Sentec Corporation

Flying Null Limited

Polatis Limited

Synaptics (uk) Limited

Scientific Generics Limited

Other

Crane Company

Esselte Meto International Gmbh

Xylem Europe Gmbh

Ncr Corporation

Sensus Spectrum, LLC

Btg International Limited

Sensus Usa, Inc.

Dynapar Corporation

Microtronic A/s

Andrew Nicholas Dames

Edward Colby

Michael David Crossfield

David T E Ely

David T Ely

James M C England

Robert M Pettigrew

Andrew M Howe

Ross P Jones

Michael Cantor

Mathew Price

James William Evett

Matthew Emmanuel Storkey

Alexander W McKinnon

Andrew R L Howe

Gary A Ross

Michael F Grant

Alaric Naiman

Geraint Davies

Oliver W Burstall

Hilary Jane Meanwell

Carl Martin Hayton

Michael Ray Brown

David Ely

David Healy

Miles William Noel Hember

Martin Edward Brock

Nicholas John Collier

Vincenzo Piazza

Robert Davidson

Jonathan Horton James

Geoffrey Foote

William R Mazza, Jr

Duncan Ross Purvis

Colin D Ager

Cathleen Mary Clausen

Ulf Carlsson

David Owen Lewis

Graham Lodge

Timothy Sweyn Norris

Adam Camilletti

Nicholas A Safford

Mark England

Hilary Meanwell

Peter J Hyde

Joseph Adam

Kimon Roussopoulos

James Mark Carson England

Peter Loman

Christian Wehrenfennig

Jason Morgan

Dawei Zhi

Alice Burrell

Riccardo Di Pietro

Nicholas Parsons

Edward J Taylor

Adrian Holdsworth

Jan Bennett

David T F Ely

Malcolm Burwell

Alexander Wilson McKinnon

Edward G Colby

Tim Norris

Wenpeng Deng

Daffyd G Davies

Colin Ager

Andrew R Howe

Jerome Dilley

Lawrence Born

Edward Grellier Colby

William R Mazza

Oliver Burstall

Ross Peter Jones

Richard John Topliss

Ian Ansell

The invention relates to a method for controlling a flow generator () in a tank () configured for housing a liquid comprising solid matter, the flow generator () comprising an impeller and being located at a height (h-mixer) in the tank () and the tank () having a predetermined maximum filling height (h-max), wherein the flow generator () is configured to be operated at a variable operational speed (n) and the demand of operational speed (n-demand) is dependent on the present liquid level height (h-present) in the tank (), wherein a max operational speed (n-max) of the flow generator () is the operational speed required when the liquid level in the tank () is equal to the maximum filling height (h-max), the present operational speed (n-present) being set equal to the demand of operational speed (n-demand) of the flow generator () that is determined using the formula:

Control of a flow generator in a tank

An electricity meter includes a converter configured to synchronously modulate current and voltage measurement signals and output synchronously-modulated current and voltage measurement signals and also includes a measurement module configured to receive the synchronously-modulated current and voltage measurement signals from the converter and to process the synchronously-modulated current and voltage measurement signals.

Electricity meter

An insert-type electromagnetic flow sensor is disclosed. The flow sensor comprises an insert, first and second electrodes supported on opposite sides of the insert and a drive coil housed in the insert. The drive coil is offset from a midpoint between the first and second electrodes and/or a width of the drive coil between the first and second opposite sides at least partially overlaps with respective inner portions of the first and second electrodes. The drive coil includes at least five turns.

Insert-type electromagnetic flow meter

A centrifugal pump unit () is disclosed having a body () that includes a suction connection (), a pressure connection () and a pump chamber () connecting the suction and pressure connections. The centrifugal pump unit further includes an impeller () disposed in the pump chamber and at least one electromagnetic flow sensor () arranged to measure flow in at least a part of the suction connection and/or pressure connection and/or pump chamber for determining a flow rate of a fluid through the centrifugal pump unit or for determining a control signal equivalent of the flow rate for control purposes.

