Illinois Tool Works Inc.

Daniel Mudd

Arun Nagarajan

Mohamed Saleem

Andrew J Staudt

Hossein Ghapanchizadeh

A mass flow controller for controlling flow rate comprising a controller, a valve assembly, and at least one pressure sensor, valve position sensor, and temperature sensor; wherein, at least one of the sensors is a semiconductor based sensor. The valve assembly is in fluid communication with at least one upstream location and at least one downstream location. The at least one pressure sensor is in in fluid communication with the at least one upstream location and the at least one downstream location. The valve assembly can comprise at least one piezoelectric or solenoid valve. The controller is communicable coupled with the valve assembly and at least one of the sensors. The controller determines at least one of: pressure; position; and temperature. The controller further causes an adjustment to valve stroke based on an actual fluid flow rate and at least one of the pressure, position, temperature, and a predetermined value.

Advanced pressure based mass flow controllers and diagnostics

A system for removing dead volume in a sensor assembly of a mass flow controller is presented. The system comprises a valve assembly communicable coupled to the sensor assembly. The valve assembly is in fluid communication with fluid in a primary flow path and the sensor assembly is in fluid communication with fluid in the primary flow path. The sensor assembly comprises a pressure transducer having a first reservoir and another pressure transducer having a second reservoir. The first reservoir has a port in fluid communication with fluid in a sampled flow path. The second reservoir is coupled to a second pressure transducer and is fluidly coupled to the first reservoir through a flow through path. The second reservoir also includes another port for communicating the flow of fluid from the flow through path to another flow path. A flow rate restrictor is disposed in the flow through path.

Flow through pressure sensor structured to remove dead volume

A valve assembly for controlling fluid flow rate comprising a valve block, a valve, a sensor chip package, and a controller interface. The valve block having an upstream reservoir, a downstream reservoir, and a valve seat for communicating fluid from an upstream location to a downstream location. The valve having a moveable member. The sensor chip package having at least one sensor coupled with the valve. The controller interface is communicable coupled to a control unit, the valve, and the sensor chip package. The controller interface sends at least one parametric value provided by the sensor chip package to the control unit. The controller interface receives a control signal used to adjust valve stroke of the valve. The control signal of the valve is determined based on the at least one measured parametric value and at least one other parametric value provided by a fluid processing system.

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Freemont, CA, United States of America

Daniel Mudd