Pressure sensitive sensor and method of treating terminal of pressure sensitive sensor

• US 6,668,660 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2002
• Issued: 12/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: ASMO Company Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Kato, Manabu, Ishihara, Hidenori, Tsuda, Hirokazu
• Primary Examiner(s): OEN, WILLIAM L
• Application Number:
  US10/315,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20030106377A1
• Time in Patent Office: 384 Days
• Field of Search: 737/05, 737/06, 737/14, 737/53, 737/56, 29/254.3, 29/253.5, 29/254.1, 294/070.8
• US Class Current: 73/756
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/44 responsive to changes in electrical conductivity
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 1/58 Electric connections to or between contacts; Terminals for high tension switches H01H33/025; for electromagnetic relays H01H50/14; for circuit breakers H01H71/08
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 3/142 of the elongated strip type

Abstract

According to a pressure sensitive sensor and a method of treating a terminal of a pressure sensitive sensor of the invention, a covering portion is formed by a thermoplastic resin material for hot melt molding or a photo-curing resin material cured by absorbing light energy. That is, molding pressure in molding is lower than molding pressure in molding by a general injection molding method. Therefore, a possibility of effecting adverse influence on respective connecting portions of an electrode line, a resistor, a conductive piece and a lead wire by the molding pressure is extremely low and disconnection caused by operating the molding pressure on the connecting portions can reliably be prevented.

Claims

1. A pressure sensitive sensor comprising:

a hollow outer skin portion elastically deformable by an external force from outside and having an insulating performance;

a plurality of electrodes which are arranged to be opposed to each other via an air gap on an inner side of the outer skin portion and one-side ends of which are drawn out from an end portion of the outer skin portion;

a support member provided on a side of the end portion of the outer skin portion for supporting the one-side ends of the plurality of electrodes drawn out from the end portion of the outer skin portion and electrically connecting the plurality of electrodes to each other or the plurality of electrodes to other conductive member; and

a covering portion formed by a material including at least either one of a thermoplastic resin material molded by hot melt molding and a photo-curing resin material cured by absorbing a light energy for sealing at least a portion of the support member and the one-sides of the electrodes in an embedded state.

2. The pressure sensitive sensor according to claim 1, wherein the end portion of the outer skin portion is embedded in the covering portion to seal.

3. The pressure sensitive sensor according to claim 1,

wherein the covering portion comprising:

an inner layer formed by the thermoplastic resin material molded by the hot melt molding or the photo-curing resin material for sealing at least the portion of the support member and the one-side ends of the electrodes in the embedded state; and

an outer layer formed by the thermoplastic resin material molded by the hot melt molding or the photo-curing resin material integrally with the inner layer for covering at least a portion of the inner layer from an outer side and having a rigidity higher than a rigidity of the inner layer in a cured state.

4. The pressure sensitive sensor according to claim 1, wherein the covering portion is made transparent or semitransparent.

5. The pressure sensitive sensor according to claim 1, wherein the covering portion includes an engaging portion provided integrally therewith and the covering portion and the outer skin portion are integrally held via the engaging portion.

6. The pressure sensitive sensor according to claim 5, wherein the engaging portion is formed by a material the same as a material of the covering portion.

7. A method of treating a terminal of a pressure sensitive sensor which is a method of treating a terminal of a pressure sensitive sensor for treating the one-side ends of the plurality of electrodes drawn out from the end portion of the outer skin portion when the pressure sensitive sensor according to claim 1 is produced, said method comprising:

(a) a connecting step of making the support member support the one-side ends of the plurality of electrodes and electrically connecting the electrodes to each other or the electrodes to other conductive member;

(b) an inner layer molding step of forming an inner layer constituting the covering portion by arranging at least a portion of the support member and the one-side ends of the electrodes in an inner layer molding die and filling a photo-curing resin material cured by absorbing a light energy or a thermoplastic resin material molded by hot melt molding in the inner layer molding die so that at least the portion of the support member and the one-side ends of the electrodes are embedded in the inner layer to seal; and

(c) an outer layer molding step of forming an outer layer constituting the covering portion by arranging at least a portion of the inner layer in an outer layer molding die and filling a photo-curing resin material cured by a rigidity higher than a rigidity of the inner layer by absorbing the light energy, or a thermoplastic resin material molded by the hot melt molding and having a rigidity higher than the rigidity of the inner layer in a cured state, in the outer layer molding die, so that at least the portion of the inner layer is covered by the outer layer.

