Abstract: The design and structure of a fluidic concentration metering device with a full dynamic range utilizing micro-machined thermal time-of-flight sensing elements is exhibited in this disclosure. With an additional identical sensing chip but packaged at the different locations in the measurement fluidic chamber with a closed conduit, the device can simultaneously measure the fluidic concentration and the fluidic flowrate. With a temperature thermistor integrated on the same micro-machined thermal sensing chip, the disclosed device will be able to provide the key processing parameters for the fluidic applications.

Abstract: The design and structure of a fluidic concentration metering device with a full dynamic range utilizing micro-machined thermal time-of-flight sensing elements is exhibited in this disclosure. With an additional identical sensing chip but packaged at the different locations in the measurement fluidic chamber with a closed conduit, the device can simultaneously measure the fluidic concentration and the fluidic flowrate. With a temperature thermistor integrated on the same micro-machined thermal sensing chip, the disclosed device will be able to provide the key processing parameters for the fluidic applications.

Abstract: The design and structure of an integrated MEMS mass flow meter with a conventional pressure regulator for fuel gas cylinder enabled with wireless data communication is exhibited in this disclosure. The battery-powered MEMS mass flow meter integrated with a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor and a Bluetooth as well as one long-distance communication devices is packed by the conventional fuel gas cylinder mechanical pressure regulator to form a new integrated apparatus. Such an apparatus can digitize the fuel gas consumption supplied by a cylinder to provide such consumption information to the fuel gas cylinder suppliers or the third-party service providers, and will also timely stream the cylinder status such as leakage and location data which will significantly improve the efficiency of fuel gas usage, control, and its supply logistics.

Abstract: The design of a vacuum gauge utilizing a micromachined silicon vacuum sensor to measure the extended vacuum range from ambient to ultrahigh vacuum by registering the gas thermal properties at each vacuum range is disclosed in the present invention. This single device is capable of measuring the pressure range from ambient and above to ultrahigh vacuum. This device applies to all types of vacuum measurement where no medium attack silicon is present. The disclosed vacuum gauge operates with thermistors and thermal pile on a membrane of the thermal isolation diaphragm structure with a heat isolation cavity underneath.

Abstract: An electronic utility gas meter using MEMS thermal time-of-flight flow sensor to meter gas custody transfer mass flowrate and an additional MEMS gas sensor to measure the combustion gas composition for the correlations to the acquisition of gas high heat value simultaneously is disclosed in the present invention. The meter is designed for the applications in the city utility gas consumption in compliance with the current tariff while metering the true thermal value of the delivered gases for future upgrades. Data safety, remote data communication, and other features with state-of-the-art electronics are also included in the design.

Abstract: An electronic utility gas meter using MEMS thermal mass flow sensor to meter gas custody transfer and MEMS gas thermal property sensor to compensate the metering values due to gas composition variations is disclosed in the present invention. The meter is designed to have a MEMS mass flow sensor to meter the city utility gas consumption independent of environmental temperature and pressure while a MEMS gas thermal property or dual gas thermal property sensors to compensate the tariff due to the gas composition variations for compliance with the current regulation requirements of tariff and remove the major concerns for the wide deployment of the thermal mass MEMS utility gas meters.

Abstract: The design and structure of a fully automatic oxygen therapy apparatus is exhibited in this disclosure. The apparatus integrates a MEMS mass flow meter, an oximeter, a proportional valve and a smart liquid bottle. The control unit of the apparatus is embedded with a wireless communication device and powered by a battery pack. This apparatus is designed to replace the mechanical oxygen rotameter used in today's hospital or homecare oxygen therapy applications. With a set recipe or parameters locally or remotely, the disclosed apparatus can perform a fully automatic oxygen therapy for recovering the blood oxygen level of patient, without the frequent attention of the therapy administrator, and especially it significantly reduces the possibility of cross infection to the administrator during the attendance of the oxygen therapy process. The therapy process data are relayed to local users as well as a designated cloud or data center. This disclosure will be beneficial for both medical staffs and patient.

