Vertical position sensor with a support member having a stop device

Abstract

A sensor has a lever unit (1) supported in a support member (21) of a base unit (2) in a rotatably offset manner, wherein the lever unit (1) has a shaft (11) supported in the support member (21) by its shaft support portion (13), and the lever unit has a lever (12) connected to the shaft (11), wherein the shaft (11) has an encoder (14), and wherein the base unit (2) has at least one sensor element (22) for detecting the encoder (14), wherein the support member (21) of the base unit has a plurality of stop devices (23), particularly stop hooks and / or stop protrusions, the plurality of stop devices being arranged in a circumferential manner on the inner periphery of the support member (21) and being constructed as one piece with the support member, and wherein the stop devices (23) directly or indirectly hold and / or guide the shaft support portion (13).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a sensor according to the preamble of claim 1. Summary of the Invention

[0002] The object of this invention is to provide a sensor comprising a base unit and a lever unit, wherein the sensor is relatively inexpensive and / or robust and / or compact and / or has relatively accurate measurement capabilities.

[0003] According to the present invention, the objective is achieved by the sensor as described in claim 1.

[0004] The present invention preferably relates to a sensor having a lever unit supported in a support member of a base unit in a rotationally offset manner, wherein the lever unit has a shaft supported in the support member by a shaft support portion, and the lever unit has a lever connected to the shaft, wherein the shaft has an encoder, and

[0005] The base unit has at least one sensor element that detects an encoder or a magnetic field generated and / or modulated by the encoder. The support of the base unit has a plurality of stop devices, particularly stop hooks and / or stop protrusions, which are arranged in a circumferential manner on the inner periphery of the support and are constructed as one piece with the support. The stop devices directly or indirectly hold and / or guide the shaft support portion.

[0006] The statement "the shaft support portion is indirectly held and / or guided by a stop device" is preferably understood to mean that a retaining ring or other connecting device that forms or achieves a shape-locking relationship between the support member and the shaft support portion is held and / or guided and / or supported by a stop device.

[0007] The support components of the base unit are advantageously generally canal-shaped or hollow cylindrical in construction.

[0008] The sensor is preferably configured as an angle sensor, which is used to measure the relative rotation angle between the lever unit and the base unit.

[0009] The sensor is advantageously configured as a chassis position sensor for detecting the relative offset and / or position between the vehicle chassis and the drive unit by means of angle measurements performed by the sensor. For this purpose, the sensor particularly has a lever unit supported in a support member of the base unit in a rotatably offset manner, wherein the lever unit has an shaft supported in the support member by its shaft support portion, and the lever unit has a lever, which is particularly preferably arranged substantially at a right angle relative to said shaft.

[0010] Preferably, apart from the encoder, the lever unit is constructed essentially as a single piece of plastic, and the housing of the base unit, in which at least one sensor element is arranged, is constructed together with the support of the base unit as a single piece of plastic.

[0011] In addition to the encoder, the lever unit, which is preferably essentially a one-piece unit, also preferably has a connecting element that is one-piece connected to the lever of the lever unit for coupling to a motor vehicle component.

[0012] The shaft support portion, particularly the entire lever unit, is preferably formed of carbon fiber reinforced plastic and / or glass fiber reinforced plastic. The lever unit and base unit, or the corresponding housing, are preferably formed of PBT. The housing is correspondingly constructed as a single piece and formed in an injection molding operation.

[0013] Advantageously, the shaft support portion, and in this case, particularly the entire lever unit, is formed of carbon fiber reinforced plastic, and the support members of the base unit, particularly the support members and the housing of the base unit, are formed of glass fiber reinforced plastic, or alternatively preferably,

[0014] The shaft support portion, and in this case, the entire lever unit, is formed of glass fiber reinforced plastic, while the support members of the base unit, particularly the support members and the housing of the base unit, are formed of carbon fiber reinforced plastic. In particular, neither of these units is entirely made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic, as this could potentially lead to electrical connections due to the selection of the same material.

[0015] The encoder is preferably understood to refer to a permanent magnet, particularly a generally cylindrical magnet that is magnetized substantially radially relative to the shaft, and particularly preferably magnetized diametrically. Alternatively, the encoder is preferably configured as a non-permanently magnetic ferromagnetic target.

