Patent ID: 8397564

Claim:
Device for determining the flow regime and/or the direction of a fluid flow in the vicinity of an element ( 7 ) that is subjected to said flow, such as a sail ( 7 ), whereby said device comprises at least one tell-tale ( 1 ), such as a strand of wool, a portion of material, a portion of magnetic tape, or a portion of a strip, characterized in that the device also comprises at least one flexible tape ( 2 ), such as a plate, preferably made of polymer or thin metal, of which at least one zone ( 5 ) is made integral with the element ( 7 ) that is subjected to said flow, whereby at least one other zone ( 15 ) of the tape ( 2 ) is free relative to said element ( 7 ) so as to make possible the bending of the tape ( 2 ) and whereby said free zone ( 15 ) extends approximately parallel to said element ( 7 ) at least in the absence of fluid flow, whereby said tell-tale is attached by one of its ends to said free zone of the flexible tape, and in that the device comprises means ( 3 , 3 ′, 3 A, 3 B, 3 ′A, 3 ′B, 3 C, 3 D, 3 ′C, 3 ′D) for conversion of deformations experienced by said tape ( 2 ) into electrical signals, relative to a reference position, and means ( 4 ) for processing said electrical signals.