Electrically scanned pressure sensor module with in situ calibration capability

US4111058A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration · US

Inventor

• Chris Gross · Yorktown, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 22, 1977
• Grant date: Sep 5, 1978
• Expiry date: Sep 22, 1997

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01M9/06
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

This invention is a high data rate pressure sensor module with an in situ calibration capability to help reduce energy consumption in wind tunnel facilities without loss of measurement accuracy. The sensor module allows for nearly a two order of magnitude increase in data rates over conventional electromechanically scanned pressure sampling techniques. The module consists of 16 solid state pressure sensor chips and signal multiplexing electronics integrally mounted to a four position pressure selector switch. One of the four positions of the pressure selector switch allows the in situ calibration of the 16 pressure sensors; the three other positions allow 48 channels (three sets of 16) pressure inputs to be measured by the sensors. The small size of the sensor module will allow mounting within many wind tunnel models, thus eliminating long tube lengths and their corresponding slow pressure response.