Drag anemometer
First Claim
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1. An anemometer for measuring the velocity of a fluid, comprising:
- a housing having an elongate shaft pivotally mounted therein and projecting therefrom, the shaft being moveable from a neutral position in response to drag forces thereon and returnable to a neutral position in response to electromagnetic forces thereon;
a drag element mounted on the shaft exterior of the housing;
electromagnetic means located adjacent to the shaft;
position sensing means connected to the electromagnetic means for producing signals responsive to the position of the shaft relative to the electromagnetic means; and
controller means operatively connected between the position sensing means and the electromagnetic means for applying direct current to the electromagnetic means to return the shaft to said neutral position, the current applied to the electromagnetic means being proportional to the speed of the fluid impinging on the drag element.
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Abstract
An anemometer for measuring the velocity of a fluid. The anemometer has a pivotally mounted shaft with a drag element mounted thereon for exposure to the fluid. Electromagnets are orthogonally located adjacent to a ferrite block on the shaft, and changes in position of the shaft are sensed by changes in voltage across the electromagnets. A controller senses these voltage changes and applies current to the electromagnets to produce electromagnetic force to restore the position of the shaft and balance the fluid force on the drag element. A micro-processor computes fluid speed and direction from the current applied to the electromagnets.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. An anemometer for measuring the velocity of a fluid, comprising:
- a housing having an elongate shaft pivotally mounted therein and projecting therefrom, the shaft being moveable from a neutral position in response to drag forces thereon and returnable to a neutral position in response to electromagnetic forces thereon;
a drag element mounted on the shaft exterior of the housing;
electromagnetic means located adjacent to the shaft;
position sensing means connected to the electromagnetic means for producing signals responsive to the position of the shaft relative to the electromagnetic means; and
controller means operatively connected between the position sensing means and the electromagnetic means for applying direct current to the electromagnetic means to return the shaft to said neutral position, the current applied to the electromagnetic means being proportional to the speed of the fluid impinging on the drag element. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
- a housing having an elongate shaft pivotally mounted therein and projecting therefrom, the shaft being moveable from a neutral position in response to drag forces thereon and returnable to a neutral position in response to electromagnetic forces thereon;
Specification