JP2007132808A - Sensor configuration - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sensor configuration capable of simplifying manageability of output and input cables, such that individual sensors, such as acceleration sensors, are configured as a unit with external form of same shape and magnitude and combining the units to make a sensor group with a plurality of functions, which is connected with a terminal type connector. <P>SOLUTION: The sensor configuration is capable of measuring a wide variety of data simultaneously, such that the sensor units 10, 20 and 30 containing the sensors with a different function one by one are configured within the metallic cases 1 of common shape and magnitude, and by combining a plurality of those sensor units, the resultant combined sensor unit is connected to a terminal type connector 50. Such configuration results in simplification of manageability of sensor cables. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sensor structure that can reduce the sensor mounting space and simplify the handling of the input and output cables of the sensor when using a plurality of acceleration sensors and other sensors. Each sensor such as an acceleration sensor is configured as a unit having the same shape and size, and this unit is combined into a sensor group having a plurality of functions, and the combined sensor group is a terminal connector. It is related with the sensor structure which can simplify handling of an input-output cable by couple | bonding to.

  Conventionally, when a measurement object has a plurality of measurement objects, it is necessary to use a sensor suitable for each object.

For example, vibration measurement will be described as an example.
When measuring fluctuations in the vibration frequency range of the measured object of 0.1 to 10 kHz and vibration level of about 0.01 gal to 100 G, the general performance of the semiconductor acceleration sensor is that the measurable vibration frequency range is DC to 300 Hz. The possible vibration level is about 1 gal to 2G. The general measurable range of the piezoelectric acceleration sensor needs to select the charge sensitivity appropriately, but the measurable frequency range is 1 to 10 kHz, and the measurable vibration level is about 0.01 gal to 1000 G.

  Therefore, as in the above example, when measuring fluctuations in the vibration frequency range of the measured object of 0.1 to 10 kHz and vibration level of about 1 gal to 100 G, a general semiconductor whose measurable vibration frequency range is DC to 300 Hz. It was necessary to use a combination of three sensors: an acceleration sensor, a piezoelectric acceleration sensor with a charge sensitivity of about 2 pC / G, and a high-sensitivity piezoelectric acceleration sensor with the same charge sensitivity of about 400 pC / G.

  Therefore, it becomes a vertically long structure as if building blocks as shown in FIG. 10 are stacked, and it is necessary to prepare a sensor cable for each sensor, so that the handling of the cable becomes complicated. Further, in order to stack each sensor, it is necessary to bond each sensor with an adhesive or the like, and there is a problem that it takes time to attach and remove the sensor before and after the test. Also, as shown in FIG. 10, the sensors are different in size and weight, and stacking them may deteriorate the center of gravity and balance of the sensors themselves, which may adversely affect vibration measurement. Furthermore, there is a method of arranging the sensors side by side as shown in FIG. 11, but in this case, the vibration detection location of the object to be measured is different, and pinpoint data may not be detected.

  On the other hand, in order to obtain a multi-axis small sensor, a multi-axis semiconductor sensor block is configured by attaching a single-axis semiconductor sensor to a substantially rectangular parallelepiped sensor block and bonding and fixing the angle fixing surfaces of a plurality of sensor blocks together. (Patent Document 1). In addition, a semiconductor sensor (Patent Document 2) that can detect accelerations in different directions by forming a plurality of sensor elements on a semiconductor acceleration sensor chip by micromachining technology has been proposed.

JP 2003-28646 A However, the method described in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-242052 has a problem in the processing of the sensor cable because no countermeasure is taken against the handling of the sensor cable. Moreover, what was described in patent document 2 needs to form a sensor element with a micromachining technique, and there exists a problem that a manufacturing process is complicated.

  Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention comprises a sensor unit in which sensors having different functions are housed one by one in a metal case having a common shape and size, and a plurality of such sensor units are combined. Further, by connecting the combined sensor unit to one terminal type connector, it is intended to provide a multifunctional sensor structure that can detect different measurement data at a time. In addition, by adopting a power supply configuration that can supply power to multiple sensor units connected to the connector at the same time as the terminal type connector to which the sensor unit is connected, the number of power supply cables can be reduced and the sensor can be simplified. With the goal. In addition, by using this terminal type connector, a sensor unit that requires a power supply and a sensor unit that does not need to be used can be used at the same time. Further, the sensor unit fastening screw is also used as a screw for attaching the sensor to the non-measurement object, so that the number of parts can be reduced.

