Piezo Breeze Sensors
A piezo breeze sensor discloses increases in the velocity of the air or other gas to which it is exposed. The sensor contains two piezoelectric elements in a series-opposed circuit.
Figure 1: Breeze sensor incorporates two piezoelectric elements
One element is exposed to the gas whose velocity is being monitored, the other is isolated from the gas. When the gas is motionless, or its flow is relatively constant, charged air molecules at the surfaces of the element exposed to the gas are in balance with the free charge carriers and dipoles in the element.
Figure 2: Increase in gas flow unbalances charges in a piezo breeze sensor
The charge across the element is balanced and both elements generate the same electric charge. Voltage across the bias resistor is approximately zero. When gas movement increases, however, the charges at the surfaces of the element exposed to the gas are removed from the surface at an increased rate, and the charge across the element is thrown out of balance. A voltage across the resistor indicates the two elements are no longer in balance. APC’s engineers recommend using our 850 piezo material as a starting point for developing most piezo sensors.
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