Flow control device equipped with flow monitor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9791867-B2
Application number	US-201414778398-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 17, 2014
Priority date	Mar 25, 2013
Publication date	Oct 17, 2017
Grant date	Oct 17, 2017

Abstract

A flow control device equipped with flow monitor includes a build-down type flow monitor unit provided on an upstream side, a flow control unit provided on a downstream side of the build-down type flow monitor unit, a signal transmission circuit connecting the build-down type flow monitor unit and the flow control unit and transmitting a monitored flow rate of the build-down type flow monitor unit to the flow control unit, and a set flow rate value adjustment mechanism being provided in the flow control unit and adjusting a set flow rate of the flow control unit based on the monitored flow rate from the build-down type flow monitor unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A flow control device equipped with flow monitor, comprising:
a build-down type flow monitor unit provided on an upstream side;
a flow control unit provided on a downstream side of the build-down type flow monitor unit;
a signal transmission circuit connecting the build-down type flow monitor unit and the flow control unit and transmitting a monitored flow rate of the build-down type flow monitor unit to the flow control unit; and
a set flow rate value adjustment mechanism for adjusting a set flow rate of the flow control unit based on the monitored flow rate from the build-down type flow monitor unit,
wherein the flow control unit comprises a control valve, an orifice or a critical nozzle provided on the downstream side of the control valve, a pressure sensor for detecting a pressure between the control valve and the orifice or the critical nozzle, and a flow rate calculation control unit configured to calculate a flow rate of gas flowing through the orifice or the critical nozzle based on a measurement output from the pressure sensor and control the control valve, and
the flow control unit comprises an additional pressure sensor provided on a downstream side of the orifice or the critical nozzle.

2. The flow control device equipped with flow monitor according to claim 1 , wherein
the set flow rate value adjustment mechanism further includes a comparator for the monitored flow rate and the set flow rate, the set flow rate value adjustment mechanism being configured to automatically correct the set flow rate to the monitored flow rate when a difference between the monitored flow rate and the set flow rate exceeds a preset value.

3. The flow control device equipped with flow monitor according to claim 1 , wherein
a flow rate calculation control unit of the flow control unit and a monitored flow rate calculation control unit of the build-down type flow monitor unit are integrally formed.

4. The flow control device equipped with flow monitor according to claim 1 , wherein
the build-down type flow monitor unit includes:
a primary side opening/closing switching valve for opening and closing a flow of gas from a gas supply source;
a build-down capacity connected to an outlet side of the primary side opening/closing switching valve and having a predetermined internal volume;
a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of the gas flowing through the build-down capacity;
a pressure sensor for detecting a pressure of the gas flowing through the build-down capacity; and
a monitored flow rate calculation control unit which controls opening and closing of the primary side opening/closing switching valve and also which opens the primary side opening/closing switching valve to set a gas pressure in the build-down capacity to a set upper limit pressure value, and then closes the primary side opening/closing switching valve to reduce the gas pressure to a set lower limit pressure value after passage of predetermined time to thereby calculate and output a monitored flow rate by a build-down system, and
the monitored flow rate is calculated by an equation below in which T denotes a gas temperature (° C.), V denotes an internal volume (liter) of the build-down capacity, ΔP denotes a pressure drop range (Torr) which is a difference between the set upper limit pressure value and the set lower limit pressure value, and Δt denotes time (second) from the closing to the opening of the primary side opening/closing switching valve,

Q
=

1000
760

×
60
×

273

(

273
+
T

)

×
V
×

Δ
⁢

⁢
p

Δ
⁢

⁢
t

.

5. The flow control device equipped with flow monitor according to claim 4 , wherein
the predetermined internal volume of the build-down capacity is 0.5 to 20 cc, the set upper limit pressure value is 400 to 100 kPa abs., and the set lower limit pressure value is 350 kPa abs. to 50 kPa abs., and the time Δt is 0.5 to 5 seconds.

6. The flow control device equipped with flow monitor according to claim 4 , wherein
the primary side opening/closing switching valve is a piezoelectric drive type metal diaphragm valve or an electromagnetic direct acting type electric operated valve, and
a gas pressure recovery time from the set lower limit pressure value to the set upper limit pressure value by opening of the primary side opening/closing switching valve is shorter than a gas pressure drop time from the set upper limit pressure value to the set lower limit pressure value.

7. A flow control device equipped with flow monitor, comprising:
a build-down type flow monitor unit provided on an upstream side;
a flow control unit provided on a downstream side of the build-down type flow monitor unit;
a signal transmission circuit connecting the build-down type flow monitor unit and the flow control unit and transmitting a monitored flow rate of the build-down type flow monitor unit to the flow control unit; and
a set flow rate value adjustment mechanism being provided in the flow control unit and adjusting a set flow rate of the flow control unit based on the monitored flow rate from the build-down type flow monitor unit, wherein
the build-down type flow monitor unit includes a build-down chamber and
the chamber is configured so that an inner cylinder and an outer cylinder are concentrically arranged and fixed, a space between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder which form the chamber is used as a gas flow passage, and a pressure sensor is provided in the chamber.

Assignees

• Fujikin Kk

Inventors

• Nagase Masaaki
• Hidaka Atsushi
• Nishino Kouji
• Ikeda Nobukazu

Classifications

• G01F15/005

  Valves (valves in general F16K) · CPC title

• Y10T137/7761

  Electrically actuated valve · CPC title

• G05D7/0635 Primary

  by action on throttling means (G05D7/0688, G05D7/0694 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01F1/42

  Orifices or nozzles · CPC title

• G01F1/50

  Correcting or compensating means · CPC title