Pressure sensor and method for manufacturing pressure sensor

Abstract

The present invention realizes a sensor unit capable of performing an assembly operation of moving a terminal connected to a sensor in the vertical direction. A pressure sensor configured from a pressure sensor unit (10) provided with a pressure sensor chip (11) connected to an external device (A), the pressure sensor being provided with: a circuit board (50) interposed between the external device and the sensor; a relay connection terminal (36) that is conductively connected to the sensor and the circuit board; and a relay connection terminal (37) that is conductively connected to the circuit board and the external device. The connection terminals are positioned at separated positions, and a terminal base (24) on which a conductively connected circuit board is placed, so that the connection terminals are respectively positioned in grooves (55g, 56g) having depths in the overlapping direction of the circuit board, and an adhesive (26g) for fixing the terminals is injected and cured for positioning and fixing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a pressure sensor with a simple structure that can be assembled easily and with high reliability, and a method for manufacturing the pressure sensor. Background Art

[0002] Various sensors for detecting pressure, temperature, etc. are fixed near a measurement object and send detection signals to a measurement device, etc., and are widely used in a form of being built in or external to the measurement device (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] Such various sensors are assembled in a sensor unit that can be installed to be exposed to the same environment as the measurement object. The sensor unit has a terminal block that holds terminals that are electrically connected to the installed sensor. A measurement device is connected to the terminals to utilize the detection signal of the sensor.

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-98685 Summary of the invention

[0007] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0008] In such a sensor unit, components need to be positioned and supported during assembly and mechanically and electrically connected so as to function. Therefore, for example, assembling the components in a stacked manner also provides excellent workability and positional accuracy.

[0009] However, the structure is such that even if the sensor and the terminal block are stacked in the vertical direction, the terminal connected to the sensor in a functional manner is connected to the plane by spot welding, soldering, etc., so the flat terminal extending in the horizontal direction is slid in the horizontal direction to be positioned and maintained. Therefore, after various parts in the middle of assembly are placed horizontally and the terminal is fixed to the terminal block, the state of stacking in the vertical direction is resumed and the assembly work is started again, which deteriorates the workability.

[0010] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to realize a sensor unit capable of performing an assembly operation of moving a terminal connected to a sensor in the vertical direction, and to provide a pressure sensor including the sensor unit and a method for manufacturing the sensor unit.

[0011] Solutions to Solve Problems

[0012] One way of inventing a sensor unit for solving the above-mentioned problems is a pressure sensor, which is composed of a sensor unit having a sensor connected to an external device, and is characterized in that it comprises: a circuit substrate, which is configured to be interposed between the external device and connected to the sensor; a connecting component located between the sensor and the circuit substrate and conductively connected to the sensor and the circuit substrate, and one or both of a terminal component conductively connected to the circuit substrate and used to connect the circuit substrate to the external device; and a terminal seat, which fixes and positions one or both of the connecting component and the terminal component, the circuit substrate is placed on one or both of the connecting component and the terminal component, the terminal seat is formed with a fixing groove having a depth in the overlapping direction of the circuit substrate and extending at least to the fixing position of one or both of the connecting component and the terminal component, and the fixing portion of one or both of the connecting component and the terminal component is located in the fixing groove and is positioned and fixed by bonding with an adhesive.

[0013] Effects of the Invention

[0014] Thus, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a sensor unit having a structure that can be simply and easily operated can be realized in which one or both of a connecting component and a terminal component that connect a circuit substrate to a sensor or an external device are located in a fixing groove having a depth along the direction of the overlapping circuit substrate of a terminal seat and are positioned and fixed by bonding with an adhesive. A pressure sensor composed of the sensor unit and a method for manufacturing the pressure sensor that can be easily assembled can be provided. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 1 is a diagram showing a pressure sensor including a pressure sensor unit as an example of a sensor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic overall structure thereof.

[0016] Figure 2 The figures show an outline of the manufacturing method of the pressure sensor, (a) is an exploded perspective view of each component separated from the stacking direction and viewed from above, and (b) is a perspective view of one component viewed from below.

[0017] Figure 3 It is a three-dimensional diagram showing its main parts as viewed from one direction.

[0018] Figure 4 Is installed in Figure 3 The figure shows a connecting terminal of a main part of a device, (a) is its elevational main view, (b) is its top view, (c) is its bottom view, and (d) is a top view of a lead frame representing the three parts.

[0019] Figure 5 Is installed in Figure 3 The main parts of the Figure 4 Figures of different connection terminals, (a) is its elevational front view, (b) is its top view, (c) is its bottom view, and (d) is its side view.

[0020] Figure 6 It indicates the connection terminal direction Figure 3 The figure shows the installation status of the main parts of the vehicle, (a) is its longitudinal sectional view, and (b) is its top view.

[0021] Figure 7 Yes Description Figure 6 , (a) is a stereoscopic view of one connecting terminal viewed from one direction and a stereoscopic view of other connecting terminals viewed from different directions, and (b) is a top view of the two connecting terminals.

