Abstract: A compact gas consumption measuring device which is flexibly insertable into existing gas installations includes in a single compact housing, a permanently installed flowmeter, and a pressure-control device and a shut-off valve, which are modularly constructed in two parts. Additionally, several spatially staggered gas admission and gas discharge ports are provided. To this end, the housing possesses, on the front side, slide-in openings into which one basic module each is inserted and secured. Assigned to each basic module are a function module and a blank module which, depending on the requirement, are insertable into the basic module and are sealable gastight to the outside. The basic modules and the assigned function modules are each provided with a gas intake and gas discharge wells and are connected to each other in such a way that they are connected in series to the flowmeter as well as to the connecting ports for gas admission and for gas exhaust.

Abstract: A web tension sensing device supports the end of a rotating roll by means of a housing. A bearing within the housing transmits forces to a beam which carries a strain gage. The beam is mounted within a cylindrical body which can be secured to a fixed structure in a variety of ways.The beam has a flat middle portion of reduced thickness, where the strain gage is located, and the forward end of the beam is fitted within the bearing, which is a spherical self-aligning bearing.

Abstract: A character recognition apparatus uses a magnetic head to read magnetic printed coded characters from a passing cheque 10. A head 24 using a circuit including a delay line 58 drives a controller 76 which, should a character not instantly be recognized by matching against templates, first varies the presumed speed by plus or minus 10% to see if a match can be found, then suppresses each detected edge in the character, in turn, to determine whether or not a match can be found. Each edge is used to create subsequent timing windows wherein a subsequent edge may be detected. The use of timing windows suppresses erroneous edge detection.

Abstract: A mass flow meter for flow media which works primarily on the Coriolis Principle has a pipe inlet, a straight pipe carrying the flow medium, a pipe outlet, an oscillation generator operating on the pipe and two transducers detecting preferably Coriolis forces and/or Coriolis oscillations affecting Coriolis forces. The flow meter has a relatively low natural frequency at a certain layout length or a relatively short layout length at a certain natural frequency, and in this way, the oscillation generator engages the pipe via an articulated arm so that the conduit is excited to torsional and bending vibrations.

Abstract: A rotary type flowmeter having a variable orifice through which the flow to be measured is directed toward a rotatable needle. A preload is also applied and which may be varied as desired. By the use of the variable orifice and with the preload, the same flowmeter may be used for differing ranges of flow by minor adjustment and various indicating scales may be taylored to the particular flow being monitored.

Abstract: A disconnectable flow connector is formed of (a) a frusto-conical taper pin having a longitudinal bore through which the end portion of a flow tube of a mass flow sensor is inserted and secured and (b) a connector base containing a matched frusto-conical taper bore. The taper pin can be press-fit into the taper bore to form a fluid flow passage having a leakage level less than about 10.sup.-9 scc/sec helium.

Abstract: A demodulator comprising an OR/NOR circuit, an exclusive OR/NOR circuit, and a delay circuit is disclosed as that capable of being suitably formed into a monolithic IC. Also, a polarization diversity receiver for coherent optical communication using the above demodulator as its constituent is disclosed as that having a smaller number of variable gain amplifiers and accordingly having the controlling circuit made simpler in structure.

Abstract: A fluid flow measuring device having a positive displacement piston in a precise bore glass flowtube, with flexible diaphragms at opposite ends of the flowtube, to seal the flowtube from the ambient environment. The flowtube is filled with a pure fluid or gas for uncontaminated operation of the piston. Movement of the piston within the sealed flowtube is controlled by controlling the movement of each diaphragm. The diaphragms are supported in a housing connected to each opposite end of the flowtube, with a plenum chamber in communication with each diaphragm, and with means for the ingress and egress of the fluid under flow measurement with the plenum chamber.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for ascertaining the relative amount of two or more phases present in a multiphase flow, such as produced petroleum, through a pipe. Multiphase flow is temporarily diverted into a test section. Normal flow is then restored with fluids trapped in the test pipe. One or more floats of proper densities inside the test pipe are allowed to float to and stabilize at positions representative of the phase interfaces. An electromagnetic, radioactive, acoustic, or other sensor is used from outside the test pipe to locate the interfaces as indicated by the position of the floats. The relative amount of the various phases is then calculated. In an alternative embodiment, the velocity of a piston located inside the test section is also measured to give the total flow rate of the multiphase flow. The total volumetric flow rate, along with the relative phase amounts gives the absolute volumetric phase flow rates.

Abstract: In a cellular mobile-radio system with radio stations and transmission facilities remote therefrom, the radio stations send out radio signals and receive radio signals which, in each case, contain information signals. According to the invention, as many as possible of the processing functions are shifted from the radio stations to the transmission facilities. The radio signal to be sent out by the radio station is easily generated in the radio station because in the transmission facility, an unmodulated carrier and a carrier modulated with the information signal is produced, in which case the carriers differ in frequency by the amount of the carrier frequency of the radio signal. These two optical carriers are transmitted to the radio station and are mixed there in an optical receiver, so that the radio signal containing the information signal is generated. A radio signal that is received in a radio station is transmitted optically to a the transmission facility and is processed further there.

