Micromotion Gmbh

Micron Motion, Inc.

Craig B McAnally

Paul J Hays

Andrew Stephen Kravitz

Mark James Bell

William M Mansfield

Andrew Timothy Patten

Bert J Downing

Charles Paul Stack

Richard L Maginnis

Denis M Henrot

Gregory Treat Lanham

Timothy J Cunningham

Brian T Smith

Jeffrey S Walker

Neal B Gronlie

Wayne R Brinkman

Shaun E Shanahan

Graeme Ralph Duffill

Richard L St Pierre

Richard L Woolf

Richard L STPIERRE

A meter electronics () for detecting a change in a vibratory meter () based on two or more baseline meter verifications is provided. The meter electronics () comprises an interface () configured to receive sensor signals () from a meter assembly () and provide information based on the sensor signals (), and a processing system () communicatively coupled to the interface (), said processing system () being configured to use the information to determine a first baseline meter verification value at a first set of process conditions, determine a second baseline meter verification value at a second set of process conditions, and determine a baseline meter verification value based on the first baseline meter verification value and the second baseline meter verification value.

Detecting a change in a vibratory meter based on two baseline meter verifications

A meter electronics () for determining a damping of a meter assembly () of a flow meter () is provided. The meter electronics () includes an interface () for receiving a vibrational response from a meter assembly (), the vibrational response comprising a response to an excitation of the meter assembly () at a substantially resonant frequency, and a processing system () in communication with the interface (). The processing system () is configured to receive the vibrational response from the interface () and measure a plurality of response voltages (V) of the vibrational response, the plurality of response voltages (V) including at least one of one or more decay sections (-) and one or more rising sections (-). The processing system () is also configured to determine an aggregate damping-related value of the meter assembly () based on at least one of the one or more decay sections (-) and the one or more rising sections (-).

Determining a damping of a meter assembly

A meter electronics () for determining a decay characteristic of a meter assembly () of a flow meter () is provided. The meter electronics () includes an interface () for receiving a vibrational response from a meter assembly (), the vibrational response comprising a response to an excitation of the meter assembly () at a substantially resonant frequency, and a processing system () in communication with the interface (). The processing system () is configured to receive the vibrational response from the interface (), determine a response voltage (V) of the vibrational response, determine a decay characteristic (ζ) of the meter assembly () based on the response voltage (V), and compensate the decay characteristic (ζ) by using a previously determined decay characteristic-to-response voltage relationship.

Determining a decay characteristic of a meter assembly

A method () for determining when to verify a stiffness coefficient K () in a flowmeter () comprising receiving a first stiffness coefficient K (), a plurality of temperatures T (), a plurality of response frequencies ω (), and a plurality of driver currents I (), determining an average temperature T (), a standard deviation temperature T (), an average response frequency ω (), a standard deviation response frequency ω (), an average driver current I (), and a standard deviation driver current I (). A first subsequent value () comprising a subsequent temperature T (), a subsequent response frequency ω (), or a subsequent driver current I () is received. Upon determining that the first subsequent value () is outside a first respective range (), a determination of a second stiffness coefficient K () is initiated.

Method to determine when to verify a stiffness coefficient of a flowmeter

A vibratory sensor () includes a vibratory element (), a receiver circuit () that receives a vibration signal from the vibratory element (), and a drive circuit () that generates a drive signal. The drive circuit () includes a closed-loop drive () and an open-loop drive (). The meter electronics () vibrates the vibratory element () commencing at a commanded first frequency and in an open-loop manner to achieve a first target phase difference &#x3d5;for a fluid being characterized and determines a corresponding first frequency point &#x3c9;, vibrates the vibratory element () commencing at a commanded second frequency and in the open-loop manner to achieve a second target phase difference &#x3d5;and determines a corresponding second frequency point &#x3c9;, and determines a viscosity of the fluid being characterized using the first frequency point &#x3c9;and the second frequency point &#x3c9;

Vibratory sensor and method of varying vibration in a vibratory sensor

A system and method of generating a synthetic time period output signal for a fork density sensor () which produces a consistent and low-noise output signal () which is identical in frequency to the frequency at which the fork density meter vibrates. Such a synthetic signal generated by a meter signal prevents any real noise from the pickoffs from propagating to the output meter and removes process noise and interference from the produced output signal.

