JP2018013476A - Gas sensor metal terminal, gas sensor, and manufacturing method of gas sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve work efficiency and stability of weld.SOLUTION: A metal terminal includes a tip side terminal member 43 and a rear end side terminal member 45. The tip side terminal member 43 includes a female connection part 102 and the rear end side terminal member 45 includes a male connection part 132. The female connection part 102 includes an insertion port 102a formed therein for inserting the male connection part 132. The insertion port 102a is formed in a shape of preventing the insertion port 102a from contacting the male connection part 132 when the male connection part 132 is inserted. The female connection part 102 includes, within the female connection part 102, a terminal contact part 113 that presses the male connection part 132 so as to move toward the female connection part 102 and brings the male connection part 132 into contact with the female connection part 102.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present disclosure relates to a metal terminal for a gas sensor used in a gas sensor including a sensor element having an electrode terminal portion and a signal line for outputting a detection signal to the outside.

  A gas sensor that detects a specific component contained in a measurement target gas includes, for example, a sensor element having an electrode terminal portion, a metal terminal electrically connected to the electrode terminal portion of the sensor element, and a metal terminal electrically connected to the metal terminal. And a signal line forming a signal path for outputting the detection signal to the outside.

  The metal terminal of such a gas sensor is not limited to one configured by a single member, but as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a configuration in which a male terminal member and a female terminal member are connected is proposed. Has been.

JP 2002-323470 A

  However, when the operation of fitting the male terminal member and the female terminal member is performed, the outer peripheral surface of the male terminal member and the inner peripheral surface of the female terminal member are in contact with each other, and are fitted together. There was a risk that the efficiency of the work would be reduced. Furthermore, when the male terminal member and the female terminal member are fixed by welding after the male terminal member and the female terminal member are fitted together, the male terminal member and the female terminal are used. There is a possibility that a gap is left in the contact portion with the member, resulting in poor welding.

  The present disclosure aims to improve work efficiency and welding stability.

  One embodiment of the present disclosure is a metal terminal for a gas sensor used in a gas sensor including a sensor element having an electrode terminal portion and a signal line. The electrode terminal unit outputs a detection signal indicating the detection result of the detection target gas to the outside. The signal line forms a signal path for outputting the detection signal to the outside. In addition, the gas sensor metal terminal of the present disclosure is electrically connected to the electrode terminal portion and the signal line in order to transmit a detection signal from the electrode terminal portion to the signal line.

  And the metal terminal for gas sensors of this indication is provided with the front end side terminal member which contacts an electrode terminal part, and the rear end side terminal member connected with a signal wire. The front end side terminal member includes a front end side connecting portion for connecting to the rear end side terminal member. The rear end side terminal member includes a rear end side connecting portion for connecting to the front end side terminal member.

  The distal end side connecting portion is a female connecting portion or a male connecting portion. The rear end side connecting portion is a male connecting portion when the front end side connecting portion is a female connecting portion, and is a female connecting portion when the front end side connecting portion is a male connecting portion.

  Furthermore, the female connection part is formed with an insertion port into which the male connection part is inserted. The insertion port is formed in a shape that can prevent the insertion port and the male connection part from contacting each other when the male connection part is inserted into the female connection part through the insertion port. Yes.

  In addition, either one of the female coupling portion and the male coupling portion is configured such that when the male coupling portion is accommodated inside the female coupling portion, the male coupling portion is a female type inside the female coupling portion. A male contact part is pressed so that it may go to a connection part, and the terminal contact part which makes a male connection part and a female connection part contact is provided.

  In the metal terminal for a gas sensor of the present disclosure configured as described above, the insertion port of the female connection unit is formed in a shape that can prevent the male connection unit from contacting the male connection unit when the male connection unit is inserted. . For this reason, the metal terminal for a gas sensor of the present disclosure has a hindered insertion operation due to the contact between the female coupling portion and the male coupling portion when the male coupling portion is inserted into the female coupling portion. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of such a situation, and it is possible to improve the efficiency of the operation of connecting the female connection portion and the male connection portion.

  Furthermore, in the metal terminal for a gas sensor of the present disclosure, the terminal contact portion presses the male connection portion so that the male connection portion faces the female connection portion inside the female connection portion, and the male connection portion and Make contact with the female connector. Thereby, the metal terminal for gas sensors of this indication can hold the state where the male connection part and the female connection part contacted after the male connection part was inserted into the inside of the female connection part. For this reason, it can be made to weld in the location where the male type | mold connection part and the female type | mold connection part contacted. As a result, the metal terminal for a gas sensor of the present disclosure suppresses the occurrence of a situation in which a gap is formed at a welded portion that is welded to fix the female connecting portion and the male connecting portion, thereby improving the welding stability. Can be improved.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, at least two terminal contact portions may be provided along a direction perpendicular to an insertion direction in which the male connection portion is inserted into the female connection portion.
In the metal terminal for a gas sensor of the present disclosure configured as described above, the movement of the male connection portion along the direction perpendicular to the insertion direction can be restricted inside the female connection portion. The stability of the position of the male connection part inside the part can be improved.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, at least two terminal contact portions may be provided along the insertion direction in which the male coupling portion is inserted into the female coupling portion.
In the metal terminal for a gas sensor of the present disclosure configured as described above, the movement of the male connection portion along the insertion direction can be restricted inside the female connection portion, and the male type inside the female connection portion. The stability of the position of the connecting portion can be improved.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, the distal end side connecting portion may include a terminal contact portion.
In the metal terminal for a gas sensor of the present disclosure configured as described above, a material capable of retaining elasticity even when repeatedly exposed to high temperatures is used for the distal end side terminal member in order to maintain contact with the electrode terminal portion by the distal end side terminal member. Often used for. For this reason, in the metal terminal for a gas sensor of the present disclosure, the distal end side connecting portion includes a terminal contact portion, and thus the terminal contact portion can be formed of a material that can retain elasticity even when repeatedly exposed to high temperatures. Become. Thereby, the metal terminal for gas sensors of this indication can suppress a fall of the function which presses a male type connection part and makes a male type connection part and a female type connection part contact.

  Another aspect of the present disclosure includes a sensor element including an electrode terminal portion, a metal terminal electrically connected to the electrode terminal portion of the sensor element, and an electrical connection to the metal terminal to output a detection signal to the outside And a signal line that forms a signal path for the gas sensor.

  And in the gas sensor of this indication, a metal terminal is provided with the front end side terminal member which contacts an electrode terminal part, and the rear end side terminal member connected with a signal wire | line. The front end side terminal member includes a front end side connecting portion for connecting to the rear end side terminal member. The rear end side terminal member includes a rear end side connecting portion for connecting to the front end side terminal member.

  The distal end side connecting portion is a female connecting portion or a male connecting portion. The rear end side connection portion is a male connection portion when the front end side connection portion is a female connection portion, and is a female connection portion when the front end side connection portion is a male connection portion.

