Ultrasonic flowmeter

Abstract

This application relates to the field of flow measurement technology, specifically disclosing an ultrasonic flow meter. The ultrasonic flow meter includes: a pulse generating circuit for generating an excitation voltage; a transducer for converting acoustic signals into electrical signals; an echo conditioning circuit for receiving and processing the received excitation voltage; and a switching circuit. The echo conditioning circuit is connected to both the pulse generating circuit and the transducer via the switching circuit. The switching circuit switches the connection of the echo conditioning circuit to either the pulse generating circuit or the transducer to diagnose the pulse generating circuit or the transducer. This application facilitates the acquisition of corresponding diagnostic signals by switching the connection between the echo conditioning circuit and the pulse generating circuit or the transducer via the switching circuit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of flow measurement technology, and in particular to an ultrasonic flow meter. Background Technology

[0002] An ultrasonic flow meter measures flow rate by utilizing the propagation characteristics of ultrasonic waves in fluids. Ultrasonic flow meters are typically installed in industrial plants such as water treatment plants and iron smelting plants to measure fluid flow.

[0003] However, during flow measurement, the output flow rate of an ultrasonic flow meter may be abnormal. This abnormality could be caused by an abnormal fluid flow rate or a malfunction in the internal structure of the ultrasonic flow meter. Therefore, in cases of abnormal output flow rate, it is necessary to acquire signals from the ultrasonic flow meter during its operation to confirm whether an abnormality has occurred. Ultrasonic flow meters in related technologies typically contain transducers, echo conditioning circuits, and other structures. However, the diagnosis of these components primarily involves comparing the signals received during operation with the diagnostic signals received during the diagnostic process to determine if any faults exist within the ultrasonic flow meter's internal components.

[0004] During the diagnostic process, diagnostic signals are connected to the internal components of the ultrasonic flowmeter via external signal sources and other testing devices. The diagnostic signals are acquired through signal transmission between the testing devices, transducers, and echo conditioning circuits. Considering the harsh environment in which ultrasonic flowmeters operate, it is necessary to either enter the environment to establish a connection between the testing devices and the internal testing structures, or to enter the environment to remove the ultrasonic flowmeter, disassemble it, and then establish a connection between the testing structures and the testing devices. Therefore, obtaining diagnostic signals from ultrasonic flowmeters in harsh environments is extremely difficult. Utility Model Content

[0005] The main objective of this application is to provide an ultrasonic flow meter that addresses the technical problem of the difficulty in obtaining diagnostic signals from an ultrasonic flow meter in harsh environments.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides an ultrasonic flow meter; the ultrasonic flow meter includes: a pulse generating circuit for generating an excitation voltage; A transducer is used to convert acoustic signals into electrical signals. The echo conditioning circuit is used to receive and process the received excitation voltage; Switching circuit; The echo conditioning circuit is connected to the pulse generation circuit and the transducer respectively through a switching circuit.

[0007] Optionally, the ultrasonic flow meter further includes: a signal generation circuit; The signal generation circuit is connected to the switch switching circuit; A switching circuit is used to switch the connection between the signal generation circuit and the echo conditioning circuit in order to diagnose the echo conditioning circuit.

[0008] Optionally, the ultrasonic flow meter further includes: a controller; The controller is connected to the switch switching circuit, the pulse generation circuit, the signal generation circuit, and the echo conditioning circuit, respectively. The controller is used to output an adjustment signal to the signal generation circuit; the adjustment signal is used to adjust the frequency and amplitude of the test signal output by the signal generation circuit. The signal generation circuit is used to output a first test signal to the echo conditioning circuit based on the adjustment signal, which has the same frequency and a preset amplitude as the echo signal received by the transducer. The controller is also configured to receive a second test signal after the echo conditioning circuit conditions the first test signal; The controller is further configured to output a first characterization signal when the amplitude difference between the first test signal and the second test signal is within a preset amplitude difference range and the frequency difference between the first test signal and the second test signal is within a preset frequency difference range. The first characterization signal is used to characterize that the echo conditioning circuit has not experienced any abnormality.

[0009] Optionally, the controller is further configured to output an excitation signal to the pulse generating circuit, wherein the excitation signal is used to control the excitation voltage output by the pulse generating circuit to be characterized as a first excitation voltage at the output terminal of the echo conditioning circuit; The controller is also configured to receive a second excitation voltage after the echo conditioning circuit conditions the first excitation voltage; The controller is further configured to output a second characterization signal when the amplitude difference between the first excitation voltage and the second excitation voltage is within a preset amplitude difference range and the frequency difference between the first excitation voltage and the second excitation voltage is within a preset frequency difference range. The second characterization signal is used to characterize that the pulse generation circuit has not experienced any abnormality.

[0010] Optionally, the echo conditioning circuit includes: an amplifier circuit; The amplifier circuit is connected to the controller; The controller is also configured to output a gain adjustment signal to the amplifier circuit to control the gain of the amplifier circuit to be lower than the saturation gain, wherein the saturation gain is the gain corresponding to the amplifier circuit in the saturation state.

[0011] Optionally, the transducer includes a first transducer and a second transducer; The controller is used to control the pulse signal output by the pulse generation circuit and determine the first echo signal corresponding to the pulse signal; the first echo signal is the echo signal after the pulse signal is output by the first transducer without abnormality, received by the second transducer without abnormality, and conditioned by the echo conditioning circuit. The controller is also used to receive the second echo signal output by the echo conditioning circuit; The controller is further configured to output a third characterization signal when the amplitude difference between the first echo signal and the second echo signal is within a preset amplitude difference range, the frequency difference between the first echo signal and the second echo signal is within a preset frequency difference range, and the signal-to-noise ratio of both the first echo signal and the second echo signal is greater than a preset signal-to-noise ratio. The third characterization signal is used to characterize that neither the first transducer nor the second transducer has malfunctioned.

[0012] Optionally, the first transducer and the second transducer are placed in a face-to-face arrangement during the installation of the ultrasonic flow meter; the face-to-face arrangement means that the signal input / output surfaces of the first transducer and the signal input / output surfaces of the second transducer are in contact with each other.

[0013] Optionally, the ultrasonic flow meter further includes: a storage circuit; The storage circuit is connected to the controller and is used to store data signals generated during the diagnostic process; The controller is also configured to monitor the amplitude change rate, frequency change rate, and signal-to-noise ratio change rate of the data signal. If at least one of the amplitude change rate, frequency change rate, and signal-to-noise ratio change rate reaches a preset amplitude change rate, a preset frequency change rate, and a preset signal-to-noise ratio change rate occurs, the controller outputs a fourth characterization signal, which is used to characterize that the circuit to be diagnosed has an abnormal risk.

[0014] Optionally, the ultrasonic flow meter further includes: a display circuit; The display circuit is connected to the controller; The controller is further configured to output an abnormal signal to the display circuit when the signal parameters of the data signal received from the echo conditioning circuit are not within the preset parameter range, so as to display the abnormal signal through the display circuit; the abnormal signal is used to indicate that the circuit that needs to be diagnosed has malfunctioned. The display circuit includes: a display screen and at least three driving power transistors; The control terminal of each of the driving power transistors is connected to the controller, the input terminal of each of the driving power transistors is connected to the driving power supply, and the output terminal of each of the driving power transistors is connected to the driving structure of the display screen. The control terminals of each of the aforementioned drive power transistors require different turn-on voltages, which are used to input different drive voltages to the drive structure of the display screen.

