JPH11223508A - Sensor and production method for the sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sensor attached easily and accurately without adjusting the attachment by tentatively tightening the sensor to an apparatus body and a production method for the sensor. SOLUTION: A sensor is provided with a housing 2 having a long hole 9 in the arm part 2a and an attaching member 3 having round holes 12 and is constituted by overlapping the housing 2 and the attaching member 3 in the state the long hole 9 and the round holes 12 are facing to. The round holes 12 are provided at the attaching part of the sensor. By this, a sensor can be easily attached by making the round holes 12 of the attaching member 3 guide without finely controlling the attaching position of the sensor in the set maker side.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for detecting a rotation angle of a rotating shaft, and more particularly to a sensor such as a throttle position sensor for a vehicle and a method of manufacturing the sensor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A fuel injection device for an automobile is provided with a throttle valve for adjusting a mixing ratio of air mixed with fuel such as gasoline, and this throttle valve is linked with an accelerator pedal of the automobile. Generally, a potentiometer type throttle position sensor in which an electric signal changes in accordance with the rotation angle is known as a device for detecting the rotation angle of a valve shaft of a throttle valve.

FIG. 8 shows a conventional throttle position sensor.
This will be described below based on 57-170008
As described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. H10-205, the conventional throttle position sensor 50 is a housing 5 having an arm portion 51a.
The sensor main body is housed in the sensor body 1, and a sensor shaft 52 protrudes outward from the sensor main body. A connection pin 54 is provided on a sensor arm 53 fixed to the tip of the sensor shaft 52, and an oval hole 55 is formed at both ends of the arm 51a.

The throttle valve is housed in a valve body (device body) 62 having two substantially round mounting holes 60 and an opening 61. An arm 64 is fixed on a valve shaft 63 protruding from the valve body 62 to the opening 61. Further, a hole 6 is provided at one end of the arm 64.
4a is opened, and the sensor arm 5 is inserted into the hole 64a.
The three connection pins 54 are fitted.

[0005] A housing 51 of the throttle position sensor 50 is provided with a hole 55 of an arm portion 51a and a valve body 62.
Are mounted to the valve body 62 with screws 70 so that the mounting holes 60 overlap. And the valve body 6
To attach the housing 51 to the valve body 6, the valve body 6
The sensor shaft 52 is inserted into the opening 61 of the
The connecting pin 54 is fitted into the hole 64a on the valve body 4, and the hole 55 of the arm 51a is opposed to each mounting hole 60 on the valve body 62 so as to overlap with the mounting hole 60. Fix temporarily. Next, at the time of final tightening and fixing, the housing 51 is rotated around the sensor shaft 52 while measuring the electric signal output from the sensor with the sensor shaft 52 fixed at a predetermined position. At this time,
The oval-shaped hole 55 of the housing 51 can be finely adjusted with respect to the screw 70 temporarily tightened in the mounting hole 60, and at a position where an electric signal corresponding to a predetermined reference resistance value is detected. The sensor is securely fixed to the valve body 51. Thus, the rotation of the valve shaft 63 is transmitted to the sensor main body via the arm 64 and the sensor arm 53, and a predetermined output signal corresponding to the rotation of the valve shaft 63 is obtained.

[0006]

In such a sensor in which the conventional mounting position accuracy is required to be very high,
It is necessary for the set manufacturer to temporarily fasten the sensors one by one to the device body (valve body), and to fix them after mounting and adjusting while measuring and inspecting the electrical signals output from the sensors. There was a problem. The present invention is intended to solve such a problem, and its purpose is to temporarily tighten the sensor to the device body, and to easily and accurately mount the sensor without performing mounting adjustment.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a sensor.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems As a first means for solving the above problems, there is provided a housing having an elongated hole in an arm portion, and a mounting member having a round hole. The long hole and the round hole are overlapped in a state where they face each other, and the round hole serves as a mounting reference position of the sensor.

As a second solution, a housing having a long groove in the arm portion, a thin portion formed to be thinner than the thickness of the arm portion and provided in the long groove, and a thin portion provided in the thin portion so as to penetrate the long groove are provided. A round hole is provided, and the round hole is used as a reference mounting position of the sensor.

