The present application claims the benefits of Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-49737 filed on Feb. 28, 2007, the disclosure of which is totally incorporated herein by reference.
1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an installation mechanism for a temperature sensor working to measure the temperature of fluid, and more particularly to such a mechanism designed to ensure ease of removal of the temperature sensor from a fluid flow passage.
2. Background Art
The exhaust gas temperature sensor 500 includes a protection tube 507. A nipple 506 is disposed to be rotatable about the protection tube 507 and movable in a lengthwise direction of the protection tube 507. The nipple 506 is threadable with a boss 601 secured to an outer wall of an exhaust pipe 600 extending from the engine. The protection tube 507 has a rib 505 joined to an end thereof. The installation of the exhaust gas temperature sensor 500 in the boss 601 is achieved by placing the protection tube 507 in the boss 601, and fastening the nipple 506 into the boss 601 to bring a top end thereof into contacting abutment with the rib 505, thereby pressing the rib 505 against the inner wall of the boss 601.
When the exhaust gas temperature sensor 500 is secured to the exhaust pipe 600, it will exposed partially to outside the exhaust pipe 600 or the atmospheric air. This may cause foreign objects to intrude into a gap 514 between the inner periphery of the nipple 506 and the outer periphery of the protection tube 507, which locks the nipple 506 and the protection tube 507 together. Such locking will result in a difficulty in loosening the nipple 506 to remove the exhaust gas temperature sensor 500 from the exhaust pipe 600.
For example, Japanese Patent First Publication No. 2002-122486 discloses the above type of temperature sensor.
It is therefore a principal object of the invention to avoid the disadvantages of the prior art.
It is another object of the invention to provide an improved structure of a temperature sensor designed to minimize mechanical vibrations transmitted thereto and ensure the durability thereof.
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided an installation mechanism for a temperature sensor designed to install a temperature sensor in an outer wall of a fluid flow passage and ensure ease of removal of the temperature sensor from the fluid flow passage. The temperature sensor is equipped with a thermal sensitive device and a cylindrical casing which has a length and retains the thermal sensitive device. The installation mechanism comprises; (a) a mount base to be joined to the outer wall of the fluid flow passage, the mount base having a seat; (b) an attachment that is secured to the cylindrical casing of the temperature sensor and has a first and a second wall; (c) a hollow fastener which is to be placed around the cylindrical casing through a gap between an inner periphery of the hollow fastener and an outer periphery of the cylindrical casing to be rotatable about the outer periphery of the cylindrical casing and movable in a lengthwise direction of the cylindrical casing, the gap leading to outside the fastener through an opening between the fastener and the cylindrical casing, the fastener being designed to be rotated to press the first wall of the attachment into constant engagement of the second wall with the seat to fasten the cylindrical casing to the mount base so as to have the thermal sensitive device exposed to inside the fluid flow passage; and (d) a shield disposed to close at least the opening of the gap. Specifically, the shield works as a barrier or seal to block the intrusion of foreign objects into the gap between the cylindrical casing and the fastener, thereby avoiding undesirable locking of the cylindrical casing and the fastener, which ensures the ease of removal of the fastener or the temperature sensor from the fluid flow passage.
In the preferred mode of the invention, the shield is of a hollow cylindrical shape. The shield may have a flange placed in engagement with the fastener, thereby enhancing the avoidance of intrusion of foreign objects into between the cylindrical casing and the fastener and holding the body thereof from being deformed and displaced toward the thermal sensitive device when subjected to mechanical vibrations.
The shield may be disposed between the fastener and the cylindrical casing so as to occupy whole of the gap.
The shield may alternatively be disposed to occupy a portion of the gap including the opening.
The shield may be made of a collection of fibers, thereby facilitating ease of insertion of the shield into the gap through its elasticity and permitting the shield to expand elastically within the gap to enhance the degree of sealing of the gap.
The fastener may have formed therein a chamber that is a portion of the gap and exposed to the opening. The shield is at least partially fit in the chamber. This holds the body thereof from being deformed and displaced deep into the gap when subjected to mechanical vibrations.
