A 2D Wind Sensor Using the $\Delta$ P Thermal Feedback Control

A 2-D MEMS wind sensor based on $\Delta \text{P}$ (power difference) thermal feedback control is presented. The sensor consists of four outlying heaters and four inlying thermistors in two orthogonal directions on ceramic substrate. A $\Delta \text{P}$ thermal feedback control system is applied to eliminate the flow-induced temperature difference between upstream and downstream so as to achieve a temperature-balanced mode. This applied power difference among the four heaters is a measure for the wind speed and direction. Experimental results demonstrate that the measured speed varies from 0 to 40 m/s with an error less than ±0.5 m/s while the measured direction spans from 0° to 360° with an error less than ±2°. [2017-0286]