[0022] Figure 8 It indicates the direction of the connection terminal and the circuit board. Figure 3 The figures show the installation status of the main parts of the circuit board, (a) is a longitudinal sectional view thereof, (b) is a stereoscopic view thereof, and (c) is an enlarged stereoscopic view of the connection portion between the circuit board and the connection terminal.

[0023] Fig. 9 Yes Description Figure 8 4 and 5. The figures show the connection state of the connection parts in the figure, (a) is a longitudinal sectional view showing the effect of the structure, and (b) is a longitudinal sectional view showing the case where the structure is not adopted.

[0024] Fig.10 1 and 2 are diagrams showing a first other mode of the present embodiment, wherein (a) is a longitudinal sectional view showing a structure equivalent to that of the present embodiment, and (b) is a longitudinal sectional view showing a structure inferior to that of the present embodiment.

[0025] Fig.11 It is a diagram showing a second alternative form of the present embodiment, and is a plan view showing a case where a different shape of a connection terminal is adopted.

[0026] Fig.12 It is a diagram showing a third other form of the present embodiment, and is a plan view showing a case where a different shape of a connection terminal is adopted.

[0027] Fig.13 It is a diagram showing a fourth other form of the present embodiment and is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing its overall structure.

[0028] Fig.14 It is a diagram showing a fifth other form of the present embodiment and is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing its overall structure.

[0029] Fig.15 This is a longitudinal sectional view showing a technique before the present embodiment was conceived.

[0030] Explanation of symbols

[0031] 10—pressure sensor unit, 11—pressure sensor chip, 20—waterproof housing, 24—terminal seat, 24b—bottom portion, 24s—side wall portion, 25—terminal seat cover, 26—sealing material, 26a, 26g—adhesive for fixing terminals, 29—planar portion, 30—connector component, 36, 36A to 36C, 37, 37A to 37C, 39—relay connection terminal, 36d, 36e, 37d, 39d, 39e—terminal piece, 36f—planar portion, 36h, 36i—protrusion, 37e—bend Curved piece, 37f—connecting surface, 37g—engaging piece, 38—lead, 40—pin, 50—circuit substrate, 50r—corner recess, 50u—recessed wall electrode surface, 51, 53—terminal retaining portion, 53a, 53b—slit, 54—pillar shape portion, 55~57—inner wall portion, 55g~57g, 59g—groove, 55h—insertion groove, 55s—slit, 100—pressure sensor, A—external device, L—recessed distance, LR—liquid seal chamber, M—plating, S—conductive connecting material, SR—installation space. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figures 1 to 9 It is a diagram for explaining a pressure sensor including a pressure sensor unit as an example of a sensor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention and a method for manufacturing the sensor unit.

[0033] exist Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 In the embodiment, the pressure sensor 100 is manufactured as follows: the pressure sensor unit 10 composed of components stacked and assembled as described later is mounted on a target portion for measuring the pressure characteristics of the external environment, and the pressure information detected by the pressure sensor chip 11 is output to the connected external device A. The pressure sensor 100 of this embodiment is configured so that the pressure sensor unit 10 housed in the waterproof housing 20 made of resin can be connected to a pipe for introducing a fluid such as gas or liquid to be detected pressure by a metal joint component 30.

[0034] Here, the waterproof housing 20 is made into a cylindrical shape capable of accommodating the pressure sensor unit 10, and the peripheral edge of the cover 28 of the fixed joint component 30 is connected to the opening 20b on one end side. The joint component 30 is formed with an internal thread 30s in a manner that can be threadedly fixed to a pipe or the like of a pressure measurement object, and a fluid supplied from the pipe in the direction of the arrow P is introduced into the pressure chamber PR on the downstream side of the cover 28 via a port 30a connected to the internal thread 30s.

[0035] The pressure sensor unit 10 comprises: a housing 12 which is made into a short cylindrical shape and whose axial lower end surface is joined and fixed to a cover 28; a pillar 13 which is provided with a pressure sensor chip 11 and is arranged in a manner located at the center of an inner cylinder of the housing 12; and a sealing glass 14 which fills and seals around the pillar 13 in the inner cylinder of the housing 12 and fixes a component that passes through the inner cylinder.

[0036] In the pressure sensor unit 10, a metal diaphragm 32 is fixedly bonded to the lower end surface of the housing 12. The diaphragm 32 forms an airtight pressure chamber PR on the cover 28 side and isolates the installation space of the pressure sensor chip 11 on the support 13 side in the housing 12 from the pressure chamber PR.

[0037] Furthermore, in the pressure sensor unit 10, the installation space of the pressure sensor chip 11 formed by the sealing glass 14 and the diaphragm 32 in the inner cylinder of the housing 12 is filled with a predetermined amount of silicone oil (or fluorine-based inert liquid, etc.) as a pressure transmission medium to act as a liquid seal chamber LR.

[0038] Thus, the pressure sensor chip 11 functions as a pressure sensor that detects pressure fluctuations of the pressure transmission medium in the liquid seal chamber LR as the pressure of the detection target fluid introduced into the pressure chamber PR from the pipe connected to the joint member 30 via the diaphragm 32 .

