Pressure sensor

Abstract

The invention provides a pressure sensor capable of reliably ensuring liquid tightness by reducing the magnitude of stress applied to a pin member fixed to a sensor fixing member. A pressure sensor (100) in which a sensor chip (11) is connected to a relay substrate (50) and is accommodated in a housing (20) in a liquid-tight manner via a sealing material (26), the sensor is provided in a housing (12) provided with a pressure chamber (PR), and the relay substrate is disposed such that the sensor chip is conductively connected via a pin (40) penetrating through the housing and a lead wire (38) extending from an external device (A) is conductively connected. The relay substrate is disposed between the sensor chip and the external device, the lead joint is connected with a sealing material entering between the housing and the relay substrate, and a spacer (60) is disposed between the relay substrate and the housing into which the sealing material enters.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a pressure sensor hermetically molded from a resin liquid. Background Art

[0002] Various sensors for detecting pressure, temperature, etc. are utilized in such a manner that they are fixed near a measurement object and send a detection signal to a measurement device or the like, and are widely used in a form built in or outside the measurement device.

[0003] Such various sensors are utilized by being hermetically installed inside a housing of a sensor unit in such a manner that they can be provided at a portion exposed to the same environment as the measurement object. For example, in the case of adopting a structure in which a substrate that relays power supply and electrical signals input / output to / from a sensor chip is sandwiched, by connecting conductive components such as leads and pins to the substrate, the installation process into the housing can be facilitated (see Patent Document 1).

[0004] Prior Art Documents

[0005] Patent Documents

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2019-158726 Summary of the Invention

[0007] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] However, in the pressure sensor described in Patent Document 1, for example, as Figure 8 shown, after pins 40 fixed to a sealing glass 14 formed on the inner peripheral surface of a housing 12 and connected to a sensor chip 11 and a lead 38 connected to an external device A are respectively connected to a relay substrate 50, they are housed in a housing 20 and filled with a resin sealing material 26, thereby ensuring liquid tightness that can be provided everywhere.

[0009] Therefore, in this pressure sensor 1000, it is configured such that the sealing material 26 enters between the housing 12 and the relay substrate 50 and is joined and cured in a state of being in close contact with both.

[0010] In such a structure, there are the linear expansion coefficients of each constituent material such as the relay substrate 50, the housing 20, and the sealing material 26. Therefore, depending on the temperature inside and outside including the measurement object, the degree of expansion and contraction of each constituent material varies. In particular, when the housing 12 (sealing glass 14) to which the pins 40 are fixed and the relay substrate 50 are made of a rigid body and the difference in the amount of expansion and contraction between the sealing material 26 between the housing 12 and the relay substrate 50 and the pins 40 is large, the pins 40 joined to the sealing material 26 are pressed into the housing 12 as the sealing material 26 expands and contracts, or are applied with a stress in the direction of being pulled out from the housing 12.

[0011] Then, the pin 40 moves along the long side direction within the housing 12, and cracks or the like that are continuous from the side where the sensor chip 11 is provided toward the relay substrate 50 side are generated at the fixing portion of the housing 12 with respect to the pin 40, which may reduce the liquid tightness performance.

[0012] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a pressure sensor that can reliably ensure liquid tightness with high reliability by reducing the magnitude of stress applied to a pin member fixed to a sensor fixing member.

[0013] Solution to the problem

[0014] One aspect of the invention of a pressure sensor for solving the above problems connects a sensor that detects the pressure of a measurement object to a relay substrate and is liquid-tightly installed in a housing together with the relay substrate by a sealing material. Among them, the sensor is provided in a sensor fixing member having a pressure chamber that withstands the pressure of the measurement object, and the relay substrate is configured to be conductively connected to the sensor provided in the pressure chamber via a rod-shaped pin member that penetrates the sensor fixing member liquid-tightly, and a member extended from an external device is conductively connected to the relay substrate, and the relay substrate is interposed between the sensor and the external device. The pin member protrudes from the sensor fixing member and is connected to the separated relay substrate, and the sealing material that enters between the sensor fixing member and the relay substrate is joined, and a spacer is interposed between the relay substrate into which the sealing material enters and the sensor fixing member.

