SENSOR MODULE AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING A SENSOR MODULE

• US 20130044437A1
• Filed: 08/15/2012
• Published: 02/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Thomas Schrimpf
• Inventors: HORTIG, Michael, SCHRIMPF, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 9,453,745 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/728
• CPC Class Codes: B81B 2201/0235 Accelerometers
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 1/00333 Aspects relating to packaging of MEMS devices, not covered by groups B81C1/00269 - B81C1/00325
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 11/245 Housings for sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0078 specially adapted for acceleration sensors, e.g. crash sensors, airbag sensors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49885 with coating before or during assembling

Abstract

A method for producing a sensor module, in which a line part is provided in a first production step, which includes at least one receiving region for the force-fitting and/or form-fitting accommodation of a sensor element, and in a second production step for producing a housing, the line part is extrusion-coated with a plastic material in such a way that the at least one receiving region remains generally free of plastic material, and the sensor element is fixed in place in force-fitting and/or form-fitting manner in the at least one receiving region in a third production step.

Claims

1. A method for producing a sensor module, comprising:

providing, in a first production step, a line part which includes at least one receiving region for at least one of force- and form-fitting accommodation of a sensor element;

extrusion-coating, in a second production step, the line part with a plastic material for producing a housing in such a way that the at least one receiving region remains free of plastic material; and

fixing, in a third production step, the sensor element in place in at least one of force- and form-fitting manner in the at least one receiving region, the third production step being implemented temporally after the second production step.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

providing, in the first production step, a further line part, which has at least one further receiving region corresponding to the receiving region, for the force-fitting and/or form-fitting accommodation of the sensor element, wherein the line part and the further line part are jointly extrusion-coated with the plastic material in the second production step to produce the housing such that the at least one receiving region and the at least one further receiving region remain free of plastic material, and wherein in a third production step, the sensor element is fixed in place in the at least one of the force-fitting and form-fitting manner both in the receiving region and in the further receiving region.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein in the second production step, the line part and the further line part are extrusion-coated so that an intermediate region between the receiving region and the further receiving region remains free of plastic material.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein in a fourth production step, the housing is sealed by a housing lid in an area of the sensor element.

5. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein in the third production step, the sensor element is fixed in place in the receiving region using a fixation clamp of the line part, the sensor element being fixed in place in the further receiving region by a further fixation clamp of the further line part.

6. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein in the second production step, an end region of the line part is extrusion-coated with plastic material such that the line part in the end region is set apart from the housing to form a plug housing, an additional end region of the further line part being extrusion-coated with plastic material so that the further line part in the further end region is set apart from the housing to form the plug housing.

7. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein in the second production step, the extrusion-coating takes place in such a way that an end region of the line part projects from the housing to form a plug, and a further end region of the further line part projects from the housing to form the plug.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein in a first partial step of the first production step, the line part is provided, which has at least one first and one second receiving region, and in a second partial step of the first production step, the line part is bent so that the second receiving region is aligned at an angle with respect to the first receiving region, and in the second production step, the line part is extrusion-coated with a plastic material in order to produce the housing, such that both the first receiving region and the second receiving region remain free of plastic material, and in the third production step, the sensor element in the first receiving region and a second sensor element in the second receiving region are fixed in place in at least one of a force-fitting and form-fitting manner.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein in the first partial step, a further line part is provided, which has at least one further first and one further second receiving region, and in the second partial step the further line part is bent so that the further second receiving region is aligned at an angle with respect to the further first receiving region, and the line part and the further line part being jointly extrusion-coated with the plastic material in the second production step to produce the housing, so that both the first receiving region, the second receiving region, the further first receiving region and the further second receiving region are free of plastic material;

and in the third production step, the sensor element in the first receiving region and in the further first receiving region, and a second sensor element in the second receiving region and in the further second receiving region are fixed in place in at least one of a force-fitting and form-fitting manner.

10. A sensor module, comprising:

a sensor element;

a line part which includes at least one receiving region which accommodates the sensor element in at least one of a force- and form-fitting manner; and

a housing made of plastic and extrusion-coated over the line part in such a way that the at least one receiving region remains free of plastic.