PRESSURE SENSOR ASSEMBLY

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 16/518,466, filed July 22, 2019, which claims the benefit and priority of Chinese Patent Application No. 2018222134064, filed December 27, 2018. The entire disclosures of the above applications are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a sensor, and particularly to a pressure sensor assembly.

BACKGROUND

[0003] This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

[0004] A pressure sensor is a device that converts pressure into a pneumatic or electric signal for control and remote transmission. The conventional pressure sensor, comprises pressure sensitive component and control circuit, etc. The pressure sensitive component is arranged in a connector, connecting to the control circuit disposed in a housing through a wire connection. In a conventional pressure sensor, the pressure sensitive component and the control circuit are designed to be separated from each other, so that the overall size or volume occupied by of the device is too large, and the reliability is poor.

SUMMARY

[0005] This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.

[0006] To solve the above problems, the present disclosure provides an improved pressure sensor assembly.

[0007] In one aspect of the disclosure, a pressure sensor assembly for detecting the pressure in an ambient environment includes a pressure responsive component comprising a pressure sensitive element and an output signal generator disposed on a common substrate. The output generator formats an output signal of the pressure sensitive element into a preset signal format.

[0008] In another aspect of the disclosure, the substrate has an aperture extending completely through the substrate and the pressure sensitive element is disposed on the substrate in communication with the aperture.

[0009] In another aspect of the disclosure, the pressure sensor assembly also includes a connector component comprising a body including a hollow, cylindrical portion at one end and a receiving cavity at a second, opposite end, wherein the receiving cavity is sized and shaped to accommodate the pressure responsive component, and wherein the pressure responsive component is disposed within the receiving cavity;

[0010] In another aspect of the disclosure, the pressure sensor assembly also includes a first seal for isolating the pressure responsive component from the ambient environment located around an interface between the pressure responsive component and the receiving cavity of the connector component;

[0011] In another aspect of the disclosure, the pressure sensor assembly also includes a housing component having a sensing end open to the ambient environment and in communication with the aperture in the substrate, and a second end comprising an open cylinder having a wall and defining a chamber,. The pressure responsive component and the connector component are disposed in the chamber, and the wall of the chamber is crimped over the connector component.

[0012] In another aspect of the disclosure, the housing component includes a groove formed in a bottom portion the chamber.

[0013] In another aspect of the disclosure, the pressure sensor assembly also includes a seal ring disposed in the groove. The seal ring is compressed between the substrate of the pressure responsive component and the bottom portion the chamber of the housing to provide a second seal for isolating the pressure responsive component from the ambient environment.

[0014] In another aspect of the disclosure, the pressure sensor assembly also includes a third seal for isolating the pressure responsive component from the ambient environment. The third seal is optional in addition to or as an alternative to the second seal and is located around an interface between an edge of the crimped wall of the cylindrical chamber of the housing component and a perimeter of the body of the connector component. [0015] In another aspect of the disclosure, the pressure sensitive element comprises a piezo-resistive device and the pressure sensitive element and the output signal generator are surface mounted to the substrate.

[0016] In another aspect of the disclosure, the substrate is a ceramic comprising one of an alumina ceramic and a zirconia ceramic.

[0017] In another aspect of the disclosure, the pressure responsive component further comprises a protective cover positioned on the substrate to cover at least one of the pressure sensitive element and the output signal generator.

[0018] In another aspect of the disclosure, the pressure sensor assembly also includes a sub-assembly comprising the pressure responsive component, the connector component and the first seal. In another aspect of the disclosure, the first seal comprises one of an epoxy and a silicone.

[0019] In another aspect of the disclosure, the body of the connector component further includes a threaded portion at the one end and a plurality of bosses protruding from the second end and located around a perimeter of the receiving cavity and the chamber comprises a ledge having a plurality of locator recesses disposed therein. Each of the locator recesses operatively engages a respective one of the plurality of bosses of the connector component to positively locate and position the pressure responsive component and/or the sub-assembly in the chamber.

[0020] In another aspect of the disclosure, the sensing end of the housing component further includes a hollow, tubular section open to the ambient environment and in communication with the aperture in the substrate.

[0021] In another aspect of the disclosure, a method for manufacturing the pressure sensor assembly is provided.