[0015] Advantageous effects of the invention

[0016] Thus, according to one aspect of the present invention, since a spacer is provided between the relay substrate and the sensor fixing member, the capacity of the sealing material that enters between the relay substrate and the sensor fixing member and joins with the pin member can be suppressed, and the joining capacity of the sealing material that expands and contracts while joining with the pin member can be reduced.

[0017] Therefore, it is possible to reduce the stress (load) that causes the pin member to relatively move and displace with respect to the sensor fixing member due to the expansion and contraction of the sealing material according to temperature changes, and it is possible to reliably ensure the liquid tightness of the sensor fixing member to which the pin member is fixed. Description of the drawings

[0018] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing a pressure sensor according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and is a longitudinal sectional view showing its schematic overall structure.

[0019] Figure 2 It is a perspective view of a constituent member of a main part of the pressure sensor according to the first embodiment.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing the pressure sensor of the second embodiment of the present invention, and is a longitudinal sectional view showing its schematic overall structure.

[0021] Figure 4 This is a perspective view showing the components of the main part of the pressure sensor of the second embodiment.

[0022] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing another form of the third embodiment, and is a longitudinal sectional view showing its schematic overall structure.

[0023] Figure 6 This is a perspective view showing the components of the main part of another form of the third embodiment.

[0024] Figure 7 This is a perspective view showing the components of the main part of another form of the third embodiment that are Figure 6 different from those.

[0025] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing the prior art of the present embodiment, and is a longitudinal sectional view showing its schematic overall structure.

[0026] In the figure:

[0027] 10—Pressure sensor unit, 11—Pressure sensor chip, 12—Housing, 14—Sealing glass, 20—Waterproof housing, 26—Sealing material, 38—Lead wire, 40—Pin, 50—Relay substrate, 60, 61, 63, 65—Spacer, 61A, 61B—Ring-shaped part, 61Bi, 65i—Inner peripheral surface, 61f—Leg, 63s—Support part, 65B—Disk-shaped part, 65h—Insertion through hole, 100, 200, 300—Pressure sensor, A—External device, C—Core wire, PR—Pressure chamber, R—Entry path. Detailed embodiments

[0028] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 And Figure 2 This is a diagram for explaining the pressure sensor of the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] <First embodiment>

[0030] In Figure 1In this case, the pressure sensor 100 is manufactured such that the pressure sensor unit 10 provided with a pressure sensor chip (sensor) 11 is installed in the refrigerant pipe in the unit for measuring the pressure of the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle, for example, and the pressure information detected by the pressure sensor chip 11 is output to an external device A, which is a control device for controlling the refrigeration cycle. The pressure sensor 100 of the present embodiment is configured to be connectable by connecting the pressure sensor unit 10 having a resin waterproof housing 20 formed in a substantially cylindrical shape to a pipe for measuring an object, such as a gas or a liquid, whose pressure is to be detected, by using a metal joint member 30.

[0031] Here, the waterproof housing 20 is provided to cover the upper end face side of a metal outer shell 12 having a wall thickness and formed in a cylindrical shape. The outer shell 12 houses the pressure sensor chip 11 of the pressure sensor unit 10, and the peripheral edge portion of a metal lid 28 for fixing the joint member 30 is connected to the other end face side of the outer shell 12 by welding or the like. The joint member 30 has an internal thread 30s formed therein, such as in a pipe for measuring pressure, and the fluid supplied from the pipe in the direction of arrow P is introduced into a pressure chamber PR, which is a space surrounded by the lid 28, the outer shell 12, and a diaphragm 32 described later, through a port 30a communicating with the inside of the internal thread 30s. Here, the outer peripheral edge portions of the outer shell 12 and the lid 28 are welded from the outside by TIG welding, plasma welding, laser welding, or the like, and integrated with a desired bonding strength.

[0032] The outer shell (sensor fixing member) 12 is arranged such that a support column 13 provided with the pressure sensor chip 11 at one end side is located at the center inside the inner cylinder, and a sealing glass 14 is formed, which is filled between the inner surface of the outer shell 12 and the outer surface of the support column 13 and fixes a component that penetrates the inside while ensuring a closed state in a liquid-tight manner.

