Patent ID: 8047711

Claim:
A system for measuring pressure in a partial vacuum comprising: a thermocouple sensor located within the partial vacuum, the thermocouple sensor comprising at least one thermocouple which generates a thermoelectric voltage; a heating circuit operatively connected to the thermocouple sensor, the heating circuit being configured to apply heating pulses to the thermocouple sensor; a voltage sensing circuit operatively connected to the thermocouple sensor, the voltage sensing circuit being configured to measure the thermoelectric voltage generated by the at least one thermocouple; a control processor operatively connected to the voltage sensing circuit and the heating circuit, wherein the control processor enables heating pulses during a heating period when the thermoelectric voltage is below a lower threshold and keeps the heating pulses enabled until the thermoelectric voltage exceeds an upper threshold; disables heating pulses during a cooling period when the thermoelectric voltage exceeds the upper threshold and keeps the heating pulses disabled until the thermoelectric voltage falls below the lower threshold; measures the duration of the heating period, or the cooling period, or both; determines the pressure of the partial vacuum as a function of the duration of the heating period, or the duration of the cooling period, or both.