Back to results
US 6,668,642 B2Granted
Apparatus and method for thermal isolation of thermal mass flow sensor
AssigneeMKS Instruments, Inc.
InventorsJesse Ambrosina, Isao Suzuki
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A thermal mass flow controller includes a sensor assembly and mass flow controller housing. A thermal ground limits the conductive thermal path between the mass flow controller housing and the sensor assembly and, due to the limited cross-section of the thermal ground, substantially eliminates externally imposed thermal gradients within the sensor assembly.
Claims20
A thermal mass flow controller comprising:
- a thermal mass flow controller housing including a fluid input port and a fluid output port and a bypass channel disposed between the input and output ports;
- a thermal mass flow sensor assembly operatively coupled to the thermal mass flow controller housing for measuring a flow of fluid through the bypass channel, the thermal mass flow sensor assembly including a sensor housing enclosing a mass flow sensor tube, a mounting portion coupled to the thermal mass flow controller housing and a thermal ground device coupled between the sensor housing and the mounting portion for providing a solitary thermal conductive path between the sensor housing and the mounting portion.
A thermal mass flow controller comprising:
- a thermal mass flow controller housing including a fluid input port and a fluid output port and a bypass channel disposed between the input and output ports;
- a thermal mass flow sensor assembly operatively coupled to the thermal mass flow controller housing for measuring a flow of fluid through the bypass channel, the thermal mass flow sensor assembly including a sensor housing enclosing a mass flow sensor tube, a mounting portion coupled to the thermal mass flow controller housing and a thermal ground device coupled between an exterior portion of the sensor housing and the mounting portion for providing a solitary thermal conductive path between the sensor housing and the mounting portion.
A thermal mass flow controller comprising:
- a thermal mass flow controller housing including a fluid input port and a fluid output port and a bypass channel disposed between the input and output ports;
- a thermal mass flow sensor assembly operatively coupled to the thermal mass flow controller housing for measuring a flow of fluid through the bypass channel, the thermal mass flow sensor assembly including a sensor housing enclosing a mass flow sensor tube, a mounting portion coupled to the thermal mass flow controller housing and no more than one thermal ground device comprising a solitary structure coupled between the sensor housing and the mounting portion for providing a solitary thermal conductive path between the sensor housing and the mounting portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.