  Furthermore, the female connection part is formed with an insertion port into which the male connection part is inserted. The insertion port is formed in a shape that can prevent the insertion port and the male connection part from contacting each other when the male connection part is inserted into the female connection part through the insertion port. Yes.

  In addition, either one of the female coupling portion and the male coupling portion is configured such that when the male coupling portion is accommodated inside the female coupling portion, the male coupling portion is a female type inside the female coupling portion. A male contact part is pressed so that it may go to a connection part, and the terminal contact part which makes a male connection part and a female connection part contact is provided.

  The gas sensor of the present disclosure configured as described above is a gas sensor including the metal terminal for gas sensor of one embodiment of the present disclosure, and can obtain the same effect as the metal terminal for gas sensor of the present disclosure.

  In another aspect of the present disclosure, the male coupling portion and the female coupling portion may be welded at a contact point between the male coupling portion and the female coupling portion. Thereby, the gas sensor of this indication suppresses generation | occurrence | production of the situation where a clearance gap is formed in the welding location welded in order to fix a female type | mold connection part and a male type | mold connection part, and improves the stability of welding. Can do.

  In another aspect of the present disclosure, the contact location where the terminal contact portion is in contact with either the female coupling portion or the male coupling portion, and the weld location where the female coupling portion and the male coupling portion are welded are The male coupling part may be arranged on the same plane perpendicular to the insertion direction in which the male coupling part is inserted.

  In the gas sensor of the present disclosure configured as described above, the terminal contact portion presses the male connection portion so that the male connection portion is directed to the female connection portion in the vicinity of the welding location. Contact between the connecting portion and the male connecting portion can be further strengthened, and the welding stability can be further improved.

  In another aspect of the present disclosure, at least two terminal contact portions may be provided along the insertion direction in which the male coupling portion is inserted into the female coupling portion. In another aspect of the present disclosure, the first terminal contact portion is in contact with either the female connection portion or the male connection portion, and the second terminal contact portion is the female connection portion. Alternatively, the second contact portion that contacts either one of the male coupling portions may be disposed on the opposite side of the welding plane. The first terminal contact portion is one terminal contact portion among at least two terminal contact portions. A 2nd terminal contact part is one terminal contact part other than a 1st terminal contact part among at least 2 terminal contact parts. Further, the welding plane is a plane that is perpendicular to the insertion direction in which the male coupling portion is inserted into the female coupling portion and passes through the welding location where the female coupling portion and the male coupling portion are welded. is there.

  In the gas sensor of the present disclosure configured as described above, the state in which the female connection portion and the male connection portion are in contact with each other by the first terminal contact portion and the second terminal contact portion disposed on both sides of the welding plane is provided. Since it is hold | maintained, the contact with the female type | mold connection part and male type | mold connection part in a welding location can be strengthened more, and the stability of welding can further be improved.

  Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is a method for manufacturing a gas sensor including a sensor element, a metal terminal, a separator, and a signal line. The separator is held in a state of surrounding the metal terminal. The separator includes a front end side separator that holds the front end side terminal member in a state of surrounding the front end side terminal member, and a rear end side separator that holds the rear end side terminal member in a state of surrounding.

And the manufacturing method of the gas sensor of this indication is provided with the front end side insertion process, the back end side insertion process, and the fitting process.
In the distal end side insertion step, the distal end side terminal member is inserted into the distal end side separator such that the distal end side connecting portion of the distal end side terminal member is positioned on the rear end side of the distal end side separator.

In the rear end side insertion step, the rear end side terminal member is inserted into the rear end side separator such that the rear end side connecting portion of the rear end side terminal member is positioned on the front end side of the rear end side separator.
In the fitting process, the rear end of the front end side terminal member and the rear end side connection of the rear end side terminal member are connected by fitting the rear end of the front end side separator and the front end of the rear end side separator together. To do.

  In the gas sensor manufacturing method of the present disclosure configured as described above, when the front end side connecting portion and the rear end side connecting portion are connected, either the front end side terminal member or the rear end side terminal member is fixed. This eliminates the need for a jig for performing the above. Thereby, the manufacturing method of the gas sensor of this indication can omit work which attaches or removes the above-mentioned jig, when connecting a tip side connection part and a back end side connection part, The production efficiency can be improved.

  Further, in the gas sensor manufacturing method of the present disclosure, after the front end side connecting portion and the rear end side connecting portion are connected, the front end side terminal member and the rear end side terminal member are held by the front end side separator and the rear end side separator, respectively. ing. For this reason, in the gas sensor manufacturing method of the present disclosure, after the front end side connecting portion and the rear end side connecting portion are connected, the connection between the front end side connecting portion and the rear end side connecting portion is released. And the stability of the connection between the front end side connecting portion and the rear end side connecting portion can be improved.

  In yet another aspect of the present disclosure, when the front end side separator and the rear end side separator are fitted, the front end side coupling portion and the rear end of the separator are arranged around the portion where the front end side separator and the rear end side separator contact each other. You may make it form so that the connection part with an end side connection part may be equipped with the opening part for exposing with respect to the exterior of a separator. And in another aspect of this indication, after a fitting process is complete | finished, you may make it provide the welding process of welding a connection part.

  In the gas sensor manufacturing method of the present disclosure configured as described above, heat can be applied to the connecting portion between the front end side connecting portion and the rear end side connecting portion via the opening from the outside of the separator. Even when the terminal is surrounded and held, the connecting portion between the front end side connecting portion and the rear end side connecting portion can be welded.

  In yet another aspect of the present disclosure, specifically, before welding the connecting portion, the opening is photographed from the outside of the separator, the position of the opening is detected, and the position of the connecting portion is determined based on the detection result. An opening determining step for determining the position may be provided, and the welding process may be performed at the position determined by the opening determining step. Alternatively, in still another aspect of the present disclosure, specifically, before welding the connecting portion, the opening is photographed from the outside of the separator to detect the boundary between the front end side connecting portion and the rear end side connecting portion. And a boundary determination step for determining the position of the connecting portion based on the detection result, and the welding step may perform welding at the position determined by the boundary determination step.