[0016] The sensor element is preferably understood to refer to a magnetic field sensor element, particularly a Hall element or a magnetoresistive magnetic field sensor element. Alternatively, the sensor element preferably has at least one energized conductor ring and detects a magnetic field modulated by an encoder, or a voltage in the conductor ring induced by the encoder. Specifically, the sensor element has at least one generator conductor ring for generating a magnetic field, and one or two receiver conductor rings, in which the generated induced voltage is detected in the receiver conductor ring in a manner dependent on the magnetic field generated by the generator conductor ring and the encoder.

[0017] The sensor element advantageously detects the magnetic field of the encoder or the magnetic field modulated by the encoder.

[0018] The support components of the base unit, particularly the entire base unit, are preferably formed of glass fiber reinforced plastic.

[0019] The shaft support portion and / or support member are preferably formed of carbon fiber reinforced plastic, which has the effect of reducing surface friction between the shaft support portion and support member due to wear of plastic or carbon fiber.

[0020] Specifically, the sensor is configured such that no grease or additional lubricant is introduced into the support or shaft support portion.

[0021] Alternatively, preferably, the support members and / or shaft support portions of the base unit have additional lubricant or grease.

[0022] The stopping device is preferably configured as a stopping hook and / or a stopping protrusion and / or a stopping lug.

[0023] Preferably, two rows of spaced-apart stop devices integrally constructed with the support are arranged in a circumferential manner on the inner circumference of the support member, and in particular, the two rows of stop devices are configured to be substantially parallel to each other. The two rows of stop devices are particularly preferably grooves formed on the inner circumference of the support member, very particularly preferably intermittent grooves, wherein the grooves are very advantageously not protruding into the inner circumference of the support member, but are formed only by the two rows of particularly protruding stop devices.

[0024] The shaft support portion of the lever unit preferably has a groove in which a retaining ring is arranged, the retaining ring being received, or already received or supported by, the stop device or two rows of stop devices in a substantially form-locked manner on the support side.

[0025] The retaining ring is preferably generally circular / ring-shaped, or alternatively preferably configured not to be circular but generally elliptical or elliptical / circular, and simultaneously has a wavy construction. In this case, the ring advantageously has an intermittent construction.

[0026] Preferably, at least one row of stop devices has a width on the inner circumference of the support member along the direction of rotation, the inner circumference, the rotation line, or the inner circumference line, which is less than or substantially equal to the spacing between directly adjacent stop devices.

[0027] Preferably, at least one row of stop devices is constructed and arranged on the inner periphery of the support member in a manner that is substantially evenly spaced from the respective adjacent stop devices along the direction of rotation or the inner periphery or the line of rotation or the inner periphery. In particular, the at least one row of stop devices, or the two rows of stop devices spaced apart from each other, each preferably has six stop devices.

[0028] Advantageously, the encoder is arranged at the end of the shaft opposite to the lever, wherein the encoder is held in place only by form-locking through the plastic body of the shaft, and particularly preferably is laterally secured over its entire circumference. For this purpose, the shaft particularly preferably has two or three or more fingers or protrusions that laterally secure the encoder in a form-locking manner, particularly over the entire height or axial range of the encoder, wherein it is very particularly preferred that no such fingers or protrusions support the encoder from below.

[0029] The encoder is advantageously connected to the shaft without adhesive.

[0030] Preferably, the housing of the base unit has at least two fastening devices, each having a threaded or generally star-shaped recess, wherein the fastening devices are configured such that a screw can be screwed into the material of the fastening device in such a way that the screw at least partially cuts into the material of the respective fastening device. The fastening devices are particularly made of plastic and are integrally connected to the housing of the base unit or constructed entirely of plastic in one piece. Alternatively, preferably, one of the two fastening devices is configured to be insertable in a form-locking manner into an element in a recess of a motor vehicle component, the element being unscrewed and particularly configured as an insertion lug or insertable positioning aid having, for example, a star-shaped or polygonal outer peripheral shape or similar contour, such as a mandrel.

[0031] The housing of the base unit preferably has at least two recesses, which are formed during the housing manufacturing process and expose a portion of the sensor element and / or a portion of the signal processing element, respectively. Specifically, the encapsulated portion of the housing of the sensor element and / or the housing of the signal processing element is laser-activated, particularly in the area surrounding the recesses, at least 1 mm around the recesses, or on the entire surface adjacent to the recesses, prior to the encapsulation process. This significantly increases the adhesion or sealing between the housing and the sensor element and signal processing element.