[0009] As a third solution, the thin portion is formed by a metal plate-like member embedded in the arm portion.

As a fourth solution, a collar made of metal is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the long groove.

As a fifth solution, the collar is formed of a ring-shaped member having a cutout on the inner wall of the collar, and the collar is embedded in the arm, and the cutout has a thin wall for closing the long groove. Part is formed.

A sixth solution is to set a sensor provided with a housing having an elongated hole in the arm and a mounting member having a round hole in a jig, and to rotate the housing or the mounting member. Adjusting the position of the round hole facing the long hole with respect to the long hole by adjusting the sensor to the reference resistance value.

[0013] As a seventh solution, a step of setting a sensor having a housing having an arm portion on a jig,
The method includes the steps of rotating or linearly moving the housing to adjust the sensor to the reference resistance value, and forming a hole in the arm while adjusting the sensor to the reference resistance value.

An eighth solution is to set a sensor having a housing having a thin part thinner than the thickness of the arm in a long groove provided in the arm in a jig, and to rotate or straighten the housing. The method includes a step of moving the sensor to match the reference resistance value and a step of making a hole in the thin portion in a state where the sensor is adjusted to the reference resistance value.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In FIGS. 1 and 2, a throttle position sensor 1 as a sensor is shown.
Comprises a substantially cylindrical housing 2 made of an insulating material such as a synthetic resin, and a long plate-shaped mounting member 3 mounted on the housing 2.
Accommodates a rotary sensor body 5.

The housing 2 has an arm 2a extending integrally from the side of the cylindrical body and a connector 2b formed on the same side of the cylindrical body as the arm 2a. I have. Further, a bearing opening 8 having an outwardly projecting stem 7 is formed at the bottom (the upper surface in FIG. 1) of the cylindrical body, and the opening 8 penetrates into the storage chamber 4. An opening 6 for accommodating the sensor main body 5 in the storage chamber 4 is formed on the side facing the bottom of the cylindrical body. A long hole 9 is formed in the arm portion 2a so as to extend in a fan shape around the bearing opening 8, and the connector portion 2b is electrically connected to the sensor body 5 and an external unit (not shown). A signal is detected.

The mounting member 3 is made of a long plate-shaped metal material, and has an opening 11 at the center thereof and round holes 12 at both ends. And the opening hole 11
The housing 2 and the mounting member 3 are overlapped so that the stem 7 of the housing 2 is fitted into the housing 2 and the long holes 9 of the housing 2 face the respective round holes 12 of the mounting member 3.

The sensor body 5 comprises a slider 15, a slider receiver 16 which is in sliding contact with the slider 15, and an insulating substrate 17. Further, the sensor main body 5 has a sensor shaft 1 connected to a valve shaft of a valve body (not shown).
3, one end of the sensor shaft 13 is rotatably mounted on a bearing 14 embedded in the bottom of the housing 2, and projects out of the housing 2 through the opening 8. A slider receiver 16 having a slider 15 is fitted to the other end of the sensor shaft 13. An insulating substrate 1 on which a conductive pattern such as a resistor is formed in close proximity to the insulating substrate 1
7 are provided. The slider 15 is arranged so as to slide on the conductive pattern in accordance with the rotation of the sensor shaft 13. The opening 6 is covered with a lid 10 and a gap formed between the opening 6 and the lid 10 is sealed with a thermosetting resin such as epoxy.