  The manufacturing method of the gas sensor of the present disclosure configured as described above can accurately weld and weld the connecting portion between the front end side connecting portion and the rear end side connecting portion.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing an overall configuration of a gas sensor 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of a detection element 5. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a front end side terminal member 43 and a rear end side terminal member 45. FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the state by which the front end side terminal member 43 and the rear end side terminal member 45 were connected by the front side. It is a perspective view which shows the state by which the front end side terminal member 43 and the rear end side terminal member 45 were connected by the back side. It is sectional drawing which fractures | ruptures and shows the front end side terminal member 43 and the rear end side terminal member 45 of the connected state to the direction perpendicular | vertical with respect to an axial direction. It is sectional drawing which fractures | ruptures and shows the front end side terminal member 43 and the rear end side terminal member 45 of the connected state to the axial direction. 4 is a flowchart showing a process for connecting a front end side terminal member 43 and a rear end side terminal member 45. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a front end side separator 13 and a rear end side separator 14. FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which connected the front end side separator 13 and the rear end side separator. It is a figure which shows the opening part OP periphery. It is sectional drawing which fractures | ruptures and shows the front end side terminal member and rear end side terminal member of the connected state in another embodiment in the direction perpendicular | vertical with respect to an axial direction. It is sectional drawing which fractures | ruptures and shows the front end side terminal member and rear end side terminal member of the connected state in another embodiment to an axial direction. It is a flowchart which shows the process for connecting the front end side terminal member 43 and the rear end side terminal member 45 in another embodiment. It is a figure which shows the opening part OP periphery in another embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.
The gas sensor 1 of the present embodiment is a NOx sensor that is mounted in a form in which a tip portion projects into an exhaust pipe with respect to an exhaust pipe of an internal combustion engine and detects NOx in the exhaust gas.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the gas sensor 1 includes a metal shell 3, a detection element 5, an element protector 9, an outer cylinder 11, an insulating separator 12, a closing member 15, a plurality of metal terminals 41, and a plurality of metal terminals 41. A lead wire 37. In FIG. 1, the lower end side of the gas sensor 1 is referred to as a front end side, the upper end side of the gas sensor 1 is referred to as a rear end side, and the longitudinal direction of the gas sensor 1 is referred to as an axial direction.

  The metal shell 3 is a member formed in a cylindrical shape from a heat-resistant metal such as stainless steel. The detection element 5 is formed in a long plate shape extending in the axial direction, and is inserted into the metal shell 3. The element protector 9 is disposed on the distal end side of the metal shell 3 and covers the distal end side of the detection element 5. The outer cylinder 11 is attached to the rear end side of the metal shell 3 by the welded portion 11a and covers the outer periphery of the detection element 5. The insulating separator 12 is disposed inside the outer cylinder 11 and accommodates the rear end side of the detection element 5. The closing member 15 closes the rear end side of the outer cylinder 11.

  The detection element 5 is formed with a detection part 19 covered with a protective layer 5a on the front end side directed to the exhaust gas, and as shown in FIG. Electrode terminal portions 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, and 36 are formed on the first plate surface 21 and the second plate surface 23.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the detection element 5 protrudes from the front end of the metal shell 3 with the front end side detection portion 19 fixed to the exhaust pipe, and the rear end side electrode terminal portions 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36 are fixed to the inside of the metal shell 3 in a state of protruding from the rear end of the metal shell 3. The electrode terminal portions 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, and 36 are not shown in FIG. 1, but are shown in FIG.

  Metal terminals 41 are connected to the electrode terminal portions 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, and 36, respectively. That is, the plurality of metal terminals 41 are disposed between the detection element 5 and the insulation separator 12 inside the insulation separator 12, so that the electrode terminal portions 31, 32, 33, 34, and 35 of the detection element 5 are arranged. , 36 are electrically connected to each other. The metal terminal 41 includes a front end side terminal member 43 and a rear end side terminal member 45.

Each of the plurality of metal terminals 41 is electrically connected to a plurality of lead wires 37 installed inside the gas sensor 1 from the outside. The detailed configuration of the metal terminal 41 will be described later.
The metal terminal 41 and the lead wire 37 form a current path of a current that flows between an external device (not shown) to which the lead wire 37 is connected and the detection element 5. The plurality of lead wires 37 are bundled by a tube member 38. In FIG. 1, only two lead wires 37 are shown.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the detection element 5 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape in which a plate-like element portion 51 extending in the axial direction and a plate-like heater 53 extending in the axial direction are stacked, and is perpendicular to the axial direction. The cross section is rectangular. In FIG. 2, the protective layer 5a is indicated by a dotted line. In FIG. 2, the detection element 5 is shown by omitting an intermediate portion in the axial direction.

Since the detection element 5 is a conventionally known element, a detailed description of its internal structure and the like is omitted, but its schematic configuration will be described below.
First, the element unit 51 includes, for example, an oxygen pump cell in which a porous electrode is formed on both sides of a solid electrolyte substrate, a reference cell, a NOx detection cell, and a spacer for forming a hollow oxygen measurement chamber and a NOx measurement chamber. ing. Among these, the solid electrolyte substrate is made of, for example, zirconia in which yttria is dissolved as a stabilizer, and the porous electrode is made mainly of, for example, Pt. The spacers forming the oxygen measurement chamber and the NOx measurement chamber are mainly composed of alumina, and one porous electrode of the oxygen pump cell and the reference cell is exposed inside the hollow oxygen measurement chamber. Has been placed. The spacer is formed so that the oxygen measurement chamber is positioned at least on the tip side of the element unit 51, and includes a gas path for introducing a gas to be measured from the outside to the oxygen measurement chamber via the diffusion control unit. Yes. Inside the NOx measuring chamber, one porous electrode of the NOx sensing element is arranged so as to be exposed. A portion of the element unit 51 where the porous electrode, the oxygen measurement chamber, and the NOx measurement chamber are formed corresponds to the detection unit 19.

  On the other hand, the heater 53 is formed by sandwiching a heating resistor pattern mainly composed of Pt between insulating substrates mainly composed of alumina. And the element part 51 and the heater 53 are mutually joined through a ceramic layer.

  In such a detection element 5, as shown in FIG. 2, three electrode terminal portions 31, 32, 33 are formed on the rear end side of the first plate surface 21 (that is, the right side in FIG. 2). Three electrode terminal portions 34, 35, and 36 are formed on the rear end side of the plate surface 23. The electrode terminal portions 31, 32, and 33 are formed in the element portion 51, and are electrically connected to a pair of porous electrodes in the oxygen pump cell and one porous electrode of the reference cell, respectively. The electrode terminal portions 34, 35, and 36 are formed in the heater 53, and both ends of the heating resistor pattern and one porous electrode of the NOx detection element through via conductors (not shown) that cross in the thickness direction of the heater. Is connected to each.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the metal shell 3 is a cylindrical member having a threaded portion 3 a for fixing itself to the exhaust pipe on its outer surface and having a through hole 3 b at the center of the shaft. Note that a shelf 3c that protrudes radially inward is formed in the through hole 3b. The metal shell 3 is made of a metal material (for example, stainless steel).

  Inside the through-hole 3b of the metal shell 3, a ceramic holder 61 formed using an annular insulating material (for example, alumina or the like) disposed so as to surround the periphery of the detection element 5 in the radial direction, and a similar annular shape The talc ring 63 and a ceramic sleeve 67 formed using a similar annular insulating material (for example, alumina) are laminated in this order from the front end side to the rear end side.