[0033] In the pressure sensor unit 10, a metal diaphragm 32 is joined and fixed to the lower end face of the outer shell 12. The diaphragm 32 forms an airtight pressure chamber PR on the lid 28 side and isolates the installation space of the pressure sensor chip 11 on the support column 13 side inside the outer shell 12 from the pressure chamber PR.

[0034] Further, in the pressure sensor unit 10, a predetermined amount of silicone oil (or a fluorine-based inert liquid or the like) is filled as a pressure transmission medium in 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 outer shell 12, and the space functions as a liquid-sealed chamber LR.

[0035] Thus, the pressure sensor chip 11 functions as a sensor that detects the pressure of the fluid to be detected introduced into the pressure chamber PR from the pipe connected to the joint member 30 via the diaphragm 32 as the pressure change of the pressure transmission medium in the liquid seal chamber LR. That is, the pressure chamber PR of the present embodiment has a structure including a liquid seal chamber LR and is configured to be able to detect the pressure of the fluid to be measured introduced from the joint member 30 using the pressure sensor chip 11. In addition, as the pressure chamber, it may not have a liquid seal chamber, and the pressure of the fluid to be measured may be directly applied to the sensor chip for measurement. Moreover, the object to be measured is not limited to liquid, and of course, it can also be various gases such as gases, and fog-like gases containing minute fluid particles.

[0036] Here, the pressure sensor chip 11 is arranged to be electrically connected to a plurality of leads (external connection components) 38 from an external device A at multiple locations via bonding wires 11w and pins (connection pin components) 40 connected via a relay substrate 50 described later, is supplied with power, and outputs 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 inside the inner cylinder of the housing 12 via an oil filling pipe (not shown). These multiple pins 40 and the oil filling pipe are arranged at equal intervals in a circular shape centered on the support column 13 and are supported insulated from the housing 12 via an insulator such as the sealing glass 14. In addition, one end of the above-mentioned oil filling pipe is closed after filling the pressure transmission medium.

[0037] Here, a diaphragm protection cover 34 having a plurality of communication holes 34a is joined and fixed to the lower end surface of the housing 12 for the diaphragm 32, thereby preventing damage caused by external force or a sudden pressure in the pressure chamber PR. In addition, a concave-shaped frame 16 is fixed to one end side of the sealing glass 14, and a lid-shaped shielding plate 17 is installed. The frame 16 allows the pressure transmission medium to flow freely between the pressure sensor chip 11 side and the diaphragm 32 side via the communication hole 17a formed in the shielding plate 17 and suppressing sudden pressure changes.

[0038] In the present embodiment, the pins 40 are arranged with two power supply terminals, one output signal terminal, and five adjustment terminals used during assembly, and are electrically connected to the pressure sensor chip 11 via the bonding wires 11w. These multiple pins 40 protrude from one end surface side of the housing 12 and are fixedly supported by the sealing glass 14 in a direction orthogonal to the upper surface (installation surface) 12t of the housing 12. In addition, the number of these pins 40 is appropriately set according to the specifications of the pressure sensor chip 11.

[0039] On the upper end face side of the housing 12, a sealing material 26 such as a polyurethane-based or epoxy-based resin is filled in a liquid-tight manner from the opening side opposite to the lid 28 of the waterproof housing 20 to seal it, thereby constructing a pressure sensor unit 10 that ensures liquid tightness around the relay substrate 50 for the connection pins 40 and the lead wires 38. Here, after the pressure sensor unit 10 is positioned and supported on the housing 12 (sealing glass 14) by being electrically connected to the relay substrate 50 through soldering, spot welding, etc. of the core wires C of the pins 40 and the lead wires 38, the relay substrate 50 and the housing 12 are inserted into the waterproof housing 20 together. Then, the sealing material 26 is filled into the housing 20 to seal it in a liquid-tight manner, thus performing the internal installation process. In addition, the pins 40 in the figure are shown hollow to facilitate observation even in the parts hidden by the sealing material 26.

