Vibro-Meter, Inc. Patent applications |
Patent application number | Title | Published |
20110246100 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IDENTIFYING FLUIDS AND MONITORING FLUID QUALITY IN A VESSEL - Methods and systems are disclosed for using time domain reflectometry to determine the identity of a fluid in a vessel, and to determine whether the quality of a fluid in a vessel is within acceptable parameters. Methods include identifying a fluid by comparing a derived characteristic of a fluid to a reference characteristic, determining the quality of a fluid by determining if a derived characteristic is within an acceptable quality range, monitoring a fluid for a dynamic change in quality or state, and identifying a fluid by comparing a transition reflection waveform to a reference signature transition. The methods are implemented in systems for identifying a fluid layer in a vessel, such as fuel, free liquid water or ice, detecting misfueling or fuel contamination, and detecting fluid state changes, such as the formation of ice. | 10-06-2011 |
20110241698 | Vessel Probe Connector with Solid Dielectric Therein - A modular TDR probe assembly is presented. The probe assembly includes a first section with a central conductor and an outer conductor having a first impedance, and a second section with a central conductor and an outer conductor having a second impedance. An impedance matching elbow joins the first section and the second section. The elbow contains a solid dielectric insert with a bore passing through it housing a terminal pin that conveys electrical signals between the center conductor of the first section and the center conductor of the second section. | 10-06-2011 |
20110209543 | System and Method for Accurately Measuring Fluid Level in a Vessel - An apparatus and method for measuring a level of a liquid is provided. Generally, the apparatus contains a first coaxial cable section including a first center conductor, a first outer conductor and a solid dielectric between the first center conductor and first outer conductor. The apparatus also contains a second coaxial cable section including a second center conductor, a second outer conductor and an air dielectric between the second center conductor and second outer conductor. Further, a coupling is provided between the first and second coaxial cable sections, wherein the second coaxial cable section is disposed in a liquid for determining a level of the liquid. | 09-01-2011 |
20110167927 | MASS FLOWMETER - A motorless mass flowmeter in accordance with one embodiment of the invention comprises a turbine subassembly, a drum, and an impeller. The drum is rigidly connected to the turbine subassembly such that the drum rotates in accompaniment to rotation of the turbine subassembly. The impeller is rotationally coupled to the drum by way of a spring that allows relative rotation against the bias of the spring. The turbine subassembly has jets and bypass valves. The turbine subassembly may be implemented in the form of a laminated bypass valve structure. The laminated bypass valve structure may include an entrance layer having entrance port(s), a closure layer having closure member(s), an exit layer defining exit passage(s), and an intermediary layer forming conduit(s) for guiding fluid from entrance port(s) to exit passage(s). | 07-14-2011 |
20100153029 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OPTIMIZING SWEEP DELAY AND ALIASING FOR TIME DOMAIN REFLECTOMETRIC MEASUREMENT OF LIQUID HEIGHT WITHIN A TANK - A layer height measuring system in one embodiment has a transmission line including a probe for measuring a height of a first layer within a tank and a cable that connects the probe to an electronics unit. The electronics unit cyclically transmits interrogation pulses to the probe and receives reflections therefrom for time domain reflectometric measurement of the height of the first layer. The layer height measuring system may also have a memory and a processor configured by the memory to perform the steps of detecting first and second impedance transitions corresponding to first and second boundaries of a bounded region of known length; optimizing a sweep offset and a sweep gain so as to cause swept sample collection to occur substantially only within the bounded region; and detecting a third impedance transition within the bounded region, the third impedance transition corresponding to an interface between the first layer and a second layer, the first and second layers having respectively different dielectric constants. | 06-17-2010 |
20100139393 | SCAN LOCK AND TRACK FLUID CHARACTERIZATION AND LEVEL SENSOR APPARATUS AND METHOD - A liquid characterization and level sensor with a coaxial probe attached to a closed loop servo circuitry combined with a DSP and novel algorithms to scan, lock and track signals to ascertain the level and purity of fluid in a container. | 06-10-2010 |
20090235737 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ACCURATELY MEASURING FLUID LEVEL IN A VESSEL - A system and method for accurately measuring fluid level in a vessel is provided. Generally, the system contains an elongated portion being a coaxial tube having a hollow center, an arm being coaxial in shape, and a sensor containing a transmitter capable of creating and transmitting an excitation electromagnetic pulse for traversing the elongated portion and the arm, and a receiver for receiving reflected pulses, wherein a proximate end of the elongated portion joins a distal end of the arm in a manner to create a waveguide for an electromagnetic pulse provided by the sensor. | 09-24-2009 |