To assemble the throttle position sensor 1 configured as described above, first, one end of the sensor shaft 13 is fixed to the slider receiver 16 by caulking, and the other end of the sensor shaft 13 is connected to the housing 2. The sensor body 5 is inserted into the storage chamber 4 from the opening 6 side into the bearing opening 8, and further, the insulating substrate 17 is placed thereon and fitted integrally with the housing 2.
Is installed in the storage room 4. Thereafter, the opening 6 is connected to the lid 10.
And a gap between the opening 6 and the lid 10 is filled with a thermosetting resin and heated. The thermosetting resin is cured and sealed,
The housing 2 is completed. Next, in order to attach the mounting member 3 to the housing 2, the sensor shaft 13 of the housing 2 is inserted into the opening hole 11 of the mounting member 3 and the stem 7 is fitted, and the round hole 12 of the mounting member 3 is inserted into the housing 2. It is made to face the long hole 9 on the bottom side. Further, the throttle position sensor 1 assembled as described above is placed on a jig (not shown) provided with a drive shaft that is driven to rotate integrally with the sensor shaft 13, and the mounting member 3 and the sensor shaft 13 are connected. Fix it securely in place with a jig. Here, the housing 2, the sensor shaft 13, and the drive shaft of the jig, including the rotational position, can be fixed to the jig so that they are at the mounting position when mounted on the valve body. That is, the jig for holding the housing 2 corresponds to the valve body, and the drive shaft of the jig corresponds to the valve shaft, so that the arrangement is such that it is actually used. Then, the mounting member 3 and the drive shaft of the jig are fixed at a fixed position, and only the housing 2 is rotated while watching the electric signal output from the sensor main body 5, in other words, the insulation in which the resistor is formed. By rotating the substrate 17, the relative position between the slider 15 and the resistor is changed, and the housing 2 is finely adjusted until the reference resistance value reaches the mounting reference position where the reference resistance value is output as an electric signal. For example, when the throttle valve rotates 30 °, the output voltage from the sensor is 1.5 V, and if the accurate mounting position is based on this relationship, the drive shaft of the jig is set to 3
When the housing 2 is rotated by 0 °, the housing 2 is rotated, and the housing 2 and the mounting member 3 may be fixed to each other at a position where the output voltage becomes 1.5 V by a fixing means such as an adhesive. By the way, the characteristic can be represented as an output characteristic diagram in which the rotation angle is plotted on the horizontal axis and the output of the resistor is plotted on the vertical axis, but the disturbance of the straight line itself with respect to the reference line of the output characteristic is very small, and the angle direction Offset is larger. Therefore, when the mounting position is determined at an arbitrary point and the outputs are combined as in the present invention, the output can be made equal to the reference value of each position over the entire rotation angle range.
The output at the most frequently used position is guaranteed by selecting the angle of the sensor shaft 13 that is most used by the throttle position sensor and setting a reference resistance value corresponding to the selected angle. It is desirable to determine the mounting position.

As described above, the throttle position sensor 1 mounted and fixed to the jig is obtained by fixing only the mounting member 3 and the drive shaft of the jig at a fixed position and rotating only the housing 2. The housing 2 may be fixed to a jig, the drive shaft of the jig and the mounting member 3 may be integrated, and fine adjustment may be performed by rotating this. At this time, the sensor shaft 13
And the mounting member 3, the throttle position sensor 1
Are integrated with a jig in a positional relationship when the is mounted on the valve body. If the output from the sensor is a change characteristic that increases linearly, the computer arithmetic unit (CPU) does not need to confirm that the electric signal (output voltage) becomes a predetermined value each time. The operation for determining the rotational position of the housing 2 to be a predetermined value by the arithmetic processing, and for automating the operation of rotating and fixing the housing 2 with a jig interlocked with the drive control device based on the arithmetic information can be performed. Further, although the stem 7 is provided on the housing 2, the stem 7 may be provided on the mounting member 3, and the housing 2 may be provided with a hole for fitting the stem.

When the throttle position sensor 1 assembled in this manner is mounted on a valve body (device body) (not shown) on the set manufacturer side, the mounting member 3
Based on the circular hole 12 formed in the above, only the arm 2a of the throttle position sensor 1 is fastened and fixed to the valve body with a fixing bracket such as a screw. A signal can be obtained.

Next, a second embodiment shown in FIG.
It is characterized in that it does not require the mounting member 3 as compared with the above-described one. The same components as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, in this throttle position sensor, long grooves 21 of the same shape are formed on the arm portion 20a of the housing 20 made of an insulating material such as a synthetic resin from the front and back surfaces, respectively. As a result, the thin portion 2 thinner than the thickness of the arm portion 20a between the two long grooves 21
2 is provided at a position equidistant from the surface of the arm 20a. The thin portion 22 has a round hole 23 passing through the long groove 21.

