page_title: Mass flow sensor
section_title: Moving vane meter
hierarchical_section_title: Mass flow sensor / Moving vane meter
caption_attribution_description: English: Intake-air flap type flowmeter. Čeština: Náporový snímač množství nasávaného vzduchu s otočnou klapkou.
context_page_description: A mass flow sensor is a sensor used to determine the mass flow rate of air entering a fuel-injected internal combustion engine.
  The air mass information is necessary for the engine control unit to balance and deliver the correct fuel mass to the engine. Air changes its density with temperature and pressure. In automotive applications, air density varies with the ambient temperature, altitude and the use of forced induction, which means that mass flow sensors are more appropriate than volumetric flow sensors for determining the quantity of intake air in each cylinder.
  There are two common types of mass airflow sensors in use on automotive engines. These are the vane meter and the hot wire. Neither design employs technology that measures air mass directly. However, with additional sensors and inputs, an engine's ECU can determine the mass flow rate of intake air.
  Both approaches are used almost exclusively on electronic fuel injection engines.
context_section_description: The VAF (volume air flow) sensor measures the air flow into the engine with a spring-loaded air vane (flap/door) attached to a variable resistor (potentiometer). The vane moves in proportion to the airflow. A voltage is applied to the potentiometer and a voltage appears on the output terminal of the potentiometer proportional to the angle the vane rotates, or the movement of the vane may directly regulate the amount of fuel injected, as in the K-Jetronic system.
  Many VAF sensors have an air-fuel adjustment screw, which opens or closes a small air passage on the side of the VAF sensor. This screw controls the air-fuel mixture by letting a metered amount of air flow past the air flap, thereby leaning or richening the mixture. By turning the screw clockwise the mixture is enriched and counterclockwise the mixture is leaned.
  The vane moves because of the drag force of the air flow against it; it does not measure volume or mass directly. The drag force depends on air density (air density in turn depends on air temperature), air velocity and the shape of the vane, see drag equation. Some VAF sensors include an additional intake air temperature sensor (IAT sensor) to allow the engines ECU to calculate the density of the air, and the fuel delivery accordingly.
  The vane meter approach has some drawbacks: 
  it restricts airflow which limits engine output
  its moving electrical or mechanical contacts can wear
  finding a suitable mounting location within a confined engine compartment is problematic
  the vane has to be oriented with respect to gravity.
  in some manufacturers fuel pump control was also part on the VAF internal wiring.
caption: Intake-air flap type flowmeter
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