[0039] Here, the pressure sensor chip 11 is configured to be electrically connected to the pins 40 connected to the plurality of leads 38 from the external device A through the circuit substrate 50 described later via the bonding wires 11w, and to be supplied with power, and to output a detection signal as pressure information. In addition, the pressure transmission medium is filled in the liquid seal chamber LR between the sealing glass 14 and the diaphragm 32 in the inner cylinder of the housing 12 via the oil filling tube 44. These pins 40 and the oil filling tube 44 are arranged in the same circle at equal intervals with the support 13 as the center, and are supported insulated from the housing 12 via an insulating material such as the sealing glass 14. In addition, the oil filling tube 44 is closed at one end after the pressure transmission medium is filled.

[0040] Here, the diaphragm 32 is fixed to the lower end surface of the housing 12 by a diaphragm protection cover 34 having a plurality of communication holes 34a, thereby preventing damage due to external force or sudden pressure in the pressure chamber PR. In addition, a concave frame 16 is fixed to one end side of the sealing glass 14 and a cover-shaped shielding plate 17 is installed. The frame 16 receives the pressure transmission medium between the pressure sensor chip 11 side and the diaphragm 32 side through the communication holes 17a formed in the shielding plate 17 to suppress sudden pressure changes.

[0041] The pins 40 are arranged on the bottom portion 24b of the resin terminal block 24 formed in a short-sized, bottomed, roughly cylindrical shape. Two power terminals, one output signal terminal, and five adjustment terminals used during assembly are arranged, and are electrically connected to the pressure sensor chip 11 via bonding wires 11w. These pins 40 are inserted into the insertion holes 24h formed in the bottom portion 24b of the terminal block 24, and are fixedly supported by the sealing glass 14. Here, a part of the roughly cylindrical side wall portion 24s of the terminal block 24 is formed in a flat shape, and the terminal holding portions 51 and 53 for respectively mounting and holding the relay connection terminals 36 (36A to 36C) and 37 (37A to 37C) described later in a group of three are arranged at symmetrical positions at the center of the cylinder.

[0042] The two ends of the pin 40 penetrate the two sides of the sealing glass 14 in the inner tube of the housing 12, and the pressure sensor chip 11 is conductively connected to the one end side of the liquid seal chamber LR side via the bonding wire 11w. In addition, the terminal piece 36e of the relay connection terminal 36 held by the side wall portion 24s of the terminal seat 24 is spot welded (or molten metal welding) to the other end side of the power supply terminal and the output signal terminal among the plurality of pins 40, and is conductively connected to the end surface. In addition, the relay connection terminal 37 connected to the lead 38 from the external device A is held on the opposite (opposite) side of the relay connection terminal 36 of the side wall portion 24s of the terminal seat 24 as described later. The circuit substrate 50 placed in a mounted manner is connected to the terminal pieces 36d and 37d of these relay connection terminals 36 and 37 by soldering with molten solder (conductive connection material) S applied. That is, the relay connection terminal 36 constitutes a connection component, and the relay connection terminal 37 constitutes a terminal component. Furthermore, as the conductive connection material, not only molten metal such as solder S but also, for example, an adhesive containing a conductive material may be applied.

[0043] Here, the circuit substrate 50 is interposed between the pressure sensor chip 11 and the external device A and functions as a part of the circuit structure. In this embodiment, a conversion adjustment circuit is mounted to adjust the different input and output voltages of the pressure sensor chip 11 and the external device A, for example, to make the input voltage DC12V, DC3.3V of the external device A become the input and output voltage DC5V of the operating voltage of the pressure sensor chip 11. This conversion adjustment circuit is not limited to this embodiment, and is an arbitrary conversion adjustment circuit for dealing with various drive voltages and pressure detection signal signal forms such as the voltage output form of the drive output voltage different from this embodiment, or the current output form such as the two-wire / three-wire form, or the digital output form. In addition, these conversion adjustment circuits are composed of a plurality of electronic components not shown in the figure.

[0044] Here, the terminal block 24 is provided with a terminal block cover 25 on the opening side of the cylindrical side wall portion 24s, and the installation space SR of the pin 40, the terminal pieces 36d, 36e, 37d of the relay connection terminals 36, 37, and the circuit substrate 50 is closed, and the pressure sensor unit 10 is constructed together with the housing 12 to which the pillar 13 of the pressure sensor chip 11 is fixed by the sealing glass 14. In the pressure sensor unit 10, the outer peripheral edge of the housing 12 and the cover 28 connected to the joint member 30 are welded from the outside by TIG welding, plasma welding, laser welding, etc., and integrated with a desired bonding strength. The pressure sensor unit 10 is housed in the waterproof housing 20, and is waterproofed and fixed by filling a sealing material 26 such as a polyurethane resin. Here, the circuit substrate 50 is arranged in the installation space SR formed by the terminal block 24 and the terminal block cover 25, so that an air layer with low thermal conductivity can be formed around the circuit substrate 50, and the temperature change from the surrounding of the pressure sensor and the piping can be prevented from being rapidly transmitted to the circuit substrate 50. In addition, the circuit substrate 50 itself, the mounted parts mounted on the circuit substrate 50, or the connection parts between the circuit substrate 50 and the relay connection terminals 36, 37 are not in contact with the sealing material 26, thereby preventing mechanical stress caused by contraction and expansion of the sealing material 26 due to changes in ambient temperature from acting on the connecting components, mounting parts, and especially their soldered parts.