[0015] Optionally, the ultrasonic flow meter further includes: an abnormality indicator light; The control terminal of the abnormal indicator light is connected to the controller; The controller is also used to drive the abnormal indicator light to illuminate when the signal parameters of the data signal output from the echo conditioning circuit are not within the preset parameter range.

[0016] One or more technical solutions proposed in this application have at least the following technical effects: This application discloses an ultrasonic flow meter comprising: a pulse generating circuit for generating an excitation voltage; a transducer for converting acoustic signals into electrical signals; an echo conditioning circuit for receiving and processing the received excitation voltage; and a switching circuit. The echo conditioning circuit is connected to both the pulse generating circuit and the transducer via the switching circuit. This application uses the switching circuit to switch the connection between the echo conditioning circuit and the pulse generating circuit or the transducer. When the connection between the echo conditioning circuit and the pulse generating circuit or the transducer is maintained, the diagnostic signal of the ultrasonic flow meter can be directly acquired. In harsh environments, there is no need to use external signal sources or other testing devices, thus facilitating the acquisition of diagnostic signals and the determination of whether the ultrasonic flow meter is malfunctioning. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application.

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or related technologies, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments or related technologies will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first embodiment of the ultrasonic flowmeter of this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the first structure of the second embodiment of the ultrasonic flowmeter of this application; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the second structure of the ultrasonic flow meter according to the second embodiment of this application; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the third structure of the second embodiment of the ultrasonic flowmeter of this application; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the first structure of the ultrasonic flow meter of the third embodiment of this application; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the second structure of the ultrasonic flow meter of the third embodiment of this application; Figure 7 This is a circuit diagram of the display circuit in the ultrasonic flowmeter of this application; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the third structure of the ultrasonic flow meter according to the third embodiment of this application; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the fourth structure of the ultrasonic flow meter of the third embodiment of this application; Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the ultrasonic flow meter of this application.

[0020] The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of this application will be further explained in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0021] It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the technical solutions of this application and are not intended to limit this application.

[0022] To better understand the technical solution of this application, a detailed description will be provided below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0023] In the field of fluid flow measurement, ultrasonic flow meters are highly accurate flow measurement devices. However, ultrasonic flow meters are often used in harsh environments, and any malfunction in the flow meter itself can significantly affect the measured fluid flow. When an anomaly is detected in the fluid flow measurement, it is difficult to determine whether the anomaly is due to a problem with the ultrasonic flow meter or with the fluid flow control system. Therefore, it is necessary to diagnose whether the ultrasonic flow meter is malfunctioning. However, acquiring diagnostic signals during the diagnostic process requires personnel to perform the diagnosis in harsh environments, which is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and extremely difficult.

[0024] Therefore, in order to overcome the above-mentioned defects, this application provides an ultrasonic flow meter, which includes: a pulse generating circuit for generating an excitation voltage; a transducer for converting acoustic signals into electrical signals; an echo conditioning circuit for receiving and processing the received excitation voltage; and a switching circuit; the echo conditioning circuit is connected to the pulse generating circuit and the transducer respectively through the switching circuit.

[0025] Because this application switches the connection between the echo conditioning circuit and the pulse generation circuit or transducer through a switching circuit, when the connection between the echo conditioning circuit and the pulse generation circuit or transducer is connected, the diagnostic signal of the ultrasonic flow meter can be directly acquired. In harsh environments, there is no need to use external signal sources or other testing devices, thus making it convenient to acquire diagnostic signals and determine whether the ultrasonic flow meter is malfunctioning.

[0026] Based on this, the present application provides an ultrasonic flow meter, referring to... Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the first structure of the ultrasonic flow meter according to the first embodiment of this application.

[0027] In the first embodiment, the ultrasonic flow meter includes: a pulse generating circuit 10 for generating an excitation voltage; Transducer 20 is used for converting acoustic signals to electrical signals; The echo conditioning circuit 30 is used to receive and process the received excitation voltage; Switching circuit 40; The echo conditioning circuit 30 is connected to the pulse generation circuit 20 and the transducer 20 respectively through the switching circuit 40.

[0028] It should be noted that the pulse generation circuit 10 is used to generate the excitation signal required by the transducer 20 inside the ultrasonic flowmeter. This pulse generation circuit 10 can consist of an excitation power supply and a half-bridge circuit. The duty cycle of the excitation voltage output by the excitation power supply is adjusted by the half-bridge circuit to obtain the excitation signal required by the transducer 20. If the pulse generation circuit 10 malfunctions, the transducer 20 cannot be properly excited, leading to abnormal signal input and output of the transducer 20. The duty cycle of this excitation signal can be controlled by the controller 60 according to the actual excitation signal required by the transducer 20, which controls the half-bridge circuit.

[0029] It is understandable that the transducer 20 is a device used to convert electrical signals into acoustic signals. An ultrasonic flow meter typically contains multiple transducers 20, and two transducers 20 can output detection signals and receive echo signals. The transducer 20 that outputs detection signals converts electrical signals into acoustic signals, and the transducer 20 that receives echo signals converts the received echo signals back into electrical signals.

[0030] It should be noted that the echo conditioning circuit 30 is used to condition the echo signal received by the transducer. This conditioning process may specifically include echo signal amplification, analog-to-digital conversion, and filtering. Of course, the echo conditioning circuit 30 needs to include corresponding sub-circuits to implement the corresponding conditioning functions. For example, the echo conditioning circuit 30 may include voltage conversion circuits, amplification circuits, filtering circuits, and analog-to-digital conversion circuits. By conditioning the echo signal using the echo conditioning circuit 30, an accurate echo signal can be obtained.

[0031] It should be understood that the switching circuit 40 is used to control the connection state between the pulse generating circuit 10, the echo conditioning circuit 30, and the transducer 20. The switching circuit 40 can internally contain multiple switching elements, which control the switching between the circuit requiring diagnosis and the circuit providing auxiliary diagnosis. The switching circuit 40 can be composed of an ADG5434 device and its peripheral circuitry, or an HV2201 device and its peripheral circuitry, or it can be formed directly by a combination of multiple switching devices. The switching circuit 40 can also switch the connection between the echo conditioning circuit 30 and the pulse generating circuit 10 or the transducer 20 to acquire diagnostic signals during the diagnostic process of the pulse generating circuit 10 or the transducer 20.

[0032] It should be understood that the circuits within the ultrasonic flowmeter that are relatively prone to failure include the pulse generation circuit 10, the echo conditioning circuit 30, and the transducer 20. In this embodiment, the output parameters of the echo conditioning circuit 30 can be used to diagnose the pulse generation circuit 10 and the transducer 20.

[0033] In the specific diagnostic process, when it is necessary to acquire diagnostic signals from the pulse generation circuit 10, the switching circuit 40 can establish a connection between the pulse generation circuit 10 and the echo conditioning circuit 30. The pulse generation circuit 10 can output a first excitation voltage, which is then conditioned by the echo conditioning circuit 30 to obtain a second excitation voltage, i.e., a diagnostic signal. Then, the amplitude and phase of the first excitation voltage and the second excitation voltage are compared respectively, and within the allowable error range, it is determined whether the pulse generation circuit 10 has malfunctioned, thus completing the diagnosis of the pulse generation circuit 10.

