Method for manufacturing pressure-sensitive sensor, pressure-sensitive sensor manufacturing equipment, and pressure-sensitive sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10866155-B2
Application number	US-201816167820-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 23, 2018
Priority date	Dec 18, 2017
Publication date	Dec 15, 2020
Grant date	Dec 15, 2020

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a pressure-sensitive sensor includes providing an extruder that includes a cylindrical die, a mandrel arranged inside the die and having plural helical grooves on an outer circumferential surface, and an annular outlet sandwiched between the die and the mandrel, and by using the extruder, performing simultaneous extrusion-molding of an elastic insulating material and an elastic conductive material by supplying the elastic conductive material into not less than two of the grooves from the inside of the mandrel while extruding the elastic insulating material, so as to form a pressure-sensitive sensor. The sensor includes a tubular body including an elastic insulation and having a hollow portion along a longitudinal direction, and not less than two conductive ribs including an elastic conductor and helically provided along an inner circumferential surface of the hollow portion of the tubular body so as to protrude inward from the inner circumferential surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for manufacturing a pressure-sensitive sensor, comprising:
providing an extruder that comprises a cylindrical die, a mandrel arranged inside the die and having a plurality of helical grooves on an outer circumferential surface, and an annular outlet sandwiched between the die and the mandrel; and
by using the extruder, performing simultaneous extrusion-molding of an elastic insulating material and an elastic conductive material by supplying the elastic conductive material into not less than two of the grooves from the inside of the mandrel while extruding the elastic insulating material, so as to form a pressure-sensitive sensor,
wherein the pressure-sensitive sensor comprises a tubular body comprising an elastic insulation and having a hollow portion along a longitudinal direction, and not less than two conductive ribs comprising an elastic conductor and helically provided along an inner circumferential surface of the hollow portion of the tubular body so as to protrude inward from the inner circumferential surface.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the conductive rib is formed by extruding the elastic insulating material while being rotated.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of helical outer grooves are formed on an inner circumferential surface of the die, and
wherein a helical direction of the plurality of helical outer grooves of the die is same as a helical direction of the plurality of helical grooves of the mandrel.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a metal wire is provided to run inside the conductive rib by feeding the metal wire together with the elastic conductive material in the plurality of helical grooves of the mandrel.

Assignees

• Hitachi Metals Ltd

Inventors

• Sugita Keisuke
• Abe Masahiro

Classifications

• G01L9/0026 Primary

  Transmitting or indicating the displacement of flexible, deformable tubes by electric, electromechanical, magnetic or electromagnetic means (G01L9/0008 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B29C48/34

  Cross-head annular extrusion nozzles, i.e. for simultaneously receiving moulding material and the preform to be coated · CPC title

• G01L19/141

  Monolithic housings, e.g. molded or one-piece housings · CPC title

• B29C48/32

  with annular openings, e.g. for forming tubular articles · CPC title

• B29C48/022

  characterised by the choice of material · CPC title