US 2022/0178855 A1 · FAULT DETECTION IN A THERMAL SENSOR DEVICE

Abstract

A thermal sensor device is configured to determine a fluid parameter of a fluid based on the heat transfer behavior of the fluid. The sensor device comprises one or more heaters and means for determining a response of the sensor device to heater power being supplied to the heaters. For detecting sensor faults, the sensor device is operated in two different modes of operation. First and second values (cstatic, cdynamic) of the same fluid parameter are determined in the two modes. A fault indicator value (F) is derived by comparing the first and second values. The first mode of operation may be a steady-state mode, the first value (cstatic) being based on a steady-state response of the sensor device to heater power being supplied to the heaters, and the second mode of operation may be a dynamic mode, the second value (cstatic) being based on a transient response.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A thermal sensor device for determining a fluid parameter associated with a fluid in thermal contact with the thermal sensor device based on a heat transfer behavior of the fluid, the thermal sensor device comprising:

one or more heaters;
means for determining a response of the sensor device to heater power being supplied to the one or more heaters;
and
processing circuitry for supplying the heater power and for processing the response of the sensor device to determine at least one value of the fluid parameter based on said response,
the processing circuitry being configured to carry out a method for detecting faults of the thermal sensor device comprising the steps of:
a) operating the thermal sensor device in a first mode of operation to determine a first value of the fluid parameter;
b) operating the thermal sensor device in a second mode of operation to determine a second value of the fluid parameter;
and
c) deriving a fault indicator value based on a comparison of the first and second values of the fluid parameter.

6 more elements

A method for detecting faults of a thermal sensor device comprising one or more heaters, means for determining a response of the sensor device to heater power being supplied to the one or more heaters, and processing circuitry for supplying the heater power and for processing the response of the sensor device to the heater power in order to determine, based on said response, at least one value of a fluid parameter of a fluid in thermal contact with the sensor device, the method comprising:

a) operating the thermal sensor device in a first mode of operation to determine a first value of the fluid parameter;
b) operating the thermal sensor device in a second mode of operation to determine a second value of the fluid parameter;
and
c) deriving a fault indicator value based on a comparison of the first and second values of the fluid parameter.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Fault detection in a thermal sensor device

Life of this patent

Fault detection in a thermal sensor device

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20