Fluid measurement device having a circuit for precise flow measurement

• US 9,574,925 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2012
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Astemo Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Asano, Satoshi, Matsumoto, Masahiro, Nakano, Hiroshi, Hanzawa, Keiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Harshad R
• Application Number:
  US14/411,346
• Publication Number:
  US 20150377676A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,700 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/68 by using thermal effects
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/684 Structural arrangements; Mounting of elements, e.g. in relation to fluid flow
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/696 Circuits therefor, e.g. constant-current flow meters
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 15/02 Compensating or correcting for variations in pressure, density or temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 5/00 Measuring a proportion of the volume flow

Abstract

A fluid measurement device includes a circuit unit into which a first signal output from a first detection element and a second signal output from a second detection element are input. The circuit unit includes a signal processing part, a state deciding part, and a controller. The controller controls an amount of change that a change of the first signal imparts to the third signal in accordance with a result of decision by the state deciding part that determines that the state of the first signal is not within the predetermined range. The predetermined range is based on the second signal.

Claims

1. A fluid measurement device, having a circuit unit into which a first signal output from a first detection element and a second signal output from a second detection element are input,

wherein the circuit unit includes:

signal processing means that outputs a third signal in accordance with the first signal and the second signal;

state deciding means that determine whether a state of the first signal is within a predetermined range; and

control means that controls an amount of change that a change of the first signal imparts to the third signal in accordance with a result of decision by the state deciding means that determines that the state of the first signal is not within the predetermined range, wherein the predetermined range is based on the second signal.

2. The fluid measurement device according to claim 1,

wherein the control means:

controls the amount of change to be imparted to the third signal such that a correlation coefficient of an amount of change of the first signal with an amount of change in difference between the second signal and the third signal enters into such a relationship as to change constantly or continuously, within a range indicating that the first signal is in a normal state in the result of decision by the state deciding means; and

controls the amount of change to be imparted to the third signal such that the correlation coefficient of the amount of change of the first signal with the amount of change in difference between the second signal and the third signal changes discontinuously, out of the range indicating that the first signal is in the normal state in the result of decision by the state deciding means.

3. The fluid measurement device according to claim 1,

wherein the control means is provided with means that sets an upper limit to the amount of change that the change of the first signal imparts to the third signal.

4. The fluid measurement device according to claim 1,

wherein the control means is provided with means that sets a lower limit to the amount of change that the change of the first signal imparts to the third signal.

5. The fluid measurement device according to claim 1,

wherein the control means is provided with means that sets an upper limit and a lower limit to the amount of change that the change of the first signal imparts to the third signal.

6. The fluid measurement device according to claim 1,

wherein the control means is provided with invalidation means that reduces to zero the amount of change that the change of the first signal imparts to the third signal.

7. The fluid measurement device according to claim 6,

wherein the invalidation means is provided with means that sets the second signal as the third signal.

8. The fluid measurement device according to claim 6,

wherein the invalidation means is provided with means that sets a predetermined value as the third signal.

9. The fluid measurement device according to claim 1, comprising notification means that notifies the outside of the result of decision by the state deciding means.

10. The fluid measurement device according to claim 9,

wherein the notification means is provided with predetermined communication means.

11. The fluid measurement device according to claim 1,

wherein the first detection element is an element that detects a temperature of a fluid, and

the second detection element is an element that detects a flow rate of the fluid.