Abstract: The micromachined liquid flow sensor devices are enclosed with silicon nitride film as passivation layer to protect device from penetration of liquid into device and avoid the damages of erosion or short circuit etc. One thin layer of silicon dioxide is deposited underneath the silicon nitride layer to enhance the adhesion and reliability of the passivation layer for various applications. The incorporation of silicon dioxide film had successfully provided reliable passivation protection especially for microfluidic devices application. In order to avoid flow turbulence caused by wire bonding wires, the wire bonding wires are omitted by deploying through-substrate conductive vias whereas connected to the carrier printed circuit board of sensor chip. The present invention disclosed a novel micromachining process and designed structure to form hermit sealing between the sensor chip and the carrier printed circuit board.

Abstract: The design and structure of a smart gas cylinder valve cap coupled with a smart MEMS mass flow meter, an embedded iBeacon or RFID reader and a remote data transmission module, which is capable of formulating an Internet of Things (IoT) system, is demonstrated in the disclosure. The smart gas cylinder cap(s) can be directly used to replace the mechanical valve handwheel or directly attached to the top of the existing mechanical handwheel as a smart data relay, and the cap(s) can either be applied to a single or plural numbers of gas cylinders while the smart gas flow meter shall communicate with the smart gas cap as well as to relay gas consumption data to a designated data center or a “cloud” which can further interface with the users and suppliers of the gas cylinders.

Abstract: The micromachined liquid flow sensor devices are enclosed with silicon nitride film as passivation layer to protect device from penetration of liquid into device and avoid the damages of erosion or short circuit etc. One thin layer of silicon dioxide is deposited underneath the silicon nitride layer to enhance the adhesion and reliability of the passivation layer for various applications. The incorporation of silicon dioxide film had successfully provided reliable passivation protection especially for microfluidic devices application. In order to avoid flow turbulence caused by wire bonding wires, the wire bonding wires are omitted by deploying through-substrate conductive vias whereas connected to the carrier printed circuit board of sensor chip. The present invention disclosed a novel micromachining process and designed structure to form hermit sealing between the sensor chip and the carrier printed circuit board.

Abstract: The present invention disclosed a micromachined composite silicon flow sensor that is comprised of calorimetric flow sensing elements, time-of-flight sensing elements as well as independent temperature sensing element on a silicon-on-insulator device where the device layer is used for the thermal isolation membrane. The disclosed composite silicon flow sensor can measure mass flowrate, volumetric flowrate and flow medium temperature simultaneously, from which a full spectrum of flow parameters including flow pressure can be obtained. The sensor can be further used to alert any changes in physical properties of flow medium during operation. The disclosed manufacture process details the micromachining process of making such a sensor.

Abstract: The design and structure of a regulated digital gas dispense apparatus is exhibited in this disclosure. The MEMS mass flow meter embedded with a Bluetooth communication device and powered by a battery pack is designed to replace the mechanical low pressure gauge in a conventional gas dispense regulator such that the dispensed gas flowrate as well as totalized dispensed gas volume in each session or in consequent sessions can be continuously and precisely registered. The measured data are further relayed to local users via the local display or physical data port as well as via a paired smart device running a customized APP that can further relay the data to a designated cloud for cloud data processing, and the data can be streamed reversely. This disclosure shall assist and realize the ultimate optimized management for the users, distributors and/or gas manufacturers in the gas dispensing industry.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a micromachined (a.k.a. MEMS, Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) silicon flow sensor, a flow channel package, and a driving circuitry, which operates in a working principle of thermal time-of-flight (TOF) to measure gas or liquid flow speed, is disclosed in the present invention. The micromachining technique for fabricating this MEMS time-of-flight silicon thermal flow sensor can greatly reduce the sensor fabrication cost by batch production. This microfabrication process for silicon time-of-flight thermal flow sensors provides merits of small feature size, low power consumption, and high accuracy compared to conventional manufacturing methods. Thermal time-of-flight technology in principle can provide accurate flow speed measurements for gases regardless of its gas compositions. In addition, the present invention further discloses the package design and driving circuitry which is utilized by the correlated working principle.

