Gas Sensor Terminal Unit Spring Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas sensors face challenges in achieving even contact pressure between metal terminals and electrode pads, leading to irregularities in contact resistance and reduced detection accuracy due to uneven pressing forces, irregularities in terminal thickness, and poor parallelism of electrode-mounted surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A gas sensor design featuring a terminal unit with spring members that press insulators to apply even contact pressure to metal terminals on electrode pads, ensuring consistent electrical connections through a housing with specifically positioned recesses and spring members to stabilize the contact points.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an annular spring member is used to press the paired base-side insulators, then the insulators are pressed inwardly to contact the metal terminals, but the pressing force becomes uneven, resulting in irregular contact pressure on the electrode pads
Solution Approach 1:
The single annular spring member is divided into multiple segmental spring members (first spring member and second spring member) that are arranged at different positions around the insulators. Each spring member independently applies pressing force to specific regions, ensuring uniform distribution of contact pressure across all electrode pads and metal terminals, thereby resolving the unevenness issue.
2Measurement precision
If the electrode-mounted surfaces have lower parallelism or the metal terminals have thickness irregularities, then the contact pressure becomes irregular, but the detection accuracy is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The spring members are pre-installed on the insulators to provide compensating pressing force before assembly with the sensing element. This beforehand cushioning mechanism compensates for surface parallelism errors and thickness irregularities of metal terminals by dynamically adjusting the contact pressure, ensuring uniform electrical connection and maintaining detection accuracy despite manufacturing variations.
3Loss of time
If the metal terminals have irregularities in thickness, then the contact pressure distribution becomes uneven, but the activation time is delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The spring members are pre-installed on the insulators to provide compensating pressing force before assembly with the sensing element. This beforehand cushioning mechanism compensates for surface parallelism errors and thickness irregularities of metal terminals by dynamically adjusting the contact pressure, ensuring uniform electrical connection and maintaining detection accuracy despite manufacturing variations.
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 solution ensures even contact pressure across all terminals and pads, minimizing irregularities in contact resistance and enhancing detection accuracy and reliability, even in cases of low parallelism or uneven terminal thickness, thereby stabilizing the gas sensor's performance.
Implementation Method 1
a spring member pressing the pair of insulators at one or more positions of the electrode-mounted surfaces of the sensing element in the width direction so that the insulators are pressed to be opposed to each other
Data Source
AI summary
In a gas sensor sensing a specific gas component contained in gas to be measured, oxygen ion conductive solid electrolyte is used in a sensing element for sensing the specific gas component. A terminal unit is used, which comprises a pair of insulators, each having an inner side surface, disposed to pinch and hold the base end portion of the sensing element on the pair of electrode-mounted surfaces of the sensing element. The terminal unit comprises two pairs of metal terminals and a spring member. The metal terminals electrically contact electrode pads of the sensing element, pair by pair, respectively, and are disposed on the inner side surfaces of the insulators. The spring members press the pair of insulators at one or more positions of electrode-mounted surfaces of the sensing element in a width direction so that the insulators are pressed to be opposed to each other.