[0045] The pressure sensor unit 10 is assembled in a stacked order by placing the terminal block 24, the circuit board 50, and the terminal block cover 25 from the housing 12 fixed to the cover 28 connected to the joint member 30. After the relay connection terminals 36 and 37 are placed on the terminal holding portions 51 and 53 of the side wall portion 24s, the terminal block 24 is placed on the housing 12 and the end of the pin 40 is spot welded to the terminal piece 36e of the relay connection terminal 36. After that, the circuit board 50 is placed on the terminal pieces 36d and 37d of the relay connection terminals 36 and 37 and soldered to conduct the connection. Here, it is not limited to spot welding, and of course, the terminal piece 36e of the relay connection terminal 36 and the end face of the pin 40 can be connected to each other by soldering, riveting, etc. In addition, the bottom surface portion 24b of the terminal block 24 is opened with a through hole that can be appropriately assembled, for example, a through hole 24H (not shown) for the oil filling tube 44 is also opened.

[0046] In detail, Figure 3 to Figure 7 As shown, the terminal block 24 has the relay connection terminals 36 and 37 mounted and held in the terminal holding portions 51 and 53 formed on the side wall portion 24 s.

[0047] The relay connection terminal 36 is formed in a shape in which the end pieces (terminal pieces) at one end and the other end of the two ends are facing each other, so that the flat surface 36f between the terminal pieces 36d and 36e at the two ends extending in the parallel direction of the U-shape is arranged in a parallel posture relative to the outer surface of the terminal holding portion 51 of the terminal seat 24, and the terminal pieces 36d and 36e are extended into the side wall portion 24s. The relay connection terminal 37 is also formed in a U-shape: the terminal piece 37d is extended in the side wall portion 24s of the terminal seat 24, and the flat connection surface 37f is parallel to the outer surface of the terminal holding portion 53, and a bent piece 37e is provided to bend the opposite side of the terminal piece 37d. The core wire C of the lead 38 from the external device A is soldered to the connection surface 37 f of the relay connection terminal 37 , thereby electrically connecting the pressure sensor chip 11 to the external device A via the pins 40 , the relay connection terminals 36 , 37 , and the circuit board 50 .

[0048] The terminal holding portion 51 is formed with a plurality of inner wall portions 55 on the inner side of the side wall portion 24s of the terminal seat 24, which are opposed to each other via a groove 55g, which is a fixing groove for fixing the relay connection terminal 36, and the upper surface of each of the inner wall portions 55 is formed to be at the same height. Similarly, the terminal holding portion 53 is formed with an inner wall portion 56 on the inner side of the side wall portion 24s of the terminal seat 24, which is opposed to each other via a groove 56g, which is a fixing groove for fixing the relay connection terminal 37. A pair of inner wall portions 57 are formed between these inner wall portions 55, 56 and on the inner side of the side wall portion 24s, which are opposed to each other via a groove 57g. That is, grooves 55g to 57g are formed continuously between the side wall portion 24s of the terminal seat 24 and the inner wall portions 55 to 57.

[0049] The terminal holding portion 51 inserts and positions the terminal piece 36e of each relay connection terminal 36A to 36C in a state of contacting the bottom surface of three slits 55s between four inner wall portions 55 opposing the side wall portion 24s of the terminal seat 24. In this state, the plane portion 36f of the relay connection terminal 36A to 36C formed to be larger than the slit 55s contacts the side opposing portion of the inner wall portion 55 on the side of the side wall portion 24s, and the terminal piece 36d of the three relay connection terminals 36A to 36C is folded back at a position on the same plane in a manner of contacting the upper surface of the inner wall portion 55. The relay connection terminals 36A to 36C have protrusions (fixing portions) 36h and 36i formed by extending the portion of the plane portion 36f adjacent to the terminal piece 36e in the plane direction of the plane portion 36f. In addition, an insertion groove 55h for the protrusions 36h and 36i is formed on the bottom surface of the groove 55g between the side wall portion 24s of the terminal seat 24 and the side wall 55. The protrusions 36h and 36i are inserted into the insertion groove 55h to maintain the relay connection terminals 36A to 36C in an upright state. According to the structure of the terminal retaining portion 51, the terminal piece 36e of the relay connection terminals 36A to 36C can be inserted and assembled in a manner suitable for the groove 55g and the slit 55s from the open end of the terminal seat 24, that is, from the top, and the fixing portion is formed according to such a structure. In addition, the protrusion 36i is Figure 2 The diagram is omitted. Figure 4 Medium picture.

