Just, Marcus S. (2574 Friar Drive Parma, OH, 44134, US)
Yang, Xiaofeng (27645 Bishop Park Drive, Apt. 805 Willoughby Hills, OH, 44092, US)
Nagy, Michael L. (1292 St. Charles Avenue Lakewood, OH, 44107, US)
| 1. | A pressure sensing device for measuring pressure of a fluid comprising: a housing having an opening; a circuit board located in said opening; a pressure sensor electrically coupled to said circuit board; a sealing member extending around said pressure sensor; a diaphragm located between said sealing member and said housing such that said circuit board, said sealing member and said diaphragm form a chamber, said chamber being filled with a pressure transmissive fluid and said pressure sensor being located in said chamber such that pressure that is applied to said diaphragm is substantially transmitted to said pressure sensor via said pressure transmissive fluid; and a closing member that engages said circuit board and retains said circuit board in said opening. |
| 2. | The pressure sensing device of claim 1 wherein said housing includes a ledge that extends into said opening, and wherein said diaphragm is located between said ledge and said sealing member. |
| 3. | The pressure sensing device of claim 1 wherein said closing member is threadingly received in said housing. |
| 4. | The pressure sensing device of claim 1 wherein said closing member urges said circuit board into contact with said sealing member such that said sealing member is compressed between said housing and said circuit board. |
| 5. | The pressure sensing device of claim 1 wherein said housing is a unitary piece. |
| 6. | The pressure sensing device of claim 1 wherein said housing includes a port having a fluid channel to guide said fluid to be measured into contact with said diaphragm. |
| 7. | The pressure sensing device of claim 1 wherein the circuit board includes a fill hole extending therethrough and in fluid communication with said chamber such that pressure transmissive fluid can be passed through said fill hole to fill said chamber. |
| 8. | The pressure sensing device of claim 1 wherein said circuit board includes vent hole in fluid communication with ambient pressure and in operative contact with said pressure sensing device such that said pressure sensing device can sense ambient pressure. |
| 9. | The pressure sensing device of claim 8 further comprising a vent tube in fluid communication with said vent hole to prevent blockage of said vent hole. |
| 10. | The pressure sensing device of claim 1 wherein said sealing member is a resilient oring. |
| 11. | The pressure sensing device of claim 1 wherein said housing is a flush mount housing. |
| 12. | The pressure sensing device of claim wherein said circuit board is electrically coupled to an external processor. |
| 13. | The pressure sensing device of claim 1 wherein said housing is made of plastic. |
| 14. | The pressure sensing device of claim 1 wherein said housing is made of TEFLON polymer. |
| 15. | The pressure sensing device of claim 1 wherein said diaphragm is made of TEFLON polymer. |
| 16. | The pressure sensing device of claim 1 further comprising a sealing compound located radially inwardly of said closing member and adjacent said circuit board. |
| 17. | A method for assembling a pressure sensing device comprising the steps of : providing a housing having an opening and a ledge extending into said opening; locating a diaphragm in said opening adjacent said ledge; locating a sealing member adjacent said ledge; locating a circuit board adjacent said sealing member in said opening, said circuit board having a pressure sensor attached thereon, said circuit board, diaphragm, and sealing member forming a chamber such that said pressure sensor is located in said chamber; and locating a closing member adjacent said circuit board such that said closing member retains said circuit board in said opening. |
| 18. | The method of claim 17 further comprising the steps of filling said chamber with a pressure transmitting fluid through a fill port in said circuit board and sealing said fill port. |
| 19. | The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of electrically connecting said circuit board to an external processor. |
| 20. | The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of adding a potting compound adjacent said circuit board to protect said circuit board. |
Background of the Invention Pressure transducers are used in a wide range of applications. In many cases, it is desirable to measure the pressure of fluid media which may be harmful or corrosive to the transducer material, such as water, fuel, oil, acids, bases, solvents, other chemicals, and corrosive gases. There are numerous high-volume applications where a media compatible pressure transducer is highly desired but not available in any currently available technology with satisfactory durability, performance, or price characteristics. There is a need for media compatible pressure sensor packages which have substantial performance and cost advantages over existing technologies and provide new capabilities not previously realized.
