Ultrasound measurement of the flow speed of a fluid in a conduit

Abstract

An ultrasound measurement apparatus () is set forth for measuring the flow speed of a fluid in a conduit () having a plurality of ultrasonic transducers () pairs of which span between them a plurality of main measurement paths and at least one diagnosis measurement path, and having an evaluation unit () which is made to determine a respective individual measured value for the flow speed from transit times of ultrasound transmitted and received with and against the flow on each measurement path (), to calculate individual measured values of the main measurement paths as a main measured value for the flow speed, to determine a measured diagnosis value from the at least one individual measured value of the diagnosis measured path and to compare the main measured value and the measured diagnosis value with one another. In this respect at least some of the ultrasonic transducers () have widened transmission and reception lobes so that a plurality of ultrasonic transducers () are arranged in their transmission and reception lobes so that, in addition to the primary measurement paths () spanned between two mutually aligned ultrasonic transducers, at least one additional secondary measurement path () is opened as a main measurement path or as a diagnosis measurement path.