This application is a national phase entry under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Patent Application PCT/IB2018/052217, filed Mar. 29, 2018, designating the United States of America and published as International Patent Publication WO 2018/178941 A1 on Oct. 4, 2018, which claims the benefit under Article 8 of the Patent Cooperation Treaty to French Patent Application Serial No. 17/70318, filed Mar. 30, 2017.
The present disclosure relates to the field of electrical devices designed to operate at high-operating ambient temperatures, of 300° C. or more. A preferred application of the electrical device of the present disclosure relates to remotely measuring physical quantities, e.g., remotely measuring temperature, in environments having high ambient temperatures, by using, in particular, Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) temperature sensors.
Such sensors are “autonomous” or “stand-alone” in the sense that they communicate with the outside and receive energy from the outside via electromagnetic waves that are detected and transmitted by means of an antenna integrated in the sensor. Particular attention must therefore be paid to the antenna connection, firstly for limiting to a maximum the radiofrequency losses of the sensor, and secondly for electrically and mechanically withstanding temperatures in excess of 300° C.
Document FR 2 989 825 describes a technique for connecting together two electrical components, that technique consisting in electrically connecting together the fastening tabs of the two components via a solder joint, the melting temperature of the solder being less than the temperature at which the component is usually used, and then in covering the solder joint with a dome of cement that is a sealant and that withstands temperature. During use at a high temperature, the solder joint can melt, but the liquid solder remains confined within the dome of cement so that the electrical connection is maintained.
Unfortunately, that type of connection suffers from drawbacks. Experience has shown that it is particularly complex to form a dome of cement that adheres fully to the very specific supports of SAW sensors, in particular, if the dome is to have dimensions of the order of a few millimeters (mm), as it is for an antenna in which the fastening tab has a thickness of about 1 mm or more. Experience has also shown that such a connection ages poorly and loses its effectiveness as the number of melting/solidifying cycles of the solder joint increases.
An object of the present disclosure is to propose an electrical device in which the components are connected together electrically via electrical connection means using a technique that is an alternative to the above-described technique, withstanding high temperatures, and adapted to connecting together passive components, in particular, surface acoustic wave or surface elastic wave passive components disposed on substrates of the single-crystal type or of the composite type (piezoelectric layers or films deposited on or transferred to substrates).
To this end, the present disclosure provides a novel electrical device suitable for operating at an operating ambient temperature of higher than 300° C., the device comprising a casing, an electrical component mounted inside the casing, a transmission/reception antenna positioned outside the casing, and at least one electrical and mechanical connection between the electrical component and one pole of the antenna, the electrical and mechanical connection comprising:
Thus, in a device of the present disclosure, the pole of the antenna of the electrical component is connected via a metal pad positioned under the casing of the device, which casing is generally electrically insulating. The pad is a strong metal part that withstands heat to a much greater extent than a conventional solder joint.
Also, for electrical components of the SAW type, the metal pad constitutes an electric charge reserve that improves operation of the antenna. Finally, in the particular situation of an electrical component of the temperature sensor type, the metal pad makes it possible to achieve good heat transfer between the part of which the temperature is measured and the sensor so that the accuracy of the measured temperature is high.
The pad is preferably provided with a groove opening out into a clearance surface of the pad, which groove is adapted to receive a fastening end of the pole of the antenna. By means of the groove in the pad, the electrical and mechanical connection between the pad and the fastening end of the pole of the antenna is much easier to achieve than by using soldering, in particular, when an antenna pole or the fastening end is of cross-section and of dimensions smaller than one millimeter, as described below in examples.
The pad may also be provided with a bearing surface arranged so that the pad forms a foot or a leg for the casing. The pad may thus serve as a support for the casing. The bearing surface may be covered with an electrically insulating covering. This option is advantageous, in particular, for electrical devices designed to be positioned on a metal object and for which the metal pad serves as a support, the electrically insulating covering avoiding grounding the antenna.
The fastening end of the pole of the antenna may be inserted into the groove via an opening in the groove that opens out into one of the side faces of the pad. In a variant, the groove is also open over the connection surface of the pad, so as to facilitate putting the fastening end of the pole of the antenna in place in the groove of the pad.
