Autonomous Sensor Fish to Support Advanced Hydropower Development

摘要

An improved sensor fish with robust design and enhanced measurement capabilities. This sensor fish contains sensors for acceleration, rotation, magnetic field intensity, pressure, and temperature. A low-power microcontroller collects data from the sensors and stores up to 5 minutes of data on a non-volatile flash memory. A rechargeable battery supplies power to the sensor fish. A recovery system helps locating sensor fish. The package, when ready for use is nearly neutrally buoyant and thus mimics the behavior of an actual fish.

主权项

1. A sensor fish that collects data related to the environmental conditions experienced by fish while passing through hydraulic systems such as hydro-electric power dams, said sensor fish comprising:
a housing defining a body, at least one component sensor configured to detect at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of orientation, acceleration, rotational velocity, magnetic field intensity, pressure, and external temperature; a controller located within said housing that collects data from the sensors and stores said data in memory; a battery located within said housing that supplies power to the sensors and microcontroller within the Sensor Fish.; and a recovery system operably connected to said housing and said microcontroller that when actuated by said microcontroller enables said sensor fish to float upward and sends a signal for recovery of the sensor fish.