Abstract: An air supply system is provided with multiple direct driven electrical control valves to control the flow of air throughout a building. Each control valve has a variable orifice with a reciprocably adjustable shaped spool, located between the inlet and outlet fittings. An electric stepping motor is directly connected to the spool through a suitable screw thread and spline arrangement to effect this reciprocable adjustment of the spool. Each motor is directly driven by pulses sent from a computer or microprocessor which provides positioning input for the valves in response to sensed conditions, thereby accurately controlling and adjusting flow of air throughout a building air supply system.

Abstract: A modular oscillating piston-type fluid meter including a plurality of three or more oscillating piston measuring modules in stacked relationship to each other, each of the measuring modules having a piston operatively connected for synchronous, conjoint rotation with the pistons of adjacent measuring modules. The measuring modules are substantially identical to each other and include a body portion which defines a cylindrical chamber. Outlet and inlet ports communicate with the cylindrical chamber. Fluid is supplied to the ports by internal or external manifolding conduits.

Abstract: Each of a number of remote subscriber telephones is connected through its own pair of lines, including ground lines, to a central office in the usual way. Each of many or all of the subscriber telephones has near it a special subscriber end equipment for doing a local job and connected across the related subscriber telephone. In the central office where the ground lines merge into a ground line going to one side of the standard direct current battery, supplying the remote subscriber telephones, there is a modulator in series in the ground line and effective to vary the voltage across the regular line pairs at a frequency or frequencies other than the voice frequency range but effective to actuate all of the special subscriber end equipments.

Abstract: A mass rate flow meter is provided having a universally-mounted gyroscopic apparatus against which a fluid stream, the mass rate of flow of which is to be measured, is directed. The fluid drives the rotor of the gyroscopic apparatus at and angular velocity proportional to the fluid stream velocity and impinges upon a pressure pad mounted on the gyroscopic apparatus, such that the effective impingement force is applied asymmetrically to the rotor, thereby applying a torque to the gyroscopic apparatus proportional to the dynamic pressure of the fluid stream and causing precessional rotation of the gyroscopic apparatus. The resulting precessional rotation of the gyroscopic apparatus is at a rate proportional to the mass rate of flow of the fluid. Measurement of the precessional rotation of the gyroscopic apparatus provides an indication of the mass rate of flow, and totalization of the precessional rotations provides total mass flow indications.

Abstract: A control valve has a body with an orifice open to an inlet port and to an outlet port. A valve sleeve is movable along an axis in the body to move a valve needle into and out of the orifice. A first bellows engages the body and valve sleeve to preclude leakage between them. An actuator housing on the body defines a first compartment and a second compartment spaced apart along the axis. There is a packing stem and an actuator stem secured to the valve sleeves and together extending through the first compartment into the second compartment. The stems carry devices to engage electrical circuit control mechanism in the first compartment. The end of the second compartment is closed by a mounting disc, and leakage between the actuator stem and the mounting disc is precluded by a packing. A recessed disc spans an end of the second compartment. There is a flexible diaphragm in the recessed disc partially spanning a chamber therein.

Abstract: A compound meter assembly is provided having primary and secondary passageways housing a high flow rate meter and a low flow rate meter, respectively. A composite flow responsive first valve is disposed within the secondary passageway and moves to a substantially closed position when the liquid flow through said passageway is increasing and exceeds a first predetermined rate. Upon substantial closing of the first valve, a substantial momentary pressure impulse is created and the liquid flow is diverted from the secondary passageway to the primary passageway.

Abstract: A compound meter assembly is provided having primary and secondary passageways housing a high flow rate meter and a low flow rate meter, respectively. A flow responsive first valve is disposed within the secondary passageway and moves to a substantially closed position when the liquid flow is increasing through the secondary passageway and exceeds a first predetermined rate. Upon substantial closing of the first valve the liquid flow is diverted from the secondary passageway to the primary passageway. A pressure responsive second valve is disposed within the primary passageway and is held in a closed position with respect to the primary passageway while the pressure drop is below a first predetermined amount across the meter. The second valve is forced to an open position when a substantial pressure impulse is momentarily exerted on the second valve. The pressure impulse is created when the liquid flow is diverted from the secondary passageway by substantial closing of the first valve.

Abstract: A threaded coupling in which the connecting threads are carried on a replaceable sleeve which snap locks onto the end of the primary member such that the thread unit may easily be assembled on or removed from the primary member and replaced when worn or damaged.

Abstract: A compound meter assembly is provided having primary and secondary passageways housing a high flow rate meter and a low flow rate meter, respectively. A flow responsive first valve is disposed within the secondary passageway and moves to a substantially closed position when the liquid flow is increasing through the secondary passageway and exceeds a first predetermined rate. Upon substantial closing of the first valve the liquid flow is diverted from the secondary passageway to the primary passageway. A pressure responsive second valve is disposed within the primary passageway and is held in a closed position with respect to the primary passageway while the pressure drop is below a first predetermined amount across the meter. The second valve is forced to an open position when a substantial pressure impulse is momentarily exerted on the second valve. The pressure impulse is created when the liquid flow is diverted from the secondary passageway by substantial closing of the first valve.