[0040] Here, the waterproof housing 20 includes: a small cylindrical portion 20a with the minimum diameter, which forms an opening side opposite to the lid 28 where the relay substrate 50 is located and is filled with the sealing material 26; a middle cylindrical portion 20c, which is adjacent to the small cylindrical portion 20a in a coaxial posture and has an inner diameter capable of accommodating the housing 12; and a large cylindrical portion 20e, which is adjacent to the middle cylindrical portion 20c on the opposite side of the small cylindrical portion 20a in a coaxial posture and has an inner diameter capable of accommodating the lid 28. In the internal installation process of inserting the relay substrate 50 and the like into the waterproof housing 20, the outer peripheral edge on the upper end face side of the housing 12 abuts against the step 20b between the small cylindrical portion 20a and the middle cylindrical portion 20c, thereby positioning the pressure sensor unit 10 and the waterproof housing 20.

[0041] Furthermore, both ends of the pin 40 are buried in a penetrating state on both sides of the sealing glass 14 inside the inner cylinder of the housing 12. On the liquid seal chamber LR side, i.e., one end side, the pressure sensor chip 11 is electrically connected through the bonding wire 11w. And the other end side of the pin 40, which corresponds to the power supply terminal and the output signal terminal, penetrates through the through holes (via holes) 50h at multiple parts of the relay substrate 50 and is electrically connected to the pad pattern (not shown) through soldering or the like.

[0042] In addition, a plurality of lead wires 38 that can be connected to the external device A are directly welded to the relay substrate 50 by using the molten solder S for the buckled core wires C to establish electrical connection, and a welding pattern (not shown) for connecting the core wires C of the lead wires 38 is formed on the relay substrate 50 side. In addition, the connection of the pins 40 and the lead wires 38 can of course be carried out not only by molten metals such as spot welding and solder S, but also by, for example, coating an adhesive containing a conductive material, etc. Moreover, it can also be connected to the relay substrate 51 via a terminal component for connecting the core wire C, or a through hole 51h for connecting the core wire C is provided in the same way as the pin 40, and the core wire C is inserted through without buckling the lead wire 38 for connection. As a means of electrical connection, there is no particular limitation. In addition, the relay substrate 50 used here, in addition toFigure 1 The rigid plate-like structure shown, etc., can also be a so-called FPC (flexible printed circuit board) with flexibility. However, by adopting a rigid plate-like structure instead of an FPC, it is advantageous in terms of the connection workability with the relay substrate 50, the pins 40, and the leads 38. For example, by connecting the relay substrate 50 and the pins 40 first and then connecting the leads 38, since the leads are connected to a rigid substrate, there are advantages such as easy operation. In addition, a conversion adjustment circuit can be installed on the relay substrate 50, which converts the input / output electrical characteristics for the pressure sensor unit 10, such as converting from voltage input to current output, boosting or bucking the input / output voltage, A / D·D / A conversion, etc.

[0043] Here, as described in the above internal installation process, the sealing material 26 such as polyurethane or epoxy resin filled in the waterproof housing 20 for the support and fixation of the lead 38 in the extending direction and the fixation of the waterproof housing 20 to the outer housing 12 flows around the relay substrate 50 and enters between the outer housing 12 and then cures. Thus, the pins 40 of the present embodiment are hermetically sealed within the pressure sensor 100. The pins 40 are not only hermetically fixed and supported by being tightly bonded to the sealing material 26 on the surface, but also held by the sealing glass 14 of the outer housing 12 while ensuring hermeticity.

[0044] Moreover, the spacer 60 formed in an annular shape thinner than the outer housing 12 Figure 2 shown is provided on the upper surface 12t of the outer housing 12 so as to be interposed between the relay substrate 50 connected to the pins 40 and the outer housing 12 (sealing glass 14). The spacer 60 is formed in such a shape that the inner peripheral surface 60i coincides with the extended surface of the inner peripheral surface 12i of the outer housing 12, and the outer peripheral surface 60o faces the inner peripheral surface 20ai of the small cylindrical portion 20a of the housing 20 closely. Additionally, with respect to the interval between the relay substrate 50 and the outer housing 12 being the height H, the spacer 60 is set to a thickness T1 (<H), and is made to ensure a space for the molten sealing material 26 before curing to enter through the gap between the upper surface 60t of the spacer 60 and the lower surface 50u of the relay substrate 50 as the entry path R.