For this reason, the technical solution means adopted by the present invention is:
A sensor structure is characterized in that a plurality of sensor units containing one sensor are connected in a case of substantially the same material, size, and shape, and are attached to one terminal connector.
In the sensor structure, the material of the case constituting the sensor unit is a metal.
Moreover, the case which comprises the said sensor unit is a rectangular parallelepiped or a cube, It is a sensor structure characterized by the above-mentioned.
The sensor structure is characterized in that a screw for connecting the sensor unit and a screw for fastening the sensor unit to an object to be measured are used as a common screw.
In the sensor structure, the sensor unit is attached to an object to be measured with an adhesive.
Further, the sensor structure is characterized in that the power supply connector disposed in the terminal connector is connected to a common power supply line, and the ground line connector is connected to the common ground line.

  According to the present invention having the above-described configuration, the appearance shape of various sensors having different functions, such as a conventional semiconductor acceleration sensor, a general piezoelectric acceleration sensor, and a high-sensitivity piezoelectric acceleration sensor, is made a common shape (unitized). Thus, when a plurality of different types of sensors are used, each sensor can be easily stacked without using an adhesive or the like. Further, by unifying the outer shape of the sensor, even if a plurality of sensors are stacked on the object to be measured, they can be stacked in a balanced manner, and measurement becomes easy. In addition, since each sensor cable can be connected by a common connector, it is possible to achieve specific effects such as easy handling of the sensor cable.

  The present invention comprises a sensor unit in which sensors having different functions are housed one by one in a metal case having a common shape and size, a plurality of sensor units are combined, and the combined sensor units are combined into one terminal. A sensor structure that can measure many types of data at once by connecting to a connector. This structure also simplifies the handling of the sensor cable.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1 to 3 are diagrams showing examples of sensor units having different functions according to the present invention, and FIG. 1 shows a part of a piezoelectric acceleration sensor unit. FIG. 2 is a partially broken perspective view of a high-sensitivity piezoelectric acceleration sensor unit, FIG. 3 is a partially broken perspective view of a semiconductor acceleration sensor unit, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a terminal-type connector for connecting the sensor unit. It is.

The configuration of the piezoelectric acceleration sensor unit will be described with reference to FIG.
In the figure, reference numeral 10 denotes a piezoelectric acceleration sensor unit. The piezoelectric acceleration sensor unit 10 includes a rectangular or cubic metal case 1, and a shear type sensor having a piezoelectric element 2 and a weight 3 in the case 1. The main body is arranged. The case 1 is made of a metal such as aluminum or stainless steel, and the sensor main body composed of the piezoelectric element 2 and the weight 3 is supported in the case 1 by the support member 4. With this structure, one sensor unit (piezoelectric acceleration sensor unit) is formed. ) 10 is configured. The share type sensor body housed in the case 1 is a conventionally known sensor. A signal output line 5 for signal output is attached to the piezoelectric element 2 of the sensor body, and a ground line 6 is attached to the sensor body. An end of the signal output line 5 is a convex shape attached to one surface outside the case 1. The end of the ground wire 6 is connected to a convex connector 8 attached to one surface outside the case 1. In the figure, reference numeral 9 denotes a convex connector for power supply, but since the piezoelectric acceleration sensor unit 10 does not require a power source, the convex connector 9 is not used. The convex connectors 7, 8, 9 are insulated from the metal case 1 and attached to the metal case 1.

The configuration of the high-sensitivity piezoelectric acceleration sensor unit 20 will be described with reference to FIG.
The high-sensitivity piezoelectric acceleration sensor unit 20 includes a rectangular parallelepiped or cubic metal (aluminum, stainless steel, etc.) case 21 similarly to the piezoelectric acceleration sensor unit 20 shown in FIG. The size of the case 21 is unified with the same shape and size as the piezoelectric acceleration sensor unit 10 shown in FIG. 1 regardless of the structure and shape of the sensor element inside. The size of the sensor case is determined according to the largest sensor among the various sensors contained in the case. In this example, the high sensitivity piezoelectric acceleration is selected from the combined sensors. Since the volume of the weight 23 and the piezoelectric element 22 of the sensor unit 20 is the largest, all other sensor cases are configured in accordance with the size of the sensor case 21.

  The structure of the high-sensitivity piezoelectric acceleration sensor unit 20 is the same as that of the piezoelectric acceleration sensor unit 10 shown in FIG. 1, is a shear type having a piezoelectric element 22 and a weight 23, and the sensor shown in FIG. The weight 23 and the piezoelectric element 22 are larger than the above. As in FIG. 1, the signal output line 25 from the piezoelectric element 22 and the ground line 26 are connected to individual convex connectors 27 and 28 attached to the side surface of the metal case. In the figure, reference numeral 29 denotes a convex connector for power supply, and since this high-sensitivity piezoelectric acceleration sensor unit does not require a power source, this convex connector 29 is not used.

