Hermetically protected sensor assembly

• US 5,719,334 A
• Filed: 07/11/1996
• Issued: 02/17/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies Incorporated (Visteon Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Ford Motor Company
• Inventors: Parsons, Mark A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Hezron E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOLLER, RICHARD ALAN
• Application Number:
  US08/678,263
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 73/514.12, 73/514.32, 73/522, 73/514.01, 361/280, 361/732, 174/52.2, 174/52.3, 174/50.52, 437/219
• US Class Current: 73/514.01
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/023 for acceleration measuring devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/125 by capacitive pick-up

Abstract

A hermetically protected electronic assembly that has (a) a housing having walls defining a shallow impervious cavity with a depth no greater than 6-12 mm and with an cavity bottom surface; (b) conductor pins extending through integrally said housing walls and along the cavity bottom surface; (c) an insulating supporting platform resting on the cavity bottom surface with ends of the conductor pins extending therethrough to secure the position of the platform, the platform carrying an electrical circuit integrated to at least the top surface of the platform and connected to the conductor pins; (d) at least one electronic sensor component supported in the housing by the platform and operatively secured to the circuit; and (e) a water-proofing silicon gel filling the entire space within the housing including surrounding the circuit, platform, sensor and pin connections therein.

Claims

1. A hermetically protected electronic assembly comprising;

(a) a housing having walls defining a shallow impervious cavity with a depth no greater than 12 mm and with a generally flat cavity bottom surface;

(b) conductor pins extending integrally through said housing walls and along the cavity bottom surface;

(c) an insulating supporting platform resting on said cavity bottom surface with the ends of the conductor pins extending therethrough to secure the position of the platform, said platform carrying an electrical circuit integrated to at least the top surface of the platform and connected to said conductor pins;

(d) at least one accelerometer component supported in said housing by said platform and operatively secured to said circuit to avoid thermal expansion interference; and

(e) a waterproofing silicon gel filling the entire space within said housing including immersing said circuit, platform, accelerometer and pin connectors without affecting their function.

2. The electronic assembly as in claim 1, in which the depth of said housing is uniform across the entire span of the housing.

3. The electronic assembly as in claim 1, in which said electrical circuit is deposited by silk screening thereon to a thickness of 0.2 mm, the height of said component of said electrical circuit being no greater than 3 mm, and the thickness of said platform is no greater than 1.0 mm.

4. The electronic assembly as in claim 1, in which said housing is constituted of plastic and has an integral connector socket and clamp extending from the side of said housing within the height of said housing.

5. The electronic assembly as in claim 1, in which said sensor is an accelerometer effective to sense displacement of a body in response to capacitive effects, said accelerometer having a silicon mass moveable in an encapsulated body resting on said platform with a height of no greater than 3 mm.

6. The electronic assembly as in claim 1, in which said gel is a silicon dielectric and remains as a gel in the temperature range -40°

to +85°

C.

7. The electronic assembly as in claim 1, in which said assembly is adapted for use as an automotive airbag acceleration sensing assembly mounted within the cross-sectional confines of the B-pillar of an automotive body construction.