Fluid flow sensor
AssigneeFlusso Limited
InventorsClaudio Falco, Syed Zeeshan Ali
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A sensor for sensing direction of fluid-flow, the sensor comprising: a heating element; a first active temperature sensing element; and a processor; wherein the processor is configured to: receive a first signal corresponding to a first sensed temperature from the first active temperature sensing element; and determine a direction of fluid-flow based on a difference between the first sensed temperature and a threshold value. A method for sensing direction of fluid-flow and a method for manufacturing a sensor are also described.
Claims19
A sensor for sensing direction of fluid-flow, the sensor comprising:
- a first resistor acting as a heating element;
- a second resistor acting as a first active
- temperature sensing element, the first resistor
- and the second resistor being identical;
- and a processor;
- wherein the processor is configured to:
- receive a first signal corresponding to a first sensed temperature from the first active temperature sensing element;
- and
- determine a direction of fluid-flow based on the first signal corresponding to the first sensed temperature and a threshold value;
- receive a third signal from the heating element;
- determine a magnitude of fluid-flow based on a comparison between the third signal from the heating element and a calibration value, and
- periodically swap the first resistor and the second resistor so that the first resistor acts as the first active temperature sensing element and the second resistor acts as the heating element.
A method for sensing direction of fluid-flow, the method comprising:
- operating a heating element in a fluid-flow path;
- receiving a first signal corresponding to a first sensed temperature from an active temperature sensing element;
- determining a direction of fluid-flow based on the first sensed temperature and a threshold value;
- receiving a third signal from the heating element;
- determining a magnitude of fluid-flow based on a comparison between the third signal from the heating element and a calibration value, and
- periodically swapping the roles of the heating element and of the active temperature sensing element.
A method of manufacturing a sensor for sensing direction of fluid-flow, the method comprising:
- providing a first resistor configured to act as heating element;
- providing a second resistor configured to act as first active temperature sensing element, the first resistor and the second resistor being identical;
- configuring the first active temperature sensing element to sense a first sensed temperature;
- providing a processor;
- and
- configuring the processor to receive a first signal corresponding to the first sensed temperature from the first active temperature sensing element to determine a direction of fluid-flow based on the first sensed temperature and a threshold value;
- to receive a third signal from the heating element;
- to determine a magnitude of fluid-flow based on a comparison between the third signal from the heating element and a calibration value, and periodically swap the first resistor and the second resistor so that the first resistor is configured to act as the first active temperature sensing element and the second resistor is configured to act as the heating element.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.