DE9406402U1 - Temperature sensor with a housing for receiving a sensor element - Google Patents

Description

Company GOSSEN-METRAWATT GmbH HA-He/94222

DESCRIPTION

The innovation concerns a temperature sensor with a housing for accommodating a sensor element and associated contact elements, whereby the contact spring areas of the contact elements run parallel to each other and are intended for engagement in a pin/contact strip (e.g. of a controller housing).

State of the art:

To attach temperature sensors, it is known to provide, for example, the circuit board integrated in a control device, which is equipped with semiconductor components, with a projection in the edge area to accommodate a temperature sensor. This of course requires that special, i.e. non-standardized, circuit board cuts are used. In addition, in such a case the temperature sensor is firmly connected to the circuit board by soldering, which generally makes it impossible to replace the sensor.

Furthermore, separate temperature sensors are known in which the sensor element is housed in separate housings, from which the connecting wires of the sensor element protrude. When installing temperature sensors mounted in this way, devices for fastening the housing must also be found.

Finally, there are temperature sensors that are permanently integrated into a housing with flat

plugs, which can be plugged into connector strips, for example. Temperature sensors designed using this technology are generally cast firmly into the housing, so that a later replacement of the sensor element is not possible and a not insignificant amount of assembly work must be carried out.

The task of this innovation is to integrate a temperature sensor in a way that is easy to install and detachable into a housing that can be attached to a pin/contact strip.

The problem is solved by the characterizing part of claim 1.

The core of the innovation is seen as connecting the two outputs of a sensor element to fastening areas of a contact element, which is designed in such a way that the component unit formed by the sensor element and contact elements can be inserted into the housing in a locking manner. The locking is achieved by clamping areas of each contact element. These each merge into contact spring areas, which in turn are connected to contacts on the pin/contact strip (e.g. of a controller housing).

Pre-assembly (connecting the sensor element to contact elements) produces a component unit that can be easily inserted into the housing. In addition to being easy to assemble and easy to remove the connection, the new temperature sensor is also characterized by the fact that existing, standardized housing elements can be used to accommodate the sensor element. By simply plugging a temperature sensor integrated into such a housing element into the respective location of a pin/contact strip

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The new temperature sensor can be used variably.

Further advantageous embodiments of the innovation emerge from the subclaims.

Due to the fact that the sensor element can be completely inserted into the housing, mechanical protection of the temperature sensor is also achieved according to claim 2.

Inside the housing, the sensor element-contact element component unit is connected to the housing by clamping areas of the contact elements. It appears particularly advantageous to provide these clamping areas with protruding locking elements, so that when the sensor element-contact element component unit is pushed in, a locking effect is created by the locking element snapping in. By making side openings in the housing, this locking element can be pressed down - for example by inserting a pointed tool - so that disassembly - i.e. removing the sensor element-contact element component unit - can be carried out easily (see claims 3 5).

For a more cost-effective production of the sensor element-contact element component unit, it is recommended to solder the output wires of the temperature sensor to the fastening areas of the contact elements (see claim 6).

When assembled, it is ensured that the sensor element, which is now inserted into the housing, is precisely guided inside the housing due to its connection with the contact elements, which are locked into the housing and is spaced from the housing wall on all sides

and thus to ensure the most comprehensive possible air contact required for temperature determination (cf. claim 7).

On the opposite side of the insertion opening, the housing has contact spring openings through which the pins/contacts of the plug-in strip into which the housing is plugged engage - for connection with the contact spring areas of the contact elements. This ensures that the contact spring areas are located inside the housing and are therefore protected from damage (see claim 8).

The insertion of the contact elements into the housing, which is necessary during assembly, is made easier by the fact that the clamping areas of the contact elements are designed with raised areas which engage in recesses in the wall area of the housing - which serve as guide grooves. This ensures that the sensor element-contact element unit is in a precisely defined position inside the housing (see claim 9).

The contact spring areas of the contact elements are advantageously designed as double locking springs in order to be able to accommodate the pins/contacts integrated into the plug strip on both sides by means of a clamping effect (cf. claim 10).

The innovation is explained in more detail using examples in the drawings. They show:

Fig. 1 View of a controller housing with connector strips;

Fig. 2 Section A-A according to Fig. 1 and

Fig. 3 Component unit sensor element-contact elements.