  A caulking packing 69 is disposed between the ceramic sleeve 67 and the rear end portion 3 d of the metal shell 3. The rear end 3d of the metal shell 3 is crimped so as to press the ceramic sleeve 67 against the distal end side via the crimping packing 69.

  An annular gasket 64 is disposed on the rear end side of the threaded portion 3 a in the outer periphery of the metal shell 3. The gasket 64 suppresses gas escape from the gap between the gas sensor 1 and the sensor mounting position.

  The element protector 9 is a cylindrical member attached to the outer periphery on the front end side of the metal shell 3 by a welding portion 9d so as to cover the protruding portion of the detection element 5. The element protector 9 is formed using a heat resistant material (for example, SUS310S). The element protector 9 has a double structure including an external protector 9a and an internal protector 9b. Each of the external protector 9a and the internal protector 9b is formed with a plurality of holes 9c through which gas can pass at the side wall or the tip.

The insulating separator 12 is configured to be divided into a front end side separator 13 and a rear end side separator 14.
The front end side separator 13 is a cylindrical member formed using an insulating material (for example, alumina or the like), and is placed inside the outer cylinder 11 by a cylindrical holding metal fitting 73 disposed inside the outer cylinder 11. Is retained. A terminal arrangement hole 13b penetrating in the axial direction is formed inside the front end side separator 13. The terminal arrangement hole 13b accommodates the rear end portions (that is, the electrode terminal portions 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, and 36) of the detection element 5 and the electrode terminal portions 31, 32, 33, 34, and 35. , 36 are housed in the tip portions of the plurality of metal terminals 41 (that is, the tip-side terminal member 43). The front end side separator 13 is provided with an annular flange 13c projecting outward on the outer surface thereof. As for the front end side separator 13, the installation position of the axial direction in the inside of the outer cylinder 11 is prescribed | regulated because the collar part 13c contacts the holding metal fitting 73. FIG.

  The rear end separator 14 is a cylindrical member formed using an insulating material (for example, alumina or the like), and is disposed on the front end side of the closing member 15 inside the outer cylinder 11. Inside the rear end side separator 14, terminal arrangement holes penetrating in the axial direction are formed at a plurality of locations. The rear end side separator 14 accommodates the rear end portion (that is, the rear end side terminal member 45) of the metal terminal 41 in each of the plurality of terminal arrangement holes.

  The closing member 15 is a grommet formed using a flexible material (for example, a fluororesin). The closing member 15 is disposed in the rear end side opening of the outer cylinder 11 and is fixed to the outer cylinder 11 by crimping the outer cylinder 11 inward from the outside. The closing member 15 includes a plurality of through holes (not shown) for inserting a plurality of lead wires 37.

  The plurality of lead wires 37 are connected to the rear end sides of different metal terminals 41 by caulking, and are inserted into through holes formed through the closing member 15 and extend to the outside.

Next, the metal terminal 41 will be described.
As described above, the metal terminal 41 includes the front end side terminal member 43 and the rear end side terminal member 45.

  The tip-side terminal member 43 is made of a metal material that can retain elasticity even when repeatedly exposed to high temperatures, and is made of, for example, an alloy material mainly composed of Ni (for example, NCF718). As shown in FIG. 3, the distal end side terminal member 43 is formed by bending a long thin plate-like metal material, and includes a main body portion 101, a female connecting portion 102, an extending portion 103, A bent portion 104 and an element contact portion 105 are provided.

The main body 101 is formed in a long plate shape extending in the axial direction.
The female coupling part 102 includes two accommodation parts 111 and two terminal contact parts 113.
Each of the two accommodating portions 111 is provided on the rear end side of the main body portion 101 so as to extend from both end portions of the main body portion 101 along the short direction in the main body portion 101 (that is, the direction perpendicular to the axial direction). The two accommodating portions 111 and the main body portion 101 are formed in a shape that can surround a male connecting portion 132 described later. As a result, an insertion port 102 a for inserting the rear end side terminal member 45 is formed at the end portion on the rear end side of the female coupling portion 102. An arrow Di in FIG. 3 indicates an insertion direction when the rear end side terminal member 45 is inserted into the insertion port 102 a of the female coupling portion 102.

  The female connecting portion 102 has a notch 115 formed at a location facing the main body 101. Thereby, the part surrounding the male coupling part 132 by the two accommodating parts 111 and the main body part 101 is formed so that the cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the axial direction is a circle having a cut at one place.

  The two terminal contact portions 113 are provided corresponding to the two accommodating portions 111, respectively. The terminal contact portion 113 is provided in the vicinity of the notch 115 in the accommodating portion 111 so as to extend from the accommodating portion 111 toward the distal end side in the axial direction. The terminal contacting portion 113 and the accommodating portion 111 have a diameter that decreases toward the distal end side. It is bent inward at the connecting part.

  The extending portion 103 is provided so as to extend from both end portions along the short direction of the main body portion 101, and the extending direction is a direction substantially perpendicular to the plate surface of the main body portion 101. The distal end side terminal member 43 includes the extending portion 103, whereby the strength of the distal end side terminal member 43 is improved.

  The bent portion 104 is formed by being bent in a direction perpendicular to the plate surface of the main body portion 101 on the distal end side of the main body portion 101, and is a connecting portion that connects the main body portion 101 and the element contact portion 105. .

The element contact portion 105 is connected to the main body portion 101 via the bent portion 104, and is formed such that the gap dimension with the main body portion 101 can be changed by elastic deformation of the bent portion 104.
The tip-side terminal member 43 configured in this way has the element contact portion 105 contacted with the electrode terminal portions 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, and 36 of the detection element 5 by elastic deformation of the bent portion 104. The contact state between the contact portion 105 and the detection element 5 can be maintained.

  The rear end side terminal member 45 is configured using, for example, a stainless alloy (for example, SUS304). The rear end side terminal member 45 is formed by bending a long thin plate-shaped metal material, and includes a signal line connection portion 131 and a male connection portion 132.

  The signal line connecting portion 131 is configured to have a cylindrical shape capable of surrounding the core wire 37a of the lead wire 37 by being deformed by bending. The core wire 37a of the lead wire 37 is not shown in FIG. 3, but is shown in FIG. The signal line connecting portion 131 is connected to the core wire 37 a of the lead wire 37 by caulking inward in the radial direction while surrounding the core wire 37 a of the lead wire 37.

  The male coupling portion 132 is formed in a cylindrical shape on the distal end side of the signal line connecting portion 131 and has a circular cross section perpendicular to the axial direction. The outer diameter dimension of the male connecting portion 132 is set to be smaller than the inner diameter of the insertion port 102a of the female connecting portion 102. The male connecting portion 132 includes a reduced diameter portion 133 on the distal end side. The reduced diameter portion 133 is formed in a shape that decreases in diameter toward the distal end side.

