Electricity: measuring and testing – Impedance – admittance or other quantities representative of... – Lumped type parameters
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-30
2003-04-08
Le, N. (Department: 2858)
Electricity: measuring and testing
Impedance, admittance or other quantities representative of...
Lumped type parameters
C073S061410, C361S178000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06545488
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a piping fluid decision device adapted for a decision of a fluid state of a fluid substance such as a liquid flowing in a piping, and a piping fluid control system for controlling the fluid state of the fluid substance depending on result of the decision.
2. Description of Relevant Art
Conventionally, as an example of such a device, there is one decides a fluid state of beer in a piping for sending beer in a beer factory or food shop. For example, as shown in
FIG. 1
, electrodes
103
and
105
are inserted in a piping
101
for sending beer, and a decision is made on a fluid state of beer
107
flowing in the piping
101
. The decision of the fluid state is made by detecting a conductivity in the piping
101
using the electrodes
103
and
105
, and detecting a difference of conductivity between a liquid part
109
and a froth part
111
of the beer
107
. Depending on a result of the decision, the froth part
111
of the beer
107
flowing in the piping
101
is wasted, as necessary, to surely take out the liquid part
109
of the beer.
Therefore, it is possible to take out beer
107
with little froth anytime from a take-out machine installed at a terminal of the piping
101
.
However, in the conventional device of
FIG. 1
, beer
107
flowing in the piping
101
directly contacts the electrodes
103
and
105
, thus easily leading to corrosion of the electrode
103
and
105
, with a probable sanitary problem. As a variation of conductivity is detected, voltage variations to be small are necessarily integrated, with an increased calculation amount, as another problem. The detection by conductivity tends to be influenced by an associated magnetic field, and eliminates a disposition in a vicinity of an electromagnetic valve, as still another problem.
Further, if the fluid substance flowing in the piping .
101
is a solid body such as a metallic flow, a soil flow, or a stone flow, the fluid substance may collide on the electrodes
103
and
105
, causing the electrodes
103
and
105
to be damaged, leading to a probable failure of detection. Therefore, it was difficult, for a device having electrodes
103
and
105
inserted in a piping
101
like
FIG. 1
, to make a decision on a fluid state of a solid fluid substance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made with such points in view. It therefore is an object of the present invention to provide a piping fluid decision device and a piping fluid control system that can surely and easily make a decision on a fluid state of a fluid substance flowing in a piping, irrespective of the kind, without sanitary problem.
To achieve the object, according to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a piping fluid decision device comprising an electrostatic capacity sensor disposed outside of a piping adapted for a fluid substance to flow through a path therein, for detecting a variation of electrostatic capacity of the path in the piping, reference value storage means for storing in advance a reference variation of electrostatic capacity of the path to provide for a decision on a fluid state of the fluid substance flowing through the path in the piping, and fluid decision means for comparing the detected variation of electrostatic capacity and the stored variation of electrostatic capacity to make the decision on the fluid state of the fluid-substance flowing through the path.
According to a second aspect of the invention, in a piping fluid decision device according to the first aspect of the invention, the electrostatic capacity sensor comprises a measuring electrode and a grounding electrode made of a conductive metallic film and wound around an outside of the piping forming the path, with an insulator in between, and a shield member covering the measuring electrode and the grounding electrode, with an insulator in between.
According to a third aspect of the invention, in a piping fluid decision device according to the second aspect of the invention, the grounding electrode is narrower than the measuring electrode, and the measuring electrode and the grounding electrode are alternately disposed.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in a piping fluid decision device according to the third aspect of the invention, the measuring electrode and the grounding electrode are wound to be spiral along a flow direction.
Further to achieve the object, according to a fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided a piping fluid control system comprising a piping fluid decision device according to any of the first to fourth aspects of the invention, adjust means adapted to adjust the fluid state of the fluid substance flowing through the path, and control means for controlling the adjust means depending on a result of the decision of the fluid decision means.
According to a sixth aspect of the invention, in a piping fluid control system according to the fifth aspect of the invention, the piping is provided at a terminal thereof with a substance take-out machine of the fluid substance, the adjust means comprises a first open-close valve installed on the piping between an electrostatic capacity sensor position and a substance take-out machine position, and a second open-close valve installed on a branch pipe connected to the piping between a position of the first open-close valve and the electrostatic capacity sensor position, and the control means is adapted, when the variation of electrostatic capacity is within a set value, to open the first open-close valve and close the second open-close valve and, when the variation of electrostatic capacity exceeds the set value, to close the first open-close valve and open the second open-close valve.
According to the first aspect of the invention, for a fluid substance flowing through a path in a piping, a variation of electrostatic capacity of the path in the piping can be detected by an electrostatic capacity sensor. Reference value storage means can store in advance a reference variation of electrostatic capacity of the path to provide for a decision on a fluid state of the fluid substance flowing through the path in the piping. Fluid decision means can compare the detected variation of electrostatic capacity and the stored variation of electrostatic capacity to make the decision on the fluid state of the fluid substance flowing through the path.
Accordingly, a decision can surely be made of a fluid state in a piping, for example, such as on a normality or abnormality or of a change of kind of fluid substance. Moreover, fluid state of a fluid substance flowing through a path in a piping can be intact-decided, securing a sanitary condition even when the fluid substance is a food. Further, fluid state of a fluid substance flowing in a path can be decided by an electrostatic capacity or its variation, with a large voltage variation without needing an integration of detected values, and with a reduced calculation amount. As the fluid state is detected by a variation of electrostatic capacity, it hardly receive influences of a magnetic field. Even when the fluid substance is a slid body, such as a metallic flow, soil flow, stone flow, or the like, electrodes are kept from collision with the fluid substance, allowing for a fluid state of solid fluid substance to be surely and easily decided.
According to the second aspect of the invention, in addition to effects of the first aspect of the invention, a fluid state of a fluid substance in a piping can be surely and easily decided by a measuring electrode and a grounding electrode of a conductive metallic film wound in turns, securing a sanitary condition as well.
According to the third aspect of the invention, in addition to effects of the second aspect of the invention, because the grounding electrode is narrower than the measuring electrode and the measuring electrode and the grounding electrode are alternately disposed, the fluid state of a fluid substance flowing in the piping can be decided in a more ensured manner.
According to
Yamagishi Junichi
Yo Eikou
Kilpatrick & Stockton LLP
Le N.
Nguyen Vincent Q.
Unirec Co., Ltd.
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