The new temperature sensor, whose sensor element 4 is integrated into a housing 3, can simply be plugged into connector strips 2 of a controller housing 1 according to Fig. 1. No separate devices for holding the sensor element 4 are required.

Furthermore, several identically designed temperature sensor elements can be plugged into any position on the connector strip.

In the sectional view A-A according to Fig. 1, the structure of the housing 3 with the integrated temperature sensor element is shown in Fig. 2. The housing 3 has an insertion opening 9 and one or more contact spring openings 12. In addition to the sensor element 4, the fastening area 7, clamping area 5 and contact spring area 6 of a contact element are visible. A contact element consists of fastening area 7, clamping area 5 and contact spring area 6. In the clamping area 5, locking elements 8 are attached, which, when the sensor element-contact element component unit is inserted, are supported on the housing wall in the area of the opening 10 of the housing 3 and thus lock the sensor element-contact element component unit in the housing 3. The housing 3 can thus be plugged into a plug strip 2, which ensures that the sensor element 4 is held securely. Raised areas 13 in the clamping area 5 of the contact element correspond to recesses integrated into the wall 14 of the housing 3 and serve to ensure secure guidance of the clamping area 5 within the housing 3 when assembling the sensor element-contact element component unit.

From Fig. 3, the component unit consisting of sensor element 4 and two contact elements sensor element-contact elements

visible. Here too, the contact elements are made up of clamping areas 5 (with locking elements 8), fastening areas 7 and contact spring areas 6 (here designed as double locking springs). The outputs of the sensor element 4 are connected to the fastening areas 7, for example, using soldering technology. A sensor element-contact element component unit preassembled in this way can now be easily inserted into a housing 3, which results in the described advantages of easy assembly, simple replacement and safe storage of the sensor element 4 in the housing 3.

Company GOSSEN-METRAWATT GmbH HA-He/94222

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

1 controller housing

2 connector strip

3 Housing

4 Sensor element

5 Clamping range

6 Contact spring area

7 Mounting area

8 locking element

9 Slot opening

opening

Housing wall Contact spring opening Increase Wall area

Claims (10)

Company GOSSEN-METRAWATT GmbH HA-He/94222 Protection claims 1. Temperature sensor with a housing for accommodating a sensor element and the contact elements connected thereto, wherein contact spring areas of the contact elements run parallel to each other and are intended for engagement in a pin contact strip, characterized/ that the sensor element (4) and the contact elements consisting of fastening area (7), clamping area (5) and contact spring area (6) form a pre-assembled component unit which can be inserted into the housing (3) in such a way that the clamping areas (5) of the contact elements lock the component unit in the housing (3) and the contact spring areas (6) of the contact elements can be inserted into a pin/contact strip of the controller housing (1). 2. Temperature sensor according to claim 1, characterized, that the component unit formed from the sensor element (4) and the contact elements is inserted into a · push-in opening (9) of the housing (3) can be pushed in completely. 3. Temperature sensor according to one of the preceding claims, characterized, that the locking takes place in the clamping area (5) of the contact elements. 4. Temperature sensor according to claim 3, characterized, that the locking of the contact elements in the clamping area (5) is carried out by protruding locking elements (8). 5. Temperature sensor according to claim 4, characterized, that the locking elements (8) can be pressed flat by inserting a tool through at least one opening (10) of the housing (3) for disassembly of the component unit formed from the temperature sensor element (4) and contact elements. 6. Temperature sensor according to one of the preceding claims, characterized, that the sensor element (4) is connected to the fastening areas (5) by means of a soldered connection. 7. Temperature sensor according to one of the preceding claims, characterized, that the sensor element (4) is spaced apart from the housing wall (11) on all sides. 8. Temperature sensor according to one of the preceding claims, characterized, that the housing (3) is provided with contact spring openings (12) through which pins/contacts of the plug strip (2) of the controller housing (1) can be inserted for connection to the contact spring areas (6) of the contact element. 9. Temperature sensor according to one of the preceding claims, characterized, t* · that the clamping areas (5) of the contact elements are formed with elevations (13) which correspond to recesses in the wall area (14) of the housing (3) when the component unit consisting of the sensor element (4) and contact elements is inserted into the housing (3). 10. Temperature sensor according to one of the preceding claims, characterized, that the contact spring areas (6) of the contact elements are designed as double locking springs