Device for temperature determination and process for manufacturing such a device

• US 6,437,679 B1
• Filed: 05/05/2000
• Issued: 08/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Roques, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Easthom, Karl D.
• Application Number:
  US09/566,064
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 338/25, 338/28, 338/229, 296/12, 374/208
• US Class Current: 338/25
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/22 the element being a non-linear resistance, e.g. thermistor G01K7/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49085 Thermally variable

Abstract

A temperature sensor, of the type including a body (2) holding flat pin connection terminals (3, 3′) connected to a sensitive element (4), which body is compound-filled in a cup (1), characterized in that the sensitive element is embedded in a thermal paste (5) that acts as a stop wall for the compound-filling material forming the body.

Claims

1. In a temperature sensor of the type having a cup filled with a compound-filling material forming a body holding flat pin connection terminals connected to a sensitive element, the improvement which comprises:

a thermal paste embedding said sensitive element adjacent said compound-filling material and forming a stop wall for said compound-filling material forming said body, said compound filling material being cooled from introduction against said stop wall in a molten state.

2. The temperature sensor according to claim 1, wherein said cup is formed with an anchoring groove in which said compound-filling material forming said body engages.

3. A method of producing a temperature sensor, comprising:

providing a cup;

placing a quantity of thermal paste in a bottom of the cup;

forming a body holding flat pin connection terminals connected to a sensitive element by compound-filling the cup with a molten compound-filling material and thereby forming a stop wall against the compound-filling material with the thermal paste at the bottom of the cup, such that the thermal paste encases the sensitive element at the bottom of the cup when the body is formed.