[0050] The relay connection terminal 36 is made into a group of three relay connection terminals 36A to 36C of different shapes, and the terminal pieces 36d and 36e are bent at right angles to the flat surface portion 36f, respectively. The terminal piece 36e is formed in a parallel state with a narrower interval than the terminal piece 36d and is extended in a direction parallel to the bottom surface portion 24b of the terminal seat 24. In detail, the relay connection terminal 36 is formed in a shape that is extended in parallel with narrow intervals near the center because the terminal piece 36e is connected to the pins 40 that are arranged at equal intervals in the same circle with the support 13 as the center corresponding to the small pressure sensor chip 11. In addition, the terminal piece 36d can be connected to the circuit substrate 50 at any interval, so it is formed in a shape that is arranged and extended at a wider interval than the terminal piece 36e in order to facilitate the connection operation. In addition, as Figure 4 As shown in (d), the relay connection terminal 36 is formed by punching out three relay connection terminals 36A to 36C in a group in an integrated state with a lead frame 36LF, and then bending the terminal pieces 36d and 36e relative to the flat portion 36f, the protruding pieces 36h and 36i, respectively. In addition, the slit 55s of the inner wall portion 55 is open from the groove 55g to the bottom surface 24b side of the terminal seat 24, but when the terminal fixing adhesive 26g described later is injected into the groove 55g to fix the relay connection terminal 36, the back side of the flat portion 36f (outside the terminal seat 24) blocks the terminal fixing adhesive 26g, preventing the terminal fixing adhesive 26g from leaking to the bottom surface 24b side of the terminal seat 24.

[0051] The terminal holding portion 53 is formed with slits 53a and 53b on the upper and lower surfaces thereof, into which the terminal piece 37d and the bent piece 37e of the relay connection terminal 37 can be inserted and which penetrate the side wall portion 24s of the terminal seat 24. In addition, on the terminal holding portion 53, the terminal piece 37d and the bent piece (crossing portion) 37e penetrate the slits 53a and 53b of the side wall portion 24s of the terminal seat 24 and pass through the inner groove 56g from the cross direction, and are positioned in a state of contact with the upper surface of the inner wall portion 56 and the bottom surface of the groove 56g, that is, the fixing portion of the relay connection terminal 37 is formed according to the above structure.

[0052] Due to such a structure, each relay connection terminal 37A to 37C of the relay connection terminal 37 is made into the same shape, and the terminal piece 37d and the bent piece 37e are bent in the same direction orthogonal to the connection surface 37f in a manner that contacts the upper surface and the lower surface of the terminal holding portion 53. The terminal piece 37d is formed in a shape that can be inserted into the side wall portion 24s of the terminal seat 24 from the slit 53a to a degree that the circuit substrate 50 can be placed. The relay connection terminal 37 is formed with a narrow terminal piece 37d and a bent piece 37e relative to the wide connection surface 37f, and a snap-fit ​​piece 37g is formed on both sides of the terminal piece 37d, which is bent in the same direction and hooked in a manner that bites into the upper surface of the terminal holding portion 53. In addition, the snap-fit ​​piece 37g can be omitted when it is sufficient to fix it with the terminal fixing adhesive 26g described later.

[0053] Thus, the relay connection terminal 36 is mounted on the terminal holding portion 51, and can be mounted in a state where the long terminal pieces 36d and 36e are positioned between the inner wall portion 55 (slit 55s) on the inner side of the side wall portion 24s of the terminal seat 24, and the protruding pieces 36h and 36i are inserted into the insertion groove 55h on the bottom surface of the groove 55g between the side wall portion 24s and the inner wall portion 55 to be positioned and held, and can also be mounted in a manner in which the protrusion amount of the terminal piece 36e into the inside of the terminal seat 24 is also constant. According to such a structure, each terminal piece 36d can be positioned and supported at the height of the upper surface of the inner wall portion 55, and the terminal piece 36e can be positioned and supported at the height of the bottom surface of the slit 55s between the inner wall portions 55, and the protrusion amount of the terminal piece 36e into the inside of the terminal seat 24 is also constantly positioned and supported, that is, the fixed position of the relay connection terminal 36 can be determined. In this way, the positional relationship of the terminal piece 36e relative to the plane where the pins 40 are arranged, that is, the position of the end face of the pin 40 relative to the extension direction of the terminal piece 36e and the width direction of the terminal piece 36e is stable, and the terminal piece 36e and the end of the pin 40 can be stably positioned in the height direction. This is because it is necessary to keep the relative positional relationship between the end face of the pin 40 and the terminal piece 36e constant after spot welding. In addition, the relay connection terminal 37 is installed on the terminal retaining portion 53 in a state where the terminal piece 37d is positioned and retained on the upper surface of the inner wall portion 56 on the inner side of the side wall portion 24s of the terminal seat 24, that is, the fixed position of the relay connection terminal 3 can be determined.

