Physical quantity detector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11246220-B2
Application number	US-202016950352-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 17, 2020
Priority date	Nov 19, 2019
Publication date	Feb 8, 2022
Grant date	Feb 8, 2022

Abstract

A physical quantity detector includes a housing, a circuit board, a cover, a resin member, a conductor, and a conductive member. The circuit board includes a board surface. The cover faces the board surface and defines, together with the hosing, a passage through which the target fluid flows. The conductor includes a passage side portion and a connecting portion. The conductive member electrically connects the connecting portion to the circuit board. The conductive member includes a first end in the thickness direction facing a contact target that is either one of the connecting portion or the board surface. The first end includes a contact portion in contact with the contact target and a contactless portion away from the contact target in the thickness direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A physical quantity detector configured to detect a physical quantity of a target fluid, the physical quantity detector comprising:
a housing;
a circuit board disposed in the housing and including a board surface that faces in a thickness direction of the circuit board;
a cover disposed to face the board surface in the thickness direction and defining, together with the hosing, a passage through which the target fluid flows;
a resin member disposed between the cover and the circuit board and covering the board surface;
a conductor including:
a passage side portion disposed in the passage; and
a connecting portion disposed to face the board surface of the circuit board in the thickness direction; and

a conductive member inserted and fit into the resin member in the thickness direction, the conductive member electrically connecting the connecting portion to the circuit board by being disposed between the connecting portion and the circuit board to be in contact with both the connecting portion and the circuit board, wherein
the conductive member includes a first end in the thickness direction facing a contact target that is either one of the connecting portion or the board surface, and
the first end includes:
a contact portion that is in contact with the contact target; and
a contactless portion that is distanced away from the contact target in the thickness direction.

2. The physical quantity detector according to claim 1 , wherein
the conductive member includes:
a second end opposite to the first end in the thickness direction; and
a thickest portion disposed between the first end and the second end and having a maximum cross-sectional area in the conductive member that is taken along a line perpendicular to the thickness direction,

the contact portion has a contact area with the contact target, and
the contact area is smaller than the maximum cross-sectional area of the thickest portion.

3. The physical quantity detector according to claim 1 , wherein
the contact target is the board surface, and
the board surface includes a protrusion that protrudes to the contact portion to be in contact with the contact portion.

4. The physical quantity detector according to claim 1 , wherein
the contact target is the connecting portion, and
the connecting portion includes a protrusion that protrudes to the contact portion to be in contact with the contact portion.

5. The physical quantity detector according to claim 1 , wherein
the conductive member has a thermal conductivity greater than that of the resin member.

6. The physical quantity detector according to claim 1 , wherein
the resin member has an elastic modulus that is lower than that of the conductive member.

7. A physical quantity detector configured to detect a physical quantity of a target fluid, the physical quantity detector comprising:
a housing;
a circuit board disposed in the housing and including a board surface that faces in a thickness direction;
a cover disposed to face the board surface in the thickness direction and defining, together with the housing, a passage through which the target fluid flows;
a resin member disposed between the cover and the circuit board and covering the board surface;
a conductor fixed to the cover and including:
a passage side portion disposed in the passage; and
a connecting portion disposed to face the board surface of the circuit board in the thickness direction; and

a conductive member inserted and fit into the resin member in the thickness direction, the conductive member electrically connecting the connecting portion to the circuit board by being disposed between the connecting portion and the circuit board to be in contact with both the connecting portion and the circuit board, wherein
the cover is configured to allow the connecting portion of the conductor to be bent in the thickness direction away from the circuit board.

8. The physical quantity detector according to claim 7 , wherein
the connecting portion includes an end of the conductor that is located away from the passage side portion, and
the end is distanced away from the cover to define a connecting portion vicinity gap between the connecting portion and the cover.

9. The physical quantity detector according to claim 8 , wherein
the connecting portion vicinity gap expands beyond the connecting portion when viewed in the thickness direction.

10. The physical quantity detector according to claim 7 , further comprising
a member made of a material with an elastic modulus that is lower than that of the conductive member, wherein
the connecting portion is distanced away from the cover and includes an end of the conductor that is located away from the passage side portion, and
the member is disposed between the connecting portion and the cover.

11. A physical quantity detector configured to detect a physical quantity of a target fluid, the physical quantity detector comprising:
a housing;
a circuit board disposed in the housing and including a board surface that faces in a thickness direction;
a cover disposed to face the board surface in the thickness direction and defining, together with the housing, a passage through which the target fluid flows;
a resin member disposed between the cover and the circuit board and covering the board surface;
a conductor fixed to the cover and including:
a passage side portion disposed in the passage; and
a connecting portion disposed to face the board surface of the circuit board in the thickness direction, the connecting portion defining a connecting hole that passes through the conductor between a first surface facing away from the circuit board and a second surface facing the circuit board in the thickness direction; and

a conductive member inserted into the resin member in the thickness direction and electrically connecting the connecting portion to the circuit board, wherein
the conductive member includes a conductive solidified portion joined to both the connecting portion and the circuit board by being solidified in a space between the connecting portion and the circuit board, and
the conductive solidified portion is inserted into the connecting hole and protrudes from the first surface of the connecting portion in the thickness direction.

12. The physical quantity detector according to claim 11 , wherein
the cover includes an outer surface facing away from the circuit board in the thickness direction,
the outer surface defines a cover hole passing through the cover in the thickness direction,
the conductive solidified portion includes a protrusion protruding from the first surface of the conductor in the thickness direction and located in the cover hole, and
the protrusion has a peak located between the outer surface and the first surface of the connecting portion in the thickness direction.

13. The physical quantity detector according to claim 11 , wherein
the conductive solidified portion is made by solidifying a conductive adhesive.

14. The physical quantity detector according to claim 11 , wherein
the conductive member includes a frame defining a frame hole that passes through the frame in the thickness direction,
the frame is disposed between the connecting portion and the board surface and in contact with the board surface, and
the conductive solidified portion is inserted into the frame hole and is in contact with both the connecting portion and the board surface.

15. A physical quantity detector configured to detect a physical quantity of a target fluid, the physical quantity detector comprising:
a hou

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Itakura Keisuke

Classifications

• H05K1/189 Primary

  characterised by the use of flexible or folded printed circuits · CPC title

• H05K1/028

  Bending or folding regions of flexible printed circuits (H05K1/0283 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01F5/00

  Measuring a proportion of the volume flow · CPC title

• G01F15/00

  Details of, or accessories for, apparatus of groups G01F1/00 - G01F13/00 insofar as such details or appliances are not adapted to particular types of such apparatus · CPC title

• H05K5/0026

  provided with connectors and printed circuit boards [PCB], e.g. automotive electronic control units · CPC title