The fastening end of the pole of the antenna may be adhesively bonded to the inside of the groove, so as to prevent it from being pulled out of the groove; for example, a conductive adhesive filled with metal particles may be used for achieving the electrical contact. A cross-section of the groove may also be smaller, at least locally, than a cross-section of the fastening end of the pole of the antenna. The fastening end of the pole of the antenna is thus in tight-fitting contact at least locally in the groove, thereby firstly preventing the pole of the antenna from being pulled out and secondly procuring good electrical contact between the pad and the pole of the antenna. The fastening end of the pole of the antenna can also be terminated by an anchoring head of cross-section and/or of shape different from the cross-section and/or the shape of the fastening end of the pole of the antenna. The anchoring head makes it possible to prevent the pole of the antenna from being pulled out by traction being exerted on the antenna. A cross-section and/or a shape of the groove of the pad is adapted to fit the cross-section and/or the shape of the fastening end of the antenna so that the fastening tab is held stationary in the groove. The fastening end of the antenna pole and the groove may be provided with threads; the fastening end of the antenna pole may then be screwed into the groove to fasten it mechanically to the pad and to procure the electrical contact between the antenna pole and the pad.
In another embodiment, the pad and the antenna pole are formed in one piece, e.g., by machining a block of metal. Naturally, the groove is not necessary in this situation, the electrical and mechanical contact between the antenna pole and the pad being guaranteed by the mode of manufacturing.
In an embodiment of the electrical device of the present disclosure:
In another embodiment of the electrical device of the present disclosure, the pad is provided with a pin extending from the connection surface of the pad, a free end of the pin being adapted for:
In yet another embodiment of the device of the present disclosure, the groove of the pad is open on a surface of the pad that is distinct from the connection surface and that is distinct from the clearance surface, wherein the pad is provided with a hole opening out into the groove and the casing is provided with a hole, the axis of which is in alignment with the axis of the hole in the pad, wherein the distal portion of the fastening end of the pole of the antenna is bent to form a pin, and wherein the pin is adapted to pass through the hole in the pad, to pass through the hole in the casing, and to extend into the casing when the fastening end of the pole of the antenna is engaged in the groove, a free end of the pin being adapted for:
In the above embodiments, the electrical and mechanical connection between the pad and the connection tab for connection to the electrical component is implemented by one or more metal elements (screws, pins, etc.) that have excellent resistance to high temperatures.
In yet another embodiment, an electrical device of the present disclosure may further comprise a second metal pad of which a connection surface is positioned against the outside surface of the casing, the second pad forming a ground for the monopole antenna or being arranged to be connected to a ground that is external to the electrical device. In this case, the pad to which the monopole antenna is fastened may have a bearing surface covered with an insulating covering. The second pad may be of dimensions different from the dimensions of the first pad to which the antenna pole is fastened.
In yet another embodiment, a device of the present disclosure may comprise a transmission/reception antenna having two poles (or a “dipole antenna”) and at least two electrical and mechanical connections, each of which connecting the electrical component to one of the poles of the antenna, each electrical and mechanical connection comprising:
The use of two distinct pads, one for each dipole of the antenna, makes it possible to insulate the dipoles electrically from each other.
In addition, the pads of the two electrical and mechanical connections may be separated by a spacer made of an electrically insulating material. Also, an inductive or capacitive impedance may be connected between the pads of the two electrical connections. These elements make it possible to adjust an input impedance of the dipole antenna. The inductive or capacitive impedance may advantageously be made of metal materials capable of withstanding high temperatures, greater than 300° C. (alloyed stainless steel of the Inconel® type, molybdenum, other alloys based on chromium or on nickel, or indeed noble metals such as gold or platinum).
The present disclosure will be better understood, and other characteristics and advantages of the present disclosure will appear on reading the following description of an embodiment of a device of the present disclosure. This embodiment is given by way of non-limiting example. The description should be read with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
A device of the present disclosure is portable, and movable at will, and, under the conditions of use being considered, it is merely placed on a support extending in a substantially horizontal plane. Thus, in the above, and in the description below (and unless otherwise indicated locally) the geometric reference frames and the terms defined as follows are used:
Naturally, these conventions merely indicate reference frames that facilitate the description and do not prevent the device of the present disclosure from being used in any other position.