  The rear end side terminal member 45 configured in this way is electrically connected to an external device via the lead wire 37 by the signal line connecting portion 131 being electrically connected to the core wire 37 a of the lead wire 37. The

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the front end side terminal member 43 and the rear end side terminal member 45 are connected by inserting the male connection portion 132 into the female connection portion 102.
When the male coupling portion 132 is inserted into the female coupling portion 102, the end of the terminal contact portion 113 of the female coupling portion 102 on the distal end side is male coupling as shown in FIGS. The outer peripheral surface of the part 132 is contacted, and the male coupling part 132 is pressed inward. As described above, the terminal contact portion 113 is disposed in the vicinity of the notch 115 facing the main body 101. For this reason, the terminal contact portion 113 presses the male connection portion 132 inward, so that the female connection portion 102 is in a state where the outer peripheral surface of the male connection portion 132 is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the main body portion 101. Are connected to the male connector 132. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the rear end side terminal member 45 is moved to the front end side by forming a welded portion 150 by welding a part of the region where the male connecting portion 132 and the main body portion 101 are in contact with each other. It is attached to the terminal member 43. In the present embodiment, the welded portion 150 and the end portion on the distal end side of the terminal contact portion 113 (that is, the contact portion between the terminal contact portion 113 and the male coupling portion 132) are perpendicular to the axial direction. The position of the welded portion 150 is set so as to be located on the same plane PL.

Next, the process for connecting the front end side terminal member 43 and the rear end side terminal member 45 in the manufacturing process of the gas sensor 1 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 8, first, in S10, the distal end side insertion step is performed. In the front end side insertion step, as shown in FIG. 9, four front end side terminal members 43 are inserted into each of the four openings formed in the rear end surface 13 d of the front end side separator 13. As a result, the tip-side terminal member 43 is configured such that the female coupling portion 102 of the tip-side terminal member 43 protrudes from the rear end surface 13d of the tip-side separator 13 and the element contact portion 105 is accommodated in the terminal arrangement hole 13b. Is held by the front end side separator 13. The rear end surface 13d of the front end side separator 13 is formed with a recess 13e for fitting with the rear end side separator 14.

  Then, when the front end side insertion step of S10 is completed, as shown in FIG. 8, the rear end side insertion step is performed at S20. In the rear end side insertion step, as shown in FIG. 9, first, six lead wires 37 are inserted into each of the six openings formed in the rear end surface 14b of the rear end side separator 14, and the rear end side Lead wires 37 are drawn out from six openings formed in the front end surface 14 a of the separator 14, and the lead wires 37 are connected to the signal line connecting portion 131 of the rear end side terminal member 45 on the front end side of the rear end side separator 14. . Then, four lead wires 37 are pulled out from the four openings formed in the rear end surface 14b of the rear end side separator 14, respectively. Thereby, the rear end side terminal member 45 is held by the rear end side separator 14 such that the male coupling portion 132 protrudes from the front end surface 14 a of the rear end side separator 14. Note that a convex portion 14 c for fitting to the front end side separator 13 is formed on the front end surface 14 a of the rear end side separator 14. As shown in FIG. 9, the lead wire 37 is bundled by a tube member 38 before being inserted into the rear end side separator 14.

  And if the rear end side insertion process of S20 is complete | finished, as shown in FIG. 8, a fitting process will be performed in S30. In the fitting step, as shown in FIG. 10, the convex portion 14 c of the rear end side separator 14 is fitted into the concave portion 13 e of the front end side separator 13. Thereby, the front end side separator 13 and the rear end side separator 14 are connected in a state where the female connection portion 102 of the front end side terminal member 43 and the male connection portion 132 of the rear end side terminal member 45 are connected. Then, the front end side separator 13 and the rear end side separator 14 are connected to form an opening OP between the front end side separator 13 and the rear end side separator 14.

  And when the fitting process of S30 is complete | finished, as shown in FIG. 8, an opening part determination process is performed in S40. In the opening determination step, first, the opening OP is photographed from the outside of the front end side separator 13 and the rear end side separator 14 with a camera (not shown). As shown in FIG. 11, the female coupling portion 102 is exposed through the opening OP formed between the front end side separator 13 and the rear end side separator 14.

  Image data captured by the camera is input to a control unit of a laser welding apparatus (not shown). The control unit executes various control processes in the laser welding apparatus, and is configured around a well-known microcomputer including a CPU, ROM, RAM, input port, output port, a bus line connecting these components, and the like. Has been.

  The control unit extracts the opening OP from the input image data by performing a known image recognition process. And a control part detects the position of the opening part OP in the imaging | photography area | region which a camera image | photographs based on the extracted opening part OP. Then, based on the detected position of the opening OP, the welding point Pw exposed through the opening OP is determined. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, among the four sides constituting the rectangle of the opening OP, the midpoint Pc1 of the right side Lr and the midpoint Pc2 of the lower side Ld are obtained. Next, an intersection Pi between a virtual line passing through Pc1 and parallel to the lower side Ld and a virtual line passing through Pc2 and parallel to the right side Lr is obtained, and this intersection Pi is separated from the intersection Pi by a preset distance L1 to the left. The position and the position away from the intersection Pi to the right by the distance L2 are determined as the position of the welding point Pw.

  And when the opening part determination process of S40 is complete | finished, as shown in FIG. 8, a welding process is performed in S50. In the welding process, the control unit of the laser welding apparatus sets the laser irradiation position by the laser irradiation unit so that the laser is irradiated toward the position determined in S40, and then irradiates the laser from the laser irradiation unit. As a result, welding is performed at the welding point Pw, and the rear end side terminal member 45 is attached to the front end side terminal member 43.

When the welding process of S50 is completed, the process for connecting the front end side terminal member 43 and the rear end side terminal member 45 is completed.
The metal terminal 41 configured as described above is used in the gas sensor 1 including the detection element 5 having the electrode terminal portions 33 and 36 and the lead wire 37. The electrode terminal portions 33 and 36 output a detection signal indicating the detection result of NOx in the exhaust gas to the outside. The lead wire 37 forms a signal path for outputting a detection signal to the outside. The metal terminal 41 is electrically connected to the electrode terminal portions 33 and 36 and the lead wire 37 in order to transmit a detection signal from the electrode terminal portions 33 and 36 to the lead wire 37.

  The metal terminal 41 includes a front end side terminal member 43 that contacts the electrode terminal portions 33 and 36 and a rear end side terminal member 45 connected to the lead wire 37. The front end side terminal member 43 includes a female connecting portion 102 for connecting to the rear end side terminal member 45. The rear end side terminal member 45 includes a male connecting portion 132 for connecting to the front end side terminal member 43.

