Patents Assigned to Flowtec AG
  • Patent number: 7350422
    Abstract: A measurement pickup includes at least four measuring tubes for conveying media to be measured. Each measuring tube has a first in-/outlet end and a second in-/outlet end. During operation, the measuring tubes vibrate, at least at times, especially simultaneously. The measurement pickup further includes an electromechanical exciter mechanism causing the measuring tube to vibrate, as well as a sensor arrangement reacting at least to local vibrations of the measuring tubes for producing at least one measurement signal influenced by vibrations of the measuring tubes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2008
    Assignee: Endress + Hauser Flowtec AG
    Inventors: Ennio Bitto, Holger Bernhard
  • Patent number: 7350421
    Abstract: The measurement transducer includes a transducer housing, which exhibits a plurality of natural oscillation modes, as well as at least one first flow tube held oscillatably in the transducer housing, vibrating at least at times, and conveying at least a portion of the medium to be measured. Additionally, the measurement transducer includes an electromechanical, especially electrodynamic, exciter arrangement acting on the at least one flow tube for producing and/or maintaining mechanical oscillations of the at least one flow tube, and a sensor arrangement reacting to movements of the flow tube, especially bending oscillations, for producing at least one oscillation measurement signal representing oscillations of the flow tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2008
    Assignee: Endress + Hauser Flowtec AG
    Inventors: Martin Anklin-Imhof, Christian Schuetze
  • Publication number: 20080072688
    Abstract: The measuring system is inserted into the course of a process line and serves for registering at least one measured variable of a medium flowing in the process line. The measuring system includes for such purpose a measuring transducer having a measuring tube serving for conveying medium being measured and a sensor arrangement, which has at least one sensor element reacting primarily to the measured variable to be registered, and which delivers by means of at least one sensor element at least one measurement signal influenced by the measured variable. Further, the measuring system includes a measuring electronics communicating with the measuring transducer and using the at least one measurement signal for producing, at least at times, at least one measured value instantaneously representing the measured variable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2007
    Publication date: March 27, 2008
    Applicant: Endress + Hauser Flowtec AG
    Inventor: Rainer Hoecker
  • Publication number: 20080072686
    Abstract: The measuring system is inserted into the course of a process line and serves for registering at least one measured variable of a medium flowing in the process line. The measuring system includes for such purpose a measuring transducer having a measuring tube serving for conveying medium being measured and a sensor arrangement, which has at least one sensor element reacting primarily to the measured variable to be registered, and which delivers by means of at least one sensor element at least one measurement signal influenced by the measured variable. Further, the measuring system includes a measuring electronics communicating with the measuring transducer and using the at least one measurement signal for producing, at least at times, at least one measured value instantaneously representing the measured variable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2007
    Publication date: March 27, 2008
    Applicant: Endress + Hauser Flowtec AG
    Inventor: Rainer Hoecker
  • Publication number: 20080066558
    Abstract: The measuring tube of the in-line measuring device is formed by means of a support tube and a liner internally lining the support tube. The liner adheres to the support tube, with interposition of a mediating primer. Both the primer and the liner are composed, at least in part, of polyurethane. Especially, both the polyurethane of the liner and also the polyurethane of the primer are suitable for drinking water applications, so that the in-line measuring device itself is also suited for measuring drinking water.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2007
    Publication date: March 20, 2008
    Applicant: Endress + Hauser Flowtec AG
    Inventors: Thomas Sulzer, Johannes Ruchel, Alexander Stuenzi
  • Patent number: 7345581
    Abstract: An apparatus for monitoring a measurement transmitter of a field device determining and/or monitoring a physical and/or chemical process parameter, wherein at least one sensor is provided inside the a housing, in which the transmitter is arranged. The sensor determines the temperature and relative humidity in the housing over a period of time in predetermined intervals, and a control-/evaluation-unit is provided, which, on the basis of the measured temperature and relative humidity, determines the absolute humidity and/or the dewpoint in the housing of the transmitter, and issues and alarm when the absolute humidity and/or the dewpoint in the housing of the transmitter reaches a critical value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2008
    Assignee: Endress + Hauser Flowtec AG
    Inventor: Christian Matt
  • Publication number: 20080060448
    Abstract: A device for determining and/or monitoring volume and/or mass flow rate of a medium that flows in a direction of flow through a pipeline/measuring tube of inner diameter. The device comprises at least two ultrasonic transducers that emit and/or receive ultrasonic measuring signals along defined sonic paths and a control/evaluation device which determines the volume flow rate and/or the mass flow rate of the medium to be measured inside said pipeline/measuring tube based on the ultrasonic measuring signals according to the travel-time difference principle. In order to provide a multichannel ultrasonic flowmeter, at least one reflector element is placed in the interior of the pipeline/measuring tube. The reflector element has a defined distance from the inner surface of the pipeline/measuring tube and is placed within the sonic path of the ultrasound measuring signals running through the pipeline/measuring tube.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2005