8. The method of treating a terminal of a pressure sensitive sensor according to claim 7:

wherein in the (b) inner layer molding step, the end portion of the outer skin portion is arranged in the inner layer molding die.

9. The method of treating a terminal of a pressure sensitive sensor according to claim 7:

wherein at least either one of the (c) outer layer molding step and the (b) inner layer moldering step, further comprising;

(d) a step of forming an engaging portion integral with the covering portion; and

(e) a step of holding the covering portion and the outer skin portion in air tight and integrally via the engaging portion.

10. A method of treating a terminal of a pressure sensitive sensor, the pressure sensitive sensor including:

a hollow outer skin portion having insulating performance and deformable by an external force from outside; and

a plurality of electrodes arranged to be opposed to each other via an air gap on an inner side of the hollow outer skin portion, the pressure sensitive sensor detecting an external force when at least one of the plurality of electrodes is elastically deformed together with the outer skin portion by the external force applied to the outer skin portion from outside and the deformed electrode is brought into contact with other of the plurality of electrodes, the method being for treating one-side ends of the plurality of electrodes drawn out from an end portion of the outer skin portion, said method comprising;

(a) a connecting step of making a support member support the one-side ends of the plurality of electrodes for electrically connecting the electrodes to each other or the electrodes to other conductive member; and

(b) a covering portion molding step of forming a covering portion for embedding and sealing at least a portion of the support member and the one-side ends of the electrodes by arranging at least the portion of the support member and the one-sides of the electrodes in a covering portion molding die and filling a photo-curing resin material cured by absorbing a light energy or a thermoplastic resin material molded by hot melt molding in the covering portion molding die.

11. The method of treating a terminal of a pressure sensitive sensor according to claim 10:

wherein the (b) covering portion molding step comprising;

(c) an inner layer molding step of forming an inner layer constituting the covering portion by arranging at least the portion of the support member and the one-side ends of the electrodes in an inner layer molding die and filling a photo-curing resin material cured by absorbing a light energy or a thermoplastic resin material molded by hot melt molding in the inner layer molding die so that at least the portion of the support member and the one-side ends of the electrodes are embedded in the inner layer to seal; and

(d) an outer layer molding step of forming an outer layer constituting the covering portion by arranging at least a portion of the inner layer in an outer layer molding die and filling a photo-curing resin material cured by a rigidity higher than a rigidity of the inner layer by absorbing the light energy, or a thermoplastic resin material molded by the hot melt molding and having a rigidity higher than the rigidity of the inner layer in a cured state in the outer layer molding die so that at least the portion of the inner layer is covered by the outer layer.

12. The method of treating a terminal of a pressure sensitive sensor according to claim 11, wherein the (c) inner layer molding step further includes the step of arranging an end portion of the outer skin portion in the inner layer molding die.

13. The method of treating a terminal of a pressure sensitive sensor according to claim 11, wherein at least either one of the (d) outer layer molding step and the (c) inner layer molding step, further comprising:

(e) a step of forming an engaging portion integral with the covering portion; and

(f) a step of holding the covering portion and the outer skin portion in air tight and integrally via the engaging portion.

14. The pressure sensitive sensor according to claim 10, wherein the (b) covering portion forming step further comprising:

a step of making the covering portion transparent or semitransparent.

15. The pressure sensitive sensor according to claim 13:

wherein the (e) engaging portion molding step further comprising;

a step of forming the engaging portion by a material the same as a material of the covering portion.