  Further, the female connection portion 102 is formed with an insertion port 102 a into which the male connection portion 132 is inserted inside the female connection portion 102. Here, the outer diameter dimension of the male coupling part 132 is set to be smaller than the inner diameter of the insertion port 102 a of the female coupling part 102. Therefore, the insertion port 102a prevents the insertion port 102a and the male connection part 132 from contacting each other when the male connection part 132 is inserted into the female connection part 102 through the insertion hole 102a. It is formed in a shape that can. Note that the insertion port 102a and the male connection portion 132 can be prevented from contacting each other when at least a part of the insertion port 102a is separated when the male connection portion 132 is inserted into the insertion port 102a of the female connection portion 102. It means to do. As in the present embodiment, the outer diameter dimension of the male coupling portion 132 may be smaller than the inner diameter of the insertion port 102a of the female coupling portion 102, and the cross-sectional area of the male coupling portion 132 is female coupling. What is necessary is just to be smaller than the cross-sectional area of the insertion port 102a of the part 102.

  In addition, when the male connection part 132 is accommodated in the female connection part 102, the male connection part 132 is directed to the female connection part 102 inside the female connection part 102. Thus, the male connection part 132 is pressed and the terminal contact part 113 which makes the male connection part 132 and the female connection part 102 contact is provided.

  Thus, in the metal terminal 41, the insertion port 102a of the female connection part 102 is formed in a shape that can be prevented from contacting the male connection part 132 when the male connection part 132 is inserted. For this reason, when the male connection part 132 is inserted into the female connection part 102, the metal terminal 41 is in contact with the female connection part 102 and the male connection part 132, and the insertion operation is hindered. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of such a situation, and it is possible to improve the efficiency of the operation of connecting the female connection portion 102 and the male connection portion 132.

  Further, in the metal terminal 41, the terminal contact portion 113 presses the male connection portion 132 so that the male connection portion 132 faces the female connection portion 102 inside the female connection portion 102, and the male connection portion 132. And the female connector 102 are brought into contact with each other. Thereby, the metal terminal 41 can hold | maintain the state which the male type | mold connection part 132 and the female type | mold connection part 102 contacted after the male type | mold connection part 132 was inserted in the inside of the female type | mold connection part 102. FIG. For this reason, it can be made to weld in the location where the male type | mold connection part 132 and the female type | mold connection part 102 contacted. Thereby, the metal terminal 41 suppresses generation | occurrence | production of the situation where a clearance gap is formed in the welding part 150 welded in order to fix the female type | mold connection part 102 and the male type | mold connection part 132, and improves the stability of welding. Can be made.

  Further, two terminal contact portions 113 are provided along a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction Di in which the male coupling portion 132 is inserted into the female coupling portion 102. Thereby, the metal terminal 41 can restrict the movement of the male coupling part 132 along the direction perpendicular to the insertion direction Di inside the female coupling part 102. The stability of the position of the male coupling part 132 can be improved.

  The female connecting portion 102 includes a terminal contact portion 113. In the metal terminal 41, a material that can retain elasticity even when repeatedly exposed to high temperatures is used for the tip-side terminal member 43 in order to keep the tip-side terminal member 43 in contact with the electrode terminal portions 33 and 36. For this reason, in the metal terminal 41, since the female connection part 102 includes the terminal contact part 113, the terminal contact part 113 can also be formed of a material that can retain elasticity even when repeatedly exposed to high temperatures. . Thereby, the metal terminal 41 can suppress the fall of the function which presses the male connection part 132 and makes the male connection part 132 and the female connection part 102 contact.

  Further, the contact location where the terminal contact portion 113 contacts the male coupling portion 132 and the welded portion 150 where the female coupling portion 102 and the male coupling portion 132 are welded are the same perpendicular to the insertion direction Di. On the plane PL. Accordingly, the terminal contact portion 113 presses the male connection portion 132 in the vicinity of the weld portion 150 so that the male connection portion 132 faces the female connection portion 102, and thus the female connection portion 102 in the weld portion 150. And the male connection part 132 can be made stronger, and the welding stability can be further improved.

  Moreover, the manufacturing method of the gas sensor 1 is provided with a front end side insertion process, a rear end side insertion process, and a fitting process. The insulating separator 12 is held in a state of surrounding the metal terminal 41. The insulating separator 12 includes a front end side separator 13 that holds the front end side terminal member 43 in a surrounding state, and a rear end side separator 14 that holds the rear end side terminal member 45 in a surrounded state.

  In the distal end side insertion step, the distal end side terminal member 43 is inserted into the distal end side separator 13 such that the female coupling portion 102 of the distal end side terminal member 43 is positioned on the rear end side of the distal end side separator 13.

  In the rear end side insertion step, the rear end side terminal member 45 is placed inside the rear end side separator 14 such that the male coupling portion 132 of the rear end side terminal member 45 is positioned on the front end side of the rear end side separator 14. insert.

  In the fitting step, the female end connection member 102 of the front end side terminal member 43 and the male end connection of the rear end side terminal member 45 are fitted by fitting the rear end of the front end side separator 13 and the front end of the rear end side separator 14 together. The part 132 is connected.

  As described above, in the method for manufacturing the gas sensor 1, when the female coupling portion 102 and the male coupling portion 132 are coupled, one of the front end side terminal member 43 and the rear end side terminal member 45 is fixed. The jig for this is unnecessary. Thereby, the manufacturing method of the gas sensor 1 can omit the operation | work which attaches or removes said jig | tool, when connecting the female type | mold connection part 102 and the male type | mold connection part 132, and the gas sensor 1 can be abbreviate | omitted. The production efficiency can be improved.

  Moreover, in the manufacturing method of the gas sensor 1, after the female connection part 102 and the male connection part 132 are connected, the front end side terminal member 43 and the rear end side terminal member 45 are respectively connected to the front end side separator 13 and the rear end side separator 14. Is held by. For this reason, in the manufacturing method of the gas sensor 1, after the female connection part 102 and the male connection part 132 are connected, the connection between the female connection part 102 and the male connection part 132 is released. , And the stability of the connection between the female connection part 102 and the male connection part 132 can be improved.

  When the front separator 13 and the rear separator 14 are fitted together, the insulating separator 12 is connected to the female connector 102 and the male connector around the portion where the front separator 13 and the rear separator 14 are in contact with each other. The connection part with the part 132 is formed so as to have an opening OP for exposing to the outside of the insulating separator 12. And in the manufacturing method of the gas sensor 1, after the fitting process is complete | finished, the welding process of welding the connection part of the female type | mold connection part 102 and the male type | mold connection part 132 is provided.

  As described above, in the method of manufacturing the gas sensor 1, heat can be applied to the connecting portion between the female connecting portion 102 and the male connecting portion 132 from the outside of the insulating separator 12 through the opening OP. Even if the metal terminal 41 is held in a surrounding state, the connecting portion between the female connecting portion 102 and the male connecting portion 132 can be welded.