[0034] Furthermore, when the transducer 20 needs to be diagnosed, the switching circuit 40 can output a pulse signal from the pulse generation circuit 10. This pulse signal is transmitted and received by the transducer 20, which is not malfunctioning, and then processed by the echo conditioning circuit 30 to obtain a first echo signal. This pulse signal is then transmitted and received by the transducer 20 that needs to be diagnosed, and then processed by the echo conditioning circuit 30 to obtain a second echo signal. The amplitude and phase of the first echo signal and the second echo signal are compared respectively, and if the error is within the allowable range, it can be determined whether the transducer 20 is malfunctioning.

[0035] In this embodiment, the connection between the echo conditioning circuit and the pulse generation circuit or transducer is switched by a switching circuit. When the connection between the echo conditioning circuit and the pulse generation circuit or transducer is connected, the ultrasonic flow meter can be diagnosed. In harsh environments, no external equipment is needed, thus making it easy to determine whether the ultrasonic flow meter is malfunctioning.

[0036] Furthermore, refer to Figure 2, Figure 2 This is a second structural schematic diagram of the first embodiment of the ultrasonic flow meter of this application. In this embodiment, the ultrasonic flow meter further includes: a signal generation circuit 50; The signal generation circuit 50 is connected to the switch switching circuit 40; The switching circuit 40 is used to switch the connection between the signal generation circuit 50 and the echo conditioning circuit 30 in order to diagnose the echo conditioning circuit 30.

[0037] It should be understood that during the diagnosis of the ultrasonic flow meter, the echo conditioning circuit 30 also needs to acquire diagnostic signals for diagnosis. Furthermore, the diagnosis of the pulse generation circuit 10 and the transducer 20 requires the echo conditioning circuit 30, which is not in an abnormal state, to assist in the diagnosis. Therefore, in this embodiment, the echo conditioning circuit 30 should also be diagnosed.

[0038] It should be noted that the signal generation circuit 50 is used to generate the test signal required by the diagnostic echo conditioning circuit 30. Since the echo conditioning circuit 30 has signal conditioning functionality, when the echo conditioning circuit 30 and the signal generation circuit 50 are connected via a switching circuit 40, the signal generation circuit 50 can directly output a test signal of a certain frequency and amplitude to the echo conditioning circuit 30. Then, based on the test signal output by the echo conditioning circuit 30, it can be determined whether an abnormality has occurred in the echo conditioning circuit 30.

[0039] During the specific process of diagnosing the signal, the switching circuit 40 can switch the connection mode to establish a connection between the signal generation circuit 50 and the echo conditioning circuit 30. Then, the signal generation circuit 50 can output a test signal for diagnosis to the echo conditioning circuit 30. Finally, based on the difference between the amplitude and phase of the test signal output by the echo conditioning circuit 30 and the test signal output by the signal generation circuit 50, it can be determined whether the echo conditioning circuit is malfunctioning.

[0040] Based on the first embodiment described above, a second embodiment of the ultrasonic flowmeter of this application is proposed. (Refer to...) Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second embodiment of the ultrasonic flow meter of this application.

[0041] In the second embodiment, the ultrasonic flow meter further includes: a controller 60; The controller 60 is connected to the switch switching circuit 40, the pulse generation circuit 10, the transducer 20, the signal generation circuit 50, and the echo conditioning circuit 30, respectively.

[0042] It should be understood that the controller 60 is a device used to control the diagnostic process of the ultrasonic flowmeter. The controller 60 can control the specific operating states of the switch switching circuit 40, the pulse generation circuit 10, the transducer 20, the signal generation circuit 50, and the echo conditioning circuit 30 within the ultrasonic flowmeter, thereby enabling the acquisition of diagnostic signals from the ultrasonic flowmeter and subsequent diagnostics. The controller 60 can be an XC7A50T device, or it can be directly constructed using logic control devices, signal input / output devices, and comparison circuits. For example, when the control circuit is working, the controller 60 can be formed by combining multiple switching transistors, controlling each circuit by turning different transistors on or off. The circuits requiring diagnostics are those within the flowmeter that need to be diagnosed. The pulse generation circuit, echo conditioning circuit, transducer, etc., within the ultrasonic flowmeter may be affected by the environment and malfunction in the operating environment of the ultrasonic flowmeter.

[0043] During the diagnostic process, the controller 60 can receive diagnostic instructions and then determine the circuit that needs to be diagnosed based on these instructions. If a circuit needs to be diagnosed, the controller 60 can also determine the auxiliary diagnostic circuit required for the circuit based on the signals needed for testing. When the controller 60 determines the circuit to be diagnosed and its corresponding auxiliary diagnostic circuit, it can output a switching signal corresponding to the circuit to be diagnosed to the switch switching circuit 40. Upon receiving the switching signal, the switch switching circuit 40 can connect the circuit to be diagnosed and its required auxiliary diagnostic circuit, allowing it to directly acquire diagnostic signals and diagnose the circuit to be diagnosed while the auxiliary diagnostic circuit is connected to the circuit to be diagnosed.

[0044] The diagnostic command is a diagnostic trigger command, which can be input by relevant personnel or triggered automatically by the ultrasonic flow meter. For example, in the case of timed diagnostics of the ultrasonic flow meter, the trigger command can be directly input to the controller 60 by relevant personnel through an external device; when the ultrasonic flow meter outputs abnormally, the ultrasonic flow meter itself can generate a diagnostic command and input it to the controller 60; when multiple circuits within the ultrasonic flow meter need to be diagnosed, the ultrasonic flow meter can output the diagnostic command for the next circuit to be diagnosed to the controller 60 upon completion of one diagnosis. Each circuit to be diagnosed corresponds to a test command. Different circuits require different diagnostic commands, which can be reflected by parameters such as the amplitude and frequency of the command. The controller 60 can determine the circuit to be diagnosed based on the specific parameter values ​​of the diagnostic command. For example, if the voltage amplitude of the diagnostic command corresponding to the pulse generation circuit 10 is 1V and the voltage amplitude of the diagnostic command corresponding to the echo conditioning circuit 30 is 2V, the controller 60 can determine that the circuit to be diagnosed is the pulse generation circuit 10 when it receives a diagnostic command with a voltage amplitude of 1V. The switching signal is a signal that controls the connection status between the various circuits that need to be diagnosed and the auxiliary diagnostic circuits of the switch switching circuit 40. Similarly, the switching signals corresponding to different circuits that need to be diagnosed are also different. When the switch switching circuit 40 receives the switching signal, it can directly determine the circuit that needs to be diagnosed and the auxiliary diagnostic circuit that needs to be connected to the circuit 30 that needs to be diagnosed, and then connect the two.

[0045] Furthermore, the auxiliary diagnostic circuit 40 corresponding to the circuit 30 that needs to be diagnosed is usually fixed, and there is a mapping relationship between the two. For example, when the echo conditioning circuit 10 is diagnosing, an input signal is required. At this time, the auxiliary diagnostic circuit corresponding to the echo conditioning circuit 30 can be identified as the signal generation circuit 10, which can provide test signals for the diagnostic process of the echo conditioning circuit 30.