[0045] The spacer 60 is made of a material with a linear expansion coefficient between that of the pins 40 and the sealing material 26. For example, the pins 40 are metals such as Fe, NiFe, SUS, etc., with a linear expansion coefficient of 4 - 18×10 -6 , and the sealing material 26 is a synthetic resin of PU (polyurethane), EP (epoxy), with a linear expansion coefficient of 40 - 200×10 -6 , in contrast, the spacer 60 is a synthetic resin of PBT (polybutylene terephthalate), PPS (polyphenylene sulfide) with a linear expansion coefficient of 50 - 100×10-6 The material is selected so that its coefficient of linear expansion is in the same way as that between the lead pin 40 and the sealing material 26. Thus, the spacer 60 does not expand and contract much more than the sealing material 26, and the influence of the volume change of the sealing material 26 can be reduced.

[0046] With this structure, the sealing material 26 enters the space between the relay substrate 50 and the spacer 60 through the entry path R and fills the space around the lead pin 40 between the relay substrate 50 and the spacer 60. The filling capacity reduces the volume of the spacer 60 and engages with the lead pin 40. Therefore, the stress exerted by the sealing material 26 that expands and contracts according to temperature changes on the relay substrate 50 and the housing 12 can be reduced, the press-in force or pulling force applied to the lead pin 40 fixed to the sealing glass 14 of the housing 12 can be reduced, the generation of peeling and cracking at the sealing glass 14 can be suppressed, and the deterioration of the liquid tightness against the leakage of the pressure transmission medium from the sealing glass 14 side can be prevented.

[0047] Thus, in the pressure sensor 100 of the present embodiment, the capacity of the sealing material 26 entering between the housing 12 and the relay substrate 50 can be reduced to reduce the load applied to the lead pin 40, and the amount of expansion and contraction of the sealing material 26 caused by temperature changes can be reduced to suppress the stress that wants to move the lead pin 40 relative to the sealing glass 14 of the housing 12 in the long side direction.

[0048] Therefore, in the pressure sensor 100, peeling and cracking between the lead pin 40 and the sealing glass 14 can be avoided to ensure liquid tightness, and the reliability can be improved.

[0049] Here, in the present embodiment, the sealing material 26 is filled in the housing 20 to ensure the liquid tightness around the relay substrate 50. Therefore, the covered end portion including the lead wire 38 can be molded in the sealing material 26, the so-called breathing phenomenon in which moisture in the air enters through the core wire C due to a temperature difference or a pressure difference can be prevented, and the occurrence of short circuits or migrations of the substrate circuit caused by condensation of the relay substrate 50 or the like can be prevented.

[0050] <Second Embodiment>

[0051] Next, Figure 3 And Figure 4 are diagrams for explaining the pressure sensor of the second embodiment of the present invention. Among them, this embodiment is configured in substantially the same way as the above embodiment. Therefore, the same reference numerals are given to the same structures, and detailed descriptions are omitted, and only the characteristic parts are described (the same applies to other embodiments described below).

[0052] In Figure 3Among them, the pressure sensor 200 includes the pressure sensor unit 10 that is the same as in the above-described embodiment. In this embodiment, instead of the above-described spacer 60, the spacer 61 is made of the same material and is disposed on the upper surface 12t of the housing 12 so as to be interposed between the relay substrate 50 and the housing 12 (sealing glass 14).

[0053] As Figure 4 shown, the spacer 61 is formed in a shape in which circular ring-shaped portions 61A and 61B that are thinner than the housing 12 and have different diameters are connected by a connecting portion 61r so as to be integrated, and legs 61f are formed at the intersection of the large-diameter circular ring-shaped portion 61A and the connecting portion 61r.