Abstract: The necked down transitional nozzle or channel leading to the measurement channel of a compact microanemometer gas meter having an open sensor is modified by introducing a flattened sector opposite the mounted sensor to eliminate particulate matter from being scattered in the direction of the sensor.

Abstract: A flowmeter comprises a first electrode disposed on a first cross section of the flow passage and a second electrode disposed on a second cross section of the flow passage downstream of the first cross section, and an alternating electric power supply providing an alternating electric potential difference across the first and second electrodes, that creates flow of electric current across the first and second electrodes in two opposite directions, wherein the fluid velocity is determined as a function of difference between the electric current flowing from the first electrode to the second electrode and the electric current flowing from the second electrode to the first electrode.

Abstract: The flow tube of a ceramic material used for a magnetic flowmeter is formed with electrodes that are positioned in the wall of the tube and form a fluid tight fitting. The electrodes have a center plug made of a ceramic material with a metallization layer between the plug and the surface of the opening in the flow tube. The inner ends of the plugs are covered with a conductive ceramic electrode layer that electrically joins the metallization on the plugs to couple the EMF generated by the flowing fluid to the exterior of the flow tube. The conductive ceramic layer is engaged by the fluid in the flowmeter to protect the metallization from erosion. The electrodes are connected to suitable circuitry on their exterior ends.

Abstract: A vortex flowmeter has an elongated vortex generator in the flow passage of a body and transverse to the direction of flow. A first wing is located in the flow passage downstream of the generator and a second wing is located downstream from the first wing. A sensor is associated with each wing to provide a signal responsive to movement of the wing, and the signals are combined to have external noise components of the signals cancel each other. In one embodiment, the wings are shorter than a vortex street wavelength, and the wings are separated by a distance that is an odd multiple of the half wavelength. In another embodiment, the wings each have a length of about one wavelength.

Abstract: An apparatus and method including a load cell mounting apparatus movably mounted on a load cell which applies either of two types of loads to the load cell as one type of load. The apparatus and method for applying either a tensile load or a compressive load to a load cell as a tensile load; and a tong assembly with such apparatus or in another aspect, for applying either a tensile load or a compressive load to a load cell as a compressive load; and, a tong assembly with such apparatus.

Abstract: An airflow sensor formed on a silicon chip comprises a silicon base covered with an insulating polyimide layer, a lineal resistance heater on the chip energized with current pulses to propagate thermal waves, and a thermistor on the chip downstream of the heater to detect the arrival of each thermal wave. Circuitry determines flow rate as a function of the measured propagation time of the thermal wave. The thermistor may be replaced by a bridge of four resistive elements of which only one or two are sensitive to the thermal wave. The thermistor material is platinum, polycrystalline silicon or amorphous silicon which exhibit high temperature coefficients of resistance.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for directly measuring the time-averaged streamwise momentum in a turbulent stream use a probe which has total head response which varies as the cosine-squared of the angle of incidence. The probe has a nose with a slight indentation on its front face for providing the desired response. The method of making the probe incorporates unique design features. Another probe may be positioned in a side-by-side relationship to the first probe to provide a direct measurement of the total pressure. The difference between the two pressures yields the sum of the squares of the cross-stream components of the turbulence level.

Abstract: A mass flowmeter comprises a pair of conduits with extremities restrained from lateral deflections disposed parallel to one another, each of which pair of conduits includes two end sections extending from the respective restrained extremities thereof and connected to one another by a curved or looped midsection, which two end sections are tied together by a clamp; wherein an electromagnetic vibrator exerting oscillating force for the two clamped combinations of the pair of end sections generates relative flexural vibration between the pair of conduits, and the mass flow rate of media moving through the pair of conduits is determined from the degree of asymmetry in the relative flexural vibration between the two opposite halves of the combination of the pair of conduits.

Abstract: Two discrete self-heating elements are provided in a silicon based sensor structure. The first, "transfer" self-heating element receives constant current and elevates the temperature of the sensor structure to a desired initial temperature above ambient. The second, "sensor" self-heating element is thermally coupled to the first element and receives a current adjusted based on the difference between ambient temperature and the sensor structure temperature so as to maintain a constant temperature difference. Most of the current flowing through the sensor heating element is thus attributable to fluid flow, and this current can therefore be conveniently used to determine fluid flow parameters (e.g., mass air flow). The elements may comprise thin films which may be interlaced or stacked vertically.

Abstract: A thermal flow sensor comprising a bridge circuit positioned in a fluid and including a platinum wire as a thermal resistor, an air temperature sensor and a pair of resistors, and a temperature control circuit for controlling a current flowing through the platinum wire to keep the bridge circuit in a thermally balanced condition. A voltage V.sub.h depending on a flow rate and output from the bridge circuit is input to a non-inverting input terminal of an operational amplifier. A sum of the currents output from the first and second constant current circuits connected to the non-inverting and inverting input terminals of the operational amplifier is set to zero by a constant current control circuit when the output voltage V.sub.h is equal to or less than a predetermined value and gradually increases from zero with an increase in the output voltage V.sub.h when V.sub.h is higher than the predetermined value.