The invention comprises a thermal flow sensor for determining the temperature and the flow velocity of a flowing measuring medium, comprising: a functional element which is configured to determine the temperature of the measuring medium and to influence the temperature of the measuring medium; and a control and evaluation unit which is configured to determine the temperature of the measuring medium in a first interval of time by means of the functional element and to determine the flow velocity of the measuring medium in a second interval of time following the first interval of time, and a method for determining the temperature and the flow velocity of the measuring medium by means of the thermal flow sensor according to the invention, and a sensor system comprising such a thermal flow sensor and a further sensor type.

Evaluation arrangement for a thermal gas sensor with at least one heater and at least one detector. The evaluation arrangement is configured to obtain information about an amplitude of a detector signal of a first detector, and information about a first phase difference between a heater signal and the detector signal of the first detector. In addition, the evaluation arrangement is configured to form as an intermediate quantity, dependent on the information about the amplitudes of the detector signal and dependent on the information about the first phase difference, a combination signal, and to determine information about a gas concentration or information about a thermal diffusivity of a fluid on the basis of the combination signal.

An outlet of a sub passage that returns measured gas, which has passed through a flow sensor, from the sub passage to a main passage opens on an outer wall of a housing toward a downstream side in a reference direction. The outer wall of the housing includes a protrusion on the downstream side of the outlet. When the outlet and the protrusion are projected onto a projection plane perpendicular to the reference direction, the outlet and the protrusion partly overlap with each other on the projection plane. A relationship of θ1<θ2<90° is satisfied, where: θ1 is assumed to be an angle formed between a direction from an upstream end to a top, and the reference direction; and θ2 is assumed to be an angle formed between a direction from a downstream end to the top, and the reference direction.

A gas flow meter comprises a meter body, a tube, and a sensing unit. The sensing unit includes a base connected with one end of the tube; a speed transducer penetrating the base; a temperature transducer penetrating the base; a temperature compensator penetrating the base; and a microcontroller accommodated inside the meter body. The microcontroller is electrically connected with the speed transducer, the temperature transducer and the temperature compensator. The temperature transducer only functions to detect the temperature of the surrounding gas. The temperature compensator only functions to compensate the speed transducer for the temperature drop thereof. Each of them functions independently. Once the temperature of the speed transducer lowers, the temperature compensator directly compensates for the temperature drop, whereby the statistic error value is effectively decreased.

An electronic utility gas meter using MEMS thermal time-of-flight flow sensor to meter gas custody transfer mass flowrate and an additional MEMS gas sensor to measure the combustion gas composition for the correlations to the acquisition of gas high heat value simultaneously is disclosed in the present invention. The meter is designed for the applications in the city utility gas consumption in compliance with the current tariff while metering the true thermal value of the delivered gases for future upgrades. Data safety, remote data communication, and other features with state-of-the-art electronics are also included in the design.

A cooling circuit for a fuel cell includes at least one channel, a mechanical support, a first sensor, and a second sensor. Each channel is formed in a bipolar plate of the fuel cell, and is adapted to permit a cooling fluid to flow. The first sensor senses a flow rate of the cooling fluid. The second sensor senses an electrical conductivity of the cooling fluid. Both the first sensor and the second sensor are installed on the mechanical support.

A thermal sensor comprises an active element (41), e.g., a heater or cooler, at least one temperature sensor (31), and processing circuitry (50). The processing circuitry causes a change of power supplied to the active element (41). It then determines, at a plurality of times, a thermal parameter based on an output signal of the temperature sensors and analyzes the transient behavior of the thermal parameter. Based on this analysis, the processing circuitry determines a contamination signal that is indicative of a contamination on a sensing surface of the thermal sensor. If the thermal sensor comprises a plurality of temperature sensors arranged in different sectors of the sensing surface, a multi-sector thermal signal can be derived from the outputs of the sensors, and determination of the contamination signal can be based on the multi-sector thermal signal.

A circuit arrangement (1) for monitoring the temperature of an electronic component (2), which, in particular, can be impinged with an electric current and can be connected to at least one voltage source (3). The circuit arrangement is able to guarantee safe monitoring of the temperature of an electronic component impinged with electric current by the electronic component (2) being part of at least one Wheatstone bridge (7) and by at least one switching device (8) being provided that influences the impingement of the electronic component (2) with electric current on the basis of a bridge transverse voltage of the Wheatstone bridge (7). Additionally, circuit arrangement (1) is well suited for use in a calorimetric mass flowmeter (18).

Methods and apparatuses associated with an example flow sensing device are provided. In some examples, the flow sensing device may include a flow cap component and a sensor component. In some examples, the flow cap component may include a heating element disposed in a first layer of the flow cap component. In some examples, the sensor component may include at least one thermal sensing element disposed in a second layer of the sensor component. In some examples, the first layer and the second layer are noncoplanar. In some examples, the flow cap component may be bonded to a first surface of the sensor component to form a flow channel. In some examples, the first layer and the second layer may be noncoplanar and separated by the flow channel.

Gas sensor, including a membrane and a heating element arranged on the membrane between a first discontinuation area of the membrane and a second discontinuation area of the membrane. The first discontinuation area of the membrane includes at least one discontinuation of the membrane and the second discontinuation area of the membrane includes at least one discontinuation of the membrane. The gas sensor further includes a first temperature sensor structure arranged at least partially on the membrane on a side of the first discontinuation area of the membrane opposite to the heating element, and a second temperature sensor structure arranged at least partially on the membrane on a side of the second discontinuation area of the membrane opposite to the heating element.