The distance between an inner periphery of the chamber and an outer periphery of the cylindrical casing is greater than that between an inner periphery of the fastener and the outer periphery of the cylindrical casing in a portion of the gap other than the chamber. This ensures the installation of the shield with a flange.
The fastener may also have a second chamber formed in the inner periphery thereof of the chamber. The second chamber is so designed to have a diameter greater than that of the chamber. The shield is fit in both the chamber and the second chamber.
The fastener may be designed to be joined to the base mount threadably. The attachment may be made of a hollow cylinder which has an annular shoulder defining the first wall and a tapered surface defining the second wall.
The present invention will be understood more fully from the detailed description given hereinbelow and from the accompanying drawings of the preferred embodiments of the invention, which, however, should not be taken to limit the invention to the specific embodiments but are for the purpose of explanation and understanding only.
In the drawings:
Referring to the drawings, particularly to
The exhaust gas temperature sensor 100, as clearly shown in
The thermal sensitive device 10 includes a temperature transducer 101 such as a thermistor, in-sheath pin wires 102 serving as conductors extending electrically from the temperature transducer 101, and a protective cover 103 surrounding the temperature transducer 101.
The protective cover 103 is made of a metallic hollow cylinder with a bottom. The protective cover 103 is fitted on an outer periphery of a top end of a hollow sheath pin 104. The sheath pin 104 has the in-sheath pin wires 102 disposed therein to protect them.
The thermal sensitive device 10 is coupled with the casing 20 through the sheath pin 104. The casing 20 consists of a protection tube 107 and a cylindrical attachment 105. The protection tube 107 serves as a hollow casing which has disposed therein the sheath pin 104 and connectors 108 to which the in-sheath pin wires 102 are joined.
The cylindrical attachment 105 has a center through hole and a boss 105a formed on an upper end, as viewed in
The connectors 108 are joined at lower ends thereof to the in-sheath pin wires 102 and at upper ends thereof to leads 109. The leads 109 are disposed at ends thereof in an upper end of the protection tube 107 and embraced by a flexible protection tube 112. The leads 109 are to be coupled electrically to a controller (not shown) to transmit a sensor output indicating the temperature of exhaust gas, as sensed by the thermal sensitive device 10, to the controller.
The installation mechanism 30 includes a nipple 106 and a boss 201. The nipple 106 serves as a fastener. The boss 201 serves as a mount base.
The nipple 106 is made of a cylindrical member with a center hole 160 which has a size enough to permit the protection tubes 107 and 112 to pass therethrough. The protection tube 107 is disposed in the nipple 106. The center hole 160 is shaped to have the inner diameter which creates an air gap 114 of a distance L1 between the inner peripheral wall of the center hole 160 and the outer peripheral wall of the protection tube 107. This permits the nipple 106 to move a longitudinal direction of the protection tube 107 and rotate within the protection tube 107. The nipple 106 has a flange 106a and an external thread 106b formed beneath the flange 106, as viewed in
The boss 201 has, as clearly illustrated in
Specifically, the installation of the exhaust gas temperature sensor 100 in the boss 201 of the installation mechanism 30, that is, the joint of the casing 20 to the boss 201 is achieved by bringing a tapered head 105a of the attachment 105 into contacting abutment with a tapered seat 201b of the boss 201, and rotating the nipple 106 relative to a shield 113, as will be described later in detail, to fasten the nipple 106 into the boss 201 while keeping the top end (i.e., the lower end, as viewed in
The flange 106a of the nipple 106 has a cylindrical recess or chamber 106c opening at the upper end thereof. The chamber 106c leads to the center hole 160 and is shaped to be greater in inner diameter than the center hole 160. The chamber 106c is formed preferably by cutting or cold forging operations.
The protection tube 107 is partially disposed in the chamber 106c to define an annular gap 114a of a distance L2 between the outer periphery of the protection tube 107 and the inner periphery of the chamber 106c. The distance L2 is greater than the distance L1. The annular gap 114a opens at the upper end of the flange 106a.