The configuration of the semiconductor acceleration sensor unit 30 will be described with reference to FIG.
The semiconductor acceleration sensor unit 30 also includes a metal case 31 having the same shape and size as the case of the piezoelectric acceleration sensor unit 10 and the high-sensitivity piezoelectric acceleration sensor unit 20. The sensor housed in the case 31 is obtained by mounting a semiconductor distance sensor IC 32 on an electronic substrate 33, and the substrate 33 is fixed to the metal case 31 by a fixing means as appropriate. A signal output line 35 and a ground line 36 from the semiconductor acceleration sensor IC 32 are coupled to two convex connectors 37 and 38 attached to the side surface of the metal case, and the semiconductor acceleration sensor IC 32 requires a power supply. In this example, a power supply connector 39 is connected to the semiconductor acceleration sensor IC.

  Each of the sensor units 10, 20, 30 described above is formed with a hole (see FIGS. 1 to 3) 41 that passes through a screw for coupling the sensor units. Each sensor unit 10, 20, and 30 is assembled | attached using the connection screw 42 (refer FIG. 5). As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the connecting screw can be a screw having a common pitch with a screw for fixing the sensor units 10, 20, and 30 to the object to be measured 43. The operation | work which attaches 20 and 30 to a to-be-measured object can be simplified. In this case, of course, it is necessary to place the connecting screw 42 on the article 43 with the same pitch. The sensor units 10, 20, and 30 may be fixed to the object to be measured 43 by means other than screws, such as an adhesive or double-sided tape. Further, the combined sensor unit bodies as shown in FIG. 9 may be attached to the measured object 43 with an adhesive or a double-sided tape.

  Next, the configuration of the terminal connector 50 will be described with reference to FIG. The terminal type connector 50 has a connector case 51, and concave connectors 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d, 50e, 50f, 50g, 50h, 50i corresponding to the convex connectors of the sensor unit are provided in the case. It is attached. These connectors 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d, 50e, 50f, 50g, 50h, 50i are connected to a signal line, a power supply line, and a ground line. The terminal connector 50 is formed with a fixing screw hole 52 that penetrates a screw for coupling the sensor unit.

  More specifically, the terminal connector 50 shown in FIG. 4 includes the three sensor units 10, 20, and 30 described above (the piezoelectric acceleration sensor unit 10 shown in FIG. 1 and the high-sensitivity piezoelectric acceleration shown in FIG. 2). The sensor unit 20 and the semiconductor acceleration sensor unit 30) shown in FIG. 3 are assumed to be attached in order from the top in the figure. In the figure, the sensor units attached to the terminal connector 50 are, in order from the top, the semiconductor acceleration sensor unit 30, the piezoelectric acceleration sensor unit 10, and the high sensitivity piezoelectric acceleration sensor unit 20. For this reason, among the concave connectors 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d, 50e, 50f, 50g, 50h, 50i provided in the terminal type connector 50, the three connectors 50a, 50b, 50c from the top are the semiconductor acceleration sensor units. The three connectors 50d, 50e, 50f in the middle are connectors of the piezoelectric acceleration sensor unit 10, and the lower three connectors 50g, 50h, 50i are high-sensitivity piezoelectric acceleration sensor units 20. It is arranged as a connector.

The three connectors 50a, 50b, 50c from the top are connectors of the semiconductor acceleration sensor unit 30, and the semiconductor acceleration sensor signal output line 53 is connected to one of the three connectors 50c, and the second A ground line 56 is connected to the ground connector 50b, and a power supply line 57 is connected to the third power supply connector 50a. The power supply line 57 and the ground line 56 are configured to be shared with a power supply line and a ground line for two sensors described later.
Since the three connectors 50d to 50f in the middle are the connectors of the piezoelectric acceleration sensor unit 10, the piezoelectric acceleration sensor signal output line 54 is connected to one of the three connectors 50f, and for the ground. A ground line 56 is connected to the connector 50e, and a power supply line 57 is connected to the remaining connector 50d. Since the piezoelectric acceleration sensor unit 10 does not require a power source, one of the three connectors 50d is not used.

  Since the lower three connectors 50g, 50h, and 50i are connectors of the high-sensitivity piezoelectric acceleration sensor unit 20, the high-sensitivity piezoelectric acceleration sensor signal output line 55 is connected to one of the three connectors 50i. A ground line 56 is connected to the ground connector 50h, and a power supply line 57 is connected to the remaining connector 50g. Since the high-sensitivity piezoelectric acceleration sensor unit 20 does not require a power source, the power supply connector 50g is not used in the same manner as the piezoelectric acceleration sensor unit 20.