[0054] Therefore, with respect to the relay connection terminals 36 and 37, the terminal piece 36e and the bent piece (fixing portion) 37e can pass through the side wall portion 24s of the terminal seat 24 and be located in the grooves 55g and 56g with a depth in the direction of overlapping the circuit substrate 50 formed between the inner wall portions 55 and 56. The relay connection terminals 36 and 37 can be positioned and fixed by injecting the terminal fixing adhesive 26g into the grooves 55g and 56g thereof. The grooves 55g and 56g of the inner wall portions 55 and 56 are continuous with both sides of the groove 57g between the side wall portion 24s and the inner wall portion 57, so that the steps (manufacturing method) of inserting a dispenser into the wide groove 57g thereof and injecting the terminal fixing adhesive 26g can be performed to easily complete the fixing operation (refer to Figure 6 ). Afterwards, with respect to the relay connection terminals 36 and 37, the terminal piece 36e can be spot welded to the pin 40 in a stable posture and connected, and the circuit substrate 50 placed on the terminal pieces 36d and 37d can be soldered and connected in a stable posture. Here, a plane portion 29 is formed on the inner surface of the arc-shaped side wall portion 24s on the terminal seat 24 and opposite to the inner wall portion 57. This is to allow the plane portion to engage with the protrusion 25a on the lower surface of the terminal seat cover 25, so that when the terminal seat cover 25 is placed on the terminal seat 24, it plays a role in preventing the horizontal displacement and rotation of the terminal seat cover 25. The terminal seat 24 and the terminal seat cover 25 are placed in a close manner, so that when the sealing material 26 is filled around the terminal seat 24 and the terminal seat cover 25, it is possible to prevent the sealing material 26 from leaking into the terminal seat 24.

[0055] These relay connection terminals 36 and 37 are made so that the terminal pieces 36d and 37d or the connection surface 37f to be soldered are plated with M to improve the wettability of the molten solder, thereby reducing the occurrence of poor connection with the concave wall electrode surface 50u of the circuit substrate 50 described later and enabling conductive connection. In addition, the adjacent part of the connection surface 37f of the relay connection terminal 37 is also plated with M to improve the wettability of the solder and reduce the occurrence of poor contact during the soldering with the core wire C of the lead 38. Here, the relay connection terminals 36 and 37 are plated with M only in the area where soldering is required, and the plating M is not applied to the other areas, thereby suppressing the outflow of the molten solder. In addition to setting the area where the wettability of the solder is improved by plating M as in this example, the soldering surface can also be kept in the state of the metal base surface, and the area that restricts the flow of the solder can be treated with a resist or coating.

[0056] like Figure 8As shown in FIG. 1 , the outer peripheral end surface of the portion of the circuit substrate 50 corresponding to the terminal pieces 36d and 37d of the relay connection terminals 36 and 37 is formed with a concave wall electrode surface (concave wall surface) 50u of the connection area which is concave in a direction parallel to the plane of the circuit substrate 50, i.e., inwardly in a U-shape and is open on both the front and back sides perpendicular to the plane of the circuit substrate 50 and functions as a connection position. The concave wall electrode surface 50u is concave inwardly by a distance L of a semicircle which allows molten solder to easily penetrate from the outer peripheral end surface of the circuit substrate 50 to the entire (entire surface), and the inner surface is plated with a plating M having excellent solder wettability. That is, the concave wall electrode surface 50u is formed in an elliptical cutout shape with a depth L from the outer peripheral end surface of the circuit substrate 50 toward the inner side of the substrate. By making the inward concave shape of the concave wall surface a semicircular shape, it is expected that the stress inside the concave wall electrode surface 50u formed by the solder fillet acts evenly. The stress becomes equal, which can improve the resistance to the bad situation such as poor conduction caused by the crack of the soldering part caused by the repeated hot and cold applied to the pressure sensor, that is, the so-called thermal cycle, and can complete the connection with high reliability. In addition, in the manufacturing process of the circuit substrate 50, it can also be made using the same processing tools as the processing of the mounting hole of the mounting component and the outer shape processing of the circuit substrate 50. In the case of a rectangular shape, other processes and other tools such as processing using a disc-shaped tool are required, but by making it semicircular, it is advantageous in terms of productivity and quality.

[0057] In contrast, the terminal pieces 36d and 37d of the relay connection terminals 36 and 37 are formed wider than the concave wall electrode surface 50u of the circuit substrate 50 and are formed longer than the depth (distance) L of the concave wall electrode surface 50u from the outer peripheral end surface, so that the circuit substrate 50 can be placed in a stable posture. In addition, the terminal seat 24 has a support-shaped portion 54 formed on the inner surface side of the side wall portion 24s to be embedded in the corner recesses 50r formed at the four corners of the circuit substrate 50, so that the circuit substrate 50 can be positioned. That is, the terminal pieces 36d and 37d of the relay connection terminals 36 and 37 function as a support area near the concave wall electrode surface 50u of the circuit substrate 50. In addition, in the present embodiment, a recessed wall electrode surface 50u is formed in the connection area of ​​the circuit substrate 50 on both sides connected to the terminal pieces 36d and 37d of the relay connection terminals 36 and 37, but this is not limited to this. The recessed wall electrode surface 50u may not be formed and the connection may be made on the outer peripheral end surface of the circuit substrate 50, or the recessed wall electrode surface 50u may be provided only on one side. However, from the perspective of connection operability and reliability, it is preferably formed on both sides.

