Micromotion Gmbh

Hitachi Metals, Ltd.

Advanced Energy Industries, Inc.

Other

Michael John Zolock

Alexei V Smirnov

Allan L Samson

Brian Lee

Donald Reed Cage

Paul J Hays

Kenneth W Finley

Ryan Johnson

Patrick Albright

Arun Nagarajan

Alexander Fernandez

Cy Jordan

William M Mansfield

Jeffrey S Walker

Thomas C Green

Kurtis Leroy McCormick

William Randolph Weber

R Michael McDonald

Hiroyuki Ito

A mass flow controller and method for operating the same is disclosed. The mass flow controller includes a mass flow control system to control the mass flow rate of a fluid, and a data logging component that obtains snapshots of condition-specific-data for each of a plurality of reoccurring condition types, and reduces each snapshot of condition-specific-data to functional parameter values that characterize each snapshot of condition-specific-data, and the data logging component generates statistical values that are stored in a short term data store that characterize multiple functional parameter values that are obtained during each separate occurrence of a specific condition type. A diagnostics component diagnoses failures using current functional parameter values and the statistical values stored in the short-term memory, and a prognostics component predicts failures based upon a collection of data sets that are stored in the long-term memory.

Mass flow controller with onboard diagnostics, prognostics, and data logging

A mass flow controller among other embodiments and method is described. The mass flow controller including a thermal mass flow sensor including at least two sensing elements coupled to a sensor tube of the mass flow controller, the thermal mass flow sensor being designed to provide a first signal indicative of flow of a gas within a first flow-rate-range and a second signal indicative of flow of the gas within a second flow-rate-range; and a control portion figured to control a valve position of the mass flow controller responsive to the first signal when the flow of the gas is within the first flow-rate-range and control the valve position of the mass flow controller responsive to the second signal when the flow of the gas is within a second flow-rate-range.

Mass flow controller with enhanced operating range

A mass flow controller (MFC), a method for calibrating an MFC, and a method for operating an MFC are disclosed. The method for calibrating the MFC includes obtaining data relative to two signals from a thermal mass flow sensor when operating the mass flow controller at different flow rates with a calibration gas, and storing the data relating to the two signals in connection with corresponding flow-rate values. The method for operating the MFC includes obtaining data relative to the two signals from the thermal mass flow controller and accessing the calibration data to determine an unknown flow rate for a process gas that may be the same gas as the calibration gas or may be another gas that is different from the calibration gas.

Method and mass flow controller for enhanced operating range

A temperature insensitive mass flow controller comprising a main flow line, a capillary tube coupled to the main flow line across a bypass a thermal sensing element coupled to the capillary tube and a mass flow controller housing adapted to at least cover the capillary tube. A first heat sink has been coupled to the mass flow controller internal to the mass flow controller housing and coupled to the capillary tube. The heat sink being adapted to control a temperature of a gas in the capillary tube.

Temperature insensitive mass flow controller

A system and method for delivering a specified-quantity of a fluid using a flow controller based on a fluid delivery profile is described. One embodiment includes a fluid delivery profile that includes a delivery time window with a plurality of set points that each correspond with a specified instant in time within the delivery time window. The method also includes delivering the fluid according to the fluid delivery profile through a variable valve using the flow controller and a feedback signal from a flow sensor.

Flow controller delivery of a specified-quantity of a fluid

A method and apparatus for measuring the temperature of a gas in a mass flow controller is described. One embodiment derives gas-temperature information from a mass flow sensor of the mass flow controller without relying on a separate temperature sensor. This embodiment supplies a substantially constant electrical current to a thermal mass flow sensor of the mass flow controller, the thermal mass flow sensor being designed to measure a mass flow rate of the gas; measures an input voltage of the thermal mass flow sensor to obtain a present input voltage, the input voltage varying with a temperature differential between a pair of sensing elements of the thermal mass flow sensor; calculates an adjusted input voltage by accounting for a component of the present input voltage that is dependent on the mass flow rate of the gas; and calculates the temperature of the gas based on the adjusted input voltage. In some embodiments, the calculated gas temperature is used to compensate for the variation, with temperature, of an output voltage of the thermal mass flow sensor under a zero-flow condition.

Method and apparatus for measuring the temperature of a gas in a mass flow controller

A process control apparatus including an actuator configured to effect changes in an industrial process, a power supply, a plurality of current switches coupled between the actuator and the power supply and a controller coupled to the plurality of current switches. The controller is configured to selectively close one or more of the plurality of current switches so as to provide a selectable level of current from the power supply to the actuator. In variations, a plurality of discharge switches are coupled to the actuator and the controller is configured to selectively close the discharge switches so as to provide a selectable level of charge to discharge from the actuator.