[0022] Through these and other aspects of the disclosure, a technical solution is provided in a pressure sensor assembly having a simpler construction, reduced and more compact size, and improved reliability over conventional pressure sensor assemblies.

[0023] Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. DRAWINGS

[0024] The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a schematic structural perspective view of an embodiment of a pressure sensor assembly of the present disclosure;

[0026] FIG. 2 is a schematic structural perspective view of an embodiment of a pressure responsive component including a protective cover of the pressure sensor assembly of the present disclosure;

[0027] FIG. 3 is a schematic structural perspective view of the pressure responsive component of FIG. 2 with the protective cover removed;

[0028] FIG. 4 is a schematic structural front view of an embodiment of a connector component of the pressure sensor assembly of the present disclosure ;

[0029] FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of a sub-assembly of the pressure sensor assembly of the present disclosure including the connector component shown in FIG. 4 and the pressure responsive component shown in FIG. 2, as viewed from a bottom of the connector component;

[0030] Figure 6 is a schematic structural view of an embodiment of a housing component of the pressure sensor assembly of the present disclosure in a pre assembled state; and

[0031] FIG. 7 is a schematic structural view showing an axial cross-section taken along the line 7-7of the pressure sensor assembly of FIG. 1.

[0032] Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application or uses.

[0034] Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.

[0035] The present disclosure provides a pressure sensor assembly 10. FIG.1 shows a schematic structural perspective view of an embodiment of a pressure sensor assembly 10. A pressure sensor assembly 10, as shown in the FIGs., generally includes a pressure responsive component 20 (best seen in FIGs. 2, 3, 5 and 7), a connector component 30 (best seen in FIGs. 1 , 4 and 7) and a housing component 40 (best seen in FIGs. 1 , 6 and 7). The pressure responsive component 20 and connector component 30 are assembled together to form a sub-assembly 50 (FIG. 5) of the pressure sensor assembly 10, as further described herein. The sub-assembly 50 is then assembled with the housing 40 to form the pressure sensor assembly 10, as further described herein.

[0036] Through the technical solution of the present disclosure, the manufacturing and assembly process for the pressure sensor assembly are simplified and the size of the pressure sensor assembly is minimized to become more compact than conventional designs. The pressure sensor assembly is more efficient and the integrated arrangement also improves the reliability of the device.

[0037] Referring now to FIGs. 2 and 3, the pressure responsive component 20 includes a circuit having a pressure sensitive MEMS element 1 10, which can be a silicon, piezo-resistive device and an output signal generator, which can be a signal modulation module or ASIC 120, configured to produce and/or modulate an output signal of the pressure sensitive element 1 10 into a preset signal format indicative of the pressure of the ambient environment in which the pressure sensor assembly is located.

[0038] . The pressure sensitive element 1 10 and the signal modulation module

120 can be integrated onto a substrate (e.g., base board) 100. Through the technical solution provided in the present disclosure, the pressure sensitive element 1 10 and the signal modulation module 120 can be combined or integrated into a single independent pressure responsive component 20 by using an integrated manner, so that the pressure responsive component 20 is simpler to use and to be installed. The overall volume (size) of the pressure responsive component 20 is smaller and more compact, and the reliability is improved.

[0039] As a preferred aspect of the disclosure, the pressure sensitive element 1 10 and the signal modulation module 120 may be arranged directly on the substrate 100 by surface mounting. By this technical solution, wire connection is unnecessary, the volume of the pressure sensor is reduced, and overall size is smaller and more compact than conventional devices.

[0040] As another preferred aspect of the disclosure, the pressure sensitive element 1 10 connects with the signal modulation module 120 by bonding wire; or, the pressure sensitive element 1 10 connects with the signal modulation module 120 by the printed circuit on the substrate. In this embodiment, the pressure sensitive element 1 10 and the signal modulation module 120 are electrically connected to each other by bonding wire or by the printed circuit on the substrate, so that any wiring or wired connections between the pressure sensitive element 1 10 and the signal modulation module 120 are eliminated, the production and processing for this product are convenient, and it is easy to implement.

