Fabrication and characterization of a directional anemometer based on a single chip MEMS flow sensor

A compact anemometer based on integrated flow sensors is presented. The device exploits a recently proposed approach, by which the pressure induced on the lateral surface of a cylinder exposed to the wind is converted into two air flow rates exhibiting sinusoidal dependence on the wind direction. A significant size reduction and assemblage simplification were achieved by sensing the two flows by means of a double channel flow meter, integrated on a single silicon chip. The results of measurements, performed over a wind velocity range 0.4-7.9 m/s, demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed anemometer.