[0046] This application determines the circuits that need to be detected and the auxiliary diagnostic circuits corresponding to the circuits that need to be diagnosed within the ultrasonic flowmeter. By controlling the connection between the circuits that need to be diagnosed and the auxiliary diagnostic circuits, diagnostic signals can be obtained through the connection between the circuits that need to be diagnosed within the ultrasonic flowmeter via the auxiliary diagnostic circuits. This enables the auxiliary diagnostic circuits to diagnose the circuits that need to be diagnosed within the ultrasonic flowmeter, thereby conveniently determining whether the ultrasonic flowmeter is malfunctioning.

[0047] Understandably, the controller 60 can output an adjustment signal to the signal generation circuit 10; the adjustment signal is used to adjust the frequency and amplitude of the test signal output by the signal generation circuit 10; the signal generation circuit 10 outputs a first test signal with the same frequency and a preset amplitude as the echo signal received by the transducer 20 based on the adjustment signal to the echo conditioning circuit 30; the controller 60 receives a second test signal after the echo conditioning circuit conditions the first test signal; when the amplitude difference between the first test signal and the second test signal is within a preset amplitude difference range, and the frequency difference between the first test signal and the second test signal is within a preset frequency difference range, a first characterization signal is output, which is used to characterize that the echo conditioning circuit has not malfunctioned.

[0048] During the diagnostic process of the echo conditioning circuit 30, the controller 60 can output an adjustment signal to the signal generation circuit 50 to adjust the frequency of the signal output by the signal generation circuit 50. When the signal generation circuit 50 receives the adjustment signal, it can adjust the currently output signal to a first test signal with the same frequency and a preset amplitude as the echo signal received by the transducer. Then, the first test signal is output to the echo conditioning circuit 30 through the switching circuit 40. At this time, the echo conditioning circuit 30 can perform signal conditioning on the first test signal. After the echo conditioning circuit 30 completes conditioning of the first test signal, the controller 60 receives the second test signal output by the echo conditioning circuit 30. Then, it subtracts the amplitude and frequency of the first test signal and the second test signal respectively to obtain the amplitude difference and frequency difference between the first test signal and the second test signal. If the amplitude difference between the first test signal and the second test signal is within a preset amplitude difference range and the frequency difference between the first test signal and the second test signal is within a preset frequency difference range, it can be determined that the second test signal output by the echo conditioning circuit 30 is within the allowable error range, that is, the echo conditioning circuit 30 has not malfunctioned. At this time, the controller 60 can output a first characterization signal, which is used to characterize that the echo conditioning circuit 30 has not malfunctioned.

[0049] Of course, if any one or more of the following situations occur: the amplitude difference between the first test signal and the second test signal is not within a preset amplitude difference range, or the frequency difference between the first test signal and the second test signal is not within a preset frequency difference range, the controller 60 can determine that the echo conditioning circuit 30 is malfunctioning and output a first abnormal signal to characterize the malfunction of the echo conditioning circuit 30. The adjustment signal is used to adjust the frequency and amplitude of the test signal output by the signal generation circuit. The preset amplitude is a pre-set signal amplitude used to generate the first test signal, which can be 1V.

[0050] It is understandable that the echo conditioning circuit 30 may contain a filter circuit, which is typically used to filter the echo signal received by the transducer, removing signals with frequencies different from the echo signal received by the transducer. Therefore, to prevent the filter circuit within the echo conditioning circuit 30 from filtering out the first test signal and affecting the diagnostics of the echo conditioning circuit 30, the frequency of the first test signal needs to be set to be the same as the frequency of the echo signal received by the transducer. In the specific setting process, the controller 60 can first receive the echo signal and extract its frequency, then output a corresponding frequency adjustment signal based on that frequency, thus ensuring that the first test signal output by the signal generation circuit 50 is not filtered out by the filter circuit within the echo conditioning circuit 30. The second test signal is the test signal obtained after the echo conditioning circuit 30 has properly conditioned the first test signal. This second test signal can be considered the actual test signal, while the first test signal can be considered the standard test signal. By comparing the amplitude and phase of the two, it can be determined whether the echo conditioning circuit 30 is malfunctioning.

[0051] It should be noted that the preset amplitude difference range is a pre-set amplitude difference range used to determine whether the circuit to be diagnosed is malfunctioning. This amplitude difference range can be between 95% and 105% of the amplitude of the first test signal. Similarly, the preset frequency difference range is a pre-set frequency difference range used to determine whether the circuit to be diagnosed is malfunctioning. This frequency difference range can be between 95% and 105% of the frequency of the first test signal. Of course, these preset amplitude difference ranges and preset frequency difference ranges can be set according to the frequency and amplitude of the actual test signal.

[0052] The echo conditioning circuit includes an amplifier circuit; the amplifier circuit is connected to the controller 60. The controller 60 outputs a gain adjustment signal to the amplifier circuit to control the gain of the amplifier circuit to be lower than the saturation gain, where the saturation gain is the gain corresponding to the amplifier circuit in a saturated state.

[0053] It is understandable that the echo conditioning circuit 30 is needed for signal conditioning during the testing process of both the echo conditioning circuit 30 and the pulse generation circuit 10. If there is an amplifier circuit in the echo conditioning circuit 30, and the gain of the amplifier circuit is in a saturated state, the first test signal or the first excitation voltage processed by the amplifier circuit will not be amplified normally due to the saturation effect of the amplifier circuit. This will lead to inaccurate diagnosis by the echo conditioning circuit 30 and the pulse generation circuit 10.

[0054] To avoid the aforementioned problems, in the second embodiment, if an amplifier circuit is present in the echo conditioning circuit 30, the gain of the amplifier circuit can be controlled to prevent other devices affected by the amplifier circuit from being in a saturated state, thereby affecting the diagnosis of the circuit that needs to be diagnosed.

[0055] When an amplifier circuit is provided inside the echo conditioning circuit 30, the first test signal can be amplified according to the gain of the amplifier circuit before comparing the first test signal and the second test signal to avoid the influence of the amplifier circuit on the amplitude judgment between the two. For example, if there is an amplifier circuit with a gain of 2 in the echo conditioning circuit 30, after the first test signal is amplified by this amplifier circuit, the amplitude of the second test signal becomes twice that of the first test signal. In this case, it is unreasonable to use the amplitude of the first test signal and the second test signal to diagnose the echo conditioning circuit 30. The amplitude of the first test signal can also be amplified by 2, and then the amplitude of the amplified first test signal and the second test signal can be used to diagnose whether the echo conditioning circuit 30 is malfunctioning.

[0056] It should be understood that during the diagnostic process of the pulse generation circuit 10, the controller 60 can output an excitation signal to the pulse generation circuit 10. The excitation signal is used to control the excitation voltage output by the pulse generation circuit 10 to be characterized as a first excitation voltage at the output terminal of the echo conditioning circuit 30. The controller 60 receives a second excitation voltage after the echo conditioning circuit 30 conditions the excitation voltage. When the amplitude difference between the first excitation voltage and the second excitation voltage is within a preset amplitude difference range, and the frequency difference between the first excitation voltage and the second excitation voltage is within a preset frequency difference range, a second characterization signal is output. The second characterization signal is used to characterize that the pulse generation circuit has not experienced any abnormality.

