Tool suite eases the flow for utility meter design
Evaluation tools for ultrasonic flow converters by ScioSense give designers almost-instant measurement outputs to accelerate the design cycle for utility meters and other applications using AS6031 and AS6040 ultrasonic flow converters.
The ScioSense tool suite for the AS6031 and AS6040 ultrasonic flow sensors includes dedicated development boards and new evaluation software.
The AS6031 and the AS6040 UFCs provide precise measurements of time of flight that convert into flow rate of gas or water.
The development tools include general-purpose or microcontroller-specific boards, and evaluation software which provides an intuitive graphics user interface (GUI) for sensor configuration and for the display of measurement outputs.
The UFC evaluation software provides a framework for configuring transducer and spool piece settings, enabling developers to start acquiring flow rate data from the sensors quickly after powering up the sensor board. The software displays the measurement results in either a graphical or numerical format.
Developers can also choose to use a wizard to guide them through the settings. Data can be exported for subsequent data analysis in other tools.
The evaluation software is supplied free with any of the evaluation boards for the AS6031 and AS6040.
Stand-alone evaluation kits, the AS6031-QF_DK and AS6040-QF_DK, include a PICOPROG USB programming interface and cables. ScioSense also supplies Nucleo shields (or demo boards) which are compatible with any STMicroelectronics STM32 microcontroller family. The AS6031-QF_NUC and AS6040-QF_NUC boards are supplied with sample code for communication with STM32 microcontrollers, including libraries for configuration download, initialisation and data readout.
The combination of evaluation boards and evaluation software provide a convenient platform for users to integrate an AS6031 or AS6040 ultrasonic flow sensor instantly into the measurement set-up. Instead of spending time on basic system configuration, they can focus on characterising the operation of the application over the range of flow rates and ambient temperatures, says the company.
The AS6040 and AS6031 ultrasonic flow converters with integrated 32-bit CPU core include all the functions required to drive a pair of external transducers, and to convert ultrasonic time of flight measurements to a calculation of the rate of flow. The sensors are notable for their low power consumption, high accuracy, and high sensitivity.
The AS6031 and AS6040 evaluation kits are available for purchase directly from ScioSense or from authorised distributors.