  Specifically, in the method for manufacturing the gas sensor 1, before welding the connecting portion, the opening OP is photographed from the outside of the insulating separator 12, the position of the opening OP is detected, and the connection is made based on the detection result. An opening determining step for determining the position of the portion; And in the manufacturing method of the gas sensor 1, a welding process welds in the position determined by the opening part determination process. Thereby, the manufacturing method of the gas sensor 1 can apply heat to the connection part of the female type | mold connection part 102 and the male type | mold connection part 132 accurately, and can weld.

  The metal terminal 41 corresponds to a gas sensor metal terminal, the oxygen in the exhaust gas corresponds to a detection target gas, the electrode terminal portions 33 and 36 correspond to electrode terminal portions, and the detection element 5 corresponds to a sensor element. The lead wire 37 corresponds to a signal line.

In addition, the female connection portion 102 corresponds to the front end side connection portion, the male connection portion 132 corresponds to the rear end side connection portion, the welded portion 150 corresponds to the welding location, and the plane PL corresponds to the plane.
The insulating separator 12 corresponds to a separator.

As mentioned above, although one embodiment of this indication was described, this indication is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and can carry out various modifications.
For example, in the said embodiment, the front end side terminal member 43 was equipped with the female type | mold connection part 102, and the rear end side terminal member 45 showed what was provided with the male type | mold connection part 132. FIG. However, the front end side terminal member 43 may be provided with a male connection portion, and the rear end side terminal member 45 may be provided with a female connection portion.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, what showed the female type | mold connection part 102 provided with the terminal contact part 113 was shown. However, the male connecting portion 132 may include a terminal contact portion.
Moreover, in the said embodiment, the insertion port 102a of the female type | mold connection part 102 showed what is circular shape. However, the shape of the insertion port is not limited to a circular shape, and may be any shape that can accommodate a male coupling portion. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the insertion opening of the female coupling portion may be rectangular, triangular, or polygonal with five or more corners. In FIG. 12, the male connection portion 232 having a rectangular cross section is inserted into the female connection portion 202 having a rectangular insertion port 202 a, and the male contact portion 213 included in the female connection portion 202 is male. A state where the connecting portion 232 is pressed is shown.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, what showed the two terminal contact parts 113 along the direction perpendicular | vertical with respect to the insertion direction Di was shown. However, as shown in FIG. 13, at least two or more terminal contact portions may be provided along the insertion direction Di. FIG. 13 shows a state in which the male coupling portion 132 is inserted into the female coupling portion 102 having the terminal contact portions 118 and 119 arranged along the insertion direction Di instead of the terminal contact portion 113. ing. Thereby, the movement of the male connection part 132 along the insertion direction Di can be restricted inside the female connection part 102, and the stability of the position of the male connection part 132 inside the female connection part 102 can be restricted. Can be improved.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the contact location where the terminal contact part 113 contacts the male type | mold connection part 132, and the welding part 150 showed what is arrange | positioned on the same plane PL perpendicular | vertical with respect to the insertion direction Di. . However, as shown in FIG. 13, the first contact location where the terminal contact portion 118 contacts the male coupling portion 132 and the second contact location where the terminal contact portion 119 contacts the male coupling portion 132 are plane PL. They may be arranged on opposite sides of each other. As a result, since the contact state between the female coupling portion 102 and the male coupling portion 132 is maintained by the terminal contact portions 118 and 119 disposed on both sides of the plane PL, the female coupling at the welded portion 150 is maintained. The contact between the portion 102 and the male coupling portion 132 can be further strengthened, and the welding stability can be further improved. The terminal contact portion 118 corresponds to a first terminal contact portion, the terminal contact portion 119 corresponds to a second terminal contact portion, and the plane PL corresponds to a welding plane.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, what performed an opening part determination process in S40 was shown. However, as shown in FIG. 14, a boundary determination step may be performed instead of the opening determination step in S40. That is, when the fitting process of S30 is completed, a boundary determination process is performed in S45. And if the boundary determination process of S45 is complete | finished, a welding process will be performed in S50.

  In addition, when performing the boundary determination process of S45, as shown in FIG. 15, the boundary line Lb between the female coupling portion 102 and the male coupling portion 132 needs to be exposed through the opening OP. is there.

  In the boundary determination step, first, the opening OP is photographed with a camera (not shown). Image data captured by the camera is input to a control unit of a laser welding apparatus (not shown). The control unit extracts a boundary line Lb from the input image data by performing a known image recognition process. And a control part detects the position of the boundary line Lb in the imaging | photography area | region which a camera image | photographs based on the extracted boundary line Lb. Then, based on the detected position of the boundary line Lb, the welding point Pw exposed through the opening OP is determined. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, a position away from the midpoint Pc2 of the boundary line Lb by a preset distance L4 is determined as the position of the welding point Pw.

  As described above, in the method of manufacturing the gas sensor 1, specifically, before the connection portion is welded, the opening OP is photographed from the outside of the insulating separator 12, and the female connection portion 102 and the male connection portion 132 are connected. A boundary determining step of detecting the boundary line Lb and determining the position of the connected portion based on the detection result is provided. And in the manufacturing method of the gas sensor 1, a welding process welds in the position determined by the boundary determination process. Thereby, the manufacturing method of the gas sensor 1 can apply heat to the connection part of the female type | mold connection part 102 and the male type | mold connection part 132 accurately, and can weld.

  The functions of one component in each of the above embodiments may be shared by a plurality of components, or the functions of a plurality of components may be exhibited by one component. Moreover, you may abbreviate | omit a part of structure of each said embodiment. In addition, at least a part of the configuration of each of the above embodiments may be added to or replaced with the configuration of the other above embodiments. In addition, all the aspects included in the technical idea specified from the wording described in the claims are embodiments of the present disclosure.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Gas sensor, 5 ... Detection element, 12 ... Insulation separator, 13 ... Front end side separator, 14 ... Rear end side separator, 33, 36 ... Electrode terminal part, 37 ... Lead wire, 41 ... Metal terminal, 43 ... Front end side terminal 45, a rear end side terminal member, 102, a female connecting portion, 113, a terminal contact portion, 132, a male connecting portion.