[0057] In the specific diagnostic process, the controller 60 can control the pulse generation circuit 10 to output a first excitation voltage, which is then input to the echo conditioning circuit 30 through the switching circuit 40. The echo conditioning circuit 30 then processes the first excitation voltage to obtain a processed second excitation voltage. The amplitude difference and frequency difference between the first and second excitation voltages are used to determine whether the pulse generation circuit 10 is malfunctioning. In actual processing, the controller 60 can output an excitation signal to the pulse generation circuit 10. This excitation signal controls the excitation voltage output by the pulse generation circuit 10 to be represented as the first excitation voltage at the output of the echo conditioning circuit 30. After the second excitation voltage obtained by the echo conditioning circuit 30 after processing the first excitation voltage is received by the controller 60, the amplitude and phase of the first and second excitation voltages can be subtracted to obtain the amplitude difference and phase difference between them. When the amplitude difference between the first excitation voltage and the second excitation voltage is within a preset amplitude difference range, and the frequency difference between the first excitation voltage and the second excitation voltage is within a preset frequency difference range, the controller 60 can determine that the pulse generation circuit has not malfunctioned, and then output a second characterization signal to indicate that the pulse generation circuit 10 has not malfunctioned.

[0058] It should be understood that before outputting the excitation signal, the controller 60 needs to determine whether the pulse generating circuit 10 is in normal working condition. If the pulse generating circuit 10 is in normal working condition, to avoid the current working state of the pulse generating circuit 10 affecting the diagnostic results, the controller 60 needs to first control the pulse generating circuit 10 to stop its current working state before performing diagnostics on the pulse generating circuit 10. In a specific implementation, the controller 60 can first output a stop excitation signal to the pulse generating circuit 10, and the pulse generating circuit 10 will stop operating upon receiving the stop excitation signal. When the pulse generating circuit 10 is not in normal working condition, the controller 60 outputs an excitation signal to the pulse generating circuit 10, thereby causing the pulse generating circuit 10 to output an excitation voltage that is characterized as the first excitation voltage at the output terminal of the echo conditioning circuit 30.

[0059] Of course, when any one or more of the following situations occur, such as the amplitude difference between the first excitation voltage and the second excitation voltage not being within the preset amplitude difference range and the frequency difference between the first excitation voltage and the second excitation voltage not being within the preset frequency difference range, the controller 60 can determine that the pulse generation circuit 10 is malfunctioning and output a second abnormal signal to characterize the malfunction of the pulse generation circuit 10.

[0060] The stop excitation signal is a signal that controls the pulse generation circuit 10 to stop outputting the first excitation voltage. When the controller 60 outputs this stop excitation signal, it is also necessary to record the last excitation voltage of the pulse generation circuit 10 before it stops outputting the excitation signal as the first excitation voltage.

[0061] Furthermore, if an amplifier circuit is provided inside the echo conditioning circuit 30, the first excitation voltage can be amplified according to the gain of the amplifier circuit before comparing the first excitation voltage with the second excitation voltage, so as to avoid the amplitude judgment between the two due to the influence of the amplifier circuit.

[0062] In practical implementation, the controller 60 can output a gain adjustment signal to the amplifier circuit in the echo conditioning circuit 30 when the amplifier circuit is in a saturated state, thereby controlling the gain of the amplifier circuit. For example, the controller 60 can directly output the gain adjustment signal corresponding to the lowest gain, so that the gain of the amplifier circuit is adjusted to the lowest level. At this time, the amplifier circuit will not be in a saturated state. Then, the echo conditioning circuit 30 is used to condition the first test signal or the first excitation signal, which can effectively avoid the amplifier circuit from affecting the diagnosis of the circuit that needs to be diagnosed, and improve the accuracy of the diagnosis.

[0063] The gain adjustment signal is generated and output by the controller 60. This gain adjustment signal can control the amplifier circuit to reduce its own amplification gain, so as to prevent the amplifier circuit and other circuits affected by the amplifier circuit from working in saturation.

[0064] During the diagnostic process of transducer 20, the transducer 20 includes a first transducer and a second transducer. The controller 60 can control the pulse signal output by the pulse generation circuit 10 and determine the first echo signal corresponding to the pulse signal; the first echo signal is the echo signal after the pulse signal is output by the first transducer without abnormality, received by the second transducer without abnormality, and conditioned by the echo conditioning circuit 30. The controller 60 can also receive the second echo signal output by the echo conditioning circuit 30; when the amplitude difference between the first echo signal and the second echo signal is within a preset amplitude difference range, the frequency difference between the first echo signal and the second echo signal is within a preset frequency difference range, and the signal-to-noise ratio of both the first echo signal and the second echo signal is greater than a preset signal-to-noise ratio, a third characterization signal is output, the third characterization signal being used to characterize that neither the first transducer nor the second transducer has malfunctioned.

[0065] In the second embodiment, a first transducer is used as the transducer that outputs the detection signal, and a second transducer is used as the transducer that receives the echo signal. When detecting fluid flow rate, the pulse generation circuit 10 can output an excitation signal to the first transducer, which can then output a detection signal based on the excitation signal. The second transducer can receive the echo signal corresponding to the detection signal and then output the echo signal to the echo conditioning circuit 30 to determine the fluid flow rate. Therefore, when transducer diagnosis is required, the pulse generation circuit 10 and the echo conditioning circuit 30 are needed as auxiliary diagnostic circuits.

[0066] In the specific diagnostic process, the controller 60 can receive the pulse signal output by the pulse generation circuit 10, and, assuming that neither the transducer 20 nor the echo conditioning circuit 30 is faulty, the first echo signal after processing by the echo conditioning circuit 30 is the theoretical echo signal. When the pulse signal is output, the second echo signal obtained after being output by the first transducer, received by the second transducer, and conditioned by the echo conditioning circuit 30 is the actual echo signal. When the controller 60 can receive the second echo signal output by the echo conditioning circuit 302, it can subtract the amplitude and phase of the first echo signal from the second echo signal to obtain the amplitude difference and phase difference between them; and detect the signal-to-noise ratio of the second echo signal. If the amplitude difference between the first echo signal and the second echo signal is within a preset amplitude difference range, the frequency difference between the first echo signal and the second echo signal is within a preset frequency difference range, and the signal-to-noise ratio of the first echo signal and the signal-to-noise ratio of the second echo signal are greater than a preset signal-to-noise ratio, the controller 60 can determine that the first transducer and the second transducer have not malfunctioned, and output a third characterization signal to indicate that the first transducer and the second transducer have not malfunctioned.

[0067] Of course, if any or more of the following conditions occur, such as the amplitude difference between the first echo signal and the second echo signal not being within the preset amplitude difference range, the frequency difference between the first echo signal and the second echo signal not being within the preset frequency difference range, and the signal-to-noise ratio of the first echo signal and the signal-to-noise ratio of the second echo signal not being greater than the preset signal-to-noise ratio, the controller 60 can determine that the first transducer and the second transducer 30 are abnormal, and output a third abnormal signal to characterize the abnormality of the pulse generation circuit 10.