Pressure is one of the most commonly measured physical variables. While pressure measuring instruments have been available for many decades, the proliferation of inexpensive solid-state silicon pressure transducers has resulted in tremendous growth in the number and different types of applications of pressure transducers. The most common pressure transducers are solid-state silicon pressure transducers employing a thin silicon diaphragm which is stressed in response to an applied pressure. The stress is measured by piezoresistive elements formed in the diaphragm. Pressure transducers are also formed similarly using metal foil diaphragms and thin film stress sensing elements. In some cases, one or two pressure sensing diaphragms are part of a parallel plate capacitor, in which the applied pressure is detected by the change in capacitance associated with the deflection of the loaded plate or plates. Other pressure measurement techniques include spring-loaded members which move in response to an applied pressure. For vacuum pressures there are a wide variety of other pressure measurement techniques.
Pressure transducers are used to measure pressures in a wide variety of fluid media including but not limited to: air, nitrogen, industrial process gases, water, automotive fluids, pneumatic fluids, coolants, and industrial chemicals. In many important applications, the media which the pressure transducer must measure is corrosive or damaging to the transducer itself. In these cases, the pressure transducer must either be constructed in such a way that it is resistant to the media of interest, or the transducer must somehow measure the pressure while being physically isolated from the media of interest. To date, pressure sensors are either inadequately protected for media compatibility or are prohibitively expensive for many applications.
Many different types of pressure sensors have been devised. The overwhelming majority of pressure transducers for media compatibility are protected by a stainless steel housing, with a single stainless steel diaphragm providing a barrier between the pressure sensing element and the media. The volume between the steel diaphragm and the pressure sensing element is filled with a fluid, such as silicone oil. When the steel diaphragm deflects due to an externally applied pressure, the essentially incompressible fluid transmits that pressure to the internal pressure sensing element, which produces a voltage or current signal proportional to the pressure. While these stainless steel packaged pressure transducers are widely used, they have several shortcomings, including relative complexity and high cost.
While in some industrial applications the rugged steel housing may be preferred regardless of price, there are numerous high-volume applications for media compatible pressure sensors in which the cost of the steel packages is prohibitively expensive. Also, the steel diaphragms, while thin, are inherently stiff due to the high modulus of steel. This results in a loss of sensitivity to applied pressure which is undesirable for transducer performance, especially at lower applied pressures. These types of sensors are also inherently sensitive to temperature.
A temperature rise causes the internal fluid to expand. Constrained by the steel diaphragm, the pressure of the fluid rises, producing a false pressure reading. This temperature sensitivity is typically corrected with external passive or active electronic components which add to the cost of the transducer. Fourth, the stainless steel material is not satisfactory for many media applications. Stainless steel will eventually corrode in certain environments with harsh acids and bases present. In some applications, such as in the semiconductor industry and biomedical applications, even if the steel is resistant to the chemical substance in question, minute trace amounts of steel or corrosion products released into the media cannot be tolerated. Also, steel housings add substantially to the weight and size of the transducers.
Solid-state silicon pressure sensors which are not specially packaged for media compatibility are only used with air or other inert gases. Because of the shortcomings of the steel packaged sensors and the conventional silicon sensors, other kinds of packages have been devised. One approach has been to limit media exposure to the more rugged portions of the silicon sensor, allowing the media to contact the silicon diaphragm while isolating the corrosion sensitive metal portions of the sensor. This has been most readily accomplished by allowing media to contact the backside of the silicon diaphragm only. Because differential pressure is often needed, many of these methods involve arranging two pressure sensors together so that the backsides of both are used to measure a differential pressure. U. S. Patents relating to this approach include Nos. 4,695,817; 4,763,098; 4,773,269; 4,222,277; 4,287,501; 4,023,562; and 4,790,192. These approaches provide some media compatibility improvements, but are of limited usefulness since silicon corrodes in some acid or base environments. These approaches may add substantially to the sensor cost (especially if two sensors are used for one measurement application), or may be impractical to manufacture and assemble due to the unusual component orientation, assembly, bonding, sealing, and electrical interconnection requirements. The complex assembly of some of these devices is apparent from even a casual examination of the patent drawings. Another approach to exposing the silicon diaphragm only while protecting the metal regions is described in U. S.
