Gas Sensor Terminal Stopper Structure for Vibration Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing gas sensors with bar-shaped metal terminals face reliability issues due to potential breakage of electric connections caused by vibration, as the spring-contact portions may point-contact and sway, leading to disconnection from electrode pads.
Innovation Solution
A gas sensor design featuring a metal terminal with a stopper portion extending in a direction crossing the axial-line direction, housed inside a tubular separator, where the distance between the pad end and the contact portion (DA) is greater than the distance between the separator's inner surface and the stopper portion (DB), ensuring the contact remains intact even during maximal sway.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a bar-shaped metal terminal with spring-contact portion is used to electrically contact the electrode pad, then the metal terminal can be easily manufactured and installed, but the spring-contact portion may sway in the widthwise direction due to vibration causing connection breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces a stopper portion that extends in the widthwise direction (perpendicular to the axial-line direction) to constrain the metal terminal's displacement. This adds a dimensional constraint element that prevents sway in the widthwise direction while maintaining the simple bar-shaped structure for ease of manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The stopper portion acts as an intermediary element between the metal terminal and the separator. It provides a stopping point that limits the terminal's movement without requiring complex fixation mechanisms, thereby maintaining manufacturing simplicity while improving connection reliability.
2Device complexity
If the spring-contact portion is designed to point-contact the electrode pad for simple structure, then the device complexity is reduced, but the point-contact becomes vulnerable to disconnection under vibration
Solution Approach 1:
The stopper portion extends in the widthwise direction to provide a constraint dimension that is perpendicular to the contact direction. This additional dimensional element prevents lateral displacement without complicating the contact mechanism itself, maintaining simple point-contact while improving reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The metal terminal is segmented into distinct functional portions: the contact portion for electrical connection and the stopper portion for positional constraint. This segmentation allows each portion to be optimized independently - the contact portion remains simple for low complexity while the stopper portion provides reliability enhancement.
Data Source
AI summary
A gas sensor (1) including: a sensor element (21) having an electrode pad (24); a metal terminal (75) electrically connected to the electrode pad via a contact portion C1; and a separator (91) retaining the metal terminal, wherein the metal terminal includes a stopper portion (75p) extending in a direction crossing the axial-line 0 direction, and where, in a pair of one of an electrode pad (241) and one of a metal terminal (751) connected thereto, as seen along a widthwise direction of the sensor element, an end of the one electrode pad that is closest to one inner surface 91si of the separator is defined as a pad end, a distance between the pad end and the contact portion is defined as DA, and a distance between the one inner surface of the separator and a distal end of the stopper portion is defined as DB, DA>DB is satisfied.