Flow sensor circuit for monitoring a fluid flowpath
US10018493B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 12, 2013 |
| Grant date | Jul 10, 2018 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 12, 2033 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01F1/696
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A flow sensor circuit for a fluid flowpath having a self-heated thermistor situated in a fluid flowpath. The flow sensor circuit is configured to energize the thermistor sufficiently to heat the thermistor, calculate the slope of the leading edge of the rise in temperature of the thermistor when the thermistor is energized, and equate the slope to the state of the fluid flowing through the fluid flowpath. In another embodiment, the flow sensor circuit is configured to energize the thermistor, measure and calculate the average and standard deviation of the thermistor temperature, and determine the state of the flowpath using the thermistor temperature average and standard deviation.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.