# US 2021/0172784 A1 · Liquid source vaporization apparatus

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 2021/0172784 A1
- Document ID: US20210172784A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 17/108,814
- Filed: 2020-12-01
- Published: 2021-06-10
- Earliest claimed: 2019-12-04
- Assignees: HORIBA STEC, Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: HORIBA STEC, Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Tadayuki NAGANO; Takao WATANABE
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210172784A1

## CPC

- G01F 23/241: {for discrete levels}
- B01B 1/005: {Evaporation for physical or chemical purposes; Evaporation apparatus therefor, e.g. evaporation of liquids for gas phase reactions}
- G01F 23/243: {Schematic arrangements of probes combined with measuring circuits}
- G01F 25/20: of apparatus for measuring liquid level
- H05B 1/0236: {for vehicles}
- H05B 1/0244: {Heating of fluids (H05B1/0247 takes precedence)}
- G01F: MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME
- B01B: BOILING; BOILING APPARATUS {; EVAPORATION; EVAPORATION APPARATUS}
- H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL

## Abstract

The liquid source vaporization apparatus comprises a tank inside of which a liquid source is stored, a heater that applies heat to the liquid source in the tank, a plurality of liquid surface detecting bodies wherein each of liquid surface detecting points is arranged in a predetermined height range in the tank with a set height regarded as the reference, a reference detecting body arranged above the predetermined height range in the tank, and a liquid surface discriminator that discriminates whether or not there is the liquid source at the set height on a basis of a threshold value set based on a change in electrical resistance of the reference detecting body and a change in electrical resistance of a plurality of the liquid surface detecting bodies.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A liquid source vaporization apparatus comprising
a tank inside of which a liquid source is stored,
a heater that applies heat to the liquid source in the tank,
a plurality of liquid surface detecting bodies each of whose liquid surface detecting points is arranged in a predetermined height range in the tank with a set height regarded as the reference,
a reference detecting body arranged above the predetermined height range in the tank, and
a liquid surface discriminator that discriminates whether or not there is the liquid source at the set height on a basis of a threshold value set based on a change in electrical resistance of the reference detecting body and a change in electrical resistance of a plurality of the liquid surface detecting bodies.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The liquid source vaporization apparatus described in claim 1, wherein
the liquid surface discriminator comprises
a constant voltage circuit that applies a constant voltage to each of the plurality of the liquid surface detecting bodies and the reference detecting body respectively,
a current measurement mechanism that measures each of currents output by the plurality of the liquid surface detecting bodies and a current of the reference detecting body respectively,
a threshold current setting part that sets a threshold current on a basis of the current output by the reference detecting body, and
a discriminating part that discriminates whether or not there is the liquid source at the set height by comparing each of the currents output by the plurality of the liquid surface detecting bodies with the threshold current.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The liquid source vaporization apparatus described in claim 2, wherein
the discriminating part discriminates that there is the liquid surface of the liquid source at the set height in case that all of the currents output by the plurality of the liquid surface detecting bodies exceed the threshold current.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The liquid source vaporization apparatus described in claim 2, wherein
the threshold current setting part sets the threshold current so as to be set that the bigger the current output by the reference detecting body is, the bigger the threshold current value is.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The liquid source vaporization apparatus described in claim 2, wherein
the liquid surface detecting points of the plurality of the liquid surface detecting bodies are set at the same height in the tank, and further comprising
an abnormality diagnosing part that specifies the liquid surface detecting body that is experiencing an abnormality on a basis of the currents output by the plurality of the liquid surface detecting bodies.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The liquid source vaporization apparatus described in claim 1, wherein
the liquid surface discriminator comprises
a constant current circuit that applies a constant current to each of the plurality of the liquid surface detecting bodies and the reference detecting body respectively,
a voltage measurement mechanism that measures each of voltages output by the plurality of the liquid surface detecting bodies and a voltage of the reference detecting body respectively,
a threshold voltage setting part that sets a threshold voltage on a basis of the voltage output by the reference detecting body, and
a discriminating part that discriminates whether or not there is the liquid source at the set height by comparing each of the voltages output by the plurality of the liquid surface detecting bodies with the threshold voltage.