Integrated micro thermistor type flow control module
US5975485A · kind A · utility
16Cited by
4References
29Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 19, 1998 |
| Grant date | Nov 2, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 19, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF15C5/00
- WIPO fieldMechanical elements
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
An integrated micro thermister type flow control module in which, when a fluid enters the integrated module past a fluid channel and a suspended microstructure into a thermally-driven microvalve zone, the latter utilizes heat actuation to drive a silicon microbridge with mesa to open a linear proportional flow microvalve. A thermister type flow sensing unit is disposed in the fluid channel to sense the flow amount. The sensing unit is synchronously made with the microvalve and the silicon microbridge structure in an integration process so as to reduce manufacturing steps and minimize the size of the module.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.