APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING THE VELOCITY AND THE DIRECTION OF RELATIVE MOTION THEREOF WITH RESPECT TO A FLUID AND WITH REGARD TO A DIRECTION OF REFERENCE AND THE USE OF SAID APPARATUS

摘要

1383731 Measuring fluid flow; measuring flowrate direction electrically OMF CALIFORNIA Inc 4 Jan 1973 [17 Jan 1972 21 Nov 1972] 518/73 Headings GIN and G1R In apparatus for determining the velocity and direction of relative motion thereof with respect to a fluid and a direction of reference, such as measuring the speed and direction of a boat, a probe 2, supported by a member 1, which may be the bottom of a boat, dips into the fluid and when subjected to bending, such as in the direction F, a first sensor, in the form of a pair of strain gauges 4b, 4d, determine the force in the direction of reference and a second sensor, in the form of a pair of strain gauges 4g, 4c, determine the force component in a direction at right angles to the first sensor and such components of force are measured as a ratio and hence the angle between the resultant force and reference direction are calculated by a device to give the velocity of the apparatus relative to the fluid. The probe 2 may have a frangible portion, Fig. 4 (not shown), or an articulated portion, Figs. 5 and 6 (not shown), to allow the probe 2 to break or bend when striking an obstacle. An electronic circuit is described with respect to Fig. 3 (not shown), indicating the speed and drift angle simultaneously. The apparatus may be based on analog or digital system.