Method for generating a synthetic time period output signal

A method of controlling a vibration of a vibratory element based on a phase error is provided. The method includes vibrating the vibratory element with a drive signal, receiving a vibration signal from the vibratory element, measuring a phase difference between the drive signal and the vibration signal, determining a phase error between a target phase difference and the measured phase difference, and calculating one or more vibration control terms with the determined phase error.

Controlling a vibration of a vibratory sensor based on a phase error

A method for validating a sensor assembly of a meter is provided. The method comprises a step of receiving one or more sensor calibration values. The method further comprises a step of comparing the received sensor calibration values to one or more known sensor calibration values. The method can then validate the sensor assembly if the one or more received sensor calibration values are within a predetermined tolerance of the one or more known sensor calibration values.

Sensor assembly validation

A method () of determining a vibration response parameter of a vibratory element () is provided. The method () includes vibrating the vibratory element () at a first frequency with a first drive signal, receiving a first vibration signal from the vibratory element () vibrated at the first frequency, measuring a first phase difference, the first phase difference being a phase difference between the first drive signal and the first vibration signal. The method () also includes vibrating the vibratory element () at a second frequency with a second drive signal, receiving a second vibration signal from the vibratory element () vibrated at the second frequency, measuring a second phase difference, the second phase difference being a phase difference between the second drive signal and the second vibration signal. The method () further includes using the first phase difference and the second phase difference to determine at least one of a phase difference, and a frequency of the vibratory element ().

Determining a vibration response parameter of a vibratory element

A method of controlling a mode of a device is provided. The method includes determining a Vbus voltage on a Vbus pin in a USB connector on the device, comparing the Vbus voltage with a threshold, and configuring the device based on the comparison of the Vbus voltage and the threshold.

Method and apparatus to control a mode of a device

A vibratory sensor () includes a vibratory element (), a receiver circuit () that receives a vibration signal from the vibratory element (), and a drive circuit () that generates a drive signal. The drive circuit () includes a closed-loop drive () and an open-loop drive (). The meter electronics () vibrates the vibratory element () commencing at a commanded first frequency and in an open-loop manner to achieve a first target phase difference &#x3d5;for a fluid being characterized and determines a corresponding first frequency point &#x3c9;, vibrates the vibratory element () commencing at a commanded second frequency and in the open-loop manner to achieve a second target phase difference &#x3d5;and determines a corresponding second frequency point &#x3c9;and determines a viscosity of the fluid being characterized using the first frequency point &#x3c9;and the second frequency point &#x3c9;

A method for reducing an error rate is provided. The method includes obtaining a first analog signal representing a first kinematic property of a first position with a sensor, obtaining a second analog signal representing a second kinematic property of the first position, digitizing the first analog signal into a first digital signal, and digitizing the second analog signal into a second digital signal. The method also includes combining the first digital signal and the second digital signal into a combined signal such that an error rate of the combined signal is less than an error rate of one of the first digital signal and the second digital signal.

Method and an apparatus for reducing an error rate

A vibratory sensor () includes a vibratory element () configured to generate a vibration signal and a meter electronics () coupled to the vibratory element () and receiving the vibration signal, with the meter electronics () including a gain stage () coupled to the vibratory element () and receiving the vibration signal, with the gain stage () amplifying the vibration signal by a predetermined gain to generate a saturated vibration signal, and a signal processor () coupled to the gain stage (), with a first input () of the signal processor () receiving the saturated vibration signal and determining a vibration signal frequency from the saturated vibration signal and with a second input () of the signal processor () receiving the vibration signal and determining a vibration signal amplitude from the vibration signal.

Vibratory sensor and method

A method () of generating a drive signal for a vibratory sensor () is provided. The method () includes vibrating a vibratory element () configured to provide a vibration signal, receiving the vibration signal from the vibratory element () with a receiver circuit (), generating a drive signal that vibrates the vibratory element () with a driver circuit () coupled to the receiver circuit () and the vibratory element (), and comparing a phase of the generated drive signal with a phase of the vibration signal.

Method of generating a drive signal for a vibratory sensor

A method for optimizing processor operation in a processing system including one or more digital filters is provided according to the invention. The method includes generating initial filter coefficients for the one or more digital filters of the processing system, determining one or more initial filter coefficients for at least one digital filter of the one or more digital filters that can be dropped and dropping the one or more initial filter coefficients. Dropping the one or more initial filter coefficients reduces a total number of filter coefficients to be used by the processing system.

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Thornton, CO, United States of America

Craig B McAnally