The assessment of wind conditions by means of hot wire sensors and a modifed Wheatstone bridge architecture

In this paper we present a novel complete anemometric electronic system based on an array of hot wire sensors, provided by Telecontrolli SME, and a suitable heater feedback that achieves, thanks to a dedicated algorithm, a CMOS integrable portable solution showing a robust design, without moving parts and small dimensions. The sensor interface is implemented by means of a modified Wheatstone bridge architecture with autobalancing capability. Comparisons with a commercial cup anemometer have shown that the proposed architecture, with reduced space occupancy and low power consumption, is suitable to operate in a natural environment in the −20 to +55 °C temperature range providing wind speed and direction measurement. Concerning the wind speed, a 0.6 m/s sensitivity has been achieved. The integrated CMOS design of the final system is also presented and discussed in the paper.