Gas Sensor Electrolyte Sloped Mating Surfaces
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing gas sensor elements face reliability issues due to the formation of gaps between the electrolyte and surrounding portions, leading to potential communication between opposite main surfaces, which affects accuracy and sensor performance.
Innovation Solution
A gas sensor element design featuring a composite ceramic layer with sloped mating surfaces between the electrolyte and surrounding portions, ensuring increased contact length and preventing gap formation, thereby enhancing reliability and accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the electrolyte portion is disposed in a through hole with a perpendicular inner surface, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the contact length between the electrolyte and surrounding portion is insufficient, leading to gap formation
Solution Approach 1:
The through hole inner surface is designed with an asymmetric slope rather than a perpendicular orientation. The slope angle varies along the thickness direction, creating a tapered structure that increases the contact area between the electrolyte portion and surrounding portion while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through uniaxial pressing.
Solution Approach 2:
The geometric parameters of the through hole are modified by introducing a slope angle that changes along the thickness direction. This parameter variation increases the contact length from a fixed perpendicular distance to a variable inclined path, ensuring sufficient contact area without complicating the manufacturing process.
2Reliability
If the contact length between electrolyte and surrounding portion is increased, then gap formation is prevented, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The simple asymmetric slope design achieves increased contact length without requiring complex multi-step manufacturing processes. The uniaxial pressing method can naturally form the tapered structure, avoiding the need for additional machining or assembly steps.
Solution Approach 2:
By controlling the slope angle parameter within a specific range (10-45 degrees), the contact length is optimized to provide sufficient contact area while keeping the structural change minimal and compatible with existing manufacturing capabilities.
3Reliability
If the through hole inner surface is sloped, then the contact area is increased, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The slope angle is specified within a practical range (10-45 degrees) that balances contact area improvement with manufacturing feasibility. This parameter range allows conventional uniaxial pressing to achieve the desired geometry without requiring high-precision control equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The slope angle can be optimized locally for different regions of the through hole based on specific manufacturing capabilities and performance requirements. This allows flexibility in achieving the desired contact area while accommodating variations in manufacturing precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A gas sensor element (10) includes a first composite ceramic layer (111) having a plate-shaped first surrounding portion (112) formed of an insulating ceramic and including a through hole inner-perimetric-surface (115) which defines a through hole (112h), and a plate-shaped first electrolyte portion (121) formed of a solid electrolyte ceramic, disposed in the through hole (112h), and including an electrolyte outer-perimetric-surface (125) in contact with the through hole inner-perimetric-surface (115). The electrolyte outer-perimetric-surface (125) of the first electrolyte portion (121) is sloped toward an exterior of the first electrolyte portion (121) as it approaches one side DT1. The through hole inner-perimetric-surface (115) and the electrolyte outer-perimetric-surface 125 are in close contact with each other along their entire perimeters.