As mentioned above, the present disclosure relates to an electrical device adapted to operate at a high-operating ambient temperature, in particular, at a temperature higher than 300° C.
The transmission/reception antenna is positioned outside the casing. More precisely, the antenna pole is connected to the pad but it is in direct mechanical contact with the casing, nor is it with the connection tab.
In the example shown in
In this example, the fixing means are constituted by an electrically conductive screw 51; the second end of the connection tab of the component is clamped between the head 51a of the screw and the casing, thereby not only mechanically fastening the second end of the connection tab to the casing but also electrically connecting the screw to the fastening tab of the component; the distal end of the screw 51 is anchored in the pad, ensuring not only mechanically fastening the pad to the casing, abut also electrically connecting the pad to the screw.
In an embodiment, the casing has a surface area of the order of 1 centimeter (cm)×2.5 cm and a thickness of the order of 1.2 mm, and it is made of an electrically insulating material. The casing is closed by a lid 22. The electrical components 10a, 10b are, in this example, surface acoustic wave temperature sensors adhesively bonded to the bottom of the casing 20. In a variant, the casing is made of a material of the single-crystal type on which the components are formed directly using known layer deposition techniques.
The component 10a is connected at a plurality of points to a first equipotential track 12a via heat-bonded electrical connection wires. Similarly, the component 10b is connected at a plurality of points to a second equipotential track 12b via electrical connection wires. A connection tab 11a has a first end bonded to the equipotential track 12a and a second end bonded to a head 51a of a screw 51. The connection tab 11a thus forms an electrical connection between the component 10a and the screw 51 via the equipotential track 12a. Similarly, a connection tab 11b forms an electrical connection between the component 10b and another screw 51 via the equipotential track 12b. In the example implemented, the connection tabs 11a, 11b, and the connection wires for connecting a component to an equipotential track 12a, 12b are made of gold wire of a diameter of 35 micrometers (μm).
It should be noted that, in the example shown, the equipotential tracks 12a, 12b make it possible to connect each of the components 10a, 10b at a plurality of points to the same potential, which potential is present on one of the screws 51. Naturally, if a single connection to the same potential is sufficient for an electrical component, the equipotential tracks are not essential, and the first ends of the connection tabs 11a, 11b are then connected directly to the components 10a, 10b.
In the example shown, each pole 30a, 30b of the antenna is of filiform shape, i.e., in the shape of a wire or rod that is straight, and that is of circular cross-section of area of approximately of the order of 0.2 square millimeters (mm2) to 1 mm2. Other forms and shapes of poles of antenna are possible, depending on the conditions under which the device is to be used, e.g., a filiform or wire dipole in the shape of a loop, of a spiral, etc., or indeed a filiform or wire shape of flat cross-section. For example, the poles of the antenna are made of an alloy of the Inconel® type. Such alloys offer the advantage of withstanding temperatures of up to 800° C., some of these alloys being capable of withstanding 1,000° C. depending on the nature of their component alloyed elements.
In the example shown, a pole 30a or 30b is terminated by a fastening end 31, a distal portion of which is, in this example, hook-shaped so as to form an anchoring head 32. Other shapes of anchoring head may be considered, e.g., a ball of diameter greater than a radius of the cross-section of the fastening end 31 of the pole, or a cylindrical portion of cross-section larger than a cross-section of the fastening end 31. An anchoring head should merely have a cross-section and/or a shape different from the cross-section and/or the shape of the fastening end 31 of a pole of the antenna so as to prevent the pole of the antenna from being pulled out. The anchoring of the pole may optionally be reinforced using an adhesive, advantageously made conductive by including fine conductive particles (e.g., silver paste) for improving the mechanical and electrical connections between the pole and the pad.
