Time of flight sensor with a flow parallel wire

Abstract

A time of flight sensor has been equipped with a sensing wire parallel to the flow direction (flow parallel wire, FPW). A heat pulse is generated with a coil in the flow channel. The FPW has a center tap allowing its upstream and downstream parts to join in a half bridge. When a heat pulse passes the FPW, a large output peak is generated. The time between heat pulse generation and recording the peak maximum is only marginally affected by the properties of the fluid. With a combination of two FPWs, a measuring range of approximately 0.01-0.5 m/s can be achieved. © 2012 by the authors.