Title :
Flow measurement hits home
Author :
Castañer, Luis ; Jiménez, V. ; Dominguez, M. ; Masana, F. ; Rodriguez, A.
Author_Institution :
Univ. Politecnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
fDate :
1/1/1997 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
The conception, design fabrication, and test of a demonstrator of a low-cost flowmeter for washing machines and other home appliances has been described in this article. Mechanical, thermal, and electric simulations were required to set the parameters of the system, and links between thermal and electrical domains were established through SPICE-equivalent circuits. Closed-loop measurements using a electro-thermal sigma-delta converter improve the linearity compared with open-loop differential voltage measurements. A novel design of the packaging may lead to an inexpensive unit price when commercially produced
Keywords :
domestic appliances; flow measurement; flowmeters; microsensors; SPICE equivalent circuit; closed-loop measurement; electric simulation; electro-thermal sigma-delta converter; flow measurement; flowmeter; home appliance; linearity; mechanical simulation; microelectromechanical sensor; open-loop differential voltage measurement; packaging; signal conditioning; thermal simulation; washing machine; Circuit simulation; Circuit testing; Delta-sigma modulation; Fabrication; Fluid flow measurement; Home appliances; Linearity; Packaging; Voltage measurement; Washing machines;
Journal_Title :
Circuits and Devices Magazine, IEEE