Abstract: An apparatus integrated with micromachined (a.k.a. MEMS, Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) silicon thermal sensor as a proximity switch sensor in air/oil Lubricators is disclosed in the present invention. The present invention relates to mass flow sensing and measurement for both gas and liquid phase and relates to air/oil lubrication process for multi-point lubrication machine. The invented apparatus is utilized as an alarm device to prevent mechanical system failures caused by the discontinuity of oil lubrication. The MEMS silicon thermal sensor is distinguished with a variety of advantages of small size, low power consumption, high reliability and high accuracy. In addition to the above benefits, the most significant and critical advantage is its fast response time of less than 20 msec, which makes the proximity switch control become viable for preventing equipment damage from oil lubricants discontinuity.

Abstract: A wind or gas velocity profiler integrated with micromachined (a.k.a. MEMS, Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) silicon sensors in an open or enclosed space is disclosed in the present invention. There are three main embodiments disclosed in the present invention. Through the preambles of the independent claims, the advantages and merits of such measurement apparatus with MEMS flow sensor will be demonstrated as well. A silicon-based MEMS flow sensor can greatly reduce the sensor fabrication cost by a batch production. The integration with MEMS flow sensor makes the invented anemometer operate in the ways of better measurement accuracy, lower power consumption, higher reliability and a compact dimension compared to traditional anemometers such as cup anemometer, thermal anemometer and ultrasonic anemometer.

Abstract: An apparatus integrated with micromachined (a.k.a. MEMS, Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) silicon sensor to measure air flow velocity on targeting correction for projectiles arms is disclosed in the present invention. The air flow velocity component perpendicular to the travel direction of bullets with respect to projectile arm body (e.g. bullets, shells, or arrows) has main effect to the targeting accuracy. Such effect is pretty much determined by the wind speed and the projectile travel distance. The integration with MEMS mass flow sensor has made the invented apparatus possible to be compact, low power consumption, low cost and high accuracy. The low power consumption characteristic of MEMS mass flow sensor is especially crucial for making the apparatus of present invention feasible by battery operated.

Abstract: With increasing demands on data communication and remote control in current industrial processes or gas measurement applications, development of new technologies would be necessary. The current invention presents a MEMS mass flow meter that are cost compatible with conventional variable area flow meters while providing all digital data process including accumulated flow rate measurements, user programmable flow rate alarm and flow data storage. These in-line meters provide packages in pipe diameter from 4 mm up to 100 mm. It is powered with battery and can be used as a stand-alone hand-held option. The meter is also equipped with the industrial standard RS485 Modbus communication interface for easy network and remote management.

Abstract: Nowadays many electronic devices, such as LCD projector, computer servers, and air fresher etc. require reliable air cooling system to reduce the risk of electronics damage caused by overheating. The present invention disclosed an apparatus integrated with air flow sensor as an alarm apparatus for air flow clog detection. The major prior approach for air flow circulation failure detection is based on an indirect measurement method of temperature monitoring on surrounding environments, which method is suffering from the slow response and poor identification of real-time situation. The present invention will demonstrate the advantages by directly monitoring air flow over by indirectly monitoring the surrounding temperature as for the purpose of preventing air flow path clog.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a micromachined (a.k.a. MEMS, Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) silicon flow sensor, a flow channel package, and a driving circuitry, which operates in a working principle of thermal time-of-flight (TOF) to measure gas or liquid flow speed, is disclosed in the present invention. The micromachining technique for fabricating this MEMS time-of-flight silicon thermal flow sensor can greatly reduce the sensor fabrication cost by batch production. This microfabrication process for silicon time-of-flight thermal flow sensors provides merits of small feature size, low power consumption, and high accuracy compared to conventional manufacturing methods. Thermal time-of-flight technology in principle can provide accurate flow speed measurements for gases regardless of its gas compositions. In addition, the present invention further discloses the package design and driving circuitry which is utilized by the correlated working principle.

Abstract: Many current micromachining devices are integrated with materials such as very thick layer of polyimide (10 to 100 um) to offer essential characteristics and properties for various applications; it is inherently difficult and complicated to provide reliable metal interconnections between different levels of the circuits. The present invention is generally related to a novel micromachining process and structure to form metal interconnections in integrated circuits or micromachining devices which are incorporated with thick polyimide films. More particularly, the embodiments of the current invention relates to formation of multi-step staircase structure with tapered angle on polyimide layer, which is therefore capable of offering superb and reliable step coverage for metallization among different levels of integrated circuits, and especially for very thick polyimide layer applications.