Thermal flow meter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10260921-B2
Application number	US-201515508944-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 24, 2015
Priority date	Sep 30, 2014
Publication date	Apr 16, 2019
Grant date	Apr 16, 2019

Abstract

A connection terminal is on a flange of a thermal flow meter. A terminal connection part has a first and a second bent part. The first bent part is bent from a first direction to a second direction. The second bent part has is bent from the first bent part to a third direction. The first and second bent parts are formed such that when connection pin parts of a plurality of the connection terminals and terminal connection parts of the plurality of connection terminals are projected onto a first imaginary plane, an imaginary line L extending along a first direction passing through the projection areas of each of the terminal connection parts of the plurality of connection terminals passes between the projection areas of the connection pin parts from among the connection pin parts of the plurality of connection terminals, that are positioned on both sides.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A thermal flowmeter which includes a sub-passage taking a part of a measurement object gas flowing in a main passage and a flow measurement element measuring a flow amount of the measurement object gas flowing in the sub-passage and measures a flow amount of the measurement object gas flowing in the main passage on the basis of a measurement value obtained by the flow measurement element, the thermal flowmeter comprising: a circuit board on which the flow measurement element is mounted; a housing which forms a part of the sub-passage and fixes the circuit board; and a plurality of connection terminals which are electrically connected to a plurality of board terminals of the circuit board at one end side and are connected to an outside of the thermal flowmeter at the other end side, wherein the housing is provided with a flange which comes into contact with a pipe forming the main passage so that the thermal flowmeter is attached to the pipe, wherein the plurality of connection terminals are arranged from one end side to the other end side so that a predetermined gap is opened between the adjacent connection terminals, wherein each of the connection terminals includes a terminal connection portion which is electrically connected to each of the board terminals at one end side, a connection pin portion which is connected to the outside of the thermal flowmeter at the other end side, a first bent portion which has a bent shape from the terminal connection portion to the connection pin portion, and a second bent portion which has a bent shape continuous to the first bent portion, wherein the first bent portion and the second bent portion are disposed within the flange, wherein the first bent portion has a bent shape from a first direction directed from the terminal connection portion toward the flange to a second direction intersecting the first direction, wherein the second bent portion has a bent shape from the second direction to a third direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction and corresponding to the extension direction of the connection pin portion in a range from the first bent portion to the connection pin portion, wherein the first bent portion and the second bent portion are formed so that a virtual line extending in the first direction and passing through a projection area of each of the terminal connection portions of the plurality of connection terminals passes between the projection areas of the connection pin portions located at both sides among the connection pin portions of the plurality of connection terminals when the connection pin portions of the plurality of connection terminals and the terminal connection portions of the plurality of connection terminals are projected onto a first virtual plane orthogonal to the third direction, and wherein the third direction matches a direction in which the measurement object gas flows in the main passage.

2. The thermal flowmeter according to claim 1 , wherein the second bent portion has the bent shape along a second virtual plane which is parallel to the second direction and the third direction.

3. The thermal flowmeter according to claim 2 ,
wherein the second bent portion is formed so that the second virtual plane becomes a plane which is parallel to a flange face of the flange coming into contact with the pipe forming the main passage.

4. The thermal flowmeter according to claim 1 ,
wherein the plurality of connection terminals are formed so that projection areas of the terminal connection portions of the plurality of connection terminals match one another when the terminal connection portions of the plurality of connection terminals are projected onto the first virtual plane.

5. The thermal flowmeter according to claim 1 , wherein the terminal connection portion of at least one of the connection terminals is bonded to the board terminal.

6. The thermal flowmeter according to claim 1 ,
wherein the connection terminal is an integrally molded member without a welded portion.

Assignees

• Hitachi Automotive Systems Ltd

Inventors

• Taniguchi Jiro
• Nakada Keiichi
• Asano Yasuhiro
• Hirayama Hiroshi
• Suzuki Kazunori

Classifications

• G01F15/18

  Supports or connecting means for meters · CPC title

• G01F1/684

  Structural arrangements; Mounting of elements, e.g. in relation to fluid flow · CPC title

• H01R13/405

  Securing in non-demountable manner, e.g. moulding, riveting · CPC title

• H01R12/724

  containing contact members forming a right angle · CPC title

• G01F5/00 Primary

  Measuring a proportion of the volume flow · CPC title