[0041] As another preferred aspect of the disclosure, the substrate 100 comprises a ceramic substrate. In this aspect of the disclosure, using the ceramic substrate, the mechanical strength and the insulation performance of the pressure responsive component 20 provided in this present disclosure are improved over conventional devices. Compared with the glass fiber substrate in the conventional device, the mechanical strength of the ceramic substrate is better, the insulation performance is better, the material properties are more stable, and the corrosion resistance is better. Furthermore, in the case of that the pressure sensor assembly need to be directly contacted with the working medium, especially for the liquid working medium, the adaptation range is wider. The ceramic substrate does not need to be physically isolated from the working medium, so the pressure sensor assembly design and method for making the pressure sensor assembly is simplified.

[0042] Preferably, the ceramic substrate comprises an alumina ceramic substrate or a zirconia ceramic substrate. According to this embodiment, the conductivity, mechanical strength, and high temperature resistance of the substrate of the pressure sensor assembly are improved.

[0043] As best seen in FIGs. 5 and 7, the substrate 100 includes a small aperture 1 15 extending completely through the substrate 100. The pressure sensitive element 1 10 is disposed on the substrate 1 10 in communication with the aperture 115 (i.e., physical communication, not electrical communication). For example, the pressure sensitive element 1 10 can be located directly over the aperture 1 15. As discussed further, the aperture 1 15 enables the pressure sensitive element 1 10 to be exposed to the ambient environment in which the pressure sensor assembly 10 is disposed during use.

[0044] As another preferred aspect of the disclosure, the pressure responsive component 20, as shown in FIG. 2, can further include a protective cover 230 arranged on the substrate 100, configured to protect the signal modulation module 120, and/or the pressure sensitive element 1 10. In this aspect of the disclosure, the protective cover 230 arranged on the substrate 100 covers the signal modulation module 120, and/or the pressure sensitive element 1 10, so that the components inside the protective cover 230 will be not easily impacted or otherwise disturbed by using of the pressure sensor assembly 10, which is safer and more reliable for the pressure sensor assembly 10 and components covered by the protective cover 230.

[0045] With reference to FIG. 3, as another preferred aspect of the disclosure, the pressure sensor assembly 10 and pressure responsive component 20 described above can further include a load 140, configured in the circuit of the signal modulation module 120 and the pressure sensitive element 1 10. The load 140 can include passive components, such as resistors and capacitors, etc. These passive components can also be arranged on the substrate 100 and electrically connected to the signal modulation module 120 and the pressure sensitive element 1 10. By this technical solution, the signal modulation module 120 and the pressure sensitive element 1 10 can receive current protection, and the safety is improved.

[0046] FIG. 4 shows a schematic structural view of an embodiment of a connector component 30 of the pressure sensor assembly 10 provided in the present disclosure. Also, as best seen in FIG. 7, the connector component 30 has a body 35 that includes a hollow, cylindrical threaded portion 36 at one end and a receiving cavity 455 at a second, opposite end. At the second end of the body 35 and around a perimeter of the receiving cavity 455, the connector component 30 includes a plurality of locator bosses 37 protruding from the second end. The receiving cavity 455 is sized and shaped to accommodate placement of the pressure responsive component 20, which can be disposed and located within the receiving cavity 455.

[0047] As a preferred aspect of the disclosure, when the pressure sensor assembly 10 is assembled, the pressure responsive component 20 is positioned between the connector component 30 and the housing component 40. FIG. 5 shows a sub-assembly 50 of the pressure sensor assembly 10 including the pressure responsive component 20 disposed in the receiving cavity 455 of the connector component 30. FIG. 5 shows the view of the sub-assembly 50 in the direction of the second end of the connector component 30. A sealing material (e.g. , an epoxy, silicone or other known material) is disposed around a perimeter of the receiving cavity 455 to create a first seal or environmental barrier 457 at the interface between the pressure responsive component 20 and the connector component 30 for separating or isolating the pressure responsive component 20 from the ambient environment. Further, the pressure responsive component 20 can thereby be integrally enclosed within the connector component 30 to form the sub-assembly 50 so that the structure and construction of the pressure sensor assembly 10 is simpler and more compact, and the reliability performance of the pressure sensor assembly 10 is improved.

[0048] The pressure sensor assembly of the present disclosure also includes a housing component 40. With reference to FIG. 6, a schematic structural view of an embodiment of the housing component 40 in a pre-assembled condition is shown.

[0049] The housing component 40 includes a first end or sensing end 42 comprising a hollow, tubular section 44 which is open to the ambient environment in which the pressure sensor assembly 10 is to be employed at one end 46. The opposite end 48 of sensing end 42 of the housing component 40 is also in communication with the aperture 1 15 in the substrate 100 of the pressure responsive component 20. In this manner, the pressure sensitive element 1 10 is exposed to the ambient environment.