Patent Nos. 4,656,454 and 5,184,107. These devices employ an elastomeric seal which contacts the diaphragm and separates the diaphragm and metal interconnect regions. Again, this device provides some improvement over conventional silicon pressure sensors but the elastomeric material also has significant limitations in the chemical environments it can withstand.
Silicon pressure sensors have also been coated with a protective material, such as silicone gel or parylene, to protect the device. This approach is very limited in the types of media in which it is effective, and the coating can also affect the sensor performance. A rubber membrane diaphragm has been used instead of steel for media isolation with a fill fluid. The media compatibility of a rubber device is an improvement over bare silicon but is still limited. Molded diaphragms are disadvantageous from a manufacturing standpoint for the reason that it is difficult to obtain uniform thickness in mass production.
Only a relatively small subset of pressure sensors are designed to withstand exposure to corrosive chemicals for long periods of time. These"media compatible"pressure sensors are protected by a stainless steel housing, and are more expensive than their non-media compatible counterparts, which are typically made from plastic. A stainless steel diaphragm is typically used in the media compatible sensors to provide a barrier between the pressure sensing element and the media. The volume between the steel diaphragm and the pressure sensing element is filled with a fluid, such as silicone oil. When the steel diaphragm deflects due to an externally applied pressure, the fluid transmits that pressure to the internal pressure sensing element, which undergoes a resistance or capacitance change proportional to the pressure.
Summary of the Invention The present invention includes a pressure sensing device for measuring pressure of a fluid. The device includes a housing having an opening, a circuit board located in the opening, and a pressure sensor electrically coupled to the circuit board. The device further includes a sealing member extending around the pressure sensor and a diaphragm located between the sealing member and the housing such that the circuit board, the sealing member and the diaphragm form a chamber. The chamber is filled with a pressure transmissive fluid and the pressure sensor is located in the chamber such that pressure that is applied to the diaphragm is substantially transmitted to the pressure sensor via the pressure transmissive fluid. The device further includes a closing member that engages the circuit board and retains the circuit board in the opening.
These and other aspects of the present invention are herein described in particularized detail with reference to the accompanying Figures wherein like reference numerals refer to like or equivalent parts or features of the various embodiments.
Brief Description of the Figures The invention may take form in various components and arrangements of components, and in various steps and arrangements of steps. The drawings are only for purposes of illustrating a preferred embodiment and are not to be construed as limiting the invention.
Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a packaged pressure sensor constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of a packaged pressure sensor constructed in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of a packaged pressure sensor constructed in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of a packaged pressure sensor constructed in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 5A is a perspective view of another packaged pressure sensor in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 5B is a cross-sectional view of the packaged pressure sensor of Fig. 5A taken through section 5B-5B; Fig. 6A is a top view of an alternative sensor package having a one piece housing; Fig. 6B is a cross-sectional view of the sensor package of Fig. 6A taken through section 6B-6B; Fig. 6C is a bottom view of the sensor package of Fig. 6A; Fig. 7A is a top view of an alternative sensor package having a flush mount housing; Fig. 7B is a cross-sectional view of the sensor package of Fig. 7A taken through section 7B-7B; and Fig. 7C is a bottom view of the sensor package of Fig. 7A.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments With reference to Fig. 1, a packaged pressure sensor assembly, indicated generally at 10, includes a base 12 which has an external side 14 and an internal side 16 on which a pressure sensing device 18 (also referred to as a"pressure sensor","pressure sensor die"or "transducer") is mounted. The pressure sensor 18 (which is typically in an encapsulation and may be pre-mounted to a base) may be any commercially available pressure sensor, such as solid state silicon type sensors such as the Motorola MPX5050 sensor. Electrical leads 19 extend from the pressure sensor 18 through the base 12. In this embodiment, the internal side 16 of the base extends upwardly around its perimeter, and outer side walls 20 are angled. A housing, indicated generally at 22, has an outer flange 24 configured for overlying attachment to the outer side walls 20 of the base 12. In this embodiment, the flange 24 is attached to the outer side walls 20 by an adhesive 23. Other types of bonding or fixed attachment may be suitably employed. An interior surface 26 of the housing 22 is generally opposed to the internal side 16 of the base 12, thereby forming a main cavity 29 in which a diaphragm and pressure sensing device are located as described below.
