FLUID SENSOR SYSTEM, COMPUTING DEVICE, AND METHOD FOR ESTIMATING FLOW DIRECTION

• Main Authors: SHIRAISHI DAIKI, MURAKAMI KOICHI, MIZUMI SHUNSUKE, OMURA NAOTO, MOTOHIRO MASAHIRO
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: 22.09.2023
• Subjects: INDICATING PRESENCE, ABSENCE, OR DIRECTION, OF MOVEMENT; MEASURING; MEASURING LINEAR OR ANGULAR SPEED, ACCELERATION, DECELERATION,OR SHOCK; PHYSICS; TESTING

To detect the flow direction of a fluid easily with high accuracy even when installed in a limited installation space.SOLUTION: A fluid sensor system comprises a sensor and a computing device. The sensor includes a heat generating body, and an outer circumferential sensor unit that includes three or more sensor pairs so as to enclose the circumference of the heat generating body, the sensor pair composed of two temperature sensors arranged facing each other across the heat generating body. The computing device includes a first identification unit that identifies a sensor pair among the three or more sensor pairs, where the output difference between an output value corresponding to the temperature detected by a temperature sensor in one of the sensor pair and an output value corresponding to the temperature detected by a temperature sensor in the other of the sensor pair is largest, a second identification unit that identifies other sensor pairs that adjoin the identified sensor pair in the circumferential direction, and a flow direction estimation unit that estimates the flow direction of the fluid on the basis of the output difference in the sensor pair whose output difference is largest, and the output difference in the other sensor pairs that adjoin in the circumferential direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2 【課題】限られた設置スペースに設置した場合であっても流体の流れの方向を容易かつ高精度に検出する。【解決手段】流体センサシステムは、センサと、演算装置と、を備える。センサは、発熱体と、発熱体を挟んで対向配置された二つの温度センサからなるセンサ対を、発熱体の周囲を囲むように三対以上備えた外周センサ部と、を備え、演算装置は、三対以上のセンサ対のうち、センサ対の一方の温度センサで検出される温度に応じた出力値と他方の温度センサで検出される温度に応じた出力値との出力差分が最も大きいセンサ対を特定する第一特定部と、特定されたセンサ対に対し、周方向で隣接する他のセンサ対を特定する第二特定部と、出力差分が最も大きいセンサ対における出力差分と、周方向で隣接する他のセンサ対における出力差分とに基づき、前記流体の流れ方向を推定する流れ方向推定部と、を備える。【選択図】図２