METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INTELLIGENT FLOW SENSORS
First Claim
1. A fluid flow sensing system comprising:
- a housing having a chamber that is sized and dimensioned to allow fluid to pass therethrough;
a flap provided within said chamber, wherein the fluid causes said flap to move when the fluid passes thereover;
a sensor coupled to said flap for generating an output signal when said flap moves, said sensor configured to sense a displacement of said movable flap and a vibration of said movable flap, said displacement of said movable flap being representative of a flow rate associated with the fluid and said vibration of said movable flap being representative of a frequency associated with the fluid; and
a determining unit receiving said output signal of said sensor and in response thereto, determining flow rate data associated with the fluid and determining frequency data associated with the fluid.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A single sensor capable of detecting both airflow in spirometry and the full range of sound frequencies needed to track clinically relevant breath sounds is provided. The airflow sensor includes a movable flap with one or more integrated strain gauges for measuring displacement and vibration. The airflow sensor is inherently bidirectional. The sensor is an elastic flap airflow sensor that is capable of detecting data needed for both spirometry and auscultation measurements. The sensor is sterilizable and designed for the measurement of human respiratory airflow. The sterilizable sensor is also suitable for non-medical fluid flow metering applications. Additional devices such as sensors for the ambient level of various chemicals, sensors for temperature, sensors for humidity and microphones, may be affixed to the flap. When the strain gauge is placed in a conventional Wheatstone bridge configuration, the sensor can provide the airflow measurements needed for medical spirometry.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A fluid flow sensing system comprising:
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a housing having a chamber that is sized and dimensioned to allow fluid to pass therethrough; a flap provided within said chamber, wherein the fluid causes said flap to move when the fluid passes thereover; a sensor coupled to said flap for generating an output signal when said flap moves, said sensor configured to sense a displacement of said movable flap and a vibration of said movable flap, said displacement of said movable flap being representative of a flow rate associated with the fluid and said vibration of said movable flap being representative of a frequency associated with the fluid; and a determining unit receiving said output signal of said sensor and in response thereto, determining flow rate data associated with the fluid and determining frequency data associated with the fluid. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for determining a flow rate and a frequency of a fluid using a sensor coupled to a flap, said sensor generating an output signal when said flap moves, said method comprising:
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providing a flow of said fluid across said sensor; sensing a displacement of said flap with said sensor, said displacement being representative of a flow rate associated with said fluid flow; sensing a vibration of said flap with said sensor, said vibration being representative of a frequency associated with said fluid flow; generating said output signal from said sensor; and determining from said output signal said flow rate and frequency associated with said fluid flow from said sensed displacements and said sensed vibrations respectively. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification