Patent ID: 8871498

Claim:
A measuring device for measuring an ultra low gas flow, the measuring device comprising: at least one cell comprising a gas inflow device; a gas compartment device including a predefined inner geometric physical volume and active volume, the gas compartment device consisting essentially of: one gas accumulating end, one lifting end, and a geometric gas collecting point inside of the gas compartment device during a gas filling cycle, the geometric gas collecting point moving, with each additional quantum of gas, further and further from the gas accumulating end to the lifting end during the gas filling cycle, and wherein the cell comprises a holding device including a pivoting element enabling the gas compartment device to pivot upwards when the geometric gas collecting point is positioned at the lifting end and wherein the lifting force is larger than the down-pressing force at the lifting end, thereby releasing all of the accumulated gas in the gas compartment device, and then pivoting back to its initial standby position for new receipt and storage of gas during another gas filling cycle until next releasing sequence, and wherein the at least one cell also comprises a sensor provided to generate a signal and/or change the state of a signal when the gas compartment device is not in its initial standby position, wherein the gas storing capacity of the inside of the gas compartment device is larger at the gas accumulating end than at the lifting end, wherein the gas accumulating end has a higher vertical position than the lifting end at the initial standby position, and further wherein the holding device is located at or near the gas accumulating end.