Gas Sensor Disc Spring Assembly for Precise Insulator Loading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas sensors face challenges in balancing ease of load adjustment to the insulator and ease of assembly, as the elastic members used in current designs tend to deform radially, making it difficult to apply a desired load to the insulator during assembly.
Innovation Solution
A gas sensor design incorporating a disc spring with a circular body and claw portions that allows for easy mounting to the insulator before assembly, featuring a flange portion for increased contact area and a slit to prevent high spring constant, enabling easy load adjustment and assembly compatibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an elastic member is used to push the insulator, then the insulator can be held in position, but the elastic member deforms radially making it difficult to apply the desired load to the insulator
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the deformation mode of the elastic member from radial deformation to axial compression by using a disc spring. This parameter change in deformation direction allows the elastic member to apply force axially to the insulator without radial deformation interference, enabling precise load adjustment while maintaining positioning stability
Solution Approach 2:
The disc spring provides dynamic elastic compression capability, allowing the insulator to be pushed with controlled force during assembly. The elastic member can compress axially to provide the necessary pushing force while maintaining stable contact with the insulator, resolving the contradiction between positioning stability and load adjustment ease
2Ease of operation
If the elastic member is designed to push the insulator axially, then load application is improved, but the member may deform radially causing assembly interference
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the deformation parameter from radial to axial by selecting a disc spring geometry. This ensures that when the elastic member is compressed axially to push the insulator, it deforms only in the axial direction without radial deformation, eliminating assembly interference while maintaining easy load application
Solution Approach 2:
The disc spring is designed with specific structural segments (body portion, claw portions, flange portion) that separate the deformation function from the contact function. The body portion handles axial compression while the flange portion maintains radial contact stability, preventing assembly interference
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design facilitates easy assembly and allows for precise load adjustment to the insulator, enhancing stability and reducing interference during assembly, thereby improving the overall functionality and reliability of the gas sensor.
Implementation Method 1
a disc spring that is disposed between the base end side cover and the insulator and pushes the insulator toward a tip end side
Data Source
AI summary
A gas sensor includes a sensor element detecting a concentration of a specified gas, a housing on an inner periphery side of which the sensor element is disposed, a contact terminal contacting an electrode terminal provided to the sensor element, an insulator holding the contact terminal, a base end side cover fixed to a base end side of the housing and covering the insulator, and a disc spring disposed between the cover and the insulator and pushing the insulator toward a tip end side. The insulator has a base end side projecting portion projecting toward the base end side and has an outer periphery base end face, which faces toward the base end side around the base end side projecting portion. The disc spring has a circular body portion and claw portions that project from an inner peripheral edge of the circular body portion toward the base end side.