    Publication date: March 13, 2008
    Applicant: ENDRESS + FLOWTEC AG
    Inventors: Achim Wiest, Andreas Berger
  • Patent number: 7340963
    Abstract: The invention relates to a magneto-inductive method for determining the flow rate of a medium flowing through a measuring tube in the direction of the measuring tube axis. In order to be able to detect a coating formation on a measuring electrode early and with a high degree of certainty, a test pulse (Up) of defined pulse length (tp) is issued to the measuring electrode; at least one signal in response to the test pulse (Up) is determined at at least two measuring points in time (t1, t2), wherein the measuring points in time (t1, t2) lie in a time window (tend-tbegin), which is so selected that no predictable disturbance signals occur on the measuring electrode in this time window (tend-tbegin).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2008
    Assignee: Endress + Hauser Flowtec AG
    Inventor: Thomas Budmiger
  • Publication number: 20080053241
    Abstract: A flow sensor includes: A measuring tube for the conveying of an electrically conductive fluid; a magnetic circuit arrangement arranged on the measuring tube for producing and guiding a magnetic field, which induces an electric field in the flowing fluid; and measuring electrodes for the tapping of a voltage of the electric field. The measuring tube includes a carrier tube and liner, especially a tubular liner, of insulating material, accommodated in a lumen of the carrier tube. A support skeleton may serve for stabilization is embedded in the liner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2004
    Publication date: March 6, 2008
    Applicant: Endress + Hauser Flowtec AG
    Inventors: Fred Kappertz, Frank Voigt, Daniel Wild
  • Publication number: 20080059085
    Abstract: A ultrasonic flow measuring device, which is distinguished by a low energy consumption. A control/evaluation unit ascertains a plurality of sampled values ?, with i=1, 2, 3, . . . ) of a received measuring signal at defined points in time (t) of a predetermined time range and interpolates the sampled values by a continuous function (f(t)), wherein the continuous function (f(t)) is formed by a sum of a predetermined number (n ? N) of wavelets (W) and wherein each wavelet (W) corresponds to the product of a sampled value with a sinc function ( sin ? ( x ) x ) and with a Gaussian bell curve (e???2, ? ? R).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2004
    Publication date: March 6, 2008
    Applicant: Endress + Haiser Flowtec AG
    Inventor: Antoine Simon
  • Publication number: 20080046201
    Abstract: A Coriolis flow measuring device having: At least one exciter system, which causes at least one measuring tube flowed-through by a medium to oscillate; a first measured value pickup which is provided in the region of the inlet of the measuring tube and which outputs an entrance signal; a second measured value pickup, which is arranged in the region of the outlet of the measuring tube and which outputs an exit signal; and a control/evaluation unit, which determines a phase displacement, or a difference of the phase angles, between the entrance signal and the exit via a CORDIC algorithm and which, on the basis of the calculated phase displacement, or on the basis of the calculated phase angle difference, determines mass flow rate, density and/or viscosity of the medium flowing in the measuring tube.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2004
    Publication date: February 21, 2008
    Applicant: Endres + hauser Flowtec AG
    Inventor: Matthias Roost
  • Patent number: 7325462
    Abstract: The measuring transducer includes a transducer housing, as well as an internal part arranged in the transducer housing. The internal part includes at least one curved measuring tube vibrating, at least at times, during operation and serving for conveying the medium, as well as a counteroscillator affixed to the measuring tube on the inlet-side, accompanied by formation of a coupling zone, and to the measuring tube on the outlet-side, accompanied by the formation of a coupling zone. The internal part is held oscillatably in the transducer housing, at least by means of two connecting tube pieces, via which the measuring tube communicates during operation with the pipeline and which are so oriented with respect to one another, as well as with respect to an imaginary longitudinal axis of the measuring transducer, that the internal part can move during operation in the manner of a pendulum about the longitudinal axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignee: Endress + Hauser Flowtec AG
    Inventors: Ennio Bitto, Christian Schütze, Martin Anklin-Imhof, Christof Huber, Dieter Mundschin, Michael Lambrigger
  • Patent number: 7328112
    Abstract: A method of operating a magneto-inductive flow meter in which the damping constant for processing of measurement signal values is automatically increased during a cleaning procedure, in order that, during the cleaning procedure, the amount of the used cleaning medium can be easily determined, despite increased fluctuation in the measurement signal values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignee: Endress + Hauser Flowtec AG
    Inventors: Frank Wandeler, Markus Ruefenacht
  • Patent number: 7325461
    Abstract: The measurement transducer includes at least two oscillatably held transducer tubes vibrating, at least at times, during operation, of which at least one transducer tube serving to convey at least a volume portion of a medium to be measured, communicates with a pipeline; as well as at least one transducer element for converting electrical energy into mechanical and/or vice versa. The two transducer tubes are mechanically coupled together by means of at least one, inlet-side, coupling element and by means of at least one, outlet-side, coupling element in such a manner that both the inlet-side coupling element, as well as also the outlet-side coupling element, are subjected during operation repeatedly to deformations which correspond to vibrations of at least one of the two transducer tubes for converting electrical energy into mechanical, oscillatory energy and/or vice versa.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignee: Endress + Hauser Flowtec AG