[0058] Therefore, if Fig. 9 As shown in (a), the circuit board 50 is placed on the terminal pieces 36d and 37d of the relay connection terminals 36 and 37 in a stable posture and is held in a stable posture by the pillar-shaped portion 54 positioned at the terminal base 24, and is used to Fig. 9The semicircular concave wall electrode surface 50u′ shown in (b) has a large capacity and a solder S of a stable shape with sufficient solder leg height, and the concave wall electrode surface 50u is connected to the terminal pieces 36d and 37d with high reliability. The soft soldering part, that is, the connection area, becomes the back side of the circuit substrate 50, so the connection area cannot be directly visually confirmed. However, as in the present embodiment, the state of the solder leg inside the concave wall portion 50u is managed by visual inspection or image recognition, thereby determining whether the soft soldering is performed normally. In addition, a through hole 50H is opened on the circuit substrate 50 for inserting the oil filling tube 44 during assembly.

[0059] Thus, in the pressure sensor unit 10 of the pressure sensor 100 of the present embodiment, the following operation (manufacturing method) can be performed: the relay connection terminals 36 and 37 are located in the grooves 55g and 56g of the terminal retaining portions 51 and 53 formed in the side wall portions 24s of the terminal seat 24, and the terminals are fixed using the terminal fixing adhesive 26g while keeping the circuit substrate 50 overlapped in the grooves 55g and 56g.

[0060] Therefore, if Fig.15 As shown, when the terminal holding parts 51 and 53 formed on the side wall part 24s of the terminal block 24 are in a manner such that the relay connection terminals 36 and 37 formed in a U shape are inserted from the outer surface side, it is necessary to perform at least two operations of laying the terminal block 24 sideways and injecting the terminal fixing adhesive 26a into the grooves opened at the lower side of the terminal holding parts 51 and 53 of the side wall part 24s. In contrast, in the present embodiment, the fixing of the terminal block 24 in the upright state and the relay connection terminals 36 and 37 can be completed simply and quickly by a single injection operation of the terminal fixing adhesive 26g, and the positioning accuracy of the relay connection terminals 36 and 37 can be prevented from being reduced when the terminal block 24 is laid sideways.

[0061] Therefore, the assembly operation can be easily performed using a simple structure in which the circuit substrate 50 is directly overlapped and conductively connected only by the terminal block 24 provided on the upper side of the pressure sensor chip 11, and the pressure sensor 100 equipped with the pressure sensor unit 10 with high reliability and high quality conductive connection can be provided.

[0062] Here, as a first alternative mode of the present embodiment, instead of forming the protrusions 36h and 36i on the relay connection terminal 36 provided in the terminal holding portion 51 so as to maintain the posture, Fig.10 As shown in (a), the relay connection terminal 36 is folded back in the groove 55g of the terminal holding portion 51 and abutted against the two wall surfaces, thereby maintaining the posture and positioning and fixing it with the terminal fixing adhesive 26g. However, in the case where it is difficult to perform fine processing of bending the relay connection terminal 36, it is preferable to adopt the structure of this embodiment. In addition, as Fig.10As shown in (b), the terminal pieces 36d and 36e extending from both sides of the flat portion 36f' of the relay connection terminal 36 may be positioned and fixed by the terminal fixing adhesive 26g in the same manner as the relay connection terminal 37 and the terminal holding portion 53, by passing through the groove 55g of the terminal holding portion 51. However, in the relay connection terminal 36, it is necessary to make the longer terminal piece 36e pass through two locations on both sides of the groove 55g of the terminal holding portion 51, and the insertion operation may become complicated, so it is preferable to adopt the structure of this embodiment.

[0063] Furthermore, as a second alternative embodiment of the present invention, instead of making the relay connection terminal 36 in which the interval between the terminal pieces 36e is reduced corresponding to the pins 40 with narrow intervals, it is also possible to mount the relay connection terminal 36 on the terminal holding portion 51. Fig.11 As shown, three relay connection terminals 39 having terminal pieces 39d and 39e connected to pins 40 and circuit substrates 50 arranged in the same circle at equal intervals with pillars 13 as the center are made into the same U-shape. Specifically, the terminal holding portion 51 can also be made in the following manner: the relay connection terminal 39 can be connected to the pins 40 with narrow intervals and installed with the terminal piece 39e facing the center, and has a groove 59g for injecting the terminal fixing adhesive 26g. By arranging the relay connection terminals 39 radially corresponding to the pins 40, that is, in a concentric circle with respect to the arrangement of the pins 40, the length of the terminal piece 39e of the relay connection terminal 39 can be constant, and the three relay connection terminals 39 can be made into the same shape. In addition, for example, if the terminal holding portion 51 with the same number of pins 40 is formed in advance on the terminal seat 24, the relay connection terminals 39 used for the conductive connection between the pins 40 and the circuit substrate 50 can be increased or decreased according to the circuit structure of the circuit substrate 50, and various circuit structures can be handled.

