Multichannel thermocouple compensation for three dimensional temperature gradient

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10119867-B2
Application number	US-201615011310-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2016
Priority date	Mar 12, 2013
Publication date	Nov 6, 2018
Grant date	Nov 6, 2018

Abstract

A method of using a thermocouple is provided. The method includes, but is not limited to, disposing at least one temperature sensor at each of two or more respective portions of an electrical connector adapted to receive thermocouple signals, measuring temperatures at the two or more portions, and calculating the temperatures at each terminal of the electrical connector based on measured temperature values of the two or more respective portions having the disposed temperature sensors. The method also includes, but is not limited to, calculating a cold junction temperature of a terminal for at least one thermocouple channel carrying the thermocouple signals based on measured or calculated temperature values of the terminals, or a combination thereof.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for measuring a temperature at a source, the apparatus comprising:
a thermocouple measuring junction to be positioned at the source and connected with a reference junction via first and second wires;
an electrical connector at the reference junction, wherein the electrical connector includes a first and second portion, and wherein the first portion is connected with the reference junction and the second portion is removably connected with the first portion, wherein at least one portion is inside a housing containing a circuit board and at least another portion is at least partially outside the housing, and wherein each of the first and second portions includes a plurality of terminals, wherein each of the terminals on the first portion is configured to mate with a terminal on the second portion; and
at least one temperature sensor disposed at each of the two portions of the electrical connector to receive thermocouple signals, wherein the at least one temperature sensor is configured to measure temperatures at the two or more portions, wherein a component on the circuit board calculates the temperatures at each terminal of the electrical connector based on measured temperature values of the two temperature sensors, and wherein the component on the circuit board calculates a cold junction temperature of a terminal for at least one thermocouple channel carrying the thermocouple signals based on measured or calculated temperature values of the terminals, or a combination thereof.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the component on the circuit board calculates the temperature of the source measured by the thermocouple based on the cold junction temperature.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the component on the circuit board calculates the temperature of each terminal using interpolation or extrapolation, or a combination thereof.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the temperature sensor comprises a thermistor.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the temperature sensor comprises a semiconductor temperatures sensor.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first portion of the electrical connector includes a plurality of thermocouple connectors, wherein each thermocouple connector receives a discrete thermocouple signal.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein two temperature sensors are disposed along the first portion of the electrical connector, each temperature sensor disposed near a different thermocouple connector.

8. An apparatus for measuring a temperature at a source, the apparatus comprising:
a thermocouple measuring junction to be positioned at the source and connected with a reference junction via first and second wires;
an electrical connector at the reference junction, wherein the electrical connector includes a first and second portion, and wherein the first portion is connected with the reference junction and the second portion is removably connected with the first portion, and wherein each of the first and second portions includes a plurality of terminals, wherein each of the terminals on the first portion is configured to mate with a terminal on the second portion; and
at least one temperature sensor disposed at each of the two portions of the electrical connector to receive thermocouple signals, wherein the at least one temperature sensor is located on a circuit board and is configured to measure the temperatures at the two or more portions using the temperature sensors, wherein a component on the circuit board calculates the temperatures at each terminal of the electrical connector based on measured temperature values of the two temperature sensors, and wherein the component on the circuit board calculates a cold junction temperature of a terminal for at least one thermocouple channel carrying the thermocouple signals based on measured or calculated temperature values of the terminals, or a combination thereof, wherein each of the temperature sensors is electrically connected to each terminal, and wherein the electrical connector has more terminals than temperature sensors.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the first portion of the electrical connector is mounted on the circuit board within a housing, wherein a part of the first portion extends outside the housing, and the second portion of the electrical connector connects with the part of the first portion that extends outside the housing.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein two temperature sensors are disposed along the first portion of the electrical connector, each temperature sensor disposed near a different thermocouple connector.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising a third temperature sensor on the second portion of the electrical connector.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the component on the circuit board calculates the temperature of the source measured by the based on the cold junction temperature.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the component on the circuit board calculates the temperature of each terminal using interpolation or extrapolation, or a combination thereof.

14. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the temperature sensor comprises a thermistor.

15. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the temperature sensor comprises a semiconductor temperatures sensor.

16. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the first portion of the electrical connector includes a plurality of thermocouple connectors, wherein each thermocouple connector receives a discrete thermocouple signal.

17. An apparatus for measuring a temperature at a source, the apparatus comprising:
a thermocouple measuring junction to be positioned at the source and connected with
a reference junction via first and second wires;
an electrical connector at the reference junction, wherein the electrical connector includes a first and second portion, and wherein the first portion is connected with the reference junction and the second portion is removably connected with the first portion, and wherein each of the first and second portions includes a plurality of terminals, wherein each of the terminals on the first portion is configured to mate with a terminal on the second portion; and
at least one temperature sensor disposed at each of the two portions of the electrical connector to receive thermocouple signals, wherein the at least one temperature sensor is configured to measure the temperatures at the two or more portions, wherein each of the temperature sensors is electrically connected to each terminal, and wherein the electrical connector has more terminals than temperature sensors.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the first portion of the electrical connector includes a plurality of thermocouple connectors, wherein each thermocouple connector receives a discrete thermocouple signal.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein at least one portion is inside a housing and at least another portion is at least partially outside the housing.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein two temperature sensors are disposed along the first portion of the electrical connector, each temperature sensor disposed near a different thermocouple connector.

Assignees

• Lam Res Corp

Inventors

• Egley Fred Dennis
• Distinti John
• Norton Peter
• Wang Andrea

Classifications

• G01K7/023

  provided with specially adapted connectors (connectors per se H01R) · CPC title

• G01K1/026

  arrangements for monitoring a plurality of temperatures, e.g. by multiplexing · CPC title

• G01K7/13 Primary

  Circuits for cold-junction compensation · CPC title