Centrifugal pump unit

An electricity meter () is described which includes a conductor () for transferring energy from a supply () to a load (). The electricity meter () also includes a multi-layer printed circuit board () mechanically attached to the conductor (). The multi-layer printed circuit board () includes two or more insulating layers (). The two or more insulating layers () include a first insulating layer () having an attachment surface () facing the conductor (). The multi-layer printed circuit board () also includes a first conductive layer () including a first planar sensor coil (). The first insulating layer () is between the first conductive layer () and the conductor (). The multi-layer printed circuit board () also includes a second conductive layer () including a second planar sensor coil (). The multi-layer printed circuit board () also includes a second insulating layer () between the first () and second () conductive layers. The first planar sensor coil () and the second planar sensor coil () are electrically connected to one another by a buried via (), or the first planar sensor coil () and the second planar sensor coil () are electrically connected to one another by a blind via () extending inwards from a back surface () of the multi-layer printed circuit board (), the back surface () being opposed to the attachment surface ().

Mutual inductance-type current sensing apparatus () is described which includes a mutual inductance current sensor () having a first transfer function. The apparatus () also includes a low-pass filter () which receives a signal from the current sensor (). The low-pass filter () has a second transfer function configured to attenuate one or more harmonic components of the signal. The apparatus () also includes an analogue-to-digital converter () which receives and digitises a filtered signal output from the low-pass filter. The apparatus () also includes a controller () configured to process a digitised signal from the analogue-to-digital converter () using a digital processing chain configured to compensate for the frequency and phase responses of the first transfer function and the second transfer function.

Mutual inductance-type current sensing

An electricity meter comprising an electrically-controlled electromechanical switch is disclosed. The electromechanical switch comprises a rotary actuator comprising a generally-cylindrical permanent magnet rotor having a central axis, a stator comprising a closed stator core and first and second opposite stator poles inwardly-projecting from the closed stator core towards the rotor and first and second coils wound around the first and second stator poles respectively. The electromechanical switch comprises a switch comprising at least one pair of first and second contacts wherein the first contact is movable. The electromechanical switch comprises mechanical linkage between the rotary actuator and the movable contact(s) configured such that rotation of the rotor from a first angular position to a second angular position causes the switch to be opened, and rotation from the second angular position to the first angular position causes the switch to be closed.

Electricity meter with electrically-controlled electromechanical switch

Apparatus () is described including one or more signal sources (). The apparatus () also includes a measurement front end () having at least first (+V)) and second (&#x2212;V) inputs. The apparatus () also includes a substantially planar connector () having a length (L) between first () and second () ends and supporting a number of conductors () spanning between the first () and second () ends. At each point between the first () and second () ends the conductors () are substantially equi-spaced from one another within the substantially planar connector (). The conductors () include at least one signal conductor () connecting the signal sources () to the first input (+V). The conductors () also include at least two further conductors () connecting to the one or more signal sources (). One or both of the two further conductors () also connect to the second input (&#x2212;V). Each of the at least one signal conductor () and the at least two further conductors () belongs to one or more closed loops. The one or more closed loops have areas and impedances configured such that in response to a uniform time-varying external magnetic field being applied to the apparatus, a first unwanted electromotive force induced at the first input (+V) will be substantially equal to a second unwanted electromotive force induced at the second input (&#x2212;V).

Electrical connection for transferring signals while reducing interference

An electromagnetic flow sensor for an electromagnetic flow meter () is disclosed. The sensor comprises a body () or frame, a flow passage () through the body or frame, a part of a magnetic circuit () supported by the body or frame for applying a magnetic field across the flow passage, and at least first and second electrodes () supported by the body or frame, the at least first and second electrodes arranged to sense a voltage in response to a conductive fluid flowing through the flow passage. At least a portion of the body supporting the magnetic circuit part and the at least first and second electrodes is configured to be insertable into a flow tube () through a single aperture in the flow tube.