[0068] Considering that transducers may exhibit abnormal parameters such as high signal amplitude, frequency, or noise under abnormal conditions, the amplitude, frequency, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the echo signal can be used as criteria for diagnosing whether the transducer is malfunctioning during the diagnostic process. For example, when the isolation device inside the transducer is damaged, the output signal of the transducer will have significant interference, resulting in a substantial decrease in the SNR of the echo signal.

[0069] It should be noted that the first echo signal is the echo signal after the pulse signal has passed through the first transducer (if no abnormality occurs), received by the second transducer (if no abnormality occurs), and conditioned by the echo conditioning circuit. Typically, assuming no abnormalities occur in the echo conditioning circuit 30, the first transducer, and the second transducer 30, each pulse signal corresponds to one echo signal, and the mapping relationship between them is related to the specific parameters set in the echo conditioning circuit 30, the first transducer, and the second transducer 30.

[0070] Furthermore, the diagnostic processes for the first and second transducers described above primarily pertain to the diagnostic procedures under the condition that the ultrasonic flow meter has been set up and is operating normally. However, during the installation of the ultrasonic flow meter, it is still necessary to diagnose the transducers to avoid installing a malfunctioning ultrasonic flow meter. Considering the operating environment of ultrasonic flow meters, replacing a malfunctioning ultrasonic flow meter after installation is extremely time-consuming and labor-intensive.

[0071] To address the aforementioned issues, in the second embodiment, diagnostic signals can be acquired from the transducer 20 and used for status diagnosis during the installation of the ultrasonic flowmeter. Specific diagnostics also include the echo conditioning circuit 30, the pulse generation circuit 10, and the diagnosis of the first and second transducers. During the diagnostic process for the first and second transducers, since their installation may not be complete, to ensure the diagnostic process proceeds correctly, it is necessary to ensure that the echo signal of the probe signal output by the first transducer can be successfully received by the second transducer. Therefore, the first and second transducers need to be placed in a face-to-face configuration. This face-to-face configuration means that the signal input / output surfaces of the first and second transducers are in contact with each other. With the first and second transducers in this face-to-face configuration, the first transducer receives the acoustic signal output by the second transducer, and the second transducer receives the acoustic signal output by the first transducer. Then, by executing the diagnostic signal acquisition process and diagnostic process corresponding to the circuits that need to be diagnosed, as described above, the first and second transducers can be used to diagnose whether the first and second transducers are in an abnormal state during the installation of the ultrasonic flow meter.

[0072] Furthermore, during the installation of the ultrasonic flow meter, the first and second transducers can be diagnosed first. If the controller 60 outputs an abnormal signal, it can be determined that there is an abnormal circuit in the pulse generation circuit 10, the echo conditioning circuit 30, and the first and second transducers. Then, the pulse generation circuit 10 is diagnosed to determine whether it is abnormal. Finally, the echo conditioning circuit 30 is diagnosed. If neither the pulse generation circuit 10 nor the echo conditioning circuit 30 is abnormal, it can be determined that the first and second transducers are abnormal. In addition, other diagnostic procedures can be used during the installation of the ultrasonic flow meter, such as first diagnosing whether the echo conditioning circuit 30 is abnormal; then, if the echo conditioning circuit 30 is not abnormal, diagnosing whether the pulse generation circuit 10 is abnormal; and finally, if neither the echo conditioning circuit 30 nor the pulse generation circuit 10 is abnormal, diagnosing the first and second transducers.

[0073] In the second embodiment, by diagnosing each circuit within the ultrasonic flowmeter that requires diagnosis, it can be directly determined whether the ultrasonic flowmeter has malfunctioned. Furthermore, in the event of a malfunction in the ultrasonic flowmeter, the faulty circuit or device can be quickly located, allowing relevant personnel to directly understand the faulty circuit that requires diagnosis and to address it promptly.

[0074] Based on the first or second embodiment of the ultrasonic flow meter described above, a third embodiment of the ultrasonic flow meter of this application is proposed. (Refer to...) Figure 5 , Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the first structure of the third embodiment of the ultrasonic flowmeter of this application.

[0075] In the third embodiment, the ultrasonic flow meter further includes a storage circuit 50; the storage circuit 50 is connected to the controller 60 and is used to store data signals generated during the diagnostic process.

[0076] It should be noted that the storage circuit 50 is used to store the data generated during the diagnostic process of the pulse generation circuit 10, transducer 20, and echo conditioning circuit 30 in the ultrasonic flowmeter. This storage circuit 50 can be a flash memory, register, memory card, hard disk, or other storage structure. The data signal is the signal output to the controller 60 through the echo conditioning circuit 30 during the diagnostic process. This data signal includes a first test signal, a second test signal, a first excitation voltage, a second excitation voltage, a first echo signal, and a second echo signal.

[0077] Considering that the operating parameters of the diagnostic circuit 30 within the ultrasonic flowmeter typically change gradually due to factors such as operating time and environment, it's important to understand that the power supply voltage may decrease over extended periods. For example, in circuits containing capacitors, the capacitance may change over time, leading to a decrease in the normally operating capacitor voltage. Furthermore, the isolation structure between circuits within the ultrasonic flowmeter may deteriorate over time, resulting in a reduced signal-to-noise ratio due to interference from other circuits. Without thorough understanding of these factors by relevant personnel, the ultrasonic flowmeter may suddenly malfunction.

[0078] To avoid the above situation causing the ultrasonic flow meter to suddenly malfunction, the data signal stored in the storage circuit 50 can be extracted and the rate of change of the data signal can be determined. If the rate of change of the data signal is large, the controller 60 can determine that the circuit that needs to be diagnosed for the data signal is at risk of malfunction.

[0079] In specific implementation, during the diagnostic process, the controller 60 can input all received data signals into the storage circuit 50 for storage. Then, the controller 60 can extract the data signals from the storage circuit 50. When the circuit requiring diagnosis is the pulse generation circuit 10 or the echo conditioning circuit 30, the controller 60 monitors the amplitude change rate and frequency change rate of the data signals. If at least one of the following occurs: the amplitude change rate reaches a preset amplitude change rate, or the frequency change rate reaches a preset frequency change rate, a fourth characterization signal is output to indicate that the circuit requiring diagnosis has an abnormal risk. Of course, when the circuit requiring diagnosis is the transducer 20, it is also necessary to consider whether the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) change rate of the first and second echo signals in the data signal reaches a preset SNR change rate. That is, if any one of the following occurs: the amplitude change rate reaches a preset amplitude change rate, the frequency change rate reaches a preset frequency change rate, or the SNR change rate reaches a preset SNR change rate, the transducer can be considered to have an abnormal risk. Taking the amplitude of the second test signal as an example, the controller 60 can extract the amplitude of each second test signal and continuously determine the amplitude change between two adjacent second test signals through a subtractor, thereby determining the amplitude change rate of the second test signal. If this amplitude change rate reaches a preset amplitude change rate, it can be determined that the echo conditioning circuit 30 has an abnormal risk. Alternatively, the amplitude change value of the second test signal can also be used to determine whether the echo conditioning circuit 30 is abnormal. During the initial period of use of the ultrasonic flowmeter, this amplitude change is usually zero. As the usage time of the ultrasonic flowmeter increases, the amplitude difference between adjacent second test signals will gradually increase. If this amplitude difference reaches a preset amplitude difference, it can be determined that the echo conditioning circuit 30 has an abnormal risk. The diagnostic process for the pulse generation circuit 10, the first transducer, and the second transducer can be referred to the diagnostic process for the echo conditioning circuit 30 described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0080] The fourth characterization signal includes three different characterization signals, used to characterize the echo conditioning circuit 30, the pulse generation circuit 10, and the first and second transducers, respectively, indicating potential abnormalities. The three different characterization signals in the fourth characterization signal can differ in amplitude or frequency.