Claims (12)

Used in a gas sensor including a sensor element having an electrode terminal portion that outputs a detection signal indicating a detection result of a detection target gas to the outside, and a signal line that forms a signal path for outputting the detection signal to the outside. A metal terminal for a gas sensor electrically connected to the electrode terminal portion and the signal line in order to transmit the detection signal from the electrode terminal portion to the signal line,
A tip-side terminal member in contact with the electrode terminal portion;
A rear end side terminal member connected to the signal line,
The front end side terminal member includes a front end side connecting portion for connecting to the rear end side terminal member,
The rear end side terminal member includes a rear end side connecting portion for connecting to the front end side terminal member,
The distal end side connecting portion is a female connecting portion or a male connecting portion,
The rear end side connection portion is the male connection portion when the front end side connection portion is the female connection portion, and the female portion when the front end side connection portion is the male connection portion. A mold connecting part,
The female connection part is formed with an insertion port into which the male connection part is inserted,
The insertion port may prevent the insertion port and the male connection portion from contacting each other when the male connection portion is inserted into the female connection portion through the insertion port. Formed into a shape,
Any one of the female connection part and the male connection part is configured such that, when the male connection part is accommodated in the female connection part, the male connection part is provided inside the female connection part. A metal terminal for a gas sensor, comprising a terminal contact portion that presses the male connection portion so that the portion is directed toward the female connection portion, thereby bringing the male connection portion and the female connection portion into contact with each other. The metal terminal for a gas sensor according to claim 1,
At least two of the terminal contact portions are provided along a direction perpendicular to an insertion direction in which the male connection portion is inserted into the female connection portion. The metal terminal for a gas sensor according to claim 1 or 2,
The terminal contact part is a metal terminal for a gas sensor provided at least two along the insertion direction in which the male connection part is inserted into the female connection part. It is a metal terminal for gas sensors given in any 1 paragraph of Claims 1-3,
The said front end side connection part is a metal terminal for gas sensors provided with the said terminal contact part. A sensor element including an electrode terminal portion for outputting a detection signal indicating a detection result of the detection target gas to the outside;
A metal terminal electrically connected to the electrode terminal portion of the sensor element;
A gas sensor which is electrically connected to the metal terminal and forms a signal path for outputting the detection signal to the outside,
The metal terminal includes a front end side terminal member that contacts the electrode terminal portion, and a rear end side terminal member connected to the signal line,
The front end side terminal member includes a front end side connecting portion for connecting to the rear end side terminal member,
The rear end side terminal member includes a rear end side connecting portion for connecting to the front end side terminal member,
The distal end side connecting portion is a female connecting portion or a male connecting portion,
The rear end side connection portion is the male connection portion when the front end side connection portion is the female connection portion, and the female portion when the front end side connection portion is the male connection portion. A mold connecting part,
The female connection part is formed with an insertion port into which the male connection part is inserted,
The insertion port may prevent the insertion port and the male connection portion from contacting each other when the male connection portion is inserted into the female connection portion through the insertion port. Formed into a shape,
Any one of the female connection part and the male connection part is configured such that, when the male connection part is accommodated in the female connection part, the male connection part is provided inside the female connection part. A gas sensor comprising: a terminal contact portion that presses the male connection portion so that the portion faces the female connection portion to bring the male connection portion and the female connection portion into contact with each other. The gas sensor according to claim 5,
The gas sensor in which the male connection part and the female connection part are welded at a contact point between the male connection part and the female connection part. The gas sensor according to claim 6,
The contact location where the terminal contact portion contacts one of the female connection portion and the male connection portion, and the weld location where the female connection portion and the male connection portion are welded are the female The gas sensor arrange | positioned on the same plane perpendicular | vertical with respect to the insertion direction by which the said male type | mold connection part is inserted inside a type | mold connection part. The gas sensor according to any one of claims 5 to 7,
At least two of the terminal contact parts are provided along an insertion direction in which the male connection part is inserted into the female connection part,
Of the at least two terminal contact portions, one terminal contact portion is a first terminal contact portion, and one terminal contact portion other than the first terminal contact portion is a second terminal contact portion,
A first contact point where the first terminal contact portion contacts one of the female connection portion and the male connection portion; and a second terminal contact portion of the female connection portion and the male connection portion. The second contact location that contacts either one is perpendicular to the insertion direction in which the male coupling portion is inserted into the female coupling portion, and the female coupling portion and the male coupling portion. Gas sensors arranged on opposite sides of a welding plane passing through the welded spot where the and are welded. A sensor element including an electrode terminal portion for outputting a detection signal indicating a detection result of the detection target gas to the outside;
A metal terminal electrically connected to the electrode terminal portion of the sensor element;
A separator that holds the metal terminal in a surrounding state;
And a signal line that is electrically connected to the metal terminal and forms a signal path for outputting the detection signal to the outside, comprising:
The metal terminal includes a front end side terminal member that contacts the electrode terminal portion, and a rear end side terminal member connected to the signal line,
The front end side terminal member includes a front end side connecting portion for connecting to the rear end side terminal member,
The rear end side terminal member includes a rear end side connecting portion for connecting to the front end side terminal member,
The distal end side connecting portion is a female connecting portion or a male connecting portion,
The rear end side connection portion is the male connection portion when the front end side connection portion is the female connection portion, and the female portion when the front end side connection portion is the male connection portion. A mold connecting part,
The female connection part is formed with an insertion port into which the male connection part is inserted,
The insertion port may prevent the insertion port and the male connection portion from contacting each other when the male connection portion is inserted into the female connection portion through the insertion port. Formed into a shape,
Any one of the female connection part and the male connection part is configured such that, when the male connection part is accommodated in the female connection part, the male connection part is provided inside the female connection part. A terminal contact portion that presses the male connection portion so that the portion goes to the female connection portion, and contacts the male connection portion and the female connection portion;
The separator includes a front end side separator that holds the front end side terminal member in a surrounding state, and a rear end side separator that holds the rear end side terminal member in a surrounding state.
A front end side insertion step of inserting the front end side terminal member into the front end side separator so that the front end side connecting portion of the front end side terminal member is positioned on the rear end side of the front end side separator;
Rear end side insertion for inserting the rear end side terminal member into the rear end side separator such that the rear end side connecting portion of the rear end side terminal member is positioned on the front end side of the rear end side separator. Process,
By fitting the rear end of the front end side separator and the front end of the rear end side separator, the front end side connecting portion of the front end side terminal member and the rear end side connecting portion of the rear end side terminal member are A manufacturing method of a gas sensor comprising: a fitting step for coupling. A gas sensor manufacturing method according to claim 9,
When the front end side separator and the rear end side separator are fitted to each other, the front end side connecting portion and the rear end side of the separator are located around a place where the front end side separator and the rear end side separator contact each other. The connecting portion with the connecting portion is formed to have an opening for exposing to the outside of the separator,
A method for manufacturing a gas sensor, comprising: a welding step of welding the connecting portion after the fitting step is completed. It is a manufacturing method of the gas sensor according to claim 10,
Before welding the connecting portion, an opening determination step of photographing the opening from the outside of the separator, detecting the position of the opening, and determining the position of the connecting portion based on the detection result. Prepared,
The said welding process is a manufacturing method of the gas sensor which welds in the position determined by the said opening part determination process. It is a manufacturing method of the gas sensor according to claim 10,
Before welding the connecting portion, the opening is photographed from the outside of the separator to detect a boundary between the front end side connecting portion and the rear end side connecting portion, and based on the detection result, the connecting portion A boundary determination step for determining the position of
The said welding process is a manufacturing method of the gas sensor which welds in the position determined by the said boundary determination process.