Electromagnetic flow sensor

This invention relates to a wireless vehicle recharging apparatus for an energy storage element of a vehicle. The apparatus has at least one drive unit arrangement coupled to at least one drive coil arrangement disposed for generating a magnetic field extending from the drive coil arrangement, and includes a corresponding vehicle-mounted pickup coil arrangement coupled to a power conditioning circuit arrangement for receiving the extending magnetic field. The drive unit arrangement is operable to excite the drive coil arrangement at a fundamental frequency and the drive coil arrangement is implemented to be substantially devoid of ferromagnetic components for providing a path for the extending magnetic field. Additional aspects of the invention relate to vehicle power coupling apparatus including pickup coil arrangements.

Inductive power coupling systems for roadways

A method for an ultrasonic time-of-flight flow meter () includes driving an ultrasonic transducer () using a first waveform (V(t)) for a first duration (&#x394;t), the first waveform (V(t)) configured to cause oscillation () of the ultrasonic transducer (). The method also includes driving the ultrasonic transducer () using a second waveform (V(t)) for a second duration (&#x394;t). There is a discontinuity between the first waveform (V(t)) and the second waveform (V(t)). The second waveform (V(t)) and the second duration (&#x394;t) are configured to maintain a voltage (V(t)) across the ultrasonic transducer () within a predetermined range (V, V).

Ultrasonic flow rate metering

An electricity meter comprises a conductor having a substantially planar surface; and a carrier for carrying a sensor component for enabling detection of current flowing in the conductor, wherein the carrier is spaced from the planar surface of the conductor by an arrangement of at least three spacing elements. The spacing elements may project from the carrier or from the substantially planar surface of the conductor.

Electricity meter and an insulating carrier for a sensor component of an electricity meter

A control unit () for a fuel injector () comprising a solenoid actuator () having an armature (), the control unit configured to drive a current through an electromagnet coil () of the solenoid actuator in a voltage mode during at least a portion of an injection cycle.

Control unit for a fuel injector

Sensor and/or power-harvesting apparatus are provided for sensing and/or harvesting energy across a relatively wide dynamic range of a driving rotational input. The apparatus may include a rotor magnet () responsive to a driving rotational input (). Utilization of a togging effect or a magnetic spring effect results in certain rapid-rotation events where the rotor magnet can rapidly rotate regardless of a low rate of rotation of the driving rotational input. A coil assembly () is magnetically coupled to the rotor magnet to generate a signal in response to rotation of the rotor magnet during the rapid-rotation events. This signal may be used to harvest electrical energy and/or may be processed to determine characteristics of the driving rotational input.

Sensor and/or power harvesting apparatus having a wide dynamic range for responding to a driving rotational input

An inductive power transfer system () for roadways includes at least one drive unit arrangement () coupled to at least one drive coil arrangement () disposed along a roadway () for generating a magnetic field extending upwardly from the roadway (), and at least one vehicle () including a corresponding pickup coil arrangement () coupled to a power conditioning circuit arrangement () for receiving the extending magnetic field for providing power to operate the at least one vehicle (). The at least one drive unit arrangement () is operable to excite, for example at resonance, the at least one drive coil arrangement () at a fundamental frequency (f) of at least 30 kHz, preferably at least 50 kHz, more preferably at least 100 kHz, and most preferably at least 140 kHz. The at least one drive coil arrangement () is implemented to be substantially devoid of ferromagnetic components for providing a path for the extending magnetic field. Optionally, the at least one drive unit arrangement () is operable to employ a balanced class-E amplifier arrangement for exciting the at least one drive coil arrangement () at the fundamental frequency (f). Optionally, the at least one drive unit arrangement () is operable to employ one or more Silicon Carbide semiconductor devices for switching the currents provided to the corresponding at least one drive coil arrangement (). Optionally, there is further included a passive and/or active suppression arrangement () for suppressing harmonic magnetic field components generated by the system () at multiples of the fundamental frequency (f) when in operation.

Growing community of inventors

Cambridge, United Kingdom

Andrew Nicholas Dames