Sensor Element Segmentation for Thermal Contact Resistance Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing temperature sensors often experience inaccuracies due to unknown thermal contact resistances, heat flows, and environmental influences like convection and radiation, leading to deviations between measured and true object temperatures.
Innovation Solution
A sensor element comprising a substrate with a temperature detector and an additional sensor for determining temperature differences, which forms a heat flow sensor to assess measurement quality, using thermocouples or thermistors to measure heat flows and provide a voltage output indicative of heat flow direction and magnitude, allowing for improved accuracy in temperature registration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a temperature sensor is thermally coupled to an object using soldering or silver sintering, then good thermal coupling is achieved, but unknown thermal contact resistances arise leading to measurement deviations
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor element is divided into multiple temperature-sensitive regions with different thermal conductivities. A first temperature-sensitive layer with high thermal conductivity is positioned closer to the object for accurate temperature measurement, while a second temperature-sensitive layer with lower thermal conductivity is positioned farther away to detect heat flow. This segmentation allows simultaneous achievement of good thermal coupling and accurate temperature measurement without the need for unknown thermal contact resistance compensation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary evaluation unit that processes signals from multiple temperature-sensitive layers. This evaluation unit acts as a mediator that calculates the object temperature by compensating for heat flow effects detected by the second temperature-sensitive layer, thereby eliminating the measurement deviations caused by thermal contact resistances without requiring direct knowledge of the contact resistance values.
2Measurement precision
If additional sensors are added to detect heat flows, then measurement quality assessment is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The temperature-sensitive layers serve multiple functions: the first layer primarily measures object temperature while also detecting heat flow effects, and the second layer primarily detects heat flow while also providing temperature information. This multi-functionality allows the sensor element to assess measurement quality without requiring completely separate dedicated heat flow sensors, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes changes in thermal conductivity parameters by employing temperature-sensitive layers with different thermal conductivities at different positions. This parameter variation allows the system to distinguish between object temperature and heat flow effects using the same type of temperature-sensitive material, avoiding the need for complex multi-functional sensor components and keeping device complexity manageable.
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 sensor element effectively detects heat flows and improves measurement accuracy by providing a measurable variable for heat flow, enabling better assessment of temperature differences and reducing errors caused by thermal contact and environmental factors.
Implementation Method 1
temperature sensors are thermally coupled to the object to be measured
Implementation Method 2
temperature gradients on the upper side of a temperature sensor caused by convection, radiation, etc., as well as heat drain, or supply, in the electrical leads
Implementation Method 3
the sensor for determining the temperature difference comprises a first thermocouple, which is composed of a conductor pair of different materials
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure includes a sensor element for registering temperature of an object, which includes: a substrate, wherein the substrate includes a platform face, which defines a first plane; a temperature detector, which is applied on a first temperature plane on the substrate and which is embodied to register the temperature of the object, wherein the first temperature plane lies in the first plane or essentially in parallel with the first plane; at least one sensor applied on a first subregion of the substrate for determining a temperature difference within the first subregion; and a passivation, which is applied on the substrate and which covers the substrate, the temperature detector and the sensor for determining the temperature difference, as well as residing in a method for assessing measurement quality of a sensor element of the present disclosure.