System and method for driving an industrial control device

Meter electronics for a Coriolis flowmeter capable of being intrinsically safe. A signal conditioner receives power from a power supply in a host system remote from the signal conditioner. Drive circuitry in the signal conditioner generates a drive signal and applies the drive signal to a driver affixed to at least one conduit of the Coriolis flowmeter. Pick-off signal conditioning circuitry in the signal conditioner receives input signals from a first pick-off sensor and a second pick-off sensor affixed to the at least one conduit of the Coriolis flowmeter, generates information indicating properties of a material flowing through the conduit from the input signals, and transmits output signals containing the information to the host system. Host-side protection circuitry in the signal conditioner prevents power in excess of an intrinsically safe threshold from being applied to wires connecting the signal conditioner to the host system and flowmeter assembly protection circuitry in said signal conditioner prevents power in excess of the intrinsically safe threshold from being applied to wires connecting the signal conditioner to the driver, the first pick-off sensor, and the second pick-off sensor.

Remote signal conditioner for a Coriolis flowmeter

A universal booster amplifier for a Coriolis flowmeter. The booster amplifier receives drive signals from a flowmeter electronics and extends conditioned drive signals to a driver for flow tubes of flowmeter sensor. The booster amplifier includes phase shift circuitry to provide improved drive signals for flowmeters having curved and straight flow tube geometries. The booster amplifier includes offline switching power circuitry which operates on a plurality of standard AC voltages. The booster amplifier combines environmentally innocuous housing and barrier circuitry to meet numerous regulatory agency safety standards for operating environments including explosive environments and increase the ease of installation and service of the booster amplifier.

Universal booster amplifier for a coriolis flowmeter

A terminal block for connecting intrinsically safe rated circuits and increased safety rated circuits. The terminal block includes a housing that forms an enclosed area. A first surface at a first end of the housing has openings through the surface. A first set of conductors for connecting intrinsically safe rated circuits has terminals in the enclosed area and extend through the openings. A second set of conductors for connecting increased safety rated circuits has terminals in the enclosed area and extend through the openings. A wall on the first surface separates said terminals of the first set of conductors from the terminals of the second set of conductors. Finally, a cover over the second set of conductors extends from a top side of the wall substantially to a side of the housing to enclose the second set of conductors inside the enclosed area to allow the housing to be opened.

Explosion proof terminal block housing that may be opened

An apparatus and method for deterministically communicating data between multiple nodes in a fashion that is consistent with the Controller Area Network ('CAN') communications protocol. The system applies to multiple nodes that functional blocks within an operating system environment and to multiple nodes that are each connected to a serial bus. The system utilizes standard CAN error checking, bus arbitration and message formatting and therefore uses standard CAN controllers and transceivers. One node on the bus is selected as the master node. The master node issues a periodic synchronization signal which defines time divisions within which the operations of each node and communications over the CAN bus are organized. Data, particularly real-time data, is transmitted between nodes on the CAN bus during a known time division. Standard CAN bus arbitration is used to ensure that real-time data is transmitted over the CAN bus prior to the transmission of non-real-time data. This ensures that real-time data is, if appropriate, transmitted during each time division.

Deterministic serial bus communication system

A circuit for utilizing multiple resistive sensors and in particular resistive temperature sensors while minimizing the number of conductors necessary to measure the multiple sensors. The multiple sensors are connected in series and the voltage is measured at each node in the series connection of sensors. A switching device then opens to remove one of the sensors from the voltage supply allowing a measurement to be made of the resistance of the conductor between the temperature sensors and a remote transmitter. The measured sensor resistances are then compensated with the measured conductor resistance to obtain a conductor-length compensated resistance for each of the multiple resistive sensors.

Circuitry for reducing the number of conductors for multiple resistive

Apparatus and accompanying methods for inclusion in a Coriolis meter that substantially eliminate temperature induced measurement errors which might otherwise be produced by performance differences existing between the separate input channels contained in the meter. Specifically, two pairs of input channels are used in the meter. In operation, the meter repetitively measures the internal phase delay of each of these pairs and then subtracts the delay associated with each pair from actual flow based measurement data subsequently obtained therefrom. While one channel pair is measuring actual flow, the other channel pair is measuring its internal phase delay, with the channels being continuously cycled between these functions. Because both channel pairs are cycled at a sufficiently rapid rate, the current value of the internal phase delay for each of the pairs accurately reflects any temperature induced changes then occurring in the performance of that pair thereby eliminating substantially all temperature induced error components from the flow measurements subsequently obtained therefrom. In addition, the meter measures flow tube temperature in a manner that removes temperature induced errors therefrom.

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Berthoud, CO, United States of America

Michael John Zolock