    Inventors: Ennio Bitto, Gerhard Eckert, Sergej Lopatin, Christian Matt, Helmut Pfeiffer, Alfred Rieder, Martin Anklin-Imhof, Martin Stucki
  • Publication number: 20080011099
    Abstract: A method for signal processing of measurement signals of a vortex flow transducer for measuring flow of a medium through a measuring tube. The method is characterized by low needs as regards computing power and memory space. The transducer includes a bluff body arranged in the measuring tube and a sensor for registering pressure fluctuations arising at the bluff body and for converting such pressure fluctuations into an electrical measurement signal. In the method, at least a portion of the measurement signal is sampled and digitized, an autocorrelation of the digitized measurement signal is calculated, and the flow is derived on the basis of at least one characteristic of the autocorrelation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2007
    Publication date: January 17, 2008
    Applicant: Endress + Hauser Flowtec AG
    Inventors: Saso Jezernik, Ole Koudal, Rainer Hocker
  • Publication number: 20080013226
    Abstract: A field-device electronics for a field device. The field device electronics is supplied from an external electrical energy supply providing a supply voltage and delivering a variable supply current driven by the supply voltage. The field-device electronics includes an internal control unit for controlling the field device, as well as at least one internal supply circuit feeding the internal control unit. The supply current is a mixed current formed by superimposing and/or modulation of an alternating current portion onto a direct current portion. The internal supply circuit uses, at least at times and/or at least in part, also the alternating current portion of the mixed current for covering an instantaneous energy requirement of the control unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2007
    Publication date: January 17, 2008
    Applicant: Endress + Hauser Flowtec AG
    Inventor: Michael Kirst
  • Publication number: 20080015799
    Abstract: Field-device electronics including an electric current adjuster, through which a supply current flows. The electric current adjuster adjusts and/or modulates the supply current. The supply current is driven by a supply voltage provided by the external energy supply. Additionally, the field-device electronics has an internal operating and evaluating circuit for controlling the field device, as well as an internal supply circuit lying at a field-device electronics, internal input voltage derived from the supply voltage and feeding the internal operating and evaluating circuit. Provided in the supply circuit is a useful-voltage controller flowed-through, at least at times, by a first component of the supply current. The useful-voltage controller provides in the field-device electronics a first internal, useful voltage controlled to be essentially constant at a predetermined, first voltage level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2007
    Publication date: January 17, 2008
    Applicant: Endress + Hauser Flowtec AG
    Inventor: Robert Lalla
  • Publication number: 20070295102
    Abstract: The measuring tube of an in-line measuring device is formed by means of a support tube and a liner internally lining the support tube. The liner adheres to the support tube, with interposition of a mediating primer. Both the primer and the liner are composed, at least in part, of polyurethane. Especially, both the polyurethane of the liner and also the polyurethane of the primer are suitable for drinking water applications, so that the in-line measuring device itself is also suited for measuring drinking water.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2007
    Publication date: December 27, 2007
    Applicant: Endress + Hauser Flowtec AG
    Inventors: Thomas Sulzer, Johannes Ruchel, Alexander Stuenzi
  • Publication number: 20070277624
    Abstract: A measurement pickup, or transducer, includes at least one measuring tube for the conveying of a fluid. The measuring tube has an inlet end and an outlet end and vibrates at least at times. For enabling the fluid to be measured to flow through the measuring tube, the measuring tube communicates, via a first tube segment opening into the inlet end and via a second tube segment opening into the outlet end, with a pipeline connected therewith. For the oscillatable holding of the measuring tube, the measurement pickup further includes a support element having a first end piece containing a passageway for the securement of the first tube segment and having a second end piece containing a passageway for the securement of the second tube segment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2004
    Publication date: December 6, 2007
    Applicant: Endress + Hauser Flowtec AG
    Inventors: Alfred Rieder, Wolfgang Drahm
  • Publication number: 20070277604
    Abstract: A measuring device, includes: a sensor module having a sensor compartment in which a physical-to-electrical sensor is arranged; and an electronics module, having an electronics compartment, in which a measuring device electronics is arranged. Additionally, the measuring device includes a first connecting element mounted on the electronics module and electrically connected with the measuring device electronics, and a second connecting element mounted on the sensor module and electrically connected with the sensor. Sensor module and electronics module are releasably, mechanically connected together, accompanied by formation of a connecting compartment lying between the sensor compartment and the electronics compartment, and, preferably, sealed fluid-tightly, and/or pressure-tightly, relative to a surrounding atmosphere.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2004
    Publication date: December 6, 2007
    Applicant: Endress + Hauser Flowtec AG
    Inventors: Robert Cudini, Bruno Worreth, Ivo Braegger, Cedric Jeanneret, Kilian Stern