Conductive terminal and pressure sensor

Abstract

The utility model discloses a conductive terminal, which is convenient to form electric contact with external equipment and is relatively compact in overall structure. The conductive terminal is a spiral spring and comprises a first part and a second part, wherein the central axis of the first part is longitudinally arranged and sparsely coiled; the central axis of the second part is longitudinally arranged, the bottom end of the second part is connected to the top end of the first part, and the second part comprises a tight coiling part and a sparse coiling part with the bottom end connected to the tight coiling part; the transition part is connected with the top of the first part and the bottom of the second part and at least comprises a conical part, and the outer diameter of the bottom of the conical part is larger than that of the top of the conical part. The utility model further discloses a pressure sensor which comprises the conductive terminal.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of sensors, in particular to a conductive terminal and a pressure sensor. BACKGROUND

[0002] CN115752873A discloses a pressure sensor which connects the circuit of the pressure sensor with external equipment by a spring-shaped elastic conductive terminal. The elastic conductive terminal generally includes two parts with different outer diameters. The part with a larger outer diameter has a sparse coiled elastic part which is electrically connected to the circuit of the pressure sensor at the lower end in the longitudinal direction to avoid the use of a sealing ring to compensate for the longitudinal dimensional tolerance; the part with a smaller outer diameter is tightly coiled and forms a tapered head to facilitate plugging with the plug of the external equipment. Therefore, it occupies a large space when installed. CONTENT OF THE UTILITY MODEL

[0003] In view of the deficiencies of the prior art, the present application provides a conductive terminal to facilitate electrical contact with external equipment and at the same time to have a relatively compact overall structure.

[0004] The utility model provides a kind of conductive terminal, the conductive terminal is spiral spring, comprising:

[0005] First part, which is longitudinally arranged along the middle axis and sparsely coiled;

[0006] Second part, which is longitudinally arranged along the middle axis and connected to the top end of the first part, comprising a tightly coiled part and a sparsely coiled part connected to the tightly coiled part at the bottom end;

[0007] And a transition part connecting the top of the first part and the bottom of the second part, comprising at least one tapered part, the bottom outer diameter of the tapered part is larger than the top outer diameter.

[0008] Preferably, the top end of the sparsely coiled part has a transverse part.

[0009] Preferably, the conductive terminal further comprises a tapered tail with a gradually decreasing outer diameter connected to the bottom of the first part.

[0010] Preferably, the middle axis of the first part and the middle axis of the second part are arranged in line, and the maximum outer diameter of the second part is smaller than the outer diameter of the first part.

[0011] Alternatively, preferably, the middle axis of the first part and the middle axis of the second part are staggered in the transverse direction by a certain distance.

[0012] The utility model also provides a pressure sensor, characterized by comprising:

[0013] A housing comprising a terminal button;

[0014] At least one pressure measuring element;

[0015] An electronic module assembly electrically connected to the pressure measuring element;

[0016] And the electrically conductive terminal, the terminal button is provided with a first retaining hole for retaining at least a portion of the bottom of the tightly coiled portion and the transition portion; the inner wall of the first retaining hole is pressed against the transition portion on the bottom side, so that the bottom end of the electrically conductive terminal is electrically connected to the electronic module assembly.

[0017] The utility model also provides another pressure sensor, which comprises:

[0018] A housing comprising a terminal button;

[0019] At least one pressure measuring element;

[0020] An electronic module assembly electrically connected to the pressure measuring element;

[0021] And the electrically conductive terminal, the terminal button is provided with a first retaining hole for retaining at least a portion of the bottom of the tightly coiled portion and the transition portion; the inner wall of the first retaining hole is pressed against the transition portion on the bottom side, so that the bottom end of the electrically conductive terminal is electrically connected to the electronic module assembly.

[0022] Preferably, in the sensor, the projections of the outer contours of the conical portion and the first portion on the transverse plane partially overlap.

[0023] Preferably, the pressure sensor further comprises an additional retaining member; the additional retaining member is provided with a second retaining hole for accommodating at least a portion of the first portion; the additional retaining member is fixed to the bottom end of the terminal button.

[0024] Alternatively, preferably, the pressure sensor further comprises an additional retaining member and a support element for supporting the electronic module assembly; the additional retaining member is provided with a second retaining hole for accommodating at least a portion of the first portion; the additional retaining member is fixed to the support element. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 It is a perspective view of the electrically conductive terminal of the first embodiment;

[0026] Figure 2 It is a front view of the electrically conductive terminal of the first embodiment;

[0027] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic view of the pressure sensor of the first embodiment;

[0028] Figure 4 Front view of the conductive terminal of the second embodiment;

[0029] Reference signs: 100, pressure sensor; 101a, tail portion; 101, first portion; 102a, tightly coiled portion; 102b, sparsely coiled portion; 102c, transverse portion; 102, second portion; 103, transition portion; 104, extension portion; 105, tapered portion; 10, conductive terminal; 110, pressure introduction channel; 11, pressure interface; 120, top portion; 12, barrel; 130, first retaining hole; 131, first hole portion; 132, second hole portion; 133, abutting surface; 13, end knob; 1, housing; 20, diaphragm; 21, pressure measurement circuit; 2, pressure measurement element; 31, second circuit board; 32, first circuit board; 33, flexible circuit board; 3, electronic module assembly; 40, clearance; 4, support element; 5, external device; DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The technical solutions of the present application will be described clearly and completely in combination with the drawings. The following examples are exemplary and are used to explain the present application, but cannot be interpreted as a limitation on the present application. In the following description, the same reference signs are used to represent the same or equivalent elements, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

[0031] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "inner", "outer", "left", "right", and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship commonly used when the product of the present application is used, or the orientation or positional relationship commonly understood by those skilled in the art, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and therefore cannot be understood as indicating or implying that the devices or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application. In addition, the prepositions "first", "second", "third", etc. are only used for the purpose of distinguishing the objects being modified, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0032] In addition, the terms "mounting", "connecting", and "connecting" should be broadly understood, for example, it can be fixedly connected, or it can be detachably connected, or integrally connected; it can be mechanically connected, or it can be electrically connected; it can be directly connected, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; it can be the communication inside two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0033] It should be further understood that the term "and / or" as used in the specification and in claims of the present application refers to any combination of one or more of the listed items and all possible combinations thereof.

[0034] As Figure 1 , Figure 2 shown. The conductive terminal 10 of the first embodiment is a helical spring, which includes a first portion 101 having a central axis arranged in a longitudinal direction, and a second portion 102 having a central axis arranged in a longitudinal direction, the central axis of the second portion 102 being arranged in line with the central axis of the first portion 101. A top end of the first portion 101 is integrally connected to a bottom end of the second portion 102 via a transition portion 103. The outer diameter of the first portion 101 is greater than the maximum outer diameter of the second portion 102. The transition portion 103 includes a tightly coiled conical portion 105 (not labeled), the top end of which has a smaller outer diameter than the bottom end, the top end of the conical portion 105 being integrally connected to the top end of the first portion 101, and the bottom end of the conical portion 105 being integrally connected to the bottom end of the second portion 102. The conical portion 105 is preferably tightly coiled and has a relatively high rigidity, so as to be pressed against the bottom side by other elements. In other embodiments, the conical portion 105 can also be loosely coiled.

[0035] The second portion 102 includes a tightly coiled portion 102a on the bottom side and a loosely coiled portion 102b on the top side. The outer diameter of the loosely coiled portion 102b can be less than or equal to the outer diameter of the tightly coiled portion 102a. The loosely coiled portion 102b can provide a certain longitudinal elasticity when making longitudinal elastic contact with an external device (labeled as 105, which can be a circuit board), and the tightly coiled portion 102a can increase the lateral rigidity when making contact with the external device, thereby inhibiting lateral displacement of the second portion 102 when making electrical contact with the external device. Figure 3

[0036] Preferably, the top of the loosely coiled portion 102b forms a lateral portion 102c extending in a lateral direction, which can provide a larger contact area when making electrical contact with the external device, so as to avoid the helical inclination of the second portion 102 from causing only point contact when making longitudinal contact with the external device.

[0037] Please refer to Figure 3 . Figure 3 ​A pressure sensor 100 including the plurality of conductive terminals 10 is shown as an example. The pressure sensor 100 includes a housing 1, an electronic module assembly 3 disposed in the housing 1, and at least one pressure measuring element 2, which is connected to a pressure medium to be measured through a pressure introduction channel 110 to obtain the pressure of the medium to be measured. The pressure measuring element 2 converts the pressure into an electrical signal and transmits the electrical signal to the electronic module assembly 3. The housing 1 can include a substantially longitudinally extending barrel 12, an end knob 13 fixed to a top end of the barrel 12, and a pressure interface 11 fixed to a bottom end of the barrel 12. The pressure introduction channel 110 can be disposed in the pressure interface 11. The pressure introduction channel is not necessary, for example, one side of the pressure measuring element 2 can be directly exposed to the pressure medium to be measured.

[0038] A first retaining hole 130 can be formed in the end knob 13, and the tapered portion 105 of the transition portion 103 is retained in the first retaining hole 130. Preferably, the first retaining hole 130 can be a stepped hole, which includes a first hole portion 131 on a bottom side and a second hole portion 132 on a top side, and a transition between the first hole portion 131 and the second hole portion 132 is formed by a pressing surface 133, which presses downward on the tapered portion 105 of the transition portion 103. The pressing surface 133 is preferably a tapered surface, and is preferably matched to the outer shape of the tapered portion 105 of the transition portion 103.

[0039] At least a portion of the bottom of the tightly coiled portion 102a of the tightly coiled portion 102a is retained in the first retaining hole 130, so that the sidewall of the second hole portion 132 laterally supports the tightly coiled portion 102a to increase the lateral stiffness of the second portion 102. Preferably, the top end of the tightly coiled portion 102a extends outside the first retaining hole 130.

[0040] The electronic module assembly 3 can include a first circuit board 32, which has first electrical contact portions (not shown) disposed thereon, and the pressing surface 133 presses downward on the tapered portion 105 of the transition portion 103, so that the bottom end of the first portion 101 elastically electrically contacts the first electrical contact portions.

[0041] Exemplarily, the pressure measuring element 2 can comprise a diaphragm 20 which generates a surface strain under the above-mentioned pressure, and a pressure measuring circuit 21 is arranged on the side of the diaphragm 20 away from the pressure port 11, which generates a corresponding electrical signal according to the above-mentioned strain. The pressure measuring circuit 21 is electrically connected to the first circuit board 32. For example, the pressure measuring circuit 21 can be electrically connected to the first circuit board 32 through a flexible circuit board 33, and the flexible circuit board 33 can also be electrically connected to a second circuit board 31, which is preferably arranged longitudinally. A support element 4 can also be arranged inside the housing 1, and the first circuit board 32 and the second circuit board 31 can be fixed to the support element 4, and the bottom of the support element 4 can be supported on the pressure port 11. The support element 4 can be provided with a displacement portion 40 allowing the flexible circuit board 33 to pass through.

[0042] The top end of the barrel 12 can be molded on a plastic end button 13, and the bottom end of the barrel 12 can be welded on the pressure port 11. In other embodiments, the top portion 120 of the barrel 12 can also be fixed to the end button 13 by pressure riveting, and the support element 4 can provide support to the end button 13.

[0043] It should be emphasized that the conductive terminal 10 of the present application is not only applicable to the specific pressure sensor shown in the drawings, but also to many known types of pressure sensors. The pressure sensor described above is particularly suitable for pressure sensors that are built into specific installation spaces in the automotive field to save installation space, such as pressure sensors built into EBS (Electronic Brake System) to obtain the pressure of the brake medium. Figure 3

[0044] Please refer to Figure 4 On the basis of the first embodiment, the second portion 102 of the conductive terminal 10 can also be not collinear with the central axis of the first portion 101, for example, the central axes of the first portion 101 and the second portion 102 are laterally offset by a certain distance. In addition to the tapered portion 105, the transition portion 103 also includes an extension portion 104 connected to the bottom end of the transition portion 103 and the top end of the first portion 101, respectively. The above-mentioned lateral offset distance is mainly provided by the extension portion 104. The advantage of this is that when the area available for mounting the conductive terminal 10 on the end button 13 is generally significantly smaller than the lateral area of the first circuit board 32, the arrangement of the electrical contact portion can be facilitated.

[0045] ​At this time, the outer diameter of the tip of the tapered portion 105 can be smaller than the outer diameter of the bottom, and the outer diameter of the first portion 101 need not be larger than the maximum outer diameter of the second portion 102. At least a portion of the second portion 102 can be held by a second holding hole (not shown) on an additional holding member (not shown) to prevent lateral displacement. The additional holding member can be fixed to the bottom of the end button or to the top of the support member. Preferably, the tapered portion 105 and the first portion 101 partially overlap in the lateral direction, i.e., the projections of the outer contours of both on a lateral plane partially overlap, so that the first portion can be effectively compressed to elastically contact the first circuit board 32 when the tapered portion 105 is pressed against the downward-facing surface.

[0046] In each of the above embodiments, the conductive terminal 10 can further include a tapered tail portion 101a of gradually decreasing outer diameter connected to the bottom of the first portion 101.

[0047] The scope of the disclosure is not limited by the detailed description, but is instead defined by the claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An electrically conductive terminal, characterized by, The electrically conductive terminal is a helical spring comprising: a first portion arranged longitudinally along a central axis and loosely wound; a second portion arranged longitudinally along a central axis and connected to a bottom end of the first portion, comprising a tightly wound portion and a loosely wound portion connected to a bottom end of the tightly wound portion; and a transition portion connecting a top of the first portion and a bottom of the second portion, comprising at least one tapered portion, the tapered portion having a larger outer diameter at a bottom than at a top.

2. The electrically conductive terminal of claim 1, wherein The top end of the loosely wound portion has a transverse portion.

3. The electrically conductive terminal of claim 1, wherein Further comprising a tapered tail portion connected to a bottom of the first portion, the tapered tail portion having a gradually decreasing outer diameter.

4. The electrically conductive terminal of any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The central axis of the first portion and the central axis of the second portion are arranged collinearly, and the second portion has a maximum outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the first portion.

5. The electrically conductive terminal of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The central axis of the first portion and the central axis of the second portion are arranged laterally offset by a distance.

6. A pressure sensor, characterized by The electrically conductive terminal is a helical spring comprising: a housing comprising an end button; at least one pressure measuring element; an electronic module assembly electrically connected to the pressure measuring element; and the electrically conductive terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the end button having a first retaining hole arranged therein for retaining at least a portion of the tightly wound portion and the transition portion, an inner wall of the first retaining hole pressing against the transition portion towards a bottom side to electrically contact a bottom end of the electrically conductive terminal to the electronic module assembly.

7. A pressure sensor, characterized by The electrically conductive terminal is a helical spring comprising: a housing comprising an end button; at least one pressure measuring element; an electronic module assembly electrically connected to the pressure measuring element; and the electrically conductive terminal according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 5, the end button having a first retaining hole arranged therein for retaining at least a portion of the tightly wound portion and the transition portion, an inner wall of the first retaining hole pressing against the transition portion towards a bottom side to electrically contact a bottom end of the electrically conductive terminal to the electronic module assembly.

8. The pressure sensor of claim 7, wherein, The projection of the outer contour of the tapered portion and the first portion on a lateral plane partially overlaps.

9. The pressure sensor of any one of claims 7-8, wherein, Further comprising an additional retaining member, the additional retaining member having a second retaining hole arranged therein for receiving at least a portion of the first portion, the additional retaining member being fixed to a bottom end of the end button.

10. The pressure sensor of claim 9, wherein, Further comprising an additional retaining member and a support element for supporting the electronic module assembly, the additional retaining member having a second retaining hole arranged therein for receiving at least a portion of the first portion, the additional retaining member being fixed to the support element.

Images