of interest. An acoustic scattered wave reflects from the region of interest and is detected as a waveform at the pair's acoustic receiver. Each waveform is converted to the frequency domain to form a spectral waveform. A band of Bragg wave numbers is determined for each spectral waveform.

Abstract: A process parameter such as mass flow is determined in a vibrating conduit process parameter sensor using a complex modal transformation estimated from a plurality of motion signals representing motion of the parameter sensor conduit. According to an aspect of the invention, a complex eigenvector is provided representing motion of the conduit at the plurality of locations at a known mass flow. A plurality of motion signals is received from a plurality of motion transducers, the plurality of motion signals indicating motion at a plurality of locations on the conduit as a material flows through the conduit. A complex modal transformation relating the received plurality of motion signals to the complex eigenvector is estimated. Mass flow through the conduit is estimated from the known mass flow and the estimated complex modal transformation. Related apparatus and computer program products are also discussed.

Abstract: An ultrasonic flowmeter using ultrasonic pulses transmitted within a pipe containing flowing fluid determines values, including flow rate or fluid velocity of the flowing fluid. The ultrasonic flowmeter transmits trains of ultrasonic pulses having velocity components either in the upstream or downstream direction. The ultrasonic flowmeter includes the transducer placed downstream external to the pipe and a transducer placed upstream external to the pipe. Time measurements are made to determine a time, TU, required for a pulse train to travel from the downstream transducer to the upstream transducer and the time, TD, required for a pulse train to travel from the upstream transducer to the downstream transducer. The ultrasonic flowmeter is configured to have consistent triggering of the pulses of the pulse train to reduce error. Also, the electronics are simplified to allow for lower timing resolution requirements.

Abstract: A process is disclosed for the automated diagnosis of monitored objects, especially of drive strings, with a stationary, fully automatically operating data collecting unit positioned on the monitored object and a monitoring terminal spatially separated therefrom, whereby the quantitative description of the damage condition and therefore the activation of data transfer and subsequent reporting of diagnosis statements at the monitoring terminal is triggered by the significance of a damage property correspondingly weighted by the damage type, or a combination of different damage properties, which are specified by the amplitude of the physical variable corresponding to the kinetic occurrences which are formed for the harmonic excitation within the spectrum of the wide band signal detected by way of sensors at the machine surface, or for the impact impulse type excitation of the high pass filtered envelope curve spectrum of the same signal, or for the discontinuously appearing determinant impulse excitation from t

Abstract: A drive system is taught for controlling the modal content of any number of drive signals used to excite any number of drives on a vibrating conduit such as is found in a Coriolis mass flowmeter or a vibrating tube densimeter. One or more motion signals are obtained from one or more spatially distinct feedback sensors. The motion signals are preferably filtered using a multi-channel modal filter to decompose the motion signals, each of which contain modal content at a plurality of vibration modes, into n single degree of freedom modal response signals. Each modal response signal corresponds to one of the vibration modes at which the vibrating conduit is excited. The n modal response signals are input to a drive channel having a separate processing channel for each of the n modal response signals.

Abstract: Analog test signals may be picked up from the test object with vibration sensors. A computer is equipped with a standard interface card which is connected by an interface, preferably parallel interface, and serves to digitize the test signals. A switching means serves to generate a trigger signal which can be input over a preferably serial interface. An executive routine in the computer switches the input of test signals on and off via the trigger signal.

Abstract: A system and a method for tracking long term performance of a vibrating body such as a gas turbine, includes a vibration sensor who time domain outputs are transformed to the frequency domain, using a fast Fourier transform processing. Frequency domain outputs are provided as inputs to a fuzzy adaptive resonance theory neural network. Outputs from the network can be coupled to an expert system for analysis, to display devices for presentation to an operator or are available for other control and information purposes.

Abstract: A drive system for a vibrating tube-based measurement instrument employing a spatial filter to produce a drive signal having modal content only at a desired vibration mode. Multiple feedback sensors located at different locations along a vibrating tube produce multiple feedback sensors. Each feedback signal has applied to it a weighting or gain factor. All of the weighted feedback signals are then summed to produce a drive signal, or a signal proportional to a drive signal, having improved modal content as compared to any of the feedback signals by themselves. The weighting factors are selected by any of several means. One method is to build the eigenvector matrix for the vibrating flow tube by extracting the eigenvectors from a finite element model of the vibrating structure. The inverse or psuedo-inverse of the eigenvector matrix is calculated to obtain the modal filter vector. The appropriate set of weighting coefficients are selected from the modal filter vector.

Abstract: Liquid gauging system for liquid in a container includes a plurality of sensors; each of the sensors measuring a respective parameter of the liquid in the container and producing a sensor output related to its measured parameter; there being at least two sensors that measure different parameters of the liquid; and a processor that receives the sensor outputs and determines, based on the sensor outputs, a quantity of the liquid in the container; the processor determining the quantity by executing at least one sensor fusion algorithm that is based on a set of relationships between the measured parameters and the quantity. The gauging system can also include a data fusion process for determining quantity based on a plurality of quantity measurements.

Abstract: 051545044A method and apparatus for compressing, storing and transmitting measurement data correlative to machine status is disclosed in which the measurement data is continuously sensed, sampled and processed to extract significant spectral elements including magnitude and phase information from each successive period of the originally measured data and to store those spectral elements in a memory means from an initial period of significant spectral elements and each successive period of significant spectral elements which have changed since the previous period for developing a compressed data history correlative to a continuous history of the status of the machine being monitored and from which continuous signals can be regenerated and analyzed for any earlier historical time.

Abstract: A system for training a neural network to synthesize vibration data relating to the operation of a machine. The system includes a first sensor operatively coupleable to the machine, the first sensor adapted to obtain at least one vibration signal relating to the operation of the machine. The system further includes a second sensor operatively coupleable to a power lead of the machine, the second sensor adapted to obtain at least one current signal relating to the operation of a machine. Additionally, the system includes a neural network operatively coupleable to the second sensor, the neural network being trainable to generate at least one synthesized vibration signal from the current signal, wherein the synthesized vibration signal is substantially equivalent to the vibration signal obtained from the first sensor.

Abstract: A component machine testing technique is provided that performs diagnostic analysis on a vibration signal of the component machine that has been separated from power and load machine background noise in a first neural network. The diagnostic analysis, with operator direction through an interactive interface, uses a second neural network in performing a series of diagnostic operations followed by archival of any experience acquired in the testing operation being performed.In the diagnostic analysis, both time based and frequency based vibration signal information from the component machine under test are used together through a simultaneous multiple display interactive interface under operator direction.