[0032] Preferably, the lever unit's shaft has a collar configured to surround and axially support the annular edge or upper edge of a generally hollow cylindrical support member. Specifically, the annular upper edge of the collar and support member is configured such that the collar can be snapped or form-locked onto / attached to the edge. The support member particularly preferably has a groove on its outer periphery below the upper edge, into which, for example, lubricant or grease is introduced, and an annular seal is very particularly preferably introduced into the groove, thereby sealing the lever unit's collar relative to the support member.

[0033] The lever unit advantageously has a collar at the transition between the lever and the shaft.

[0034] The sensor is preferably configured as an angle sensor and / or a vertical position sensor and / or a chassis position sensor.

[0035] The shaft preferably has a generally central recess that extends as a blind hole from the side of the lever along the direction of the base unit, wherein, in particular, the central recess is constructed at least partially in a cylindrical and / or funnel-shaped and / or gradually tapering manner.

[0036] The base unit advantageously includes sensor elements and signal processing elements, which are electrically contacted with and secured to the lead frame. Specifically, the lead frame protrudes into the plug connector with two parallel terminal regions. The plug connector is advantageously part of the housing of the base unit, and a portion of the lead frame, the sensor elements, and the signal processing elements are embedded or at least partially embedded in the housing, or the housing is formed in a single / unique / separate injection molding operation during the encapsulation of a portion of the lead frame and the elements, wherein the support, plug connector, and fastening device are particularly preferably formed simultaneously as part of the housing.

[0037] The housing of the base unit preferably has at least two or three recesses, which are formed during the housing manufacturing process and expose portions of the sensor element and signal processing element, respectively. Specifically, two opposing recesses expose the sensor element, or integrated sensor and signal processing element. In particular, the encapsulation portion of the housing of the sensor element and / or signal processing element (i.e., a dedicated housing for each element) is laser-activated, especially in the area surrounding the recesses, prior to the encapsulation process. Furthermore, the housing of the base unit particularly preferably has additional centering recesses, advantageously two centering recesses.

[0038] Sensor elements and signal processing elements are advantageously integrated into a single structural element. Summary of the Invention

[0040] List of reference numerals

[0041] 1 Lever Unit

[0042] 11-axis

[0043] 12 levers

[0044] 13 Shaft support section

[0045] 14 Encoders

[0046] 15. Device for lateral ground clearance card encoder

[0047] 16. Collar of the lever unit

[0048] 17 Grooves

[0049] 18 clasps

[0050] 19 Approximately central depression

[0051] 2. Base Unit

[0052] 21 Support components

[0053] 22 sensor units

[0054] 23 Stopping device

[0055] 24 Fastening device housing base unit

[0056] 25 Signal processing components

[0057] 26. Annular edge of the support member

[0058] 27 Lead Frame

[0059] 28 Plug Connector

[0060] 29 Recessed Shell Base Unit

[0061] 30 A groove located on the outer periphery below the upper edge of the support member of the base unit.

[0062] In the accompanying drawings, in the schematic illustrations:

[0063] Figure 1 An exemplary embodiment of the sensor is shown.

[0064] Figure 2 An exemplary lever unit is shown.

[0065] Figure 3 An exemplary base unit is shown.

[0066] Figure 4 Shown in cross section Figure 1 Exemplary sensors in, and

[0067] Figure 5 An exemplary embodiment of the support member and the shaft support portion supported in the support member is shown in cross section. Detailed Implementation

[0068] Figure 1An exemplary embodiment of the sensor is shown. Here, the sensor includes a lever unit 1 and a base unit 2. The lever unit consists of a lever 12 on which a shaft 11 with a shaft support portion 13 is arranged, wherein the shaft support portion 13 is inserted into and supported in a support member 21 of the base unit. An encoder 14 is arranged at the lower end of the shaft support portion 13, which is held in a form-locking manner only by exemplary protrusions or fingers 15 of the shaft support portion. These protrusions 15 laterally enclose the encoder over its entire height, but do not engage or surround the encoder 14 below. At the transition between the lever 12 and the shaft 11, the lever unit 1 has a collar 16 that encloses the annular upper edge of the support member 21 of the base unit 2. Apart from the encoder 14, the lever unit 1 is specifically constructed in a single injection molding operation from carbon fiber reinforced plastic in this example.

[0069] At least the housing of the base unit 2 (in which the sensor element 22 and signal processing element 25 are arranged to contact and be secured to the lead frame 27, and the fastening device 24 is attached to the housing) and the support member 21 of the base element are, for example, constructed together in a single injection molding operation as a one-piece structure of glass fiber reinforced plastic. The housing of the base unit 2 also forms a plug connector 28 together with the lead frame, which serves as a contact.