In order to drill a hole in the throttle position sensor configured as described above, the housing 20 having the arm portion 20a is set on the same jig as shown in the first embodiment. In this jig, a drill or a punch is provided at a position corresponding to the arrangement relationship of the mounting holes 60 of the throttle body, and the jig is securely lowered to a predetermined position of the thin portion 22 of the housing 20 to be moved to the thin portion 22. It is configured so that a hole can be drilled. Next, with the sensor shaft 13 fixed, the potentiometer 5 connects the connector 2b.
The housing 20 is rotated and fixed at a predetermined position while measuring an electric signal output to the outside via the. In this state, a round hole 23 is opened in the thin portion 22 by a press. At this time, the sensor shaft 13 and a round hole 23 to be described later of the housing 20 are adjusted to the mounting reference position corresponding to the electric signal from the sensor, that is, the reference resistance value.

The throttle position sensor thus constructed can be accurately processed so that the round hole 23 formed by the jig coincides with the mounting hole of the valve body (not shown) as it is. The assembly work can be easily performed without the need for an adjustment work process.

Next, as a third embodiment, FIG. 4 shows the shape of an arm having a long groove. That is, the portion corresponding to the thin portion 22 of the second embodiment described above is
It is characterized by being formed of a metal plate-like member 22a embedded in the metal plate 0a. The plate member 22a is formed by insert molding the housing 20 made of a molded resin material. Then, the plate-like member 22a has a structure shown in FIG.
Drill holes with a jig (not shown) as described in
A round hole 23 is formed. With this configuration, the mounting strength of the thin portion 22 can be increased.

Next, as a fourth embodiment, FIG. 5 shows the shape of an arm having a long groove. A thin portion 22 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the long groove 21 of the arm portion 20a.
A metal ring-shaped collar 24 is embedded so as to surround 2. On the side wall of the collar 24, a gap portion 24a and a notch portion 24b are provided to face each other. In order to provide the collar 24 in the long groove 21 of the throttle position sensor configured as described above, insert molding is performed. A space corresponding to the thickness of the thin portion 22 is provided on the inner wall of the collar 24, a molding die is arranged, and the mold resin is filled from the cutout portion 24 b and the gap portion 24 a of the collar 24 toward the inside of the collar 24, and the The part 22 is formed. Here, the collar 24 is formed of a ring-shaped member having a notch, and is buried in the arm portion 20a by insert molding. The arm portion of the throttle position sensor shown in FIG. 3B and FIG. In 20a, the metal ring-shaped collar 24 may be fitted into the inner peripheral surface of the long groove 21 from the front surface and the back surface of the arm portion 20a, respectively. With this configuration, the thin portion 22 of the arm portion 20a is formed.
Can be increased, and there is no risk of breakage due to drilling.

Next, in the embodiments of FIGS. 6 and 7, a slide type sensor is shown.

This sensor has a box-shaped metal housing 31 and a plate-shaped metal arm 31a integrally formed on the bottom of the housing 31. Further, a slide-type potentiometer having a knob 32 connected to a slider (not shown) is housed in a housing 31. Holes 33 are formed at both ends of the arm 31a.

The drilling of this sensor will be described. The jig 34 shown in FIG.
4b, and a protrusion 34c protruding from a part of the step portion 34b in parallel to the surface of the flat plate portion 34a. Further, a protruding rod 35 reciprocating in parallel with the flat plate portion 34a at a position facing the protrusion 34c. Is provided. The sensor is mounted on the flat plate portion 34a of the jig 34 configured as described above, and the moving direction of the knob 32 and the protruding direction of the protruding rod 35 are matched, and the knob 32 is moved to the protrusion 3 of the jig 34.
4c.

Next, an electric signal output from the sensor to the outside is measured and the knob 31 is brought into contact with the projection 34c until the output voltage (electric signal) corresponding to the reference resistance value is reached. It is pushed in the direction of the arrow in FIG. At the position where the reference output voltage is output, the pressing by the protruding rod 35 is stopped, and the arm portion 31 a
Are punched by pressing to form a hole 33.

