Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi Car Engineering Co., Ltd.

Hitachi Automotive Engineering Co., Ltd.

Yasuhiro Asano

Naoki Saito

Hiroshi Kikawa

Shinya Igarashi

Masahiro Matsumoto

Sadayasu Ueno

Masayuki Miki

Seiko Suzuki

Norio Ichikawa

Shigeki Tsuchitani

Masayoshi Suzuki

Kanemasa Sato

Tomoyuki Tanaka

Masanori Kubota

Hiromichi Ebine

Yukiko Sugisawa

Sinya Igarashi

In a flow sensor, detecting elements are provided at a sub-passage. A sub-passage wall contains a hole to drain accumulated liquid. A protrusion arranged close to the hole on an external surface generates dynamic pressure on the opening in response to external flow. Alternatively, a protrusion upstream from the hole on the inner wall surface produces a separation flow area for separating the flow from the internal surface near the hole, whereby pressure in the separation area is reduced and almost the same pressure differences on the internal and external surfaces openings result. This reduces leakage from the hole and changes in the distribution flow in the sub-passage between cases where the hole is blocked and not blocked, thus minimizing flow measurement errors. Structure may be provided close to the external surface hole opening to prevent a liquid film or drop from being formed on the opening by surface tension.

Equipment for measuring gas flow rate having an adjacent external surface protrusion

Equipment for measuring gas flow rate

The flow detecting elements are provided at the sub-passage for making the part of fluid to be measured (gas) flow. The wall of the sub-passage contains a leak hole (through hole) to drain a liquid having entered and accumulated inside the sub-passage. A protrusion for generating a dynamic pressure on the opening is arranged close to the opening of the leak hole on the external surface of the sub-passage. Alternatively, a protrusion located upstream from the leak hole is formed on the inner wall surface of the sub-passage. The former protrusion generates a dynamic pressure in response to the flow velocity of the gas flowing along the external surface of the sub-passage. The latter protrusion produces a separation flow area for separating the flow from the internal surface of the sub-passage (close to the leak hole), whereby the pressure of the separation floe area is reduced. This configuration provides almost the same pressure differences on the openings of the internal and external surfaces of the sub-passage, thereby reducing the amount of gas leaked from the leak hole. This reduces changes in the distribution flow velocity in the sub-passage between the cases where the leak hole is blocked and where not blocked, and minimizes flow measurement errors. Further, to prevent a liquid film or drop from being formed on the opening by surface tension, structural means is provided close to the opening of the leak hole on the external surface of the sub-passage.

A semiconductor acceleration sensor is formed by a cantilever having a conductive movable electrode of predetermined mass at one end, at least one pair of fixed conductive electrodes which are stationary with respect to the movable electrode located on opposing sides of the movable electrode, and gaps provided between the movable electrode and the fixed electrodes. To prevent the movable electrode becoming fused to the contacted fixed electrode, in a first aspect of this invention, an insulating layer is provided between the movable electrode and fixed electrodes, the layer being either on the movable electrode or on the fixed electrodes and in a second aspect the movable electrode or, preferably, the fixed electrodes, are formed of a high melting point material. In such a second aspect, to improve adhesion between the high melting point material and a substrate to which the fixed electrodes are mounted, a lower melting point material is firstly coated on the substrates. A sensor detector unit processing circuit has the output characteristic of the circuit digitally adjusted by suitable switching of a plurality of resistors, and the sensor chip and the detector unit integrated circuit may be located on a common base and mounted in a hermetically sealed chamber to prevent adverse environmental effects affecting operation of the sensor and detector unit assembly. A gas having a dew point of -40.degree. C. or lower is, advantageously, charged into the hermetically sealed chamber.

Semiconductor acceleration sensor and vehicle control system using the

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Ibaraki-ken, Japan

Yasuhiro Asano