[0070] exist Figure 1 In the front view, one of the fastening devices 24 of the base unit has an injection-molded sleeve made of metal for threading the sensor to a vehicle component (not shown). The rear fastening device 24 is configured, for example, as a mandrel with a star-shaped profile for insertion into a receiving seat (not shown) of the vehicle component. The support member 21 of the base element has a stop 23 by which the shaft support unit is guided or supported, for example indirectly via a retaining ring.

[0071] Figure 4 Shown in cross section Figure 1 In an exemplary embodiment, the retaining ring 18 is supported on the side of the lever unit 1 in the groove 17 of the shaft support unit 13, and in this case, the retaining ring 18 is also guided or supported by the stop device 23 of the support member 21 of the base unit 2. Here, the stop device 23 is integrally connected to the support member 21 and is arranged in a circumferential manner along the inner circumference of the support member, or for example, arranged on two substantially parallel inner circumferential lines, thereby forming an intermittent groove on the inner circumference of the support member 21.

[0072] The housing of base unit 2 has three recesses 29, which are formed during the housing manufacturing process, exposing a portion of sensor element 22 on both sides and a portion of signal processing element 25 on one side. In the region surrounding these recesses 29, the encapsulated portions of the housings of sensor element 22 and signal processing element 25 (i.e., the inherent housings of the elements) are laser-activated, thereby ensuring a sealed connection between the element housings and the housing of base unit 2. The collar 16 of lever unit 1 surrounds the annular upper edge 26 of support member 21. Encoder 14 is arranged at the lower end of shaft 11 and is held in a form-locking manner by lateral surrounding only, wherein one of the shaft protrusions 15 or fingers is exposed in this cross-section.

[0073] Figure 2 An exemplary lever unit 1 with lever 12 is shown, which is formed substantially perpendicular to shaft 11. Shaft 11 includes a shaft support portion 13, which is insertable and rotatably supported in a support member (not shown) of a base unit. Shaft support portion 13 has a surrounding groove 17, into which a retaining ring 18 can be connected, or said retaining ring is engaged or protruding. Encoder 14 is arranged at the lower end of shaft 11 or at the end away from the lever, and encoder 14 is held and secured only by protrusions or fingers 15 in a form-locking manner, all of which laterally engage encoder 14. Here, the protrusions or fingers 15 protrude downward from shaft 11 to a height substantially the same as the height of encoder 14 in that direction.

[0074] Figure 3 The base unit 2 is illustrated by way of example. The base unit has a support member 21, two fastening devices 24 of the base unit, and a plug connector 28.

[0075] The support member 21 is generally can-shaped or hollow cylindrical in construction and has two rows of substantially parallel stop lugs on its inner circumference as stop devices 23. These stop lugs together form intermittent grooves on the inner circumference of the support member 21 for receiving and / or supporting and / or guiding a retaining ring (not shown), which then engages with the shaft support portion (not shown) of the lever unit.

[0076] Figure 5 The cross-section of the support member 21 passing through the base unit and the shaft support portion 13 of the lever unit supported in the support member is shown by way of example. The shaft preferably has a generally central recess 19 that extends as a blind hole from the side of the lever 12 in a gradually tapering manner along the direction of the base unit.

[0077] The lever unit's shaft also has a collar 16, which is configured to surround and axially support the annular edge 26 or the upper edge of the generally hollow cylindrical support 21. Here, the collar 16 and the annular upper edge 26 of the support are configured such that the collar can be or form-fitted onto / attached to the edge. In this example, the support 21 has a groove 30 on its outer periphery below the upper edge 26, into which, for example, a lubricant or grease is introduced and an annular seal is introduced, thereby sealing the lever unit's collar 16 relative to the support 21.

[0078] Two rows of spaced-apart stop devices 23 (shaded to make them more visible) are arranged in a circumferential manner on the inner periphery of the support member 21, but are integrally formed with the support member. In this example, the two rows of stop devices 23 are configured to be substantially parallel to each other and together form an intermittent groove on the inner periphery of the support member 23, wherein the groove does not protrude into the inner periphery of the support member but is formed only by the two rows of protruding stop devices 23. A retaining ring 18 protrudes accordingly into the intermittent groove formed by the stop devices 23 and the groove 17 on the shaft support portion 13, and the retaining ring connects the shaft support portion 13 and the support member 21 in a form-locking manner.

