The piloting of any aircraft involves knowing the relative speed of the aircraft with respect to the airflow surrounding it, that is to say to the relative wind. This speed is determined with the aid of sensors of the static pressure Ps, of the total pressure Pt and of the angle of incidence “alpha”. “Alpha” provides the direction of the speed vector in a reference system tied to the aircraft and Pt-Ps provides the modulus of this vector. The three aerodynamic parameters therefore make it is possible to determine the speed vector of an airplane.

The aim of the multifunction probes is usually to ensure the determination of the three aerodynamic parameters Pt, Ps and “alpha”.

A multifunction probe for aircraft determines in particular the static pressure and the total pressure of an airflow located in the vicinity of the aircraft and the angle of incidence of the aircraft with respect to the airflow. Most of the probes include a movable blade configured to orient itself along the axis of the airflow. The movable blade includes at least one static pressure tap orifice located on one side of the blade and a pressure tap configured to measure the angle of incidence of the blade with respect to the airflow. The probe further includes a pressure measurement device associated with each pressure tap and a device to calculate the total pressure of the airflow as a function of the measurements carried out by the various measurement devices of the probe.

MEMSCAP has developed compact and easy to integrate pressure sensors and transducers which are addressing the reliability, accuracy and small size required by multi-function probes applications.