As described above, the knob 32 is fixed, and the housing 3 is positioned at a position where the sensor outputs a predetermined reference resistance value.
1 is moved to open the hole 33, so that the distance between the knob 32 and the hole 33 of the housing 31 can be kept constant. The sensor can be accurately attached to the device body.

[0033]

The sensor according to the present invention includes a housing having an elongated hole in the arm portion, and a mounting member having a round hole, and the housing and the mounting member are arranged such that the elongated hole and the round hole face each other. The round hole is set as the sensor mounting reference position so that the sensor can be easily mounted by using the round hole of the mounting member as a guide without fine adjustment of the mounting position of the sensor by the set manufacturer. .

Further, the sensor of the present invention has a housing having an arm, a long groove provided in the arm, a thin portion formed thinner than the thickness of the arm, and a thin portion provided in the long groove, and penetrating the long groove. With a round hole provided in the thin part so that this hole is accurately drilled according to the reference resistance value, even if the set maker does not perform mounting adjustment The round hole can be easily attached as a sensor mounting reference position.

Further, the thin portion of the arm portion is formed of a metal plate-like member embedded in the arm portion, and the collar made of metal is disposed on the inner peripheral surface of the long groove, so that this collar is further improved. Is formed into a ring-shaped member having a notch, and the thin-walled portion is formed, whereby the strength of the hole processed portion of the housing is increased, the round hole is easily formed, and the accuracy of the mounting position can be further improved.

In the method of manufacturing a sensor according to the present invention, the sensor can be directly incorporated into the mounting reference position without a procedure of temporarily tightening, adjusting and fixing as in the related art.

[0037]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a throttle position sensor according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the throttle position sensor of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a throttle position sensor according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows a third embodiment of an arm portion having a long groove.

FIG. 5 shows a fourth embodiment of the arm portion in which a long groove is formed.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a sensor according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing the assembly of the sensor of FIG. 7;

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view of a conventional throttle position sensor.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2, 20, 31 Housing 2a, 20a, 31a Arm 3 Mounting member 9 Long hole 12, 23, 33 Round hole (hole) 21 Long groove 22 Thin portion 22a Plate member 24 Collar 24b Notch

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A housing having a long hole in an arm portion and a mounting member having a round hole, wherein the housing and the mounting member are overlapped with the long hole and the round hole facing each other, The sensor according to claim 1, wherein the round hole is a reference mounting position of the sensor. 2. A housing having a long groove in an arm portion, a thin portion formed to be thinner than the thickness of the arm portion and provided in the long groove, and a circle provided in the thin portion so as to penetrate the long groove. A hole, and the round hole is used as a mounting reference position of the sensor. 3. The sensor according to claim 2, wherein said thin portion is formed of a metal plate member embedded in said arm portion. 4. The sensor according to claim 2, wherein a collar made of metal is disposed on an inner peripheral surface of the long groove. 5. The thin portion, wherein the collar is formed of a ring-shaped member having a notch on an inner wall of the collar, the collar being embedded in the arm, and the thin portion closing the long groove in the notch. The sensor according to claim 4, wherein: 6. A step of setting a sensor provided with a housing having a long hole in an arm portion and a mounting member having a round hole in a jig, and rotating the housing or the mounting member to make a reference to the sensor. Adjusting the position of the round hole facing the long hole with respect to the long hole in accordance with the resistance value. 7. A step of setting a sensor having a housing having an arm portion on a jig; a step of rotating or linearly moving the housing to adjust the sensor to a reference resistance value; Making a hole in said arm portion in a folded state. 8. A step of setting a sensor having a housing having a thin portion thinner than the thickness of the arm portion in a long groove provided in the arm portion on a jig, and rotating or linearly moving the housing to form the sensor. A method for manufacturing a sensor, comprising: a step of adjusting a sensor to a reference resistance value; and a step of making a hole in the thin-walled portion in a state of adjusting to the reference resistance value.