Patents by Inventor Thomas Dean Sharp

Thomas Dean Sharp has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7706987
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for periodically calculating the relative phase of the left eigenvector for a vibrating conduit is provided. During normal operation, two drivers are used in tandem to excite the main bending mode of the conduit (202). Periodically, first one (204), then the second (206), of the two drivers is disabled, allowing measurements that enable the determination of the relative phase of the left eigenvector (208) for the vibrating conduit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2010
    Assignee: Micro Motion, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas Dean Sharp, David Frederick Normen, Stuart J. Shelley
  • Patent number: 7441469
    Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed that measures the flow through a conduit (702) by measuring the Coriolis coupling between two vibration modes in the conduit. The conduit is first excited at two different vibration modes at two different frequencies (704). The coupling between the two modes is determined by forcing the phases of the two modes at the off mode frequency to be zero (708). The flow through the conduit can then be determined using the magnitude of the forces required to drive the phases of the two modes at the off mode frequency to zero (710).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2008
    Assignee: Micro Motion, Inc.
    Inventors: Stuart J. Shelley, Thomas Dean Sharp
  • Publication number: 20080092667
    Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed that measures the flow through a conduit (702) by measuring the Coriolis coupling between two vibration modes in the conduit. The conduit is first excited at two different vibration modes at two different frequencies (704). The coupling between the two modes is determined by forcing the phases of the two modes at the off mode frequency to be zero (708). The flow through the conduit can then be determined using the magnitude of the forces required to drive the phases of the two modes at the off mode frequency to zero (710).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2004
    Publication date: April 24, 2008
    Applicant: Micro Motion, Inc.
    Inventors: Stuart J. Shelly, Thomas Dean Sharp
  • Patent number: 7185315
    Abstract: An apparatus, program product and method visually represent the disparities between a target design such as a DSP program design and a reference system in connection with the display of a graphical representation of the design, specifically in association with one or more connection elements representing connections defined within the target design. By doing so, a designer, developer or tester who is working with a particular target design is better able to identify and analyze potential problems or other unexpected and/or unintended behaviors in a target design.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2007
    Assignee: Sheet Dynamics, Ltd.
    Inventors: Thomas Dean Sharp, Matthew Joseph Rensing
  • Publication number: 20040168107
    Abstract: An apparatus, program product and method visually represent the disparities between a target design such as a DSP program design and a reference system in connection with the display of a graphical representation of the design, specifically in association with one or more connection elements representing connections defined within the target design. By doing so, a designer, developer or tester who is working with a particular target design is better able to identify and analyze potential problems or other unexpected and/or unintended behaviors in a target design.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2003
    Publication date: August 26, 2004
    Applicant: Sheet Dynamics, Ltd.
    Inventors: Thomas Dean Sharp, Matthew Joseph Rensing
  • Patent number: 6694279
    Abstract: Movement of a structure, such a conduit of a Coriolis mass flowmeter, is estimated. A plurality of motion signals representing motion of the structure are mode selective filtered to generate a plurality of mode selective filtered motion signals such that the mode selective filtered motion signals preferentially represent motion associated with a vibrational mode of the structure. A plurality of phase estimates is generated from the plurality of mode selective filtered motion signals. The plurality of phase estimates may be generated using a phase reference derived from a mode selective filtered motion signal of the plurality of mode selective filtered motion signals. According to some embodiments, a frequency of a mode selective filtered motion signal is estimated, and quadrature first and second reference signals are generated based on the estimated frequency. The plurality of phase estimates is generated from the mode selective filtered motion signals and the reference signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2004
    Assignee: Micro Motion, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy J. Cunningham, David Lee Campbell, Thomas Dean Sharp
  • Patent number: 6535826
    Abstract: Motion signals representing motion of a conduit of a mass flowmeter are mode selective filtered to generate a plurality of mode selective filtered motion signals such that the plurality of mode selective filtered motion signals preferentially represent motion associated with a vibrational mode of the conduit. A plurality of time difference estimates is generated from the plurality of mode selective filtered motion signals. A correlation measure is generated from the plurality of time difference estimates. A status of the mass flowmeter system is determined from the generated correlation measure. In some embodiments, the correlation measure comprises an intercept parameter of a scaling function that relates the plurality of time difference estimates to a plurality of reference time differences representing motion of the conduit at a known mass flow. In other embodiments, the correlation measure comprises a correlation coefficient estimated from the plurality of time difference estimates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2003