[0054] The spacer 61 is formed in the following shape: a gap space is formed by separating the outermost peripheral surface 61Ao of the large-diameter circular ring-shaped portion 61A from the inner peripheral surface 20ai of the small cylindrical portion 20a of the housing 20, and the innermost peripheral surface (wall surface) 61Bi of the small-diameter circular ring-shaped portion 61B faces the outer peripheral surface 40o of the pins 40 arranged in a circle while approaching each other to ensure a space.

[0055] Moreover, in addition to the radial gap space between the circular ring-shaped portion 61A of the spacer 61 and the small cylindrical portion 20a of the waterproof housing 20, the spacer 61 also ensures an entry path R for the molten sealing material 26 before curing between the legs 61f in contact with the upper surface 12t of the housing 12, between the circular ring-shaped portions 61A and 61B supported by the legs 61f, and between the lower surface 50u of the relay substrate 50 and the upper surface 12t of the housing 12 above and below these circular ring-shaped portions 61A and 61B.

[0056] According to this structure, similarly to the above-described embodiment, the sealing material 26 enters from the entry path R in the gap space around the spacer 61 between the relay substrate 50 and the housing 12 and fills around the pins 40, and the filling capacity reduces the volume of the spacer 61 and joins with the pins 40.

[0057] Therefore, similarly to the above-described embodiment, the spacer 61 can reduce the stress applied by the sealing material 26 that expands and contracts according to temperature changes to the relay substrate 50 and the housing 12, can reduce the press-in force and pull-out force applied to the pins 40 fixed to the sealing glass 14 of the housing 12 to suppress the occurrence of peeling and cracking, and can prevent the deterioration of the liquid tightness against the leakage of the pressure transmission medium from the sealing glass 14 side.

[0058] Further, in the spacer 61, the innermost peripheral surface (wall surface) 61Bi of the small-diameter annular portion 61B is close to and faces the outer peripheral surface 40o of the pins 40 arranged in a circle, narrowing the clearance space. Therefore, the volume of the sealing material 26 between the annular portion 61B of the spacer 61 and the pins 40 can be reduced, and the bonding force of the sealing material 26 joined to the outer peripheral surface 40o of the pins 40 (peeling cracks, etc. are likely to occur) can be reduced, suppressing the stress load that causes peeling and cracking of the sealing glass 14 of the housing 12.

[0059] Thus, in the pressure sensor 200 of the present embodiment, in addition to the effects of the above-described embodiment, since the inner peripheral surface 61Bi of the annular portion 61B faces the outer peripheral surface 40o of the pins 40 in a close manner, the stress that wants to move the pins 40 relative to the sealing glass 14 of the housing 12 in the long side direction can be further suppressed, and the liquid tightness can be ensured with higher reliability.

[0060] <Third Embodiment>

[0061] Next, Figure 5 and Figure 6 is a diagram for explaining the pressure sensor according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

[0062] In Figure 5 the pressure sensor 300 includes the same pressure sensor unit 10 as in the above-described embodiment. In the present embodiment, instead of the above-described spacer 61, the spacer 63 is made of the same material and is disposed on the upper surface 12t of the housing 12 so as to be interposed between the relay substrate 50 and the housing 12 (sealing glass 14).

[0063] As Figure 6 shown, in addition to the annular portions 61A, 61B, the connecting portion 61r, and the leg portion 61f of the above-described spacer 61, the spacer 63 is integrally formed with a support portion 63s on the upper part on the opposite side of the leg portion 61f. Similar to the leg portion 61f being in contact with and supporting the upper surface 12t of the housing 12 to support the annular portions 61A, 61B, the support portion 63s is made to be in contact with and support the lower surface 50u of the relay substrate 50. Therefore, the spacer 63 can particularly support the relay substrate 50 in a placed state before the filling operation of the sealing material 26 or before the connection operation with the pins 40. Here, similar to the leg portion 61f ensuring the entry path R of the molten sealing material 26 between the upper surface 12t of the housing 12, the support portion 63s of the spacer 63 ensures the entry path R of the molten sealing material 26 between the annular portions 61A, 61B supported by the leg portion 61f and the lower surface 50u of the relay substrate 50.

