Fluid control device, fluid control system, storage medium storing a program for fluid control device, and fluid control method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11953924-B2
Application number	US-202217847822-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 23, 2022
Priority date	Jun 25, 2021
Publication date	Apr 9, 2024
Grant date	Apr 9, 2024

Abstract

In order to prevent unnatural behavior of a calculated flow rate, provided is a fluid control device in which a fluid control valve and upstream and downstream pressure sensors are provided on a flow path. The device includes a calculation unit configured to calculate a flow rate based on measured pressures; and an output unit configured to output the calculated flow rate, and exhibit a zero output function of outputting a zero value regardless of the calculated flow rate when the valve is in a closed state. The device is further configured to switch between execution and stop of the zero output function, and when the valve is in an open state and a difference between the measured pressures of the pressure sensors is larger than a threshold, stop the zero output function and cause the flow rate output unit to output the calculated flow rate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fluid control device in which a fluid control valve, an upstream pressure sensor, and a downstream pressure sensor are provided on a flow path, the device comprising:
an actual flow rate calculation unit configured to calculate a flow rate based on measured pressures of the upstream pressure sensor and the downstream pressure sensor; and
a flow rate output unit configured to output a calculated flow rate calculated by the actual flow rate calculation unit,
wherein the flow rate output unit exerts a negative burst cutting function that is a function of outputting a zero value regardless of the calculated flow rate when the fluid control valve is in an open state and the flow rate calculated by the actual flow rate calculation unit is a negative flow rate.

2. The fluid control device according to claim 1 , wherein the negative burst cutting function stops when an elapsed time after the fluid control valve is opened exceeds a predetermined set time.

3. The fluid control device according to claim 2 , wherein the set time is changeable.

4. The fluid control device according to claim 1 , wherein whether to cause the flow rate output unit to exhibit the negative burst cutting function is selectable.

5. A storage medium storing a program for a fluid control device in which a fluid control valve, an upstream pressure sensor, and a downstream pressure sensor are provided on a flow path, the program causing a computer to function as:
an actual flow rate calculation unit configured to calculate a flow rate based on measured pressures of the upstream pressure sensor and the downstream pressure sensor; and
a flow rate output unit configured to output a calculated flow rate calculated by the actual flow rate calculation unit,
wherein the flow rate output unit exerts a negative burst cutting function that is a function of outputting a zero value regardless of the calculated flow rate when the fluid control valve is in an open state and the flow rate calculated by the actual flow rate calculation unit is a negative flow rate.

6. A fluid control method using a fluid control device in which a fluid control valve, an upstream pressure sensor, and a downstream pressure sensor are provided on a flow path, the method comprising the steps of:
calculating a flow rate based on measured pressures of the upstream pressure sensor and the downstream pressure sensor; and
outputting a calculated flow rate calculated by the actual flow rate calculation unit,
wherein in the outputting of the calculated flow rate, when the fluid control valve is in an open state and the flow rate calculated by the actual flow rate calculation unit is a negative flow rate, a negative burst cutting function that is a function of outputting a zero value regardless of the calculated flow rate is exhibited.

Assignees

• Horiba Stec Co Ltd

Inventors

• Matsumoto Sota
• Nagai Kentaro
• Hisamori Yosuke
• Matsuura Kazuhiro

Classifications

• G05D16/20

  characterised by the use of electric means · CPC title

• G05D16/028

  Controlling a pressure difference (control of flow G05D7/00) · CPC title

• F17D3/18

  for measuring the quantity of conveyed product (measuring volume or volume flow, in general G01F) · CPC title

• F17D1/00

  Pipe-line systems (conveying articles or materials through a pipe- line by means of a fluid carrier B65G51/00, B65G53/00; liquids B67D; special devices for transferring liquids from bulk storage containers into vehicles or boats or vice versa, e.g. loading or unloading vehicles or portable containers B67D7/00; conveying material which has been excavated by a dredger or soil shifter through a pipe-line E02F7/10; sewer pipe-line systems E03F3/00; thermal insulation of pipe-lines F16L59/00; central heating systems F24D) · CPC title

• G01F15/003

  using electromagnetic, electric or electronic means (G01F15/002, G01F15/02 take precedence) · CPC title