The use state of the sensor unit and the terminal connector described above will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state before three sensor units 30, 10, 20 having different functions are stacked and connected to the terminal type connector, and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the three sensor units as terminal type connectors. It is a perspective view which shows the state connected.
Since the three sensor units have the same case size and shape, they can be easily stacked as shown in the figure. The sensor units in the stacked state are integrally fixed by a sensor unit connecting screw 42 using a hole 41 formed in the unit. In addition, the connection method of a sensor unit is not restricted to a screw, It can fix with an appropriate clamp other than adhesion | attachment, welding, and a double-sided tape.

  The terminal connector 50 includes a concave connector corresponding to the convex connector of the stacked sensor units. For this reason, both can be easily connected by fitting the convex connector of the stacked sensor unit to the concave connector of the terminal type connector as shown in FIG. After the connection, both are firmly connected to the terminal connector connecting screw 58. Note that this connection is not limited to screws, and can be fixed by appropriate clamping in addition to adhesion and welding. As described above, the connection cable corresponding to the sensor unit is attached to the concave connector on the terminal unit side. Therefore, each sensor unit is connected to the terminal connector only by fitting and connecting each sensor unit. It is connected to a line, a ground line, and a power supply line. As described above, the number of wirings can be reduced by configuring the ground line and the supply / supply power line as a common line.

FIG. 7 shows an example in which a sensor unit is attached to a measurement object.
This is a state in which the sensor unit connection screw 42 is used to attach the sensor unit connection screw 42 in advance to the measurement object 43. Mounting the sensor unit on the measured object side 43 with the same pitch as the unit connecting screw 42 can simplify the mounting of the sensor unit. It is also possible to fix only the sensor unit with a screw and fix the overlapped sensor unit to the object to be measured with an adhesive or double-sided tape. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the integrated sensor unit group may be attached to the object to be measured with an adhesive or a double-sided tape.

As described above, an example in which a semiconductor acceleration sensor, a piezoelectric acceleration sensor, and a high-sensitivity piezoelectric acceleration sensor are combined has been shown as an embodiment of the present invention, but the contents of the sensor unit may be a temperature sensor or a pressure sensor. Further, in the present invention example, an example of three sensor units has been shown, but two or more terminal type connectors may be connected. Further, one or two sensor units may be connected and used using three terminal type connectors.
Furthermore, the present invention can be implemented in any other form without departing from the spirit or main features thereof. For this reason, the above-described embodiment is merely an example in all respects and should not be interpreted in a limited manner.

  The present invention can be used for sensors of machinery, architecture, civil engineering, automobiles and the like.

It is a partially broken perspective view of a piezoelectric acceleration sensor unit. It is a partially broken perspective view of a high sensitivity piezoelectric acceleration sensor unit. It is a partially broken perspective view of a semiconductor acceleration sensor unit. It is a perspective view of the terminal type connector which connects a sensor unit. It is a figure explaining a mode that a sensor group which combined a plurality of sensor units is connected to a terminal type connector. It is explanatory drawing of the state which connected the sensor group which combined the several sensor unit to the terminal type connector. It is explanatory drawing of the state which attached the thing in the state which connected the several sensor unit to the terminal type connector to the to-be-measured object. It is attachment explanatory drawing of the connection screw in FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the other example of the state which attached to the to-be-measured object what connected the some sensor unit to the terminal type connector. It is conventional explanatory drawing of the state which attached the several sensor to the to-be-measured object. It is another conventional explanatory drawing in the state where a plurality of sensors were attached to the measurement object.

Explanation of symbols

1, 21, 31 Metal case 2, 22, Piezoelectric element 3, 23 Weight 4 Support member 5, 25, 35 Signal output line 6, 26, 36 Ground line 7, 8, 9, 27, 28, 29 Convex connector 37, 38, 39 Convex connector 10 Piezoelectric acceleration sensor unit 20 High sensitivity piezoelectric acceleration sensor unit 30 Semiconductor acceleration sensor unit 32 Semiconductor acceleration sensor IC
33 Substrate 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d, 50e, 50f, 50g, 50h, 50i Connector 56 Ground line 57 Power supply line

Claims (6)

A sensor structure characterized in that a plurality of sensor units containing one sensor are connected in a case having substantially the same material, size, and shape, and attached to one terminal connector. The sensor structure according to claim 1, wherein a material of a case constituting the sensor unit is a metal. The sensor structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the case constituting the sensor unit is a rectangular parallelepiped or a cube. The sensor structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a screw for connecting the sensor unit and a screw for fastening the sensor unit to an object to be measured are used as a common screw. The sensor structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sensor unit is attached to an object to be measured with an adhesive. 6. The power supply connector disposed in the terminal connector is connected to a common power supply line, and the ground line connector is connected to a common ground line. The sensor structure described.

Images