Temperature sensor as well as mass flow meter and mass flow controller comprising the same

A mass flow meter comprising:

• a flow channel through which a fluid flows, a temperature measuring means which has a temperature measuring point at a predetermined position inside said flow channel, and a temperature uniformalizing means disposed on an upstream side from said temperature measuring point in said flow channel, wherein:
• said temperature uniformalizing means comprises:
• a grid constituted by periodically arranged partitions and disposed so as to continuously extend in two or more different arbitrary directions in a plane perpendicular to a direction in which a fluid flows, and sub flow channels divided by said grid, and generates turbulence or vortexes of said fluid in a region on a downstream side from said temperature uniformalizing means and on an upstream side from said temperature measuring means;
• and
• an annular member which obstructs a flow of the said fluid flowing near an inner wall of said flow channel, said annular member is configured such that at least a part of said fluid after passing through a through hole of said annular member forms a vortex which spreads outward in the radial direction of said flow channel from said through hole,
• a flow sensor which measures a flow rate of a fluid flowing through said flow channel, wherein:
• a measured temperature value of the fluid, measured by said temperature measuring means, is used to correct a measured flow rate value of the fluid, measured by said flow sensor to produce a corrected flow rate.

A mass flow controller comprising:

• a flow channel through which a fluid flows, a temperature measuring means which has a temperature measuring point at a predetermined position inside said flow channel, and a temperature uniformalizing means disposed on an upstream side from said temperature measuring point in said flow channel, wherein:
• said temperature uniformalizing means comprises:
• a grid constituted by periodically arranged partitions and disposed so as to continuously extend in two or more different arbitrary directions in a plane perpendicular to a direction in which a fluid flows, and sub flow channels divided by said grid, and generates turbulence or vortexes of said fluid in a region on a downstream side from said temperature uniformalizing means and on an upstream side from said temperature measuring means;
• an annular member which obstructs a flow of the said fluid flowing near an inner wall of said flow channel, said annular member is configured such that at least a part of said fluid after passing through a through hole of said annular member forms a vortex which spreads outward in the radial direction of said flow channel from said through hole;
• and
• a flow sensor which measures a flow rate of a fluid flowing through said flow channel, wherein:
• a measured temperature value of the fluid, measured by said temperature measuring means, is used to correct a measured flow rate value of the fluid, measured by said flow sensor to produce a corrected flow rate;
• a flow control valve which controls a flow rate of the fluid flowing through said flow channel, and
• a controlling section to provide a control signal to said flow control valve such that the corrected flow rate becomes a predetermined target value.