[0081] In the third embodiment, by storing the data signals during the diagnostic process and detecting the amplitude, frequency and signal-to-noise ratio of the data signals, the abnormal risk prediction of the circuit that needs to be diagnosed is performed, and the circuit that may have abnormal risks is indicated.

[0082] Reference Figure 6 , Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the second structure of the third embodiment of the ultrasonic flow meter of this application.

[0083] In the third embodiment, the ultrasonic flow meter further includes a display circuit 60; the display circuit 60 is connected to the controller 60.

[0084] It should be understood that during the process of diagnosing the circuit that needs to be diagnosed using the controller 60, the switch switching circuit 40, and the auxiliary diagnostic circuit, even if the abnormality of the circuit that needs to be diagnosed is detected in a timely manner, it is impossible to provide effective prompts to the relevant personnel.

[0085] Therefore, in the third embodiment, a display circuit 60 is also provided. This display circuit 60 can display any abnormalities in the circuit that need to be diagnosed, allowing relevant personnel to directly observe the abnormalities through the display circuit 60. The display circuit 60 can be composed of devices with display functions, such as a display screen or a digital tube.

[0086] In a specific implementation, the controller 60 may output an abnormal signal to the display circuit 60 when the signal parameters of the data signal received from the echo conditioning circuit 30 are not within the preset parameter range, so that the abnormal signal can be displayed by the display circuit.

[0087] The data signals include a second test signal, a second excitation voltage, and a second echo signal. The signal parameters include the amplitude and frequency of the second test signal, the amplitude and frequency of the second excitation signal, and the amplitude, frequency, and signal-to-noise ratio of the second echo signal. The abnormal signals are used to characterize abnormalities in the circuit requiring diagnosis. The abnormal signals include three different parameter abnormal signals, used to characterize abnormalities in the echo conditioning circuit 30, the pulse generation circuit 10, and the first and second transducers, respectively. The three different abnormal signals can differ in amplitude or frequency.

[0088] Reference Figure 7 , Figure 7 This is a circuit diagram of the display circuit in the ultrasonic flowmeter of this application. The display circuit 60 includes a display screen 601 and at least three driving power transistors: a first driving power transistor Q1, a second driving power transistor Q2, and a third driving power transistor Q3. The control terminal of each driving power transistor is connected to the controller 60, the input terminal of each driving power transistor is connected to the driving power supply VCC, and the output terminal of each driving power transistor is connected to the driving structure of the display screen 601. Each driving power transistor requires a different on-state voltage for inputting different driving voltages to the driving structure of the display screen 601.

[0089] Understandably, to quickly locate the malfunctioning circuit, the controller 60 can output abnormal signals with different parameters to the display circuit 60. Different amplitudes of the abnormal signals can indicate different circuit malfunctions. For example, an abnormal signal amplitude of 1V indicates a malfunction in the echo conditioning circuit 30, an abnormal signal amplitude of 2V indicates a malfunction in the pulse generation circuit 10, and an abnormal signal amplitude of 3V indicates a malfunction in the transducer 20. Figure 7 In this configuration, the input terminal of the first driving power transistor Q1 is connected to the driving power supply VCC through the first resistor R1, the input terminal of the second driving power transistor Q2 is connected to the driving power supply VCC through the second resistor R2, and the input terminal of the third driving power transistor Q3 is connected to the driving power supply VCC through the first resistor R3. The first to third resistors are voltage divider resistors.

[0090] It should be noted that although the control terminals of the first driving power transistor Q1, the second driving power transistor Q2, and the third driving power transistor Q3 are all connected to the controller 60, the conduction state of each power transistor is different when the abnormal signal voltage value output by the controller 60 is different. Taking the abnormal signals with amplitudes of 1V, 2V, and 3V as examples, when the controller 60 does not output an abnormal signal, the first driving power transistor Q1, the second driving power transistor Q2, and the third driving power transistor Q3 are all turned off, and the driving structure of the display screen 601 will not receive the abnormal signal; when the controller 60 outputs an abnormal signal with an amplitude of 1V, the first driving power transistor Q1 is turned on, and the second driving power transistor Q2 and the third driving power transistor Q3 are all turned off, and the driving structure of the display screen 601 will receive the driving voltage input through the first driving power transistor Q1, that is, the voltage input through the first resistor R1; when the controller 60 outputs an abnormal signal with an amplitude of 2V, the first driving power transistor Q1 is turned on. When the second driving power transistor Q2 is turned on and the third driving power transistor Q3 is turned off, the driving structure of the display screen 601 receives the driving voltage input through the first driving power transistor Q1 and the second driving power transistor Q2, which is the voltage input through the parallel connection of the first resistor R1 and the second resistor R2. When the controller 60 outputs an abnormal signal with an amplitude of 3V, the first driving power transistor Q1, the second driving power transistor Q2, and the third driving power transistor Q3 are turned on. The driving structure of the display screen 601 receives the driving voltage input through the first driving power transistor Q1, the second driving power transistor Q2, and the third driving power transistor Q3, which is the voltage input through the parallel connection of the first resistor R1, the second resistor R2, and the third resistor R3. Depending on the voltage value of the input abnormal signal, the driving structure of the display screen 601 can drive the display screen 601 to display different brightness, image, and other display states, allowing the user to intuitively understand the status of the abnormal circuit on the display screen 601. For example, the driving structure of display screen 601 can adjust the voltage value input to the driving data line during the driving process of display screen 601 according to the signal amplitude of the received abnormal signal, thereby displaying different brightness on display screen 601.

[0091] In a specific implementation, the controller 60 can control the conduction of different drive power transistors by outputting abnormal signals of different amplitudes, thereby inputting different drive voltages to the drive structure of the display screen 601, and thus presenting different display states on the display screen 601.

[0092] The driving power supply VCC is used to drive the display screen 601 to display. The driving voltage is the voltage input to the display screen. Different driving voltages will produce different display effects on the display screen 601.

[0093] In the third embodiment, the display circuit 60 allows relevant personnel to visually observe the circuit that is malfunctioning.

[0094] Furthermore, refer to Figure 8 , Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the third structure of the ultrasonic flow meter of this application.

[0095] In the third embodiment, the ultrasonic flow meter further includes: an abnormality indicator light 70; The control terminal of the abnormal indicator light 70 is connected to the controller 60.

