DETECTOR FOR PROXIMITY SENSOR AND PROXIMITY SENSOR

• US 20100259282A1
• Filed: 09/03/2008
• Published: 10/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tawaratsumida, Sukoya, Niwa, Masahisa
• Application Number:
  US12/678,493
• Publication Number:
  US 20100259282A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/655
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/9505 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/9542 forming part of an oscillator
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/147 at least one of the printed circuits being bent or folded, e.g. by using a flexible printed circuit H05K1/148 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/165 incorporating printed inductors
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/18 Printed circuits structurally associated with non-printed electric components H05K1/0201, H05K1/023, H05K1/0243, and H05K1/16 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/1003 Non-printed inductor
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/105 Mechanically attached to another device attached components H05K2201/10537
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/3447 Lead-in-hole components H05K3/3415 takes precedence

Abstract

A detector for a proximity sensor, includes: a sensing portion including a pair of sensing coils which has central axes along a direction intersecting with a moving direction of a sensed object moving in a predetermined moving path and is provided so as to interpose the moving path; a circuit block including a capacitor composing an LC resonant circuit with the sensing coils of the sensing portion and provided with an oscillator which oscillates the LC resonant circuit; and an electric connector composed of first connection terminals and a first conductor pattern that connect the sensing coils of the sensing portion in series, and second connection terminals and a second conductor pattern that connect the sensing coils to the oscillator.

Claims

1. A detector for a proximity sensor, comprising:

one or more sensing portions, each of the sensing portions including at least one pair of sensing coils, the pair of sensing coils having central axes along a direction intersecting with a moving direction of a sensed object moving in a predetermined moving path and provided so as to interpose the moving path;

a circuit block including a capacitor composing an LC resonant circuit with the sensing coils of the sensing portion and provided with an oscillator for oscillating the LC resonant circuit; and

an electric connector composed of conductive materials, connecting the sensing coils of the sensing portions in series or in parallel, and connecting the sensing coils to the oscillator.

2. The detector for a proximity sensor of claim 1, wherein

a plurality of the sensing portions are provided so as to align along the moving direction of the sensed object.

3. The detector for a proximity sensor of claim 1, wherein

each of the sensing coils is composed of a conductor pattern formed on a support substrate.

4. The detector for a proximity sensor of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of arms provided so as to interpose the moving path in the direction intersecting with the moving direction of the sensed object, each of the arms storing the sensing coil; and

a housing connecting base ends of the plurality of the arms and including a main body storing the circuit block, wherein

the electric connector includes contacts contiguously connected to the sensing coils and holds the sensing coils between the contacts and inner surfaces of the arms.

5. The detector for a proximity sensor of claim 1, wherein

the circuit block is composed of a printed circuit board and electronic components mounted on the printed circuit board to compose the oscillator, and at least a part of the electric connector is composed of a conductor pattern formed on the printed circuit board.

6. The detector for a proximity sensor of claim 1, wherein

each of the sensing coils is composed of a nickel-chrome alloy, a nickel-chrome-iron alloy, a copper-nickel alloy, or a copper-manganese alloy.

7. A proximity sensor, comprising:

the detector for a proximity sensor of claim 1; and

a signal processor for performing sensing for the sensed object according to an oscillation condition of the LC resonant circuit of the sensing portion.

8. A proximity sensor, comprising:

the detector for a proximity sensor according to claim 2; and

a signal processor for determining whether the sensed object is present within respective sensing ranges of the sensing coils of a plurality of the sensing portions according to respective oscillation conditions of a plurality of the LC resonant circuits of the sensing portions, and performing position sensing for the sensed object based on combinations of determination results.