Experts predict that gas meters are poised to undergo the same change as electricity meters for smarter, remote meter reading. In response, STMicroelectronics and Omron have collaborated to provide a complete solution for electronic gas meter flow sensors. The design uses an Omron transducer and a companion analog front-end chip developed by ST. The resulting flow sensor incorporates a MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) micro-thermal sensor technology and is intrinsically compensated for both temperature and pressure variations. A built-in circuit compensates for the variation of multiple gas composition.

Mounted on a small PCB (Printed-Circuit-Board) measuring 7.2×8.6 cm, the gas-flow sensor provides high accuracy with very low power consumption. The unit also has built-in motor drivers for valve control and protection against temperature and vibration effects. The sensor board uses the STLM20 temperature sensor and the LIS332AR accelerometer as well as an ultra-low power STM8L152 microcontroller with 32 Kbytes of flash memory and an LCD display driver.

For more information on the electronic gas meter flow sensors, click here.