Maximum-Likelihood Data Fusion of Phase-Difference and Threshold-Detection Techniques for Wind-Speed Measurement

• Published in: IEEE transactions on instrumentation and measurement Vol. 58; no. 7; pp. 2189 - 2195
• Main Authors: Villanueva, J.M.M., Catunda, S.Y.C., Tanscheit, R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 01-07-2009; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Additive noise; Data fusion; estimation; maximum likelihood; Maximum likelihood detection; Maximum likelihood estimation; measurement; measurement range; Measurement uncertainty; phase difference (PD); Phase measurement; threshold detection (TH); Time measurement; time of flight (ToF); ultrasonic transducer; Ultrasonic transducers; Ultrasonic variables measurement; uncertainty; Velocity measurement; Wind speed
• ISSN: 0018-9456; 1557-9662
• DOI: 10.1109/TIM.2009.2013666

Analyses of threshold-detection and phase-difference techniques for wind-speed measurement using ultrasonic transducers are presented. The influence of uncertainties that are associated with additive noise and attenuation of the ultrasonic signal on the wind-speed measurement uncertainty is analyzed. A data-fusion procedure based on the maximum-likelihood estimation (MLE) algorithm is developed for the determination of wind speed, with data gathered through threshold-detection and phase-difference techniques. The data-fusion procedure provides a lower measurement uncertainty than those obtained with the above techniques when taken separately. Practical design issues are considered, and an application example is shown to illustrate the proposed procedure.