[0079] The base unit also has two fastening devices 24.

[0080] The encoder 14 is disposed at the end of the shaft on the side away from the lever 12, and the encoder 14 is held in a form-locking manner solely by the plastic body of the shaft and is laterally clamped. For this purpose, the shaft has a plurality of fingers or protrusions 15 that laterally secure the encoder 14 in a form-locking manner over the entire height or axial range of the encoder.

[0081] Below the encoder 14, or disposed opposite to the encoder, the sensor element 22 is embedded in the housing of the base unit and exposed opposite to each other through recesses 29 above and below the sensor element 22, wherein the housing of the sensor element is laser-activated or laser-roughened in the area around the recesses to ensure a sealed connection with the injection-molded housing of the base unit.

Claims

1. A sensor having a lever unit (1) supported in a support member (21) of a base unit (2) in a rotationally offset manner, wherein, The lever unit (1) has a shaft (11) supported in the support member (21) by its shaft support portion (13), and the lever unit has a lever (12) connected to the shaft (11), wherein the shaft (11) has an encoder (14), and The base unit (2) has at least one sensor element (22) for detecting the encoder (14). in, The support member (21) of the base unit has a plurality of stop devices (23) arranged in a circumferential manner on the inner periphery of the support member (21) and constructed as a single piece with the support member, wherein the stop devices (23) directly or indirectly hold and / or guide the shaft support portion (13). The feature is that two rows of stop devices (23) integrally constructed with the support member (21) are arranged in a circumferential manner on the inner periphery of the support member (21), and the shaft support portion (13) of the lever unit (1) has a groove (17) in which a retaining ring (18) is arranged, which is configured such that it is received by the two rows of stop devices (23) in a form-locking manner on the support member side.

2. The sensor as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Apart from the encoder (14), the lever unit (1) is constructed of one piece of plastic, and the housing of the base unit (2) in which at least one of the sensor elements (22) is arranged, together with the support member (21) of the base unit (2), is constructed of one piece of plastic.

3. The sensor as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The two rows of stop devices (23) are configured to be parallel to each other.

4. The sensor as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, At least one row of stop devices (23) has a width on the inner circumference of the support member along the rotation direction / inner circumference, the width being less than the spacing between directly adjacent stop devices (23).

5. The sensor as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, At least one row of stop devices (23) is constructed and arranged on the inner circumference of the support (21) in a manner that is evenly spaced from the respective adjacent stop devices (23) along the rotation direction / inner circumference.

6. The sensor as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The shaft support portion (13) is formed of carbon fiber reinforced plastic.

7. The sensor as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The support (21) of the base unit (2) is formed of glass fiber reinforced plastic.

8. The sensor as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The encoder (14) is arranged at the end of the shaft (11) opposite to the lever (12), wherein the encoder (14) is held in place by the plastic body of the shaft only by form-locking.

9. The sensor as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The housing of the base unit (2) has at least two fastening devices (24), each having a threaded or star-shaped recess, wherein the fastening devices (24) are configured such that a screw can be screwed into the material of the fastening device (24) in such a way that the screw is at least partially cut into the material of the respective fastening device (24).

10. The sensor as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The housing of the base unit (2) has at least two recesses (29) which are formed during the production of the housing and expose a portion of the sensor element (22) and / or a portion of the signal processing element (25), respectively.

11. The sensor as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that, The housing of the sensor element (22) and / or the encapsulated portion of the housing of the signal processing element (25) are laser-activated in the area surrounding the recess (29).

12. The sensor as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The shaft (11) of the lever unit (1) has a collar (16) which is configured to surround the annular edge (26) of a hollow cylindrical support (21) and is axially supported thereon.

13. The sensor as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The sensor is configured as an angle sensor and / or a vertical position sensor and / or a chassis position sensor.

14. The sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that, The plurality of stop devices (23) are stop hooks and / or stop protrusions.

15. The sensor according to claim 5, characterized in that, At least one row of stop devices (23), or two rows of stop devices (23) spaced apart from each other, each have six stop devices.

16. The sensor according to claim 6, characterized in that, The entire lever unit (1) is formed of carbon fiber reinforced plastic.

17. The sensor according to claim 8, characterized in that, The encoder (14) is laterally enclosed over its entire circumference.

18. The sensor according to claim 11, characterized in that, The housing of the sensor element (22) and / or the encapsulation portion of the housing of the signal processing element (25) are laser-activated in the area surrounding the recess (29) prior to the encapsulation process.

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