    Assignee: Micro Motion, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy J. Cunningham, David Lee Campbell, Thomas Dean Sharp
  • Publication number: 20020183951
    Abstract: Movement of a structure, such a conduit of a Coriolis mass flowmeter, is estimated. A plurality of motion signals representing motion of the structure are mode selective filtered to generate a plurality of mode selective filtered motion signals such that the mode selective filtered motion signals preferentially represent motion associated with a vibrational mode of the structure. A plurality of phase estimates is generated from the plurality of mode selective filtered motion signals. The plurality of phase estimates may be generated using a phase reference derived from a mode selective filtered motion signal of the plurality of mode selective filtered motion signals. According to some embodiments, a frequency of a mode selective filtered motion signal is estimated, and quadrature first and second reference signals are generated based on the estimated frequency. The plurality of phase estimates is generated from the plurality of mode selective filtered motion signals and the first and second reference signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2001
    Publication date: December 5, 2002
    Inventors: Timothy J. Cunningham, David Lee Campbell, Thomas Dean Sharp
  • Publication number: 20020183941
    Abstract: Motion signals representing motion of a conduit of a mass flowmeter are mode selective filtered to generate a plurality of mode selective filtered motion signals such that the plurality of mode selective filtered motion signals preferentially represent motion associated with a vibrational mode of the conduit. A plurality of time difference estimates is generated from the plurality of mode selective filtered motion signals. A correlation measure is generated from the plurality of time difference estimates. A status of the mass flowmeter system is determined from the generated correlation measure. In some embodiments, the correlation measure comprises an intercept parameter of a scaling function that relates the plurality of time difference estimates to a plurality of reference time differences representing motion of the conduit at a known mass flow. In other embodiments, the correlation measure comprises a correlation coefficient estimated from the plurality of time difference estimates.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2001
    Publication date: December 5, 2002
    Inventors: Timothy J. Cunningham, David Lee Campbell, Thomas Dean Sharp
  • Patent number: 6466880
    Abstract: Mass flow of a material in a conduit is estimated by mode selective filtering a plurality of motion signals representing motion of the conduit to generate a plurality of mode selective filtered motion signals such that the mode selective filtered motion signals preferentially represent motion associated with a vibrational mode of the conduit. A plurality of phase estimates is generated from the plurality of mode selective filtered motion signals. A mass flow estimate is generated from the plurality of phase estimates. The plurality of phase estimates may be estimated using a phase reference derived from one of the plurality of mode selective filtered motion signals. In some embodiments, a frequency of a mode selective filtered motion signal of the plurality of mode selective filtered motion signals is estimated. Quadrature first and second reference signals are generated based on the estimated frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2002
    Assignee: Micro Motion, Inc.
    Inventors: Timothy J. Cunningham, David Lee Campbell, Thomas Dean Sharp
  • Publication number: 20020143481
    Abstract: Mass flow of a material in a conduit is estimated by mode selective filtering a plurality of motion signals representing motion of the conduit to generate a plurality of mode selective filtered motion signals such that the mode selective filtered motion signals preferentially represent motion associated with a vibrational mode of the conduit. A plurality of phase estimates is generated from the plurality of mode selective filtered motion signals. A mass flow estimate is generated from the plurality of phase estimates. The plurality of phase estimates may be estimated using a phase reference derived from one of the plurality of mode selective filtered motion signals. In some embodiments, a frequency of a mode selective filtered motion signal of the plurality of mode selective filtered motion signals is estimated. Quadrature first and second reference signals are generated based on the estimated frequency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2001
    Publication date: October 3, 2002
    Inventors: Timothy J. Cunningham, David Lee Campbell, Thomas Dean Sharp
  • Patent number: 6378354
    Abstract: A system for calibrating a drive signal applied to a driver affixed to a conduit to cause the driver to apply a force that vibrates the conduit in a desired mode of vibration. The calibration is completed by first developing a mathematical model of the apparatus and then using the model to mathematically calculate a proper drive signal voltage. The development of a model of the dynamics and calculation of the drive signal voltage are completed by vibrating the conduit, measuring the vibrations of the conduit, detecting physical characteristics of the apparatus from the measured vibrations, and determining a drive signal that causes the driver to oscillate the conduit in a desired mode of vibration responsive to determining the physical characteristics of the apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2002
    Assignee: Micro Motion, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas Dean Sharp