A directional anemometer based on MEMS differential pressure sensors

This paper presents a solid-state 2-D anemometer for measuring the wind speed and direction simultaneously. The device consists of some MEMS differential pressure sensors and a cylinder with channels connecting the internal sensors with the lateral surface. The pressure difference across a diameter of the cylinder depends on the pressure distribution developed by the wind on the cylinder's surface. By detecting pressure differences across 4 diameters that have intervals of 45 degrees, the wind direction and speed can be determined. Prototypes were designed to estimate performance of this approach. The test results show that the maximum relative wind speed error is 5% and the angle difference is no more than 5 degrees in a wind velocity range of 5-40m/s.