[0064] In addition, as a third other mode of this embodiment, Fig.12 As shown, the inner wall portions 55 and 56 of the terminal retaining portions 51 and 53 may be extended outwardly on both sides and the inner wall portion 57 and the groove 57g may be omitted on the inner side of the side wall portion 24s of the terminal seat 24. In this case, the injection sites of the terminal fixing adhesive 26g for fixing the relay connection terminals 36 and 37 become two, but the injection amount can be reduced. In addition, from the perspective of the fluidity of the terminal fixing adhesive 26g, even when the terminal fixing adhesive 26g does not completely cover the entire grooves 55g, 56g, and 57g, it can be injected into the grooves 55g and 56g emphatically, which can prevent the terminal fixing adhesive 26g from being interrupted or overflowing from the grooves due to incomplete coverage.

[0065] Of course, the structures of the terminal holding portions 51 and 53 and the relay connection terminals 36 and 37 of the present embodiment may be exchanged, or one of the structures may be unified and shared.

[0066] For example, as a fourth other embodiment of this embodiment, Fig.13 As shown, instead of using the relay connection terminal 37 of the terminal component, the lead wire 38 may be used as a terminal component to penetrate the terminal block 25 and be connected to the circuit substrate 50 by direct soldering or the like. In the fourth and fifth other modes, by omitting the relay connection terminal 37 and releasing the support fixation, the circuit substrate 50 can be slidably held together with the deformation of the lead wire 38, and the relative positional relationship with the terminal block 24 can be adjusted. In addition, in the fifth other mode, the lead wire 38 is connected to the circuit substrate 50 in advance, the terminal piece 36e of the relay connection terminal 36 is spot welded to the pin 40, and then the circuit substrate 50 connected with the lead wire 38 is placed on the terminal piece 36d of the relay connection terminal 36, and the placing part is soldered to be assembled and manufactured in a manner covering the terminal block cover 25. In addition, after the assembly operation, the sealing material 26 is filled between the waterproof housing 20 and the terminal block 24 and the terminal block cover 25. .

[0067] In addition, as a fifth other mode of this embodiment, Fig.14 As shown, the relay connection terminal 37 may be left as it is without using the relay connection terminal 36 as a connection member, and the lead pin 40 may be directly connected to the circuit board 50 by soldering or the like as a connection member.

[0068] The scope of the present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described in the drawings, but includes all embodiments that bring about the same effects as the purpose of the present invention. Furthermore, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the combination of the features of the invention defined by each claim, but can be divided by all desired combinations of all disclosed specific features.

Claims

1. A pressure sensor, comprising a sensor unit having a sensor connected to an external device, characterized in that: have: a circuit substrate, configured to be interposed between the external device and connected to the sensor; One or both of a connecting member located between the sensor and the circuit substrate and conductively connected to the sensor and the circuit substrate, and a terminal member conductively connected to the circuit substrate for conductively connecting the circuit substrate to the external device; and a terminal seat, which fixes and positions one or both of the connection component and the terminal component, The circuit substrate is mounted on one or both of the connecting member and the terminal member. The terminal seat is formed with a fixing groove having a depth in the overlapping direction of the circuit substrate and extending at least to the fixing position of one or both of the connecting component and the terminal component. The fixing parts of one or both of the connecting component and the terminal component are located in the fixing groove and are positioned and fixed by bonding with an adhesive.

2. The pressure sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The terminal block includes a side wall portion constituting an outer surface of the terminal block and an inner wall portion located at a position facing the inner side of the side wall portion and forming the fixing groove.

3. The pressure sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fixing groove is formed in a shape that is continuous so as to include at least a fixing portion of one or both of the connection member and the terminal member.

4. The pressure sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that: One or both of the connection member and the terminal member include the fixing portion extending in a direction overlapping with the circuit substrate and located in the fixing groove, and is fixed to the terminal base.

5. The pressure sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that: An intersection portion of one or both of the connection member and the terminal member extending in a direction intersecting with a depth direction of the fixing groove is located in the fixing groove and fixed to the terminal block.

6. A method for manufacturing a pressure sensor, the pressure sensor comprising a sensor unit having a sensor connected to an external device, characterized in that: The sensor unit comprises: a circuit substrate arranged to be interposed between the sensor and the external device and connected to the sensor; one or both of a connecting member located between the sensor and the circuit substrate and conductively connected to the sensor and the circuit substrate, and a terminal member conductively connected to the circuit substrate for conductively connecting the circuit substrate to the external device; and a terminal seat, which fixes and positions one or both of the connection component and the terminal component, The circuit substrate is mounted on one or both of the connecting member and the terminal member. The terminal block is formed with a fixing groove having a depth in the overlapping direction of the circuit substrate and extending at least to a fixing position of one or both of the connecting component and the terminal component. On the terminal block, after the fixing portions of one or both of the connection component and the terminal component are positioned in the fixing groove and adhesive is injected into the fixing groove for positioning and bonding, the circuit substrate is held in an overlapping manner for assembly.

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