[0064] With this configuration, similar to the above-described embodiment, the sealing material 26 enters from the entry path R of the gap space around the spacer 63 between the relay substrate 50 and the housing 12, fills around the pins 40, and the filling capacity reduces the volume of the spacer 63 and bonds to the pins 40.

[0065] Therefore, in a case where the innermost peripheral surface (wall surface) 61Bi of the innermost peripheral portion 61B having a small-diameter circular ring shape approaches the outer peripheral surface 40o of the pin 40 and faces each other (narrowing the gap space) to reduce the capacity of the sealing material 26 between the pin 40 and the spacer 63, similar to the above-described embodiment, the spacer 63 can suppress the occurrence of peeling and cracking caused by the pressing force and pulling force of the pin 40, and prevent the deterioration of the liquid tightness against the leakage of the pressure transmission medium from the sealing glass 14 side.

[0066] Furthermore, the spacer 63 can easily perform various operations in a state where the relay substrate 50 is placed and supported on the support portion 63s during the filling operation of the sealing material 26 and the connection operation with the pins 40, and can improve the workability.

[0067] Thus, in the pressure sensor 300 of the present embodiment, in addition to the effects of the above-described embodiment, the relay substrate 50 can be placed on the spacer 63 to perform various operations. Therefore, various operations such as the conduction connection of the lead 38 and the pins 40 to the relay substrate 50 can be easily performed, and the quality of operations such as conduction connection can be improved.

[0068] Here, as another mode of the present embodiment, as Figure 7 shown, a spacer 65 having a disk-shaped portion 65B formed therein may be provided instead of the circular ring-shaped portion 61B of the spacer 63 described above. The disk-shaped portion 65B is formed with insertion holes 65h through which the pins 40 arranged in a circle and the oil filling tube pass. The inner peripheral surface (wall surface) 65hi of the insertion hole 65h faces the outer peripheral surface 40o of the pin 40 connecting and fixing the relay substrate 50 and the sealing glass 14 of the housing 12 while approaching the entire circumference, narrowing the gap space, and ensuring the entry path R of the molten sealing material 26.

[0069] According to this configuration, the spacer 65 can reduce the capacity of the sealing material 26 between the pin 40 compared to the circular ring-shaped portion 61B of the spacer 63 of the above-described embodiment, and can further reduce the bonding force of the sealing material 26 bonded to the outer peripheral surface 40o of the pin 40 (peeling cracks are likely to occur), and further suppress the stress load of peeling and cracking generated in the sealing glass 14 of the housing 12.

[0070] The scope of the present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments illustrated and described, and also includes all embodiments that bring about effects equivalent to the object of the present invention. Moreover, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the combinations of the features of the invention determined by each claim, and can be divided by all desired combinations of each specific feature disclosed.

Claims

1. A pressure sensor, wherein a sensor for detecting the pressure of a measurement object is connected to a relay substrate and the relay substrate is housed in a housing in a liquid-tight manner through a sealing material. It is characterized in that The sensor is installed in a sensor fixing member having a pressure chamber that receives the pressure of the measurement object. The relay substrate is configured such that the sensor provided in the pressure chamber is conductively connected via a rod-shaped pin member that penetrates the sensor fixing member in a liquid-tight manner, and a member extending from an external device is conductively connected to the relay substrate so that the relay substrate is interposed between the sensor and the external device. The pin member protrudes from the sensor fixing member and is connected to the separated relay substrate, and is bonded with the sealing material entering between the sensor fixing member and the relay substrate. A spacer is interposed between the relay substrate into which the sealing material enters and the sensor fixing member.

2. The pressure sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The spacer is made of a material having a linear expansion coefficient between the linear expansion coefficient of the pin member and the linear expansion coefficient of the sealing material.

3. The pressure sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The spacer has a wall surface facing the outer peripheral surface of the pin member between the relay substrate and the sensor fixing member.

4. The pressure sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The relay substrate is manufactured in a form in which the relay substrate is placed on the spacer interposed between the sensor fixing member and is conductively connected to the pin member.

5. The pressure sensor according to claim 4, characterized in that: The spacer is formed in a shape that ensures a path space between the spacer and one or both of the relay substrate and the sensor fixing member so that the sealing material can enter.

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