| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20080223140 | Industrial pressure sensor having enhanced dielectric fill fluid - A capacitive pressure sensor for an industrial process transmitters comprises a housing, a sensing diaphragm, an electrode and a fill fluid. The housing includes an interior cavity and a channel extending from an exterior of the housing to the cavity. The sensing diaphragm is disposed within the interior cavity opposite the electrode. The fill fluid occupies the interior cavity such that a pressure from the channel is conveyed to the sensing diaphragm to adjust a capacitance between the electrode and the sensing diaphragm. The fill fluid has a dielectric constant higher than about 3.5. In various embodiments, the pressure sensor has a diameter less than approximately 3.175 centimeters (˜1.25 inches), the electrode has a diameter less than approximately 1 cm (˜0.4 inches), the pressure sensor has a capacitance of approximately 5 to approximately 10 pico-farads, and the fill fluid is comprised of hydraulic fluid having a liquid additive. | 09-18-2008 |
| 20080245152 | EXPANSION CHAMBER FOR USE WITH A PRESSURE TRANSMITTER - A pressure monitoring system provides a pressure sensor and a body that has a first coefficient of thermal expansion and includes at least one opening for accessing a process fluid. At least one isolation diaphragm is coupled to the body and positioned in the at least one opening. The at least one isolation diaphragm has a first surface in communication with the process fluid. At least one passageway is located in the body and configured to contain a fill fluid in communication with a second surface of the first isolation diaphragm. The at least one passageway is positioned between the first isolation diaphragm and the pressure sensor. At least one expansion chamber is coupled to the first passageway and includes an insert having a second coefficient of thermal expansion. The first coefficient of thermal expansion of the body is greater than the second coefficient of thermal expansion of the insert. | 10-09-2008 |
| 20080253058 | Pressure and mechanical sensors using titanium-based superelastic alloy - Pressure and mechanical sensors include a sensing component formed of a titanium and tantalum alloy having an elastic (Young's) modulus of less than about 80 GPa and a tensile strength of greater than about 1,000 MPa. The high strength and low elastic modulus, together with very low temperature dependence of the elastic modulus and very low linear thermal expansion, result in high resolution and precise measurement over a large temperature range. | 10-16-2008 |
| 20080280568 | RF ADAPTER FOR FIELD DEVICE - An adapter for coupling to a process control transmitter of the type used to monitor a process variable in an industrial process is provided. The adapter includes I/O circuitry configured to couple to a two wire process control loop and to the process control transmitter and communicate on the process control loop. Wireless communication circuitry couples to the two wire process control loop and is configured to transmit an RF signal. Power supply circuitry provides power to the wireless communication circuitry. | 11-13-2008 |
| 20090308170 | ISOLATION SYSTEM FOR PROCESS PRESSURE MEASUREMENT - A process fluid pressure transmitter includes a pressure sensor, transmitter electronics, and an isolation system. The pressure sensor has an electrical characteristic that changes with pressure. The transmitter electronics are coupled to the pressure sensor to sense the electrical characteristic and calculate a pressure output. The isolation system includes a base member, and isolation diaphragm, and a fill-fluid. The isolation diaphragm is mounted to the base member and interposed between the pressure sensor and a process fluid. The fill-fluid is disposed between the isolation diaphragm and the pressure sensor. The base member and the isolation diaphragm are constructed from different materials such that the coefficient of thermal expansion of the isolation diaphragm is larger than the coefficient of thermal expansion of the base member. | 12-17-2009 |
| 20100083768 | Thermal-based diagnostic system for process transmitter - A process transmitter for measuring a process variable in an industrial process comprises a sensor module, a heating device and transmitter circuitry. The sensor module has a sensor for sensing a process variable of an industrial process and generating a sensor signal. The heating device is connected to the sensor module for generating a heat pulse to influence generation of the sensor signal. The transmitter circuitry is connected to the sensor and the heating device. The transmitter circuitry verifies operation of the sensor by measuring a change in the sensor signal due to the heat pulse. In one embodiment of the invention, the heat pulse thermally expands a volume of a fill fluid within the process transmitter. In another embodiment, the heat pulse changes a physical property, such as dielectric, of a fill fluid within the process transmitter. | 04-08-2010 |
| 20100109331 | INDUSTRIAL PROCESS POWER SCAVENGING DEVICE AND METHOD OF DERIVING PROCESS DEVICE POWER FROM AN INDUSTRIAL PROCESS - In a particular embodiment, a process device includes a fluid disruption generation element to generate a fluid disruption within process fluid flowing through a pipe associated with an industrial process and a process variable sensor coupled to the disruption generation element to measure a process parameter. The process device further includes a power generation element adapted to generate an electrical output signal in response to the fluid disruption and a power storage component coupled to the power generation element. The power storage component is adapted to accumulate a charge based on the electrical output signal. | 05-06-2010 |
| 20100269594 | CAPACITIVE GAGE PRESSURE SENSOR WITH VACUUM DIELECTRIC - A field device includes a capacitive gauge pressure sensor configured to measure a gage pressure of a process media. A sensor body of the pressure sensor includes first and second chambers. The second chamber is under vacuum and forms a vacuum dielectric for the pressure sensor. An atmospheric reference port is formed in the sensor body and maintains the first chamber in equilibrium with ambient atmospheric pressure. A process media inlet port of the sensor is configured to couple to a process media source. The sensor includes a conductive deflectable diaphragm between the second chamber and the media inlet port. A capacitive plate is disposed in the second chamber in relation to the diaphragm such that deflection of the diaphragm generates a change in capacitance. The field device also includes sensor circuitry which generates a sensor signal indicative of the gage pressure of the process media, and transmitter circuitry which transmits information relative to the sensor signal over a process communication loop. | 10-28-2010 |
| 20100307254 | INDUSTRIAL PROCESS CONTROL PRESSURE TRANSMITTER AND FLANGE COUPLING - A pressure transmitter for measuring a pressure of a process fluid in an industrial process, includes a pressure sensor having an output related to an applied pressure. Measurement circuitry coupled to the pressure sensor is configured to provide a transmitter output related to sensed pressure. A pressure coupling face having an opening therein is arranged to transfer the applied pressure to the pressure sensor. A pressure coupling flange having a flange face abutting the pressure coupling face is configured to convey the process fluid to the opening of the pressure coupling face. Features are provided to control distribution of a leading force across the pressure coupling face and the flange face. | 12-09-2010 |
