Thermal type flow sensor with a constricted measuring passage

• US 7,685,874 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2007
• Issued: 03/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Astemo Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nakano, Hiroshi, Yamada, Masamichi, Matsumoto, Masahiro, Watanabe, Izumi
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, HARSHAD R
• Application Number:
  US11/779,128
• Publication Number:
  US 20080016959A1
• Time in Patent Office: 987 Days
• Field of Search: 732/042.1, 732/042.6
• US Class Current: 73/204.21
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/6842 with means for influencing the fluid flow
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 1/6845 Micromachined devices

Abstract

A thermal type flow sensor includes a base portion provided along the direction of a fluid flowing through a main passage, and a sensor element mounted on the base portion and having an exothermic resistor formed on a substrate for detecting the fluid flow rate. The base portion has a rectangular recessed portion in which the sensor element is fixed so that the surface of the detecting portion of the sensor element is positioned lower than an upper edge of the recessed portion. A wall portion of the measuring passage facing the sensor element is constricted. The exothermic resistor is disposed along the fluid passage and spaced away from the upstream side upper edge of the recessed portion and cannot be substantially affected by a fluid flow disturbance due to a step portion formed between the upper edge of the recessed portion and the detecting portion surface.

Claims

1. A thermal type flow sensor comprising:

a measuring passage which is disposed in a main passage;

a base portion provided along a flowing direction of a fluid passing through the measuring passage; and

a sensor element mounted on the base portion and equipped with an exothermic resistor formed on a substrate;

the thermal type flow sensor being featured in that a recessed portion is formed in the base portion, that the sensor element is fixedly fitted in the recessed portion in a manner that the surface of a detecting portion of the sensor element is positioned lower than an upper edge of the recessed portion, and that a wall portion of the measuring passage which is located to face the sensor element is constricted,

wherein the constricted wall portion is configured to provide a constricted passage in the measuring passage such that a cross-sectional area of the measuring passage is gradually reduced to a narrowest portion of the constricted passage from an upstream side upper edge of the recessed portion to a downstream side thereof, and the exothermic resistor of the sensor element is mounted downstream of an upstream end of the narrowest portion of the constricted passage.

2. The thermal type flow sensor according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the detecting portion of the sensor element is set in relation to a distance between the upstream side upper edge of the recessed portion and a center of the exothermic resistor in such a way as to satisfy an expression of:

L>

D·

α

, wherein L is a distance between the upstream side upper edge of the recessed portion and a center of the exothermic resistor;

D is a depth of a step portion between the upper edge of the recessed portion and the surface of the detecting portion of the sensor element; and

α

is an average gradient of the constricted wall portion.

3. The thermal type flow sensor according to claim 1, wherein the center of the exothermic resistor is spaced away, along the flowing direction of fluid, from the upstream side upper edge of the recessed portion by a distance of 1.5 mm or more.

4. The thermal type flow sensor according to claim 1, wherein the sensor element is mounted at a length of 3 mm or more as measured from the upstream side edge thereof to the downstream side edge thereof.

5. The thermal type flow sensor according to claim 1, wherein the center of the exothermic resistor is off-set from the center of the sensor element toward the downstream side.

6. The thermal type flow sensor according to claim 1, further comprising eaves projecting over the sensor element and extending along the flowing direction of fluid, the eaves being formed on at least one of the upstream side upper edge and the downstream side upper edge of the recessed portion.

7. The thermal type flow sensor according to claim 6, wherein the eaves are formed to have a tapered surface extending downward from proximal ends thereof.

8. A thermal type flow sensor comprising:

a sub-passage for enabling part of a fluid to pass therethrough;

a base portion provided in the sub-passage and along a flowing direction of the fluid passing through the sub-passage; and

a sensor element mounted on the base portion and equipped with an exothermic resistor formed on a substrate;

the thermal type flow sensor being featured in that a rectangular recessed portion is formed in the base portion, that the sensor element is fixedly fitted in the recessed portion in a manner that the surface of a detecting portion of the sensor element is positioned lower than an upper edge of the recessed portion, and that a wall portion of a measuring passage in the sub-passage which is located to face the sensor element is constricted,

wherein the constricted wall portion is configured to provide a constricted passage in the measuring passage such that a cross-sectional area of the measuring passage is gradually reduced to a narrowest portion of the constricted passage from an upstream side upper edge of the recessed portion to a downstream side thereof, and the exothermic resistor of the sensor element is mounted downstream of an upstream end of the narrowest portion of the constricted passage.

9. The thermal type flow sensor according to claim 8, wherein the sub-passage is provided with at least one constricted portion midway between the upstream end of the sub-passage and the recessed portion, and upstream of the constricted wall portion.