US5922946A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Particle sensor
Assignee: NGK Insulators Ltd
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Filing: 1997-06-19
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Granted: 1999-07-13
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Expires: 2017-06-19
Abstract
Abstract A particle sensor includes a sensor element comprising (a) a vibrating section having such a mass that is sensitive to the collision of solid particles contained in a fluid, with the vibrating section and (b) a detecting section for detecting the vibration of the vibrating section caused by said collision and converting the vibration to electric signals, a housing for fixing said sensor element, a fluid inlet, and a fluid outlet. The particle sensor has a characteristic structure of having a net at the upstream side of the sensor element in order to allow the fluid entering the particle sensor from the fluid inlet to pass through said net and then contact with the sensor element. With this particle sensor, the detection of the solid particles contained in a fluid also containing bubbles can be made at a higher accuracy because the vibration caused by the bubbles, containing the primary resonance vibration of the sensor element is decreased.
Inventors
- 👤 Toshikazu Hirota
- 👤 Kazuyoshi Shibata
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 03:56
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01N; G01N29/00; G01N29/02; G01N29/036; F; F16; F16N; F16N29/00; G01N29/04; G01N29/045; G01N29/22; G01N29/222; F16N2200/00; F16N2200/04; G01N2291/00; G01N2291/02; G01N2291/022; G01N2291/0226; G01N2291/024; G01N2291/02416; G01N2291/02433
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 14
Claim 1
Independent Claim
116 words
A particle sensor comprising: a sensor element comprising (a) a vibrating section having such a mass that is sensitive to the collision of solid particles contained in a fluid, with the vibrating section and (b) a detecting section for detecting the vibration of the vibrating section caused by said collision and converting the vibration to electric signals, a housing for fixing said sensor element, a fluid inlet, and a fluid outlet, which particle sensor has a characteristic structure of having a net at the upstream side of the sensor element in order to allow the fluid entering the particle sensor from the fluid inlet to pass through said net and then contact with the sensor element.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
116 words
A particle sensor comprising: a sensor element comprising (a) a vibrating section having such a mass that is sensitive to the collision of solid particles contained in a fluid, with the vibrating section and (b) a detecting section for detecting the vibration of the vibrating section caused by said collision and converting the vibration to electric signals, a housing for fixing said sensor element, a fluid inlet, and a fluid outlet, which particle sensor has a characteristic structure of having a net at the upstream side of the sensor element in order to allow the fluid entering the particle sensor from the fluid inlet to pass through said net and then contact with the sensor element.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
133 words
A particle sensor sensitive to collisions of solid particles contained in a fluid comprising: a sensor element comprising (a) a vibrating section having such a mass that it is sensitive to collisions of solid particles contained in a fluid, with the vibrating sections and (b) a detecting section for detecting vibration of the vibrating section caused by said collisions and converting the vibration to electric signals, housing for said sensor element, fluid inlet, a fluid outlet, and means capable of increasing the inside-housing pressure which increases the fluid pressure to destroy or reduce the size of bubbles in the fluid so that they are not easily burst in the vicinity of the sensor element by the pressure increase, for increasing the amount of detection of solid particles in a fluid also containing bubbles.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
133 words
A particle sensor sensitive to collisions of solid particles contained in a fluid comprising: a sensor element comprising (a) a vibrating section having such a mass that it is sensitive to collisions of solid particles contained in a fluid, with the vibrating sections and (b) a detecting section for detecting vibration of the vibrating section caused by said collisions and converting the vibration to electric signals, housing for said sensor element, fluid inlet, a fluid outlet, and means capable of increasing the inside-housing pressure which increases the fluid pressure to destroy or reduce the size of bubbles in the fluid so that they are not easily burst in the vicinity of the sensor element by the pressure increase, for increasing the amount of detection of solid particles in a fluid also containing bubbles.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
28 words
A particle sensor according to claim 2, wherein the means capable of increasing the inside-housing pressure is a valve provided at the downstream side of the sensor element.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
28 words
A particle sensor according to claim 2, wherein the means capable of increasing the inside-housing pressure can increase the inside-housing pressure to at least 1.5 kg/cm 2 .
