Method of forming a seal between a housing and a diaphragm of a capacitance sensor
First Claim
1. A method of forming a seal between a housing and a diaphragm of a capacitance pressure transducer, the method comprising:
- depositing a first set of beads onto a sealing area, the sealing area being either a portion of the housing or a portion of the diaphragm, the beads in the first set being characterized a first melting temperature;
depositing a second set of beads onto the sealing area, the beads in the second set being characterized by a second melting temperature, the second melting temperature being lower than the first melting temperature;
biasing the housing and the diaphragm towards one another such that at least a portion of the second set of beads contact the housing and the diaphragm;
heating the diaphragm and housing to a temperature between the first and second melting temperatures and thereby melting at least some of the beads in the second set; and
cooling the diaphragm and housing to a temperature below the second melting temperature.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The axial distance between opposing conductors of a capacitance pressure transducer can depend, in part, upon the thickness of a seal that is disposed between a housing and a diaphragm of the capacitance pressure transducer. The present invention utilizes spacer elements and sealing beads to form a seal that is disposed between the housing and the diaphragm of a capacitance pressure transducer. The sealing beads have a melting temperature that is lower than the melting temperature of the spacer elements. The sealing beads are melted so that they flow around and surround the unmelted spacer elements. Upon solidifying, the sealing beads and the spacer elements thus form the seal. The thickness of the seal can be established accurately and uniformly by controlling the height of the spacer elements. By utilizing a seal that has an accurate and uniform thickness, the opposing conductors of the capacitance pressure transducer can be accurately positioned and oriented in relationship to each other during the manufacturing process.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A method of forming a seal between a housing and a diaphragm of a capacitance pressure transducer, the method comprising:
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depositing a first set of beads onto a sealing area, the sealing area being either a portion of the housing or a portion of the diaphragm, the beads in the first set being characterized a first melting temperature; depositing a second set of beads onto the sealing area, the beads in the second set being characterized by a second melting temperature, the second melting temperature being lower than the first melting temperature; biasing the housing and the diaphragm towards one another such that at least a portion of the second set of beads contact the housing and the diaphragm; heating the diaphragm and housing to a temperature between the first and second melting temperatures and thereby melting at least some of the beads in the second set; and cooling the diaphragm and housing to a temperature below the second melting temperature. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification