Thermal conductivity sensor
AssigneeC-Therm Technologies Ltd.
InventorMichael Emanuel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A thin film thermal conductivity temperature sensor may have a spiral heating element having very tightly spaced conductors that allow the spiral heating element to act as a solid disc. Further, multiple electrical connections to the spiral heating element can be provided to allow the size of the heating and temperature sensing element to be changed. The sensor can be used in determining thermal characteristics of different material samples to be determined.
Claims20
A sensor for use in determining thermal characteristics of a material sample, the sensor comprising:
- a heating patch comprising a closely spaced spiral electrical trace with adjacent spiral sections spaced apart by less than 75 μm which when heated act as a circular heat source;
- and
- a pair of electrical connections connected to the heating patch capable of supplying current to the heating patch to heat a first size of the heating patch when determining the thermal characteristics of the material sample based on at least a voltage across the pair of electrical connections.
A measurement system for determining thermal characteristics of a material sample, the measurement system comprising:
- a sensor comprising:
- a heating patch comprising a closely spaced spiral electrical trace with adjacent spiral sections closely spaced apart which when heated act as a circular heat source;
- and
- a pair of electrical connections connected to the heating patch capable of supplying current to the heating patch to heat a first size of the heating patch when determining the thermal characteristics of the material sample;
- a processor;
- and
- a memory storing instructions, which when executed by the processor configure the measurement system to:
- heat the material sample by applying a current to heat an area of the heating patch through the pair of electrical connections;
- measure a voltage across the pair of electrical connections connected to the heating patch;
- determine an average temperature of the heated area using the measured voltage;
- and
- determine the thermal characteristics of the material sample using the average temperature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.