Systems, methods, and devices for fluid data sensing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9541429-B2
Application number	US-201514728347-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 2, 2015
Priority date	Jun 2, 2014
Publication date	Jan 10, 2017
Grant date	Jan 10, 2017

Abstract

A fluid sensing device includes an outer body, an inner body coupled to the outer body by one or more inner body support struts and extending at least partially out from the outer body, and an aft body disposed at least partially within the outer body at a location aft of the inner body, the aft body being coupled to the outer body by one or more aft body support struts. The inner body includes a hollow interior for housing one or more inner body sensors, and the aft body houses one or more aft body sensors. The fluid sensing device can measure one or more parameters of fluid flow at high angularity, such as total temperature and total pressure, locally and simultaneously, allowing additional fluid parameters, such as local entropy, to be calculated.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fluid sensing device, comprising:
an outer body having a fore side, an aft side, and an interior space, the outer body including a fluid inlet disposed at the fore side;
an inner body extending at least partially out of the fluid inlet of the outer body along a longitudinal axis; and
an aft body disposed at least partially within the outer body at a location aft of the inner body, the aft body including an opening oriented toward the fore side of the outer body, and the aft body housing one or more aft body sensors;
wherein the inner body is configured to induce the Coanda effect in at least a portion of a fluid contacting the inner body at an angle transverse to a longitudinal axis of the inner body.

2. The fluid sensing device of claim 1 , wherein the inner body includes a hollow interior housing one or more inner body sensors.

3. The fluid sensing device of claim 2 , wherein the one or more inner body sensors include one or more temperature sensor, rate gyro, GPS unit, accelerometer, radar device, pressure sensor, magnetometer, timing clock, or optical sensor.

4. The fluid sensing device of claim 2 , wherein the hollow interior is configured such that fluid within the hollow interior is in a stagnation state.

5. The fluid sensing device of claim 2 , further comprising a processor disposed within the hollow interior or the external mounting base, the processor configured to provide real-time processing of sensor readings by receiving input from at least one sensor and, based on the received input, calculating one or more outputs.

6. The fluid sensing device of claim 1 , wherein the inner body includes a fluid permeable surface covering at least a portion of the inner body.

7. The fluid sensing device of claim 1 , further comprising a contoured lip configured to widen the angularity of a fluid capture dome.

8. The fluid sensing device of claim 1 , further comprising one or more inner body struts configured to secure the inner body to the outer body and one or more aft body struts configured to secure the aft body to the outer body.

9. The fluid sensing device of claim 8 , further comprising a conduit coupled to the inner body strut configured to provide passage between a hollow interior of the inner body and the outer body.

10. The fluid sensing device of claim 1 , further comprising one or more static ports disposed within a sidewall of the outer body.

11. The fluid sensing device of claim 1 , further comprising one or more vents defined by a space between the aft body and an inner surface of the outer body.

12. The fluid sensing device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more aft body sensors include one or more temperature sensor, rate gyro, GPS unit, accelerometer, radar device, pressure sensor, magnetometer, timing clock, or optical sensor.

13. The fluid sensing device of claim 1 , wherein the inner body includes a surface feature configured to generate micro-vortexes in a fluid contacting the inner body.

14. The fluid sensing device of claim 13 , wherein the surface feature is formed as a shark skin texture.

15. The fluid sensing device of claim 1 , further comprising a power compartment disposed aft of the inner body, the power compartment including one or more turbines configured to generate power upon contact with a fluid flowing past the one or more turbines.

16. The fluid sensing device of claim 15 , wherein the one or more turbines are disposed within the interior space of the outer body, the one or more turbines having a diameter that is less than or equal to an inner diameter of the outer body.

17. The fluid sensing device of claim 15 , wherein the one or more turbines are disposed aft of the outer body, the one or more turbines having a diameter that is greater than or equal to an outer diameter of the outer body.

18. The fluid sensing device of claim 15 , wherein the one or more turbines are configured as a counter-rotating array.

19. The fluid sensing device of claim 1 , further comprising one or more heating elements and an anti-icing system.

20. An airflow sensor for measuring airflow on an aircraft, the airflow sensor comprising:
an outer body having a fore side, an aft side, and an interior space, the outer body including a fluid inlet disposed at the fore side;
an inner body extending at least partially out of the fluid inlet of the outer body along a longitudinal axis, the inner body including a hollow interior configured such that fluid within the hollow interior is in a stagnation state, the hollow interior housing one or more inner body sensors, the inner body including a fluid permeable surface covering at least a portion of the inner body and the hollow interior and configured to allow passage of a fluid from the interior space into the hollow interior; and
an aft body disposed at least partially within the outer body at a location aft of the inner body, the aft body including an opening oriented toward the fore side of the outer body, and the aft body housing one or more aft body sensors;
wherein the inner body is configured to induce the Coanda effect in at least a portion of a fluid contacting the inner body at an angle transverse to a longitudinal axis of the inner body.

21. A method of sensing a fluid parameter of a flowing fluid, the method comprising:
positioning a fluid sensing device within a flowing fluid, the fluid sensing device including:
an outer body having a fore side, an aft side, and an interior space, the outer body including a fluid inlet disposed at the fore side;
an inner body extending at least partially out of the fluid inlet of the outer body along a longitudinal axis; and
an aft body disposed at least partially within the outer body at a location aft of the inner body, the aft body including an opening oriented toward the fore side of the outer body, and the aft body housing one or more aft body sensors;
wherein the inner body is configured to induce the Coanda effect in at least a portion of a fluid contacting the inner body at an angle transverse to a longitudinal axis of the inner body; and

receiving a reading from the one or more aft body sensors.

Assignees

• Univ Kansas

Inventors

• Farokhi Saeed
• Taghavi Ray R
• Keshmiri Shawn S

Classifications

• G01P5/165 Primary

  Arrangements or constructions of Pitot tubes · CPC title

• G01F1/46

  Pitot tubes · CPC title

• G01K13/02

  for measuring temperature of moving fluids or granular materials capable of flow · CPC title

• G01K13/028

  for use in total air temperature [TAT] probes · CPC title

• G01F1/05 Primary

  by using mechanical effects · CPC title