[0096] Understandably, the malfunction indicator light 70 is used to alert relevant personnel when a circuit requiring diagnostics malfunctions. This indicator light 70 can be a flashing light, a dangerous red light, or a warning yellow light. When a malfunction occurs in the diagnostic circuit within the ultrasonic flow meter, the flow meter cannot properly detect fluid flow. Because the fluid flow is uncontrollable, this may affect some equipment. The malfunction indicator light 70 alerts relevant personnel that the ultrasonic flow meter cannot detect fluid flow, allowing them to promptly shut down potentially affected equipment.

[0097] In practice, when the signal parameters of the data signal output by the echo conditioning circuit 30 are not within the preset parameter range, the controller 60 directly outputs a drive signal to drive the abnormal indicator light 70, so as to illuminate the abnormal indicator light 70 to remind the relevant personnel and shut down the relevant equipment to avoid damage to the equipment.

[0098] In addition, refer to Figure 9 , Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the fourth structure of the third embodiment of the ultrasonic flowmeter of this application. Figure 9 The ultrasonic flow meter integrates a storage circuit 50, a display circuit 60, and an abnormality indicator light 70. The specific control of the storage circuit 50, display circuit 60, and abnormality indicator light 70 can be found in the above discussion and will not be repeated here. Furthermore, during actual diagnostics, if an abnormality occurs in the circuit requiring diagnosis, the abnormality indicator light 70 will illuminate first, and the display circuit 60 will display the abnormal circuit information.

[0099] It should be understood that the various parts disclosed in this application can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. In the description of the above embodiments, specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0100] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

[0101] The above description is only a part of the embodiments of this application and does not limit the scope of this application. All equivalent structural transformations made under the technical concept of this application and using the content of this application specification and drawings, or direct / indirect applications in other related technical fields, are included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic flow meter characterized by, Ultrasonic flow meters include: A pulse generating circuit is used to generate an excitation voltage; A transducer is used to convert acoustic signals into electrical signals. The echo conditioning circuit is used to receive and process the received excitation voltage; Switching circuit; The echo conditioning circuit is connected to the pulse generation circuit and the transducer respectively through a switching circuit.

2. The ultrasonic flow meter as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The ultrasonic flow meter also includes: a signal generation circuit; The signal generation circuit is connected to the switch switching circuit; A switching circuit is used to switch the connection between the signal generation circuit and the echo conditioning circuit in order to diagnose the echo conditioning circuit.

3. The ultrasonic flow meter as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The ultrasonic flow meter also includes: a controller; The controller is connected to the switch switching circuit, the pulse generation circuit, the signal generation circuit, and the echo conditioning circuit, respectively. The controller is used to output an adjustment signal to the signal generation circuit; the adjustment signal is used to adjust the frequency and amplitude of the test signal output by the signal generation circuit. The signal generation circuit is used to output a first test signal to the echo conditioning circuit based on the adjustment signal, which has the same frequency and a preset amplitude as the echo signal received by the transducer. The controller is also configured to receive a second test signal after the echo conditioning circuit conditions the first test signal; The controller is further configured to output a first characterization signal when the amplitude difference between the first test signal and the second test signal is within a preset amplitude difference range and the frequency difference between the first test signal and the second test signal is within a preset frequency difference range. The first characterization signal is used to characterize that the echo conditioning circuit has not experienced any abnormality.

4. The ultrasonic flow meter as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The controller is also configured to output an excitation signal to the pulse generating circuit, wherein the excitation signal is used to control the excitation voltage output by the pulse generating circuit to be characterized as a first excitation voltage at the output terminal of the echo conditioning circuit; The controller is also configured to receive a second excitation voltage after the excitation voltage has been conditioned by the echo conditioning circuit; The controller is further configured to output a second characterization signal when the amplitude difference between the first excitation voltage and the second excitation voltage is within a preset amplitude difference range and the frequency difference between the first excitation voltage and the second excitation voltage is within a preset frequency difference range. The second characterization signal is used to characterize that the pulse generation circuit has not experienced any abnormality.

5. The ultrasonic flow meter as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The echo conditioning circuit includes: an amplifier circuit; The amplifier circuit is connected to the controller; The controller is also configured to output a gain adjustment signal to the amplifier circuit to control the gain of the amplifier circuit to be lower than the saturation gain, wherein the saturation gain is the gain corresponding to the amplifier circuit in the saturation state.

6. The ultrasonic flow meter of claim 3, wherein, The transducer includes a first transducer and a second transducer; The controller is used to control the pulse signal output by the pulse generation circuit and determine the first echo signal corresponding to the pulse signal; the first echo signal is the echo signal after the pulse signal is output by the first transducer without abnormality, received by the second transducer without abnormality, and conditioned by the echo conditioning circuit. The controller is also used to receive the second echo signal output by the echo conditioning circuit; The controller is further configured to output a third characterization signal when the amplitude difference between the first echo signal and the second echo signal is within a preset amplitude difference range, the frequency difference between the first echo signal and the second echo signal is within a preset frequency difference range, and the signal-to-noise ratio of both the first echo signal and the second echo signal is greater than a preset signal-to-noise ratio. The third characterization signal is used to characterize that neither the first transducer nor the second transducer has malfunctioned.

7. The ultrasonic flow meter of claim 6, wherein, The first transducer and the second transducer are placed in a face-to-face arrangement during the installation of the ultrasonic flow meter; the face-to-face arrangement means that the signal input / output surfaces of the first transducer and the signal input / output surfaces of the second transducer are in contact with each other.

8. The ultrasonic flow meter as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The ultrasonic flow meter also includes: a storage circuit; The storage circuit is connected to the controller and is used to store the data signals generated by the pulse generation circuit, the echo conditioning circuit, and the transducer diagnostic process. The controller is also used to monitor the amplitude change rate, frequency change rate, and signal-to-noise ratio change rate of the data signal. When at least one of the amplitude change rate, frequency change rate, and signal-to-noise ratio change rate reaches a preset amplitude change rate, the frequency change rate reaches a preset frequency change rate, and the signal-to-noise ratio change rate reaches a preset signal-to-noise ratio change rate occurs, a fourth characterization signal is output. The fourth characterization signal is used to characterize that at least one of the pulse generation circuit, echo conditioning circuit, and transducer has an abnormal risk.

9. The ultrasonic flow meter according to any one of claims 3 to 8, characterized in that, The ultrasonic flow meter also includes: a display circuit; The display circuit is connected to the controller; The controller is further configured to output an abnormal signal to the display circuit when the signal parameters of the data signal received from the echo conditioning circuit are not within the preset parameter range, so as to display the abnormal signal through the display circuit; the abnormal signal is used to indicate that the circuit that needs to be diagnosed has malfunctioned. The display circuit includes: a display screen and at least three driving power transistors; The control terminal of each of the driving power transistors is connected to the controller, the input terminal of each of the driving power transistors is connected to the driving power supply, and the output terminal of each of the driving power transistors is connected to the driving structure of the display screen. The control terminals of each of the aforementioned drive power transistors require different turn-on voltages, which are used to input different drive voltages to the drive structure of the display screen.

10. The ultrasonic flow meter of any one of claims 3 to 8, wherein, The ultrasonic flow meter also includes: an abnormality indicator light; The control terminal of the abnormal indicator light is connected to the controller; The controller is also used to drive the abnormal indicator light to illuminate when the signal parameters of the data signal output from the echo conditioning circuit are not within the preset parameter range.

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