Attached to or integrally formed with the housing 22 is a diaphragm 30 which extends from the interior surface 26 across an interior expanse of the housing 22. With the housing 22 attached to the base 12, the diaphragm 30 is oriented generally parallel to the central area of the internal side 16 of the base, with a lower side 31 of the diaphragm 30 overlying and spaced from the pressure sensor 18, and forming a pressure transfer cavity 28, within the main cavity 29, between the diaphragm and the internal side 16 of the base. The diaphragm 30 constitutes a substantial amount of the area of the interior surface 26 of the housing overlying pressure transfer cavity 28. A fill port 32 through the wall of the housing provides access to the pressure transfer cavity 28 to fill it with a pressure-transferring medium, indicated generally at 21, such as mineral or silicone oil which transfers pressure exerted on an upper side 33 of the diaphragm to the pressure sensor 18 when the housing is attached to a fluid carrying vessel or pipeline. Once the pressure transfer cavity 28 is filled, the fill port 32 is occluded by a stopper or any suitable sealant material. The fill port allows a pressure transfer fluid to be introduced to the pressure transfer cavity 28 without pressurizing the pressure transfer cavity 28, a condition which would distort the pressure readings of the sensing die. Without the fill port 32, a pressure transfer fluid would have to be poured into the pressure transfer cavity 28 prior to attachment of the housing 22. An excessive amount of pressure transfer fluid would put a load on the diaphragm 30 which would then have to be calibrated out of the pressure sensor readings. The fill port 32 is thus critical to the assembly of a media compatible pressure sensor package with excellent pressure reading accuracy. The diaphragm 30 can be attached to the interior surface 26 of the housing 22 by adhesive, thermal welding, or ultrasonic welding.
The housing 22 further includes an upper wall 36 which generally overlies diaphragm 30 to form a pressure port 38 which extends over a substantial area of an upper side 333 of diaphragm 30. A media conduit 40 extends from wall 36 and provides a flow path in the form of a bore 43 leading to the pressure port 38. An outer surface 42 of the media conduit may be provided with threads 41 or other fastening means such as barbs or a nipple for securement of the sensor package to any structure or other housing.
The housing 22 and diaphragm 30 are preferably made of any suitable injection moldable polymer such as Teflon or polysulfone, to render the sensor package essentially impervious to water, detergent, oil and many industrial chemicals and gases. The polymer selected for the diaphragm 30 should have sufficient flexibility in the molded thickness to provide the desired pressure sensitivity. Preferred materials for the diaphragm 30 are Teflon (8) or polyethersulfone. Of course the thickness dimension and the resultant flexibility/sensitivity properties of the diaphragm can be selectively set in the process of molding such materials in sheet form from which multiples diaphragms are cut. This ensures that the diaphragms are of close tolerance thickness in mass production, which is a parameter critical to the accuracy of sensor readings contained in the packages.
Fig. 2 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the media compatible packaged pressure sensor wherein the housing 22 includes a first housing piece 221 and a second housing piece 222. The first housing piece 221 includes a media conduit 40 which has an internal bore 43 which provides a fluid passageway which leads to a pressure port 38, and a somewhat larger main cavity 39. A flexible diaphragm 30, preferably made of a corrosive resistant polymeric material such as TeflonX, is positioned within the internal cavity of first housing piece 221 adjacent to the pressure port 38, upon a ledge 44, so that one side 33 of the diaphragm faces the pressure port 38 and an opposite side 31 faces away from the pressure port 38. The diaphragm 30 is held in this position by an O-ring seal 45 which is held in place by an edge of pressure sensor 18. The cavity 39 of the first housing piece 221 is provided with internal threads 46 which are engaged with external threads 47 on the second housing piece 222 which is advanced into cavity 39 so that an end 48 of second housing piece 222 contacts the pressure sensor 18 (mounted within its own casing or encapsulated as known in the art), holding it against O-ring 45. In other words, the mechanical connection of the first housing piece 221 with the second housing piece 222 captures the pressure sensor die 18 in the main cavity 39. A pressure transfer cavity 28, which may be filled with a pressure transferring medium 21 such as oil, is thereby formed between the side 31 of the diaphragm and the opposing side of the pressure sensor die 18. The second housing piece 222 is also provided with an axial bore 49 to allow the pressure sensor to reference ambient pressure for gauge pressure measurements. Electrical leads (not shown) to the pressure sensor die 18 may pass through a wall of the first housing piece 221.
