Flow Rate Sensor Thermal Isolation via Narrow Connection
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing flow rate sensor devices suffer from reduced responsiveness due to heat generated in the drive control circuit affecting the thermo-sensitive resistors, leading to decreased performance.
Innovation Solution
A flow rate sensor device design where the sensor unit and drive substrate are connected through a narrow connection portion, minimizing thermal influence and maintaining good responsiveness by separating heat sources and using a printed circuit board with high thermal conductivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the sensor element and drive control circuit are disposed on one rectangular substrate, then the device structure is simplified and manufacturing is easier, but heat generated in the drive control circuit affects the sensor element, reducing sensor responsiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into two separate substrates: a sensor substrate for the sensor element and a drive substrate for the drive control circuit. This segmentation physically separates the heat-generating circuitry from the sensitive sensor, eliminating thermal interference while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through separate fabrication and subsequent assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The drive control circuit is extracted from the sensor substrate and placed on a separate drive substrate. This extraction removes the harmful thermal influence from the sensor environment while preserving the functional integration through controlled connection via connection portions.
2Reliability
If the sensor element and drive control circuit are separated onto different substrates, then thermal influence is reduced and sensor responsiveness is improved, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
While the sensor and drive circuit are on separate substrates, they are merged through connection portions that establish electrical connectivity. This merging approach maintains functional integration and signal transmission while preserving the thermal separation benefits, thus reducing device complexity compared to fully discrete arrangements.
Solution Approach 2:
Connection portions serve as intermediaries between the sensor substrate and drive substrate. These intermediaries provide controlled thermal and electrical pathways, enabling signal transmission while minimizing heat transfer, thus managing the complexity of the separated architecture.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design effectively suppresses thermal influence from the drive substrate to the sensor unit, enhancing sensor responsiveness and maintaining precise flow rate detection.
Implementation Method 1
a heat source in a drive substrate and a heat source in a senser unit are separated by a connection portion that is narrow in width, so that thermal influence from the drive substrate to the sensor unit can be suppressed
Data Source
AI summary
It is an object to provide a flow rate sensor device having improved sensor responsiveness compared with the prior art. The present invention is a flow rate sensor device including a sensor element that detects a flow rate, wherein a sensor unit on which the sensor element is mounted and a drive substrate including a drive control circuit are connected through a connection portion narrower than a width of the drive substrate. Thus, a heat source in the drive substrate and a heat source in the sensor unit can be separated by the connection portion that is thin in width, and the thermal influence from the drive substrate to the sensor unit can be suppressed. Therefore, good sensor responsiveness can be maintained.