Patent Application
20230366765
This application claims the benefit of Chinese Patent Application No. CN202210516774.4 filed on May 12, 2022 in the State Intellectual Property Office of China, the whole disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a pressure sensor.
In the prior art, after a pressure sensor (particularly, a threaded pressure sensor) is installed on a tested device, there is a large random error in a direction and position of an output terminal of the pressure sensor. This error cannot be accurately adjusted to a predetermined direction and position, causing inconvenience to users.
A pressure sensor according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a housing, a pressure detection chip, a circuit board and a terminal assembly. The housing defines an installation chamber and an inner cavity for accommodating fluid. The pressure detection chip is fixed within the installation chamber of the housing and is adapted to detect fluid pressure in the inner cavity. The circuit board is fixed within the installation chamber of the housing and electrically connects to the pressure detection chip. The terminal assembly includes a cover rotatably installed in an opening of the installation chamber of the housing and an elastic output terminal that passes through and is fixed to the cover.
These and/or other aspects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of example embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described hereinafter in detail with reference to the attached drawings, wherein the like reference numerals refer to the like elements. The present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiment set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.
In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are schematically shown in order to simplify the drawing.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, a pressure sensor is provided. The pressure sensor comprises a housing, a pressure detection chip, a circuit board and a terminal assembly. The housing is formed with an installation chamber and an inner cavity for accommodating fluid. The pressure detection chip is fixed in the installation chamber of the housing for detecting fluid pressure in the inner cavity. The circuit board is fixed in the installation chamber of the housing and electrically connected to the pressure detection chip. The terminal assembly includes a cover rotatably installed in an opening of the installation chamber of the housing and an elastic output terminal that passes through and is fixed to the cover. An arc-shaped conductive chute is formed on the circuit board, and the elastic output terminal slides in electrical contact with the arc-shaped conductive chute. When the cover is rotated, the elastic output terminal slides along the arc-shaped conductive chute to adjust the direction and/or position of the elastic output terminal.
The pressure detection chip 20 is fixed in the installation chamber 11 of the housing 10 to detect fluid pressure in the inner cavity 12, 13, 14. The circuit board 30 is fixed in the installation chamber 11 of the housing 10 and electrically connected to the pressure detection chip 20.
The terminal assembly 40 includes a cover 41 and an elastic output terminal 42. The cover 41 is rotatably mounted in the opening of the installation chamber 11 of the housing 10. The elastic output terminal 42 passes through the cover 41 and is fixed to the cover 41 for outputting the detected pressure signal.
An arc-shaped conductive chute 31 is formed on the circuit board 30, and the elastic output terminal 42 slides in electrical contact with the arc-shaped conductive chute 31. Therefore, when the cover 41 is rotated, the elastic output terminal 42 slides along the arc-shaped conductive chute 31, enabling the direction and/or position of the elastic output terminal 42 to be accurately adjusted to a predetermined direction and/or position.
An external thread (not shown) suitable for threaded connection to a threaded hole of a tested device (not shown) is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the housing 10, and the pressure sensor is suitable for threaded connection and fixation to the tested device through the external thread.
An annular groove 110 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the opening of the installation chamber 11 of the housing 10, and an elastic snap 410 is formed on the peripheral portion of the cover 41. The elastic snap 410 is adapted to be moved between a locking position engaged with the annular groove 110 and an unlocking position separated from the annular groove 110. When the elastic snap 410 is in the locking position, the terminal assembly 40 is locked onto the housing 10. When the elastic snap 410 is in the unlocking position, the terminal assembly 40 can be rotated relative to the housing 10. The elastic snap 410 is adapted to be moved from the locking position to the unlocking position under the action of a pressing pressure applied to the cover 41. The elastic snap 410 is adapted to automatically reset from the unlocking position to the locking position under the elastic force of the elastic output terminal 42 itself.
An arc-shaped slot hole 411 is formed on the cover 41, which is close to the peripheral portion of the cover 41 to form an elastic arm 412 capable of radial elastic deformation on the peripheral portion of the cover 41. The arc-shaped slot hole 411 provides a radially inward elastic deformation space for the elastic arm 412. The elastic snap 410 includes an arc-shaped protrusion 413 and the aforementioned elastic arm 412. The arc-shaped protrusion 413 is formed on the outer side of the elastic arm 412 opposite to the arc-shaped slot hole 411 and is adapted to engage with the annular groove 110 on the housing 10. When the cover 41 is installed into the opening of the installation chamber 11 of the housing 10, the cover 41 covers the opening of the installation chamber 11 of the housing 10.