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
185 words
A particle sensor comprising: a sensor element comprising (a) a vibrating section having such a mass that is sensitive to the collision of solid particles contained in a fluid, with the vibrating section and (b) a detecting section for detecting the vibration of the vibrating section caused by said collision and converting the vibration to electric signals, a housing for fixing said sensor element, a fluid inlet, and a fluid outlet, in which particle sensor said fluid outlet is provided so that the sensor element is between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, throughholes are formed in the sensor element in at least part of the vicinity of the vibrating section, and the fluid entering the particle sensor from the fluid inlet contacts with the sensor element, passes through the throughholes and leaves the particle sensor from the fluid outlet, and which particle sensor has a characteristic structure of having a relation of D/d≧1.5 wherein d is the width of the detecting section and D is the distance from the center line of the detecting section to the throughhole closest to the detecting section.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
185 words
A particle sensor comprising: a sensor element comprising (a) a vibrating section having such a mass that is sensitive to the collision of solid particles contained in a fluid, with the vibrating section and (b) a detecting section for detecting the vibration of the vibrating section caused by said collision and converting the vibration to electric signals, a housing for fixing said sensor element, a fluid inlet, and a fluid outlet, in which particle sensor said fluid outlet is provided so that the sensor element is between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, throughholes are formed in the sensor element in at least part of the vicinity of the vibrating section, and the fluid entering the particle sensor from the fluid inlet contacts with the sensor element, passes through the throughholes and leaves the particle sensor from the fluid outlet, and which particle sensor has a characteristic structure of having a relation of D/d≧1.5 wherein d is the width of the detecting section and D is the distance from the center line of the detecting section to the throughhole closest to the detecting section.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
165 words
A particle sensor comprising: a sensor element comprising (a) a vibrating section having such a mass that is sensitive to the collision of solid particles contained in a fluid, with the vibrating section and (b) a detecting section for detecting the vibration of the vibrating section caused by said collision and converting the vibration to electric signals, a housing for fixing said sensor element, a fluid inlet, and a fluid outlet, in which particle sensor said fluid outlet is provided so that the sensor element is between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, throughholes are formed in the sensor element in at least part of the vicinity of the vibrating section, and the fluid entering the particle sensor from the fluid inlet contacts with the sensor element, passes through the throughholes and leaves the particle sensor from the fluid outlet, and which particle sensor has a characteristic structure of being chamfered at the periphery of the inlet of each throughhole of the sensor element.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
165 words
A particle sensor comprising: a sensor element comprising (a) a vibrating section having such a mass that is sensitive to the collision of solid particles contained in a fluid, with the vibrating section and (b) a detecting section for detecting the vibration of the vibrating section caused by said collision and converting the vibration to electric signals, a housing for fixing said sensor element, a fluid inlet, and a fluid outlet, in which particle sensor said fluid outlet is provided so that the sensor element is between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, throughholes are formed in the sensor element in at least part of the vicinity of the vibrating section, and the fluid entering the particle sensor from the fluid inlet contacts with the sensor element, passes through the throughholes and leaves the particle sensor from the fluid outlet, and which particle sensor has a characteristic structure of being chamfered at the periphery of the inlet of each throughhole of the sensor element.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
206 words
A particle sensor comprising: a sensor element comprising (a) a vibrating section having such a mass that is sensitive to the collision of solid particles contained in a fluid, with the vibrating section and (b) a detecting section for detecting the vibration of the vibrating section caused by said collision and converting the vibration to electric signals, a housing for fixing said sensor element, a fluid inlet, and a fluid outlet, in which particle sensor said fluid outlet is provided so that the sensor element is between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, throughholes are formed in the sensor element in at least part of the vicinity of the vibrating section, and the fluid entering the particle sensor from the fluid inlet contacts with the sensor element, passes through the throughholes and leaves the particle sensor from the fluid outlet, and which particle sensor has a characteristic structure that (1) the sensor element portion which contacts with the fluid from the fluid inlet and (2) the inner wall of each throughhole of the sensor element have a surface roughness of 0.40 μm or less in terms of Center-line Mean Roughness where high band cut-off value is 0.8 mm and a reference length is 2.5 mm.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
206 words
A particle sensor comprising: a sensor element comprising (a) a vibrating section having such a mass that is sensitive to the collision of solid particles contained in a fluid, with the vibrating section and (b) a detecting section for detecting the vibration of the vibrating section caused by said collision and converting the vibration to electric signals, a housing for fixing said sensor element, a fluid inlet, and a fluid outlet, in which particle sensor said fluid outlet is provided so that the sensor element is between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, throughholes are formed in the sensor element in at least part of the vicinity of the vibrating section, and the fluid entering the particle sensor from the fluid inlet contacts with the sensor element, passes through the throughholes and leaves the particle sensor from the fluid outlet, and which particle sensor has a characteristic structure that (1) the sensor element portion which contacts with the fluid from the fluid inlet and (2) the inner wall of each throughhole of the sensor element have a surface roughness of 0.40 μm or less in terms of Center-line Mean Roughness where high band cut-off value is 0.8 mm and a reference length is 2.5 mm.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
176 words
A particle sensor comprising: a sensor element comprising (a) a vibrating section having such a mass that is sensitive to the collision of solid particles contained in a fluid, with the vibrating section and (b) a detecting section for detecting the vibration of the vibrating section caused by said collision and converting the vibration to electric signals, a housing for fixing said sensor element, a fluid inlet, and a fluid outlet, in which particle sensor said fluid outlet is provided so that the sensor element is between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, throughholes are formed in the sensor element in at least part of the vicinity of the vibrating section, and the fluid entering the particle sensor from the fluid inlet contacts with the sensor element, passes through the throughholes and leaves the particle sensor from the fluid outlet, and which particle sensor has a characteristic structure that the fluid from the fluid inlet contacts with the sensor element at an angle of less than 90° as measured relative to the sensor element surface.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
176 words
A particle sensor comprising: a sensor element comprising (a) a vibrating section having such a mass that is sensitive to the collision of solid particles contained in a fluid, with the vibrating section and (b) a detecting section for detecting the vibration of the vibrating section caused by said collision and converting the vibration to electric signals, a housing for fixing said sensor element, a fluid inlet, and a fluid outlet, in which particle sensor said fluid outlet is provided so that the sensor element is between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, throughholes are formed in the sensor element in at least part of the vicinity of the vibrating section, and the fluid entering the particle sensor from the fluid inlet contacts with the sensor element, passes through the throughholes and leaves the particle sensor from the fluid outlet, and which particle sensor has a characteristic structure that the fluid from the fluid inlet contacts with the sensor element at an angle of less than 90° as measured relative to the sensor element surface.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-07-12 | 2003-01-11 | 2003-07-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-07-12 | 2007-01-11 | 2007-07-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-07-12 | 2011-01-11 | 2011-07-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |