pressure sensor

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a pressure sensor comprising: a metal housing; a connector; a metal cap, a bottom of the metal cap being provided with a pressure hole, and the bottom of the metal cap being entirely covered by a layer of insulating material; a pressure detection module disposed in the metal cap, the pressure detection module being configured to detect a pressure of a conductive fluid medium via the pressure hole and generate a pressure signal; an electronic module assembly disposed in the metal cap, the electronic module assembly being configured to generate a pressure detection signal based on the pressure signal and comprising an EMC capacitor, the EMC capacitor being electrically connected to the metal cap; and a sidewall insulation protector disposed between the metal cap and the metal housing in a manner of cladding sidewalls of the metal cap.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a pressure sensor. Background Technology

[0002] Pressure sensors are a commonly used type of sensor in industrial practice, and they are widely used in various industrial environments.

[0003] Typically, to ensure good electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) of pressure sensors, an EMC capacitor is included in the electronic module assembly (EMA) of the pressure sensor, and this EMC capacitor is grounded by being electrically connected to a metal cap located inside the sensor. However, such pressure sensors cannot be used to measure the pressure of conductive fluids because the conductive fluid will create an electrical connection between the sensor's metal housing and the internal metal cap, making it difficult for the EMC capacitor to withstand excessive voltage surges. Excessive voltage will break down the EMC capacitor, causing leakage current, thus affecting the EMC performance of the pressure sensor, rendering it malfunction, and potentially interfering with other systems and devices. Utility Model Content

[0004] In view of the problems existing in the prior art, this disclosure provides a pressure sensor that can not only measure the pressure of a conductive fluid medium, but also ensure good EMC performance and the ability to withstand high voltage (e.g., high voltage up to 1800V) shocks.

[0005] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a pressure sensor is provided, the pressure sensor comprising:

[0006] A metal housing, the bottom of which defines a sensor port configured to receive a conductive fluid medium;

[0007] A connector is attached to the top of the metal housing, and the metal housing, the connector, and the sensor port together define the cavity of the pressure sensor;

[0008] A metal cap is disposed in the inner cavity, the bottom of the metal cap is provided with a pressure hole, and the bottom of the metal cap is completely covered by an insulating material layer;

[0009] A pressure detection module is disposed in the metal cap, the pressure detection module being configured to detect the pressure of the fluid medium via the pressure orifice and generate a pressure signal;

[0010] An electronic module assembly disposed within the metal cap, the electronic module assembly being configured to generate a pressure detection signal based on the pressure signal and including an EMC capacitor electrically connected to the metal cap; and

[0011] A sidewall insulating protective element is disposed between the metal cap and the metal housing in such a way that it covers the sidewall of the metal cap.

[0012] In one embodiment of the pressure sensor, the pressure detection module includes a base and a pressure detection element mounted in the base.

[0013] In one embodiment of the pressure sensor, the pressure sensor further includes a first internal sealing ring configured to achieve a radial seal between the pressure sensing element and the base.

[0014] In one embodiment of the pressure sensor, the diameter of the pressure orifice is smaller than the inner diameter of the first internal sealing ring, and the pressure sensor further includes a second internal sealing ring configured to achieve a radial seal between the base, the metal cap, and the metal housing.

[0015] In one embodiment of the pressure sensor, the diameter of the pressure orifice is larger than the inner diameter of the first internal sealing ring, the metal cap is fixedly mounted on the boss portion inside the metal housing, and the first internal sealing ring is configured to achieve a radial seal between the pressure sensing element, the base, and the boss portion of the metal housing.

[0016] In one embodiment of the pressure sensor, the pressure sensor further includes a metal plug configured to be inserted through the pressure orifice and extend into the sensor port to achieve a seal between the metal plug and the metal housing, and a first internal sealing ring configured to achieve a radial seal between the pressure sensing element, the base and the metal plug.

[0017] In one embodiment of the pressure sensor, the pressure sensor further includes an external sealing ring configured to achieve a radial seal between the metal cap and the metal housing.

[0018] In one embodiment of the pressure sensor, the insulating material layer covers the bottom of the metal cap in the form of injection molding or coating.

[0019] In one embodiment of the pressure sensor, the sidewall insulation protector is an insulating paper configured to cover the sidewall of the metal cap.

[0020] In one embodiment of the pressure sensor, the pressure sensing element is a ceramic capacitor. Attached Figure Description

[0021] The various objectives, features, and advantages of this disclosure will become more apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments of the disclosure, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The drawings are merely illustrative of the present disclosure and are not necessarily drawn to scale. In the drawings, the same reference numerals always denote the same or similar parts.

[0022] Figure 1 This is an exploded view of a pressure sensor according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 2A and Figure 2B This is a schematic diagram of a metal cap in a pressure sensor according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 3 This is an exploded view of a pressure sensor according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 4A and Figure 4B This is a schematic diagram of a metal cap in a pressure sensor according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 5 This is a partial cross-sectional view of a pressure sensor according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 6 This is an exploded view of a pressure sensor according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 7A and Figure 7B This is a schematic diagram of a metal cap in a pressure sensor according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] Figure 8 This is a partial cross-sectional view of a pressure sensor according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be presented in many different ways and is not limited to the embodiments described below; in fact, the embodiments described below are intended to make the disclosure more complete and to fully illustrate the scope of protection of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. It should also be understood that the technical features in the embodiments disclosed herein can be combined in various ways to provide more additional embodiments. Those skilled in the art can appropriately modify the details without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0031] It should be understood that the same reference numerals denote the same elements in all the accompanying drawings. For clarity, the dimensions of certain features may be modified in the drawings.

[0032] Unless otherwise stated, the terminology used herein (including technical and scientific terms) should have the meaning that would be normally understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. Unless otherwise stated, the terms “comprising” and “including” as used in the specification and claims should be interpreted in an open-ended sense, that is, “comprising” and “including” should be interpreted as synonymous with the terms “at least comprising” or “at least comprising”.

[0033] Unless otherwise stated, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “top,” “bottom,” etc., used in this disclosure refer only to the relative orientation of the device and its related components in the state shown in the figure.

[0034] The ordinal words “first”, “second”, etc., used in this disclosure are merely for distinguishing terms and do not impose any restrictions on the order, importance, or compositional differences of the features being modified.

[0035] It should be understood that the terminology used in this specification is for describing specific embodiments only and is not intended to limit this disclosure. For the sake of brevity and / or clarity, well-known functions or structures may not be described in detail.

[0036] To address the aforementioned deficiencies in the prior art, this disclosure provides a pressure sensor. Embodiments for implementing this disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0037] First Embodiment

[0038] like Figure 1 as well as Figure 2A and Figure 2B As shown, a pressure sensor is provided according to a first embodiment of this disclosure, which mainly includes components such as an environmental sealant 1, a connector 2, an electronic module assembly 3, a side clamp element 4, a pressure detection module, a sidewall insulating protective element 8, a metal cap 9, and a metal housing 11. A sensor port is defined at the bottom of the metal housing 11, and the sensor port is configured to receive a conductive fluid medium. The connector 2 is attached to the top of the metal housing 11 so that the connector 2, the metal housing 11, and the sensor port together define the inner cavity of the pressure sensor. Preferably, the metal housing 11 can be a metal hexagonal tube.

[0039] like Figure 1 As shown, the pressure detection module may include a base 7 and a pressure detection element 5 mounted in the base 7. The pressure detection module is configured to detect the pressure of a conductive fluid medium received by a sensor port and generate a pressure signal. Preferably, the pressure detection element 5 may be a ceramic capacitor.

[0040] Electronic module assembly 3 is configured to generate a pressure detection signal based on the pressure signal. To ensure good electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) of the pressure sensor, electronic module assembly 3 includes an EMC capacitor. A latching element 4 can latch onto electronic module assembly 3 and pressure detection element 5.

[0041] A metal cap 9 is disposed inside the pressure sensor cavity, and an EMC capacitor is electrically connected to the metal cap 9. This ensures good EMC performance of the pressure sensor.

[0042] like Figure 2A As shown, a pressure port 91 is provided at the bottom of the metal cap 9 for the flow of pressure medium. The pressure detection module can detect the pressure of the fluid medium through the pressure port 91 and generate a pressure signal. Figure 2B As shown, the bottom of the metal cap 9 is completely covered by an insulating material layer 92. Preferably, the insulating material layer 92 covers the bottom of the metal cap 9 by injection molding or coating. The insulating material layer 92 can be made of plastic insulating material or rubber insulating material. In addition, a sidewall insulating protector 8 is disposed between the metal cap 9 and the metal shell 11 in a manner that covers the sidewalls of the metal cap 9. Preferably, the sidewall insulating protector 8 can be insulating paper configured to cover the sidewalls of the metal cap 9.

[0043] By providing an insulating material layer 92 at the bottom of the metal cap 9 and covering the sidewalls of the metal cap 9 with a sidewall insulating protector 8, insulation isolation between the metal portion of the metal cap 9 and the conductive fluid medium can be ensured. Therefore, the conductive fluid medium will not form an electrical connection between the metal cap 9 and the metal housing 11, enabling the pressure sensor not only to measure the pressure of the conductive fluid medium but also to ensure good EMC performance and the ability to withstand high voltage (e.g., up to 1800V) surges.

[0044] like Figure 1 As shown, the pressure sensor according to this disclosure may further include a first internal sealing ring 6, which is configured to achieve a radial seal between the pressure sensing element 5 and the base 7. Additionally, the pressure sensor may also include an external sealing ring 12, which is configured to achieve a radial seal between the metal cap 9 and the metal housing 11.

[0045] like Figure 2A As shown, when the diameter of the pressure hole 91 at the bottom of the metal cap 9 is small, for example, when the diameter of the pressure hole 91 is smaller than the inner diameter of the first internal sealing ring 6, the pressure sensor may also include a second internal sealing ring 10, which is configured to achieve a radial seal between the base 7, the metal cap 9 and the metal housing 11.

[0046] During the assembly of the pressure sensor, the environmental sealant 1, connector 2, electronic module assembly 3, side clamp element 4, pressure detection module (including pressure detection element 5 and base 7), and first internal sealing ring 6 can be assembled first. Then, the assembled components are riveted together by metal cap 9. Next, the side wall insulation protection 8 and the second internal sealing ring 10 are assembled into the corresponding grooves of the metal housing 11, and then the riveted components are inserted and finally riveted to complete the assembly of the pressure sensor.

[0047] Second Embodiment

[0048] The following will refer to Figures 3 to 5 A second embodiment of the pressure sensor according to this disclosure is described. The difference between the second embodiment and the first embodiment is that the second internal sealing ring 10 is omitted. Hereinafter, only the differences in construction between the second embodiment and the first embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, the same components as in the first embodiment will be indicated by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions will be omitted.

[0049] like Figure 3 , Figure 4A , Figure 4B and Figure 5 As shown, when the diameter of the pressure hole 91A at the bottom of the metal cap 9 is large, for example, when the diameter of the pressure hole 91A is larger than the inner diameter of the first internal sealing ring 6, the metal cap 9 is fixedly mounted on the boss portion inside the metal housing 11. In this case, within the pressure sensor, radial sealing between the pressure sensing element 5, the base 7, and the boss portion of the metal housing 11 can be achieved solely through the first internal sealing ring 6. Therefore, the second internal sealing ring 10 can be omitted.

[0050] During the assembly of the pressure sensor, the environmental sealant 1, connector 2, electronic module assembly 3, side clamp element 4, pressure detection module (including pressure detection element 5 and base 7), and first internal sealing ring 6 can be assembled first. Then, the assembled components are riveted together by metal cap 9. Next, the side wall insulation protection component 8 is assembled into the corresponding groove of the metal housing 11, and then the riveted components are inserted and finally riveted to complete the assembly of the pressure sensor.

[0051] Third Embodiment

[0052] The following will refer to Figures 6 to 8 A third embodiment of the pressure sensor according to this disclosure is described. The difference between the third embodiment and the first embodiment is that the second inner sealing ring 10 is replaced by a metal plug 13. Hereinafter, only the differences in construction between the third embodiment and the first and second embodiments will be described. In the third embodiment, components identical to those in the first and second embodiments will be indicated by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions will be omitted.