Fig. 3 illustrates another embodiment of the media compatible pressure sensor package of the invention. The housing 22 includes first and second pieces 221 and 222 which are screwed together, piece 221 having internal threads 223 and piece 222 having mating external threads 225. Pieces 221 and 222 each include a media port 40 and a pressure port 38. A pressure sensing device 18 is positioned within a main cavity 39 in the housing and held in place by a pair of O-rings 45 and a spacer ring 50 on each side of the pressure sensing device 18. With the pressure sensing device 18 positioned to generally equally divide the main cavity 39, two pressure transfer cavities 28 are formed, one on each side of the pressure sensing device 18. A diaphragm 30 is positioned and held between each pressure transfer pressure transfer cavity 28 and the adjacent pressure port 38 by an O-ring 45 and a spacer ring 50. The connection of the first housing piece 221 with the second housing piece 222 captures and positions the spacer rings 50 and the pressure sensing device 18 within the main cavity 39, and forms the opposed pressure transfer cavities 28.
A fluid fill port 32 extends through the wall of each housing piece 221 and 222.
Corresponding fill ports 32 are also provided in the spacer rings 50 to allow the pressure transfer cavities 28 to be filled with oil or other pressure transferring medium, indicated generally at 21, after assembly of the housing. The fill ports 32 allow filling of pressure transferring media such as oil without introducing any excess pressure in either of the pressure transfer cavities. In this way the pressure in the opposing cavities 28 will be equal to atmosphere when the sensor package is sealed. This dual pressure port/transfer cavity package provides a differential sensor in which each media conduit/pressure port can be exposed to media for differential pressure sensing and measurement. If the package is designed so that the volume of fill fluid in each transfer cavity 28 is equal, then any pressure changes in the pressure transfer medium or fill fluid due to thermal expansion will be equal in both fluids and the effect will be canceled out in the differential measurement. Electrical leads (not shown) to the pressure sensing device 18 can pass through the first or second housing pieces.
Fig. 4 illustrates another packaged pressure sensor of the invention wherein the housing 22 is made up of a first piece 221 and a second piece 222 which are bonded together at mating surfaces 27 to form a main cavity 39 in which a pressure sensing device 18 is centrally positioned and held in place. The attachment of the symmetrical housing pieces 221 and 222 captures, positions and holds the pressure sensing device 18 within the main cavity 39, and forms the opposed pressure transfer cavities 28. An opening at the mating surfaces 27 or through one of the housing pieces is provided for electrical leads (not shown) to the pressure sensing device. Pressure ports 38 are provided contiguous with the main cavity on either side of the pressure sensing device 18, and a diaphragm 30 isolates each pressure port from an adjacent pressure transfer cavity 28 on either side of the pressure sensing device 18.
The diaphragms 30 are held in position within the housing by adhesive or welding or other suitable bonding of a peripheral region of the diaphragm to the interior of the cavity, or by an O-ring which can be positioned between the sensing device 18 and the interior of the housing.