[0050] A second end of the housing component 40 includes an open cylinder section having a wall with an edge 462 and defining a chamber 465. The cylindrical chamber 465 accommodates or receives the sub-assembly 50 of the pressure sensor assembly 10 prior to final assembly of the pressure sensor assembly 10. As best seen in FIGs. 6 and 7, locator recesses 47 are disposed in a ledge of the cylindrical chamber 465 at several positions around the cylindrical chamber 465. The locator recesses 47 are configured to and operatively engage the locator bosses 37 of the connector component 30 to positively locate and position the sub-assembly 50 in the cylindrical chamber 465 of the housing component 40 during further assembly of the pressure sensor assembly 10.

[0051] FIG. 7 is a schematic structural view of an axial cross-section of an embodiment of the pressure sensor assembly 10 of the present disclosure taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 1.FIG. 7 shows the pressure sensor assembly 10 in its fully-assembled condition. As shown, terminals or leads 406 to the pressure responsive component 20 can be arranged so as to extend through an intermediate wall 38 of the connector component 30, from the receiving cavity 455 to the hollow threaded portion 36. Also as shown, the sub-assembly 50 is installed in the cylindrical chamber 465 of the housing component 40. The wall of the cylindrical chamber 465 (e.g., at the edge 462) is folded, bent or crimped over a perimeter of the body 35 the connector component 30 (see, 475 of FIG. 7) to retain the sub-assembly 50 in the housing component 40.

[0052] As another preferred aspect of the present disclosure, and with reference to FIGs. 6 and 7, the pressure sensor assembly 10 further includes multiple seal structures to isolate the pressure responsive component 20 within the housing component 40. In addition to the first seal 457 in the sub-assembly 50 at the interface between the pressure responsive component 20 and the connector component 30, a sealing ring 470, for example, an o-ring, can be arranged between the housing 40 and the sub-assembly 50, e.g., at the substrate 100 the pressure responsive component 20 to form a second seal. As shown in a preferred aspect of the disclosure of FIG. 7, the sealing ring 470 engages in sealing contact with the housing component 40. In this respect, the sealing ring 470 is arranged or disposed in an accommodating groove 49 formed in a base or bottom portion of the cylindrical chamber 465 of the housing component 40. In the completed pressure sensor assembly 10 as shown, the sealing ring 470 is compressively sealed (i.e. , pressed and sealed) between the housing component 40 and the pressure responsive component 20 to form the second seal.

[0053] Still further, a sealing material can be applied over the edge 462 of the crimped wall of the cylindrical chamber 465 of the housing component 40 and a perimeter of the body 35 of the connector component 30 to create a third seal 480, in addition to, or alternatively to, the sealing ring 470.

[0054] Consequently, with the first seal 457 in the sub-assembly 50, the sealing ring 470 in the receiving chamber 465 of the housing component 40 and/or the third seal 480 at the crimped edge 462 of the housing component 40, the pressure responsive component 20 is integrally enclosed inside the housing component 40 so that the sealing performance of the pressure sensor assembly 10 is increased, improving the reliability of the device.

[0055] The assembly process for the pressure sensor assembly 10 will be described in detail with reference to FIGs. 1 to 7. In an assembly process of a preferred aspect of the disclosure, the pressure responsive component 20 can first be disposed in the receiving cavity 455 of the connector component 30 such that the perimeter of the substrate 100 is fit in close proximity to the corresponding perimeter of the receiving cavity 455. Terminals (or leads) 406 can then be connected (such as by solder) to the contacts 105 on the substrate 100 of the pressure responsive component 20. Thereafter, a sealing material can be applied at the perimeter of both the substrate 100 of the pressure responsive component 20 and the receiving cavity 455 to provide a first seal 457 to help isolate the pressure responsive component 20 from the ambient environment and to integrate the pressure responsive component 20 with the connector component 30 into a sub-assembly 50 as shown in FIG. 5.and.