The air gaps 114 and 114a define a cylindrical chamber within which, as illustrated in
The shield 113 is made by forming materials such as metallic, ceramic, and/or asbest-free mineral material which are high in anticorrosion, thermal resistance, and formability into fibers and waving and compressing them into a hollow flanged cylindrical body.
The installation of the shield 113, the nipple 106, and the attachment 105 on and in the exhaust gas temperature sensor 100 will be described below.
First, the shield 113 and the nipple 106 are fitted in sequence on the protection tube 107 of the exhaust gas temperature sensor 100. The attachment 105 is then joined or welded to the end of the protection tube 107.
Next, the shield 113 fit on the protection tube 107 is, as illustrated in
The flange 113a of the shield 113 is fitted in the chamber 106c of the nipple 106. Specifically, the flange 113a has the bottom placed or seated on an inner shoulder 180 formed in the nipple 106. The bottom has a width substantially identical with a difference between the distance L2 of the gap 114a and the distance L1 of the gap 114. This holds the shield 113 from being deformed and displaced toward the thermal sensitive device 10 when subjected to mechanical vibrations during running of the vehicle.
The location where the exhaust gas temperature sensor 100 is installed in the exhaust pipe 200 is close to the ground, so that the exhaust gas temperature sensor 100 is apt to be exposed directly to water, mud, or sands and in some instances, to snow melting agent. Further, the exhaust gas temperature sensor 100 is joined directly to the exhaust pipe 200 by screwing the nipple 106 into the boss 201 of the installation mechanism 30, so that the nipple 106 will be exposed to hot exhaust gas (e.g., 300° C. to 700° C.). Therefore, in the case of use of the exhaust gas temperature sensor 100 in automotive vehicles, it is essential for the material of the exhaust gas temperature sensor 100 to have two properties: corrosion resistance water and calcium chloride contained in the snow melting agent and heat resistance to deformation in hot environment of approximately 700° C.
The shield 113 is, as described above, made of materials such as metallic, ceramic, and asbest-free mineral material which are high in anticorrosion and thermal resistance, and thus withstands severe environmental conditions where the exhaust gas temperature sensor 100 is exposed to hot exhaust gas emitted from the automotive engine.
The shield 113 is, as described above, made of a collection of fibers or fabric, so that a total area of contact between itself and the outer periphery of the protection tube 107 or the inner periphery of the nipple 106 will be smaller as compared with the case where the shield 113 is made of metal. The shield 113 is, therefore, lower in friction within the gasp 114, thus facilitating ease of insertion of the shield 113 into the gap 114. Additionally, when the nipple 106 is removed from the boss 201 to dismount the exhaust gas temperature sensor 100 from the exhaust pipe 200, the shield 113 does not obstruct the rotation and axial movement of the nipple 106.
It is advisable that the protection tube 107, the attachment 105, and the nipple 106 be made of materials identical in coefficient of linear thermal expansion with each other in order to avoid of loosening thereof arising from the exposure to thermal shock. The shield 113 is elastic, so that effects of thermal deformation i.e., expansion and contraction thereof on other parts of the exhaust gas temperature sensor 100 are low. The shield 113 is, therefore, not necessarily made of material identical in coefficient of linear thermal expansion with that of the protection tube 107, the nipple 106, and the attachment 105 and higher in degree of freedom of choice of materials therefor.
The shield 113 is, as described above, used to seal the gaps 114 and 114a between the inner periphery of the nipple 106 and the outer periphery of the protection tube 107 completely, but however, may occupy only the gap 114a, thereby minimizing the intrusion of foreign objects into the nipple 106 sufficiently. The shield 113 may be modified as discussed below.
The chamber 106c formed in the nipple 106 may alternatively be, as illustrated in
The nipple 106 may be designed to have two or more annular grooves, like the groove 106d in
While the present invention has been disclosed in terms of the preferred embodiments in order to facilitate better understanding thereof, it should be appreciated that the invention can be embodied in various ways without departing from the principle of the invention. Therefore, the invention should be understood to include at possible embodiments and modifications to the shown embodiments which can be embodied without departing from the principle of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2007-049737 | Feb 2007 | JP | national |