The media conduits 40 are in this example similarly laterally oriented relative to the housing 22, but of course can be alternatively arranged in different configurations relative to the housing. The housing 22 is preferably made of polysulfone, Teflon or PPS depending upon the type of media compatability required for any particular application. The diaphragm is preferably 3 mil thick polyethersulfone (PES) formed by stamping from film stock. Fill ports 32 extend from the exterior of the housing to each of the pressure transfer chambers 28 and can be filled with any suitable pressure transfer medium, indicated generally at 21, such as mineral oil by syringe or by vacuum backfill, and without introducing any excess pressure into the pressure transfer cavities. A recess 33 in the orifice allows a dot of glue or other sealant material to be applied to seal the fill port 32 and maintain a flush exterior surface to the housing. The rectangular shape and flat bottom of the housing facilitates part handling and is ideal for mounting on a circuit board, such as for example by mechanical fastening through mounting holes 29 provided in each housing piece. A 1/16 national pipe thread (NPT) standard fitting is provided with these packages but other common fitting styles, such as a nipple or barbed fitting, or other threaded sizes, can easily be substituted. The unilateral placement of the media ports 40 relative to the housing 22 is well suited for many different types of applications. The identical structure of the two housing pieces 221 and 222 reduces manufacturing costs of the sensor package. The pressure transfer cavities 28 are equally sized in order to calibrate out any pressure differentials induced by thermal expansion. The main cavity 39 of the housing can be configured to accommodate any type of pressure sensing device such as the Motorola MPX5050 pressure sensor or any type of bare pressure sensor die.
The invention thus provides simple, low cost polymeric pressure sensor packages which isolate a pressure sensing die from hostile environments and materials, and which produce accurate pressure readings without direct contact with the pressure sensing device.
The formation of the package housings from molded material with excellent media compatibility maximizes possible applications and installations of pressure sensors. The formation of fastening means such as threaded couplings on the exterior of the housings facilitates installation and integration of sensors in different environments. The use of polymeric diaphragms which are stamped from thin sheet stock of media compatible material ensures uniformity in diaphragm thickness and accurate sensor readings. The fill ports, in the sensor package housings allow pressure transfer fluid to be introduced to the package after attachment of the diaphragm, thereby eliminating the problem of introducing excess pressure or air into the pressure transfer cavities.
With reference to Figs. 5A and 5B, another pressure sensor package 100 is shown which includes a base 105. The base 105 includes a channel or chamber 110 in which a printed circuit board 115 is mounted. The circuit board can be made from an FR4 (flame retardance class) material or ceramic or any other commonly available material. A lip 120 is formed within the base 105 which holds the printed circuit board 115. Alternately, the printed circuit board can be attached to the base with any attachment process as known in the art.
The pressure sensor 18 is attached to the printed circuit board 115 such that the sensor 18 senses pressures from fluids entering the channel 135 and encountering the diaphragm 30.
The sensor 18 can be die-attached and wire bonded to the printed circuit board 115 as known in the art, or attached by any other acceptable method. The circuit board may have two or more circuit layers which include vias formed therebetween to provide electronic connectivity and communication between the surface of the board on which the sensor 18 resides (die side) and the opposite surface (component side). As is known in the art, electrical components (not shown) form one or more circuits on the component side which are typically soldered, deposited by thick film processes or die-attached/wire bonded. The circuits can be used to trim and/or compensate for inaccuracy in a signal generated by the sensor 18, amplify the signal, convert the signal to a digital signal, or otherwise process the signal as known by those of ordinary skill in the art. A sealing member 45 such as an O-ring is disposed on the die side of the circuit board 115 enclosing the sensor 18. A diaphragm 30 is positioned on top of O- ring 45 or other sealing member thereby defining an enclosed chamber 125 in which the sensor 18 sits. A port member 130 is attached to the base 105 and includes a fluid channel 135 defined therethrough which allows the fluid being measured to contact diaphragm 30.
The port member 130 engages and compresses the diaphragm 30 into O-ring 45 such that chamber 125 is defined by the diaphragm 30, circuit board 115 and O-ring 45. The sealed chamber 125 is filled with a pressure transmissive fluid 21, such as an oil or a synthetic compound, which transmits pressure from diaphragm 30 to sensor 18. The oil 21 is inserted into chamber 125 through a fill hole 140 provided through the circuit board 115. Preferably, the oil is vacuum filled and the fill hole 140 is sealed with, for example, solder. In addition to functioning as a compression seal, 0-ring 45 functions as a filler element to reduce the oil volume in chamber 125.
The circuit board includes a vent hole 145 to expose one side of the sensor 18 to ambient pressure. The vent hole 145 thereby functions as a gage pressure port which allows the sensor 18 to measure sensed pressure relative to ambient pressure. If desired, the circuit board 115 can be coated with a standard potting compound 155 for protection. However, the gage tube 150 and circuit board pins 160 should not be covered. A gage pressure tube 150 is connected to the vent hole 145 to prevent accidental sealing of the vent hole.