However, it should be understood that the elastic output terminal 42 of the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment. For example, in another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the elastic output terminal 42 is an integral part, and the elastic output terminal 42 includes a main body, an end portion, and an elastic portion connected between the main body and the end portion. The main body of the elastic output terminal 42 is fixed to the cover 41, and the end portion of the elastic output terminal 42 is in sliding electrical contact with the arc-shaped conductive chute 31 on the circuit board 30.
The terminal assembly 40 includes a plurality of elastic output terminals 42, and the circuit board 30 has a plurality of arc-shaped conductive chutes 31 corresponding to the plurality of elastic output terminals 42, respectively. Multiple arc-shaped conductive chutes 31 are concentric and have equal center angles. The center angle of each of the plurality of arc-shaped conductive chutes 31 is equal to 360 degrees divided by the number of the plurality of arc-shaped conductive chutes 31. The radius of any two circumferentially adjacent arc-shaped conductive chutes 31 among the plurality of arc-shaped conductive chutes 31 is different, so that any two circumferentially adjacent arc-shaped conductive chutes 31 are radially spaced apart. In the exemplary embodiment, the number of multiple arc-shaped conductive chutes 31 is four, and the center angle of each arc-shaped conductive chute 31 is equal to 90 degrees, so that the maximum rotation angle of the terminal assembly 40 is equal to 90 degrees.
Both the pressure detection chip 20 and the circuit board 30 are bonded to the inner bottom surface of the installation chamber 11 of the housing 10, and a collision avoidance hole 33 for avoiding the pressure detection chip 20 is formed on the circuit board 30. The pressure detection chip 20 is electrically connected to the circuit board 30 through a wire 21 and to the arc-shaped conductive chute 31 through a conductive trace on the circuit board 30. A soldering pad 32 is formed on the circuit board 30. One end of the wire 21 is welded to the pressure detection chip 20, and the other end of the wire 21 is welded to the soldering pad 32.
The inner cavity 12,13,14 of the housing 10 includes a fluid accommodation chamber 12 and a first fluid passage 13. The first fluid passage 13 communicates with the fluid accommodation chamber 12 and has an outlet located on the inner bottom surface of the installation chamber 11. The pressure detection chip 20 seals the outlet of the first fluid passage 13 and contacts the fluid in the inner cavity 12,13,14 through the outlet of the first fluid passage 13 to detect the fluid pressure in the inner cavity 12,13,14.
Still referring to
The inner cavity 12,13,14 of the housing 10 also includes a second fluid passage 14. The second fluid passage 14 communicates with the fluid accommodation chamber 12 and has a fluid filling port for filling the inner cavity 12,13,14 with fluid. The pressure sensor also includes a sealing member 15 attached to the housing 10 and sealing the fluid filling port of the second fluid passage 14.
A receiving recess 16 is formed on the inner bottom surface of the installation chamber 11 of the housing 10. The fluid filling port of the second fluid passage 14 is located on the bottom surface of the receiving recess 16, and the sealing member 15 is accommodated in the receiving recess 16 to prevent the sealing member 15 from interfering with the circuit board 30.The sealing member 15 can be a metal sphere which is welded to the fluid filling port of the second fluid passage 14.
The housing 10 has a first end and a second end opposite to the first end, the installation chamber 11 is located at the first end of the housing 10, and the fluid accommodation chamber 12 is located at the second end of the housing 10. The housing 10 has a base portion 10a located at the first end of the housing 10 and a main body 10b extending between the base portion 10a and the second end of the housing 10. An external thread (not shown) suitable for threaded connection to a threaded hole of a tested device (not shown) is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the main body 10b of the housing 10. The base portion 10a of the housing 10 protrudes radially outward relative to the main body 10b for being positioned outside the threaded hole of the tested device.
According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the pressure sensor is an oil filled pressure sensor, and the fluid filled in the inner cavity 12,13,14 of the housing 10 can be insulating oil.
It should be appreciated for those skilled in this art that the above embodiments are intended to be illustrated, and not restrictive. For example, many modifications may be made to the above embodiments by those skilled in this art, and various features described in different embodiments may be freely combined with each other without conflicting in configuration or principle.
Although several exemplary embodiments have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the disclosure, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.
As used herein, an element recited in the singular and proceeded with the word “a” or “an” should be understood as not excluding plural of said elements or steps, unless such exclusion is explicitly stated. Furthermore, references to “one embodiment” of the present invention are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features. Moreover, unless explicitly stated to the contrary, embodiments “comprising” or “having” an element or a plurality of elements having a particular property may include additional such elements not having that property.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 202210516774.4 | May 2022 | CN | national |