[0053] like Figure 6 , Figure 7A , Figure 7B and Figure 8 As shown, the pressure sensor may include a metal plug 13 configured to be inserted into and extend into the sensor port of the metal housing 11 via a pressure port 91B of a metal cap 9. A seal is achieved between the metal plug 13 and the metal housing 11, for example, using a clinch process. Because a seal is already achieved between the metal plug 13 and the metal housing 11, a radial seal between the pressure sensing element 5, the base 7, and the metal plug 13 is achieved internally within the pressure sensor solely through a first internal sealing ring 6.

[0054] During the assembly of the pressure sensor, the sidewall insulating protective component 8 can be first assembled into the corresponding groove of the metal housing 11. Then, the metal cap 9 is inserted into the metal housing 11, followed by the insertion of the metal plug 13 into the sensor port of the metal housing 11, and a seal is formed between the metal plug 13 and the metal housing 11. For example, the clinch process can be used to achieve the seal between the metal plug 13 and the metal housing 11. Next, the environmental sealant 1, connector 2, electronic module assembly 3, edge clamp element 4, pressure detection module (including pressure detection element 5 and base 7), and first internal sealing ring 6 are assembled. Finally, the assembled components are fitted into the metal cap 9 for final riveting to complete the assembly of the pressure sensor.

[0055] Compared to existing pressure sensors, the pressure sensor described in this disclosure is not only capable of measuring the pressure of conductive fluid media, but also ensures good EMC performance and the ability to withstand high voltage (e.g., up to 1800V) surges.

[0056] Although this disclosure has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described above. Various variations and modifications can be made to the exemplary embodiments described above without departing from the scope and definition of this disclosure. The appended claims should be interpreted in the broadest possible sense to include all such variations and equivalent structures and functions.

Claims

1. A pressure sensor, characterized by The pressure sensor includes: A metal housing, the bottom of which defines a sensor port configured to receive a conductive fluid medium; A connector is attached to the top of the metal housing, and the metal housing, the connector, and the sensor port together define the cavity of the pressure sensor; A metal cap is disposed in the inner cavity, the bottom of the metal cap is provided with a pressure hole, and the bottom of the metal cap is completely covered by an insulating material layer; A pressure detection module is disposed in the metal cap, the pressure detection module being configured to detect the pressure of the fluid medium via the pressure orifice and generate a pressure signal; An electronic module assembly disposed within the metal cap, the electronic module assembly being configured to generate a pressure detection signal based on the pressure signal and including an EMC capacitor electrically connected to the metal cap; and A sidewall insulating protective element is disposed between the metal cap and the metal housing in such a way that it covers the sidewall of the metal cap.

2. The pressure sensor of claim 1, wherein, The pressure detection module includes a base and a pressure detection element installed in the base.

3. The pressure sensor of claim 2, wherein, The pressure sensor also includes a first internal sealing ring configured to achieve a radial seal between the pressure sensing element and the base.

4. The pressure sensor of claim 3, wherein, The diameter of the pressure hole is smaller than the inner diameter of the first internal sealing ring, and the pressure sensor also includes a second internal sealing ring configured to achieve a radial seal between the base, the metal cap, and the metal housing.

5. The pressure sensor of claim 3, wherein, The diameter of the pressure hole is larger than the inner diameter of the first internal sealing ring. The metal cap is fixedly mounted on the boss portion inside the metal housing. The first internal sealing ring is configured to achieve a radial seal between the pressure sensing element, the base, and the boss portion of the metal housing.

6. The pressure sensor of claim 3, wherein, The pressure sensor also includes a metal plug configured to be inserted through the pressure hole and extend into the sensor port to achieve a seal between the metal plug and the metal housing, and the first internal sealing ring is configured to achieve a radial seal between the pressure sensing element, the base and the metal plug.

7. The pressure sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The pressure sensor also includes an external sealing ring configured to achieve a radial seal between the metal cap and the metal housing.

8. The pressure sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The insulating material layer covers the bottom of the metal cap by injection molding or coating.

9. The pressure sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The sidewall insulation protection is an insulating paper configured to cover the sidewall of the metal cap.

10. The pressure sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The pressure sensing element is a ceramic capacitor.

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