[0056] Then a sealing ring 470 can be disposed in a groove 49 located in the bottom portion of the cylindrical chamber 465 of the housing component 40. The sub- assembly 50 (i.e. , the connector component 30 integrated with the pressure responsive component 20) can then be placed within the cylindrical chamber 465 of the housing component 40 such that the pressure responsive component 20 is positioned adjacent to or against the sealing ring 470. Thereafter, the wall of the cylindrical chamber 465 (e.g., at the edge 462) is folded, bent or crimped over a perimeter of the body 35 of the connector component 30 (see, 475 of FIG. 7) to retain the sub-assembly 50 in the housing component 40 and integrally enclose the pressure responsive component 20 within the cylindrical chamber 465 of the housing component 40. In this way, the sealing ring 470 is compressed between the pressure responsive component (e.g., against the substrate) and the housing component 40 (e.g., against the groove 49 in the bottom portion of the cylindrical chamber 465) and a second seal for separating or isolating the pressure responsive component 20 from the ambient environment is provided by the sealing ring 470. Finally, a sealing material can be applied over the edge 462 of the crimped wall of the cylindrical chamber 465 of the housing component 40 joining the sub-assembly 50 (i.e., at the crimp 475 of the housing component 40 over the sub-assembly 50 at an interface between the edge 462 and a perimeter of the body 35 of the connector component 30). The sealing material provides an optional third seal 480 or an alternative second seal of the pressure responsive component 20 from the ambient environment.

[0057] Through the above embodiments, a pressure sensor assembly 10 is provided. Through this technical solution, the following technical effects are achieved: the pressure sensitive element 1 10 and the signal modulation module 120 are integrated into a single independent pressure responsive component 20, so that the pressure responsive component 20 is simpler to install and to use; and the overall volume is smaller and compact, the product reliability is improved; since that integrating into an independent pressure responsive component, the position of the parts inside the pressure responsive component 20 is also relatively fixed, avoiding the use of parts which are not fixed such as flexible printed circuit boards and insulated wires; and moreover, in this embodiment, the pressure sensor doesn’t need to be physically isolated from the working medium, in the case of that the pressure sensor is applied to pressure transmitters compared to conventional solutions, which simplifies the design and process.

[0058] It should be noted that these technical effects are not obtained by all above embodiments, and some technical effects are obtained only by some preferred embodiments.

[0059] The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.

[0060] In this application, including the definitions below, the term "module" may refer to, be part of, or include: an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC); a digital, analog, or integrated analog/digital discrete circuit; a digital, analog, or integrated analog/digital integrated circuit; a combinational logic circuit; a field programmable gate array (FPGA); a processor circuit (shared, dedicated, or group) that executes code; a memory circuit (shared, dedicated, or group) that stores code executed by the processor circuit; other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality; or a combination of some or all of the above, such as in a system-on-chip.

[0061] The module may include one or more interface circuits. In some examples, the interface circuit(s) may implement wired or wireless interfaces that connect to a local area network (LAN) or a wireless personal area network (WPAN). Examples of a LAN are Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Standard 802.1 1 -2016 (also known as the WIFI wireless networking standard) and IEEE Standard 802.3-2015 (also known as the ETHERNET wired networking standard). Examples of a WPAN are the BLUETOOTH wireless networking standard from the Bluetooth Special Interest Group and IEEE Standard 802.15.4.

[0062] The module may communicate with other modules using the interface circuit(s). Although the module may be depicted in the present disclosure as logically communicating directly with other modules, in various implementations the module may actually communicate via a communications system. The communications system includes physical and/or virtual networking equipment such as hubs, switches, routers, and gateways. In some implementations, the communications system connects to or traverses a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet. For example, the communications system may include multiple LANs connected to each other over the Internet or point-to-point leased lines using technologies including Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) and virtual private networks (VPNs).

[0063] In various implementations, the functionality of the module may be distributed among multiple modules that are connected via the communications system. For example, multiple modules may implement the same functionality distributed by a load balancing system. In a further example, the functionality of the module may be split between a server (also known as remote, or cloud) module and a client (or, user) module.

[0064] Some or all hardware features of a module may be defined using a language for hardware description, such as IEEE Standard 1364-2005 (commonly called "Verilog") and IEEE Standard 1076-2008 (commonly called "VHDL"). The hardware description language may be used to manufacture and/or program a hardware circuit. In some implementations, some or all features of a module may be defined by a language, such as IEEE 1666-2005 (commonly called "SystemC"), that encompasses both code, as described below, and hardware description.