Gas Sensor Separator Taper Structure for Terminal Vibration Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas sensors experience breakage of metal terminals due to vibration caused by the expanding diameter of the separator's insertion hole, leading to potential electrical disconnection.
Innovation Solution
A gas sensor design with a taper surface on the separator's storage portion that aligns the metal terminal's rear end with the sensor element, reducing sway and vibration, and a contact portion and body portion arranged in a line to minimize protrusion and weight, enhancing vibration resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the separator has an expanding diameter storage portion, then the metal terminals are inhibited from interfering with the inner surface of the separator, but the metal terminals sway due to vibration and are likely to be broken
Solution Approach 1:
The storage portion is designed with different geometric characteristics at different locations: an expanding diameter portion at the rear end to prevent interference, and a constant diameter portion at the front end to provide support and reduce sway. This local differentiation allows each region to fulfill its specific function optimally.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage portion is segmented into two distinct regions: a rear-end storage portion with expanding diameter and a front-end storage portion with constant diameter. This segmentation allows the structure to simultaneously achieve non-interference at the rear and vibration resistance at the front.
2Reliability
If the metal terminal extends freely in the storage portion, then electrical connection is maintained, but the metal terminal protrudes in radial and width directions increasing size and weight
Solution Approach 1:
The metal terminal's geometric parameters are optimized by arranging the contact portion and body portion substantially in one line along the axial direction. This configuration minimizes the terminal's radial and width dimensions while maintaining electrical connectivity, thereby reducing the overall size and weight of the separator assembly.
Data Source
AI summary
A gas sensor 10 including: a plate-shaped sensor element 20 extending in an axial-line O direction and having an electrode pad 21a, 21b at a main surface 20 m1, 20m2 on a rear end side thereof; a metal terminal 71 extending in the axial-line direction and electrically connected to the electrode pad; and a separator 50 having a storage portion 50h which penetrates in the axial-line direction and in which the rear end side of the sensor element and the metal terminal are stored, thus retaining the metal terminal, wherein the storage portion has a taper surface 50s whose diameter expands toward a direction perpendicular to the main surface as approaching a rearward-facing surface of the separator, and along the axial-line direction, a rear end 20e of the sensor element is located on an inner side of the taper surface.