Sensor apparatus and method for producing a sensor apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9446944-B2
Application number	US-201514693902-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 23, 2015
Priority date	Apr 25, 2014
Publication date	Sep 20, 2016
Grant date	Sep 20, 2016

Abstract

In various embodiments, a sensor apparatus is provided. The sensor apparatus includes a sensor device having a plurality of electrical contacts; a housing having a plurality of sidewalls; and a metal carrier structure, which extends into the housing in a manner passing through two mutually opposite sidewalls from the plurality of sidewalls. The metal carrier structure is embodied in a resilient fashion at least in the direction of a sidewall through which the metal carrier structure extends. The sensor device having the plurality of electrical contacts is mounted in a resilient fashion on the metal carrier structure and is electrically conductively connected to the metal carrier structure by the plurality of contacts.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sensor apparatus, comprising:
a sensor device having a plurality of electrical contacts;
a housing having a plurality of sidewalls and a base;
a metal carrier structure, which extends into the plurality of sidewalls above the base and into the housing in a manner passing through two mutually opposite sidewalls from the plurality of sidewalls;
wherein the metal carrier structure is spring-like at least in a direction of a sidewall of the mutually opposite sidewalls through which the metal carrier structure extends; and
wherein the sensor device having the plurality of electrical contacts is mounted in a resilient fashion on the metal carrier structure and is electrically conductively connected to the metal carrier structure by the plurality of contacts.

2. The sensor apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the metal carrier structure is a meandering spring structure embodied in a plane of the metal carrier structure.

3. The sensor apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the metal carrier structure is a spring structure embodied as an opening in a plane of the metal carrier structure.

4. The sensor apparatus of claim 2 ,
wherein the spring structure is embodied between the respective sidewall and a respective contact region of the metal carrier structure with the electrical contact.

5. The sensor apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the sensor device has a pressure sensor.

6. The sensor apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a filling material arranged such that it encapsulates the sensor.

7. The sensor apparatus of claim 6 ,
wherein the filling material is elastic.

8. The sensor apparatus of claim 6 ,
wherein the filling material comprises silicone.

9. The sensor apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the housing is injection-molded.

10. The sensor apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a spacer, wherein the spacer is arranged between the metal carrier structure and the base of the housing.

11. The sensor apparatus of claim 10 ,
wherein the metal structure is movable relative to the spacer.

12. A method for producing a sensor apparatus, the method comprising:
arranging a spacer on a metal carrier structure;
forming a housing having a base below the metal carrier structure and a plurality of sidewalls around a part of the metal carrier structure and the spacer in such a way that the metal carrier structure extends into the housing in a manner passing through two mutually opposite sidewalls from the plurality of sidewalls,
wherein the spacer is between the metal carrier structure and the base of the housing;
wherein the metal carrier structure extends into the plurality of sidewalls above the base;
wherein the metal carrier structure is spring-like at least in a direction of a sidewall of the mutually opposite sidewalls through which the metal carrier structure extends;
resiliently mounting a sensor device, which has a plurality of electrical contacts, on the metal carrier structure by the electrical contacts; and
electrically conductively connecting the sensor device to the metal carrier structure by the plurality of electrical contacts.

13. The method apparatus of claim 12 ,
wherein forming the housing comprises injection molding.

14. The method apparatus of claim 12 , further comprising:
removing the spacer.

15. The method apparatus of claim 12 , further comprising:
arranging a filling material.

16. The method apparatus of claim 12 ,
wherein arranging the filling material comprises introducing liquid silicone by filling.

17. The method apparatus of claim 12 ,
wherein electrically conductively connecting the sensor device to the metal carrier structure comprises soldering the plurality of electrical contacts onto the metal carrier structure.

18. The sensor apparatus of claim 3 ,
wherein the spring structure is embodied between the respective sidewall and a respective contact region of the metal carrier structure with the electrical contact.

19. A sensor apparatus, comprising:
a sensor device having a plurality of electrical contacts;
a housing having a plurality of sidewalls and a base;
a metal carrier structure, which extends into the plurality of sidewalls above the base and into the housing in a manner passing through two mutually opposite sidewalls from the plurality of sidewalls;
wherein the metal carrier structure is independently spring-like at least in a direction of a sidewall of the mutually opposite sidewalls through which the metal carrier structure extends; and
wherein the sensor device having the plurality of electrical contacts is mounted in a resilient fashion on the metal carrier structure and is electrically conductively connected to the metal carrier structure by the plurality of contacts.

Assignees

• Infineon Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Ernst Georg
• Theuss Horst

Classifications

• H10W90/756

  between a chip and a stacked lead frame, conducting package substrate or heat sink · CPC title

• H10W90/734

  between a chip and a stacked insulating package substrate, interposer or RDL · CPC title

• H10W90/726

  between a chip and a stacked lead frame, conducting package substrate or heat sink · CPC title

• H10W74/00

  Encapsulations, e.g. protective coatings · CPC title

• H10W72/884

  Die-attach connectors and bond wires · CPC title