System and method for a high speed hybrid sonic and mechanical temperature and wind measurement sensor
AssigneeMichigan Aerospace Corporation
InventorWilliam Eric Johnson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention is a one-dimensional sonic anemometer paired with a tail vane that continuously rotates the sonic anemometer to be coaligned with the prevailing wind. The one-dimensional sonic anemometer being coaligned with the wind vector can measure the total wind speed directly with the wind direction measured by detection of the relative orientation of the instrument with respect to North as the instrument is held into the wind. Rather than a conventional two-dimensional sonic anemometer, the invention is a hybrid one-dimensional sonic anemometer with a mechanical wind direction measurement.
Claims11
A hybrid stationary anemometer system for measuring a volume space of interest in an atmosphere, comprising:
- a mechanical wind vane to align at least one 1-dimensional anemometer in the wind direction and measure the wind direction;
- and
- an electronic processing circuit that processes data from the mechanical wind vane and the at least one 1-dimensional anemometer, wherein
- the at least one 1-dimensional anemometer includes a single output signal generator and a received signal detector, the single output signal generator including a single piezo and/or electromagnetic emitter configured to emit an output signal through the volume space,
- the received signal detector includes at least four piezo and/or electromagnetic receivers operatively connected to receive an output signal from the single piezo and/or electromagnetic emitter, each of the at least four piezo and/or electromagnetic receivers being operatively mounted to be spatially separated from the single piezo and/or electromagnetic emitter, and
- the wind vane is operatively connected to movably align with a direction of movement of wind in the volume space, the single piezo and/or electromagnetic emitter and the at least four piezo and/or electromagnetic receivers being fixedly and spatially mounted to the wind vane along a single plane such that the at least four piezo and/or electromagnetic receivers are operatively aligned to receive the output signal emitted through the volume space from the single piezo and/or electromagnetic emitter while the wind vane aligns with the direction of the wind movement.
A method of enhancing an anemometer system, comprising the steps of:
- providing a mechanical wind vane to align at least one 1-dimensional anemometer in the wind direction and measure the wind direction;
- and
- processing via an electronic processing circuit data from the mechanical wind vane and the at least one 1-dimensional anemometer, wherein
- the at least one 1-dimensional anemometer includes a single output signal generator and a received signal detector, the single output signal generator including a single piezo and/or electromagnetic emitter configured to emit an output signal through the volume space,
- the received signal detector includes at least four piezo and/or electromagnetic receivers operatively connected to receive an output signal from the single piezo and/or electromagnetic emitter, each of the at least four piezo and/or electromagnetic receivers mounted spatially separated from the single piezo and/or electromagnetic emitter, and
- the wind vane movably aligning with the direction of movement of wind in the volume space, the single piezo and/or electromagnetic emitter and the at least four piezo and/or electromagnetic receivers being fixedly and spatially mounted to the wind vane along a single plane such that the at least four piezo and/or electromagnetic receivers are operatively aligned to receive the output signal emitted through the volume space from the single piezo and/or electromagnetic emitter while the wind vane aligns with the direction of the wind movement.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.