Abstract: A compound meter assembly is provided having primary and secondary passageways housing a high flow rate meter and a low flow rate meter, respectively. A composite flow responsive first valve is disposed within the secondary passageway and moves to a substantially closed position when the liquid flow through said passageway is increasing and exceeds a first predetermined rate. Upon substantial closing of the first valve, a substantial momentary pressure impulse is created and the liquid flow is diverted from the secondary passageway to the primary passageway.

Abstract: An improved apparatus and method for measuring fluid flow in a conduit enables the transmission of ultrasonic signals through the fluid with low signal attenuation and unique phase determination. Ultrasonic burst signals are simultaneously transmitted to axially spaced receivers adjacent a conduit. The transmitted signal is made up of a signal burst having two different frequency signals. The signal frequencies are selected to prevent unwanted signal attenuation by entrapped gases in the fluid and to allow an unambiguous phase determination for the received signal burst.

Abstract: A device for automatically reading one or more meters at a remote location and supplying the information read over telephone lines to a central station includes a coupler effective on command from the central station to furnish power to the meter reading device from the telephone lines and to energize the device to duplicate the readings of the meter counters in sequence to respective registers, from which the readings are encoded in an encoder effective to transmit the information through the coupler and over the telephone lines to a central station by frequency-shift modulation, and to repeat the message until signalled by the central station to stop.

Abstract: In an open channel in which liquid flows, there are provided a first flow velocity measuring device and a second liquid level or height measuring device. At flows above a predetermined level the first and second devices are coupled to give a flow quantity readout. Below the predetermined flow level the height measuring device is automatically uncoupled from the velocity measuring device and is coupled to a computer in which the output of the height measuring device is substituted in a known formula relating height with flow quantity to give a flow quantity readout, the readouts for all levels being substantially continuous.

Abstract: A turbine meter having a center support bearing structure including components with mating coaxial cylindrical bearing surfaces formed of fired ceramic materials, in which one of the bearing surfaces is formed of a high strength ceramic consisting of at least 99.9% alumina having a crystal size of less than about 6 microns, and has a surface finish of about 7 microinches or less.

Abstract: Liquid is supplied to a meter test stand at a uniform pressure, and the flow through the meters on the stand automatically is directed to each of three receptacles in sequence at three different flow rates during each test cycle. Level sensors in each receptacle actuate cycling controls and actuate sensing and recording components. The latter components monitor the rate of flow registration of the meters on test and provide an accurate comparison by percent of the measured flow rate to the actual flow rate. A high degree of accuracy is achieved through the use of a phase locked loop and digital control system which responds to the level sensing and cycling controls to provide a print-out of the comparison as a measure of accuracy of the meter at each such flow rate.

Abstract: Facing each other diagonally across a pipe for flowing fluid is a pair of like, transmitter-receiver units operating with signals of supersonic frequency. The units are in a joint circuit and periodically are simultaneously energized to transmit identical signals to each other in opposite directions in high frequency bursts, each burst being of a chosen number of cycles and being shorter than the transmission time between the units. The bursts, received between successive transmissions, are phase shifted with respect to each other, resulting from one burst being speeded up and the other burst being slowed down in accordance with the velocity of the liquid traversed. The received bursts, in sine wave form, are heterodyned with a cosine wave form modulating signal to produce a sine wave resulting signal dependent upon phase difference between the bursts and at a low frequency.

Abstract: A unitary molded venturi flume unit, for use in measuring liquid flow through a conduit, has a closed-end well section at one end of the flume throat and a connecting nipple section defining an access passage which extends from the lower portion of the well for sealed connection with a conduit. The walls of the throat and well sections extend substantially above the access passage and cause all liquid flowing through the conduit to flow through the throat. In use, a tranquil flow pool of the liquid is formed at the inlet side of the throat section. The depth of this tranquil flow pool exceeds the depth of normal rapid flow in the conduit, and may substantially exceed the height of the access passage and connecting conduit, for accurate measuring of flow through the conduit over a wide range of flow rates by sensing of the amplified liquid head on the inlet side of said throat.

Abstract: A connector construction employs a tail piece having a ball end, a socket element having a distendable end adapted to be snapped over said ball end and a coupling nut adapted to house the ball end and socket while threadedly engaging a pipe distal end to be connected thereto. The nut, when threaded into engagement with the pipe element, urges the socket element into fluid sealing engagement with the ball end and nut regardless of the angular disposition of the tail piece relative to the pipe element. The provided connector is particularly adapted for use with water meters or in similar applications in which spaced pipe ends or conduits to be interconnected by an interposed meter or the like are misaligned.