The illustrated embodiment provides simplied assembly of the pressure sensor package 100. Because the circuit board 115 serves multiple functions, the number of internal components within base 105 can be reduced. For example, the circuit board acts a containment surface for the oil chamber 125 and provides the fill hole 140 to fill the oil chamber. Additionally, the circuit board includes vias which provide electrical communication between the sensor 18 and the other side of the circuit board without allowing oil in the oil chamber 125 to leak. The oil chamber 125 is sealed by the compression between the circuit board and sealing member 45. The circuit board 115 enables features to be easily added or removed to the package without requiring modification the sensor package housing or change in its design. Furthermore, because all the electronic components are located on the circuit board 115, the material of the housing can be easily changed without changing the design and/or processes of manufacture.
The base 105 and port 130 include opposite and engageable threads such that the port 130 is screwed into base 105 and into engagement with diaphragm 30. The base 115 and port 130 can be made of TeflonOO, polysulfone, or other materials which are resistant to chemical attack. When the base 115 and port 130 are made of corrosion-resistant material, it is advantageous to provide the fill hole 140 on the circuit board 115. Because corrosion- resistant materials (such as Teflon@) can be difficult to seal due to the non-adhesive nature of the materials, it is easier to effectively seal a fill hole on a circuit board.
With continued reference to Fig. 5B, an assembly of the sensor package 100 is described as follows. Circuit board 115 having an attached pressure sensor 18 is disposed into base 105 with the circuit pins 160 facing down. O-ring 45 is then placed on circuit board 115. Diaphragm 30 is then placed over the O-ring 45. Port 130 is screwed into base 105 until it engages diaphragm 30 and compresses O-ring 45 thereby creating a sealed chamber 125. Gage pressure tube 150 is attached and sealed to vent hole 145. Finally, the assembly is cleaned with a degreaser and potting compound 155 is applied to protect the circuit board 115.
Optionally, to prevent disassembly of the sensor package 100, one or more holes may be drilled through the base 105 and into port 130 and spring pins 165 are inserted therein.
With the spring pins 165 in place, port 130 is prevented from being unscrewed out of base 105. The pins 165 may be sealed with a potting compound such as an epoxy.
In operation, the sensor package 100 is disposed in a medium whose pressure is to be measured. The medium flows into fluid channel 135 and contacts diaphragm 30 exerting a pressure thereon. The pressure on the diaphragm is transmitted through the oil 21. The pressure sensor 18 senses and measures the pressure and generates a signal representing the amount of pressure measured. The signal is communicated to the circuit board 115 which processes and communicates the signal to a connected device, such an external processor.
With reference to Figs. 6A-6C, an alternative sensor package is shown having a one piece housing. The sensor package 100 includes a one-piece base 105 which combines the base 105 and fluid port 130 of the embodiment shown in Fig. 5B. Similar to the configuration shown in Fig. 5B, a diaphragm 30, O-ring sealing member 45 and printed circuit board 115 are mounted within the housing against lip 120. However, in this case the lip 120 is located against the diaphragm 30. A closing member 170 maintains the printed circuit board 115, O-ring 45 and diaphragm 30 compressively together, forming the oil chamber 125. The closing member 170 can be screwed, snapped, mounted, or attached in various other manners to the base 105.
With reference to Figs. 7A-7C, an alternative sensor package 100 is shown having a flush mount housing. The flush mount package is similar to the one piece housing shown in Fig. 6B. However, the fluid port 130 is substantially eliminated such that the diaphragm 30 is positioned near the entrance of the fluid channel 135.
The sensor package is preferably made from Teflon, polysulfone, or other highly non- corrosive materials such that it can withstand exposure to corrosive chemicals for long periods of time. The sensor package of the present invention can be assembled using a commonly available silicon pressure sensing die and ordinary components and operations.
An intermediate housing adjacent the die is eliminated, and an ordinary printed circuit board functions as both a containment surface for the oil chamber and as electrical feed through.
The invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment.
Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon reading and understanding the preceding detailed description. It is intended that the invention be construed as including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.
What is claimed is:
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