Mass Flow Meter with Instrumental Error Correction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mass flow meters struggle to accurately measure flow rates of different gases without requiring extensive recalibration and labor-intensive procedures, especially when switching between various sample fluids, due to instrumental errors and the need for specific flow rate characteristic functions.
Innovation Solution
A mass flow meter system that includes a sensor section for detecting flow rates, a setting section for determining flow rate characteristics, and an instrumental error correction parameter common to multiple sample fluids, allowing for accurate measurement across different gases without individual recalibration, using a quintic equation to expand the measurable range and simplify operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a mass flow meter is used to measure multiple different gases, then the versatility of the device is improved, but the measurement precision deteriorates due to instrumental errors varying with gas type
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by introducing a correction parameter that adjusts the measurement based on the specific gas type being measured. The correction parameter is determined by changing physical parameters (gas properties) and applying them to correct the instrumental error, allowing the same device to accurately measure different gases without hardware modification.
Solution Approach 2:
The correction parameter acts as an intermediary between the raw sensor measurement and the actual flow rate value. This intermediary element compensates for the instrumental error introduced by different gas types, enabling accurate measurement across multiple gases while maintaining device versatility.
2Measurement precision
If individual calibration is performed for each gas type, then the measurement precision is improved, but the operational complexity and time required increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-determining correction parameters for different gas types before actual measurement. Instead of performing full calibration procedures for each gas, the system has correction parameters ready in advance, allowing quick selection and application when switching between gas types, thereby reducing calibration time while maintaining precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes parameters by using pre-calculated correction factors for different gases rather than performing complete recalibration. This approach maintains measurement precision by applying gas-specific corrections while avoiding the time-consuming process of individual calibration for each gas type.
3Manufacturing precision
If hardware structures are standardized to reduce instrumental error, then the manufacturing precision is improved, but the adaptability to different gas types deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by separating the hardware design from the measurement correction. The hardware is standardized and fixed, while the correction parameters are segmented by gas type. This allows the same standardized hardware to accurately measure different gases by applying appropriate correction factors, thus maintaining both manufacturing precision and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system compensates for the limitation of standardized hardware by introducing parameter changes in the form of correction factors. These parameters adjust the measurement output based on gas-specific properties, enabling the standardized hardware to adapt to different gas types without modifying the physical structure.
Data Source
AI summary
An object of this invention is to provide a superior mass flow meter or the like that can flexibly cope with a change of a sample fluid such as a gas kind without requiring a special troublesome labor and that can measure a flow rate with high accuracy. The mass flow meter comprises a sensor section that detects a flow rate of a sample fluid flowing in a flow channel, a setting section that sets a flow rate characteristic function that is intrinsic to each fluid to determine a flow rate based on a flow rate detected value output by the sensor section and an instrumental error correction parameter that is independent from the flow rate characteristic function and common to multiple sample fluids to correct an instrumental error of each mass flow meter, and a flow rate calculating section that calculates a flow rate measurement value of the sample fluid by applying the flow rate characteristic function and the instrumental error correction parameter to the flow rate detected value.