The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 22, 2003
Filed:
Jun. 18, 1999
Thomas O. Maginnis, Jr., Dracut, MA (US);
Wilfred J. Baxter, Jr., Andover, MA (US);
MKS Instruments, Inc., Andover, MA (US);
Abstract
A thermal mass flow sensor having superior sensitivity and response time includes a flow sensor tube defining an interior channel for fluid flow between input and output ends, a heating element in thermal communication with a portion of the flow sensor tube for heating a fluid flowing through the tube, a pair of spatially compact thermal sensors located at the upstream and downstream ends of the heating element for sensing the temperature of the fluid flowing through the tube at their respective locations and providing a signal representative of the fluid temperature at those locations, and a pair of thermal grounding members on the flow sensor tube, yet positioned at specified locations substantially beyond the heated portion of the tube, for establishing reference temperatures for the fluid flowing therethrough at those locations.