In the examples shown in
As a function of the applications considered, the device shown in
The pads may also serve as feet or legs for the casing, and come to bear against the support. The bearing faces of the pads (i.e., the bottom faces 45 of the pads in the example of
In the example shown in
More particularly, in the example shown, the groove 42 has a substantially cylindrical shape, of axis substantially parallel to a top face 44 of the pad, and of diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the filiform or wire fastening tab of a pole of the antenna; the innermost end (distal end) of the groove is curved so as to receive the hook-shaped distal portion of the fastening end 31 of a pole of the antenna. In this example, the groove 42 is also open over the top face 44 of the pad. Thus, the filiform or wire pole fastened to the pad extends substantially parallel to the casing.
In the example shown, each pad 40a 40b is provided with two holes 46 of substantially vertical axis. The casing 20 is also provided with four holes 21a, 21b, an axis of a hole 21a, 21b being an extension of the axis of a respective hole 46 in a pad 40a, 40b. In the bottom of the casing, at the tops of the holes 21a, 21b, recessing or countersinking is performed to receive the heads of the screws so that they flush with the bottom of the casing. In the example shown, the holes 46 in the pads are tapped, i.e., provided with threads, and the screws 51 are organized to secure the pads 40a, 40b to the casing 20, after the fastening ends 31 of the poles 30a, 30b have been put in place in the grooves 42 in the pads. In a variant, the holes 46 may be through holes that open out under the corresponding pad, the screws 51 then passing through the corresponding pad and a nut then being associated with the screw to secure the pad mechanically to the casing.
Also in the example shown, in order to implement an electrical connection between a component and a pad, the connection tab 11a or 11b is a filiform or wire tab, and the second end of the tab is bonded to the head 51a of a screw 51 (
The electrically conductive screws 51 pass through a hole in the casing and cooperate with the corresponding hole 46 in a pad for the purposes of mechanically securing a connection tab 11a, 11b of the electrical component and a pad to the casing, and of electrically connecting the connection tab for a connection to the pad.
Naturally, the device of
A device of the present disclosure may have a single electronic component only. The one or more electronic components may be of any type, and not merely volume wave or surface guided wave sensors, and not merely temperature sensors. The same component may have one or more connection tabs for connection to potentials that may be different or the same.
In the example shown in
In this example, two screws 51 are used for each pad 40a, 40b. In practice, a single screw 51 suffices to provide the mechanical and electrical connection between the pad and the connection tab 11a, 11b. Also, the screw 51 may be replaced by a screw and nut system; recessing or countersinking may also be provided in the bottom of the casing and/or under the pad for receiving the screw head and/or the nut.
Also, instead of the screws 51, it is possible to implement a pad having a pin 52 that is of substantially vertical axis and that extends from the top face of the pad (
In a variant, also instead of the screws 51, it is possible to bend the distal portion of the fastening end of an antenna dipole to form a pin 55 (
A prototype was made, as shown in
But the position(s) of the pad(s) relative to the casing and the overall shape(s) of the pad(s) may naturally be optimized as a function of the applications considered and of the constraints related to the applications.
For example, in
In the example shown in
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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1770318 | Mar 2017 | FR | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/IB2018/052217 | 3/29/2018 | WO | 00 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2018/178941 | 10/4/2018 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
20030107881 | Muramatsu | Jun 2003 | A1 |
20040263397 | Noro | Dec 2004 | A1 |
20070024505 | Geisheimer | Feb 2007 | A1 |
20080165067 | Kim | Jul 2008 | A1 |
20090051246 | Mueller | Feb 2009 | A1 |
20120127054 | Portier | May 2012 | A1 |
20130077222 | Sleven | Mar 2013 | A1 |
20170025767 | Elsallal | Jan 2017 | A1 |
20180069588 | Jiang | Mar 2018 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
205843840 | Dec 2016 | CN |
2989825 | Jun 2014 | FR |
Entry |
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International Search Report for International Search Report for International Application No. PCT/IB2018/052217 dated Jul. 13, 2019, 3 pages. |
International Written Opinion for International Search Report for International Application No. PCT/IB2018/052217 dated Jul. 13, 2019, 8 pages. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20200303804 A1 | Sep 2020 | US |