ScioSense introduces a new ultrasonic flow sensor development kit

     ScioSense has announced a new suite of development tools to accelerate the development of its latest AS6031 and AS6040 ultrasonic flow sensors (UFC) for utility instrumentation and other applications. New development tools include generic or specialized microcontroller boards, as well as evaluation software; The software provides an intuitive graphical interface (GUI) for sensor configuration and measurement output display.

     In a system consisting of ultrasonic transducers and tube segments, the AS6031 and AS6040 UFC can accurately measure time of flight and convert it to the flow rate of a gas or liquid. The UFC evaluation software that comes with the ScioSense evaluation suite provides an easy-to-use framework for sensor configuration and tube section setup, allowing developers to quickly obtain sensor flow data by powering up the sensor evaluation board and display the results in a graphical or digital format.

     Developers can also choose to use a wizard to guide them through the setup. The data can also be exported for subsequent data analysis in other tools. The UFC evaluation software comes free with any evaluation board for the AS6031 and AS6040. The separate evaluation kits AS6031-QF_DK and AS6040-QF_DK include a PICOPROG USB programming interface and data cable. ScioSense also introduces Nucleo shields (demo boards) that are compatible with any microcontroller family. The AS6031-QF_NUC and AS6040-QF_NUC boards provide sample code for communicating with the STM32 or UnicMicro UM321X microcontroller, including library files for configuration download, initialization, and data reading.

     Zorro Zhu, Director of Technical Support at ScioSense, said: "The combination of the evaluation board and evaluation software creates a convenient platform for users to quickly integrate the AS6031 or AS6040 ultrasonic flow sensors into their measurement devices. This will save system configuration time, allowing more focus on improving application characteristics across the flow and ambient temperature ranges."

     The AS6040 and AS6031 ultrasonic flow sensors integrate a 32-bit CPU core and include all the features needed to drive external transducers to convert ultrasonic time-of-flight measurements into flow calculations. These sensors are known for their low power consumption, high precision and high sensitivity.