Ngk Spark Plug Company, Limited

Kunihiko Yonezu

Hisaharu Nishio

Takehiro Oba

Tomohiro Tajima

Yuichi Yamada

Takaya Yoshikawa

Norimasa Osawa

Masao Tsuzuki

Ginjiro Ito

Satoshi Ishikawa

Toshiya Matsuoka

Tomoki Fujii

A gas sensor includes a gas sensor element having a detection portion, a metallic shell holding the gas sensor element, and a tubular body made of metal, which is welded in a state of being externally fitted to a front side or a rear side of the metallic shell. In the present invention, the tubular body is tightly fitted to a tapered portion that is provided at an outer surface of the metallic shell and is radially narrowed toward the tubular body. The tubular body is welded at the tapered portion.

Gas sensor having a tubular body tightly fitted to a tapered portion of a metallic shell

A sensor includes a detector element, a connection terminal, and a separator. The contacting portion is in contact with a conductive member so as to overlap the conductive member in a thickness direction, which is a direction of thickness of the detector element between the principal surfaces. The separator includes an element accommodation space that accommodates a portion of an element contact portion and an element back portion, and a partition wall that separates the element accommodation space from a terminal accommodation space that accommodates the contacting portion and a portion of the conductive member and that is adjacent to the element accommodation space in the thickness direction. A frame main body is disposed in an element-side region, which is a region on an element-accommodation-space side in the thickness direction in a region obtained by extending the terminal accommodation space toward the front side in the axial direction.

Sensor

A sensor includes: a detection element; a separator including an insertion portion into which a rear side of the detection element is inserted, and a plurality of terminal housing portions that are disposed surrounding a circumference of the insertion portion around an axial direction, and extend in the axial direction; and a connection terminal that is electrically connected to an electrical connection terminal portion to form a current path. The connection terminal includes a frame body portion and an element contact portion. The sensor further includes a first regulation portion that is located at a position closer to the detection element relative to the frame body portion, in a direction in which a first main surface and a second main surface oppose each other, and regulates the movement of the frame body portion in a direction approaching the detection element.

A gas sensor includes a gas sensor element that extends in an axial direction and that includes a detector, which detects a specific gas in a mixed gas; a metal shell that surrounds a periphery of the gas sensor element to hold the gas sensor element; a base that is disposed on a rear side of the metal shell and that covers a rear end portion of the gas sensor element, the base being made of a polymer material; and a metal tube that connects the metal shell and the base to each other and that includes a rear portion and a front portion, the rear portion being integrated with the base, the front portion forming an exposed portion that is exposed from the base. A part of the exposed portion of the tube is connected to the metal shell, and the base is disposed apart from the metal shell.

Gas sensor and method of manufacturing gas sensor

A sensor includes a detector element including a detecting portion and an element back portion on which two or more electrical connection terminal portions are formed; two or more connection terminals which each include an oblong frame main body that extends in an axial direction and an element contact portion that is electrically connected to a corresponding one of the electrical connection terminal portions; a separator that accommodates the connection terminals and the element back portion; and a base that surrounds an outer periphery of the separator. The separator includes a partition wall that is made of a resin material and partitions a plurality of accommodation spaces from each other. The accommodation spaces include an element accommodation space that accommodates portions of the element contact portions and the element back portion, and a plurality of terminal accommodation spaces which each accommodate one of the two or more frame main bodies.

A gas sensor includes a protective cover having a resin cylindrical cover portion at a rear end thereof, that can be airtightly attached to an attachment hole, and that can prevent a decrease in quality and a molding defect. A plurality of vertical ribs, which extend substantially parallel to an axis of a cylindrical cover portion, are formed on an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical cover portion so that protrusions and recesses are provided in a circumferential direction. Due to the presence of the vertical ribs, as compared with an existing cylindrical cover portion that has a smooth outer peripheral surface without the vertical ribs, defects of the outer peripheral surface are not likely to occur in a molding process. Moreover, because slipping is not likely to occur when an operator holds and twists the cylindrical cover portion with his/her fingers, an attachment operation can be smoothly performed.

Gas sensor with a ribbed protective cover

A gas sensor () includes at least a sensor element () which measures the concentration of a specific gas component, a housing () which accommodates the sensor element (), and a base portion () which is attached to the housing and is formed of resin. The base portion includes a first base portion () which is a portion of the base portion located on the side toward the housing and which is molded integrally with the housing, and a second base portion () which is molded separately from the first base portion, which is a portion of the base portion located opposite the housing, and which has a connector portion () in which a plurality of terminals () electrically connected to the sensor element are disposed such that they extend in a direction intersecting the insertion direction of the sensor element.

Gas sensor

A gas sensor () in which individual ones of connection terminals () have, at a rear end portion, a first connection portion () connected to a corresponding connector terminal (). Individual ones of the connector terminals have, at an end portion on a side toward separator (), a second connection portion () connected to the first connection portion. One of the first and second connection portions assumes the form of an insertion piece (), and the other assumes the form of a female portion () into which the insertion piece is inserted. At least one of the insertion piece and the female portion has an elastic portion (). The insertion piece is fitted into the female portion, and the elastic portion thereby elastically bends, whereby the first and second connection portions are elastically connected.

A thin plate member which has a groove portion recessed toward the inside in a radial direction with a gap interposed between the thin plate member and the outer surface of a site on the front end side of a main body section. At least one end of the thin plate member is joined to the outer surface of the main body section and is provided radially outside the site on the front end side of the main body section. A seal member is disposed in the groove portion and has elasticity due to resin. Since the gap functions as a heat-insulating layer and is interposed between the seal member and the main body section, heat conduction from the main body section, that is, heat conduction through a first pathway is reduced, and thus deterioration of the seal member due to heat is suppressed.

A sensor control apparatus including a gas sensor having a sensor element, a housing and a base part formed of a resin. The apparatus includes a heating part and a control part. When the control part determines that a predetermined automatic stop condition has been satisfied, the control part switches from a control for maintaining the temperature of the sensor element at an activating temperature to a control in a stop state for reducing at least one of voltage and current supplied to the heating part so as to set a temperature of the base part to a value equal to or lower than a shape holding temperature of the resin. Also disclosed is a sensor control method for holding a temperature of a sensor element to an activating temperature.

Sensor control apparatus and sensor control method

A gas sensor () includes a gas sensor element () extending in an axial direction (O), having a detection portion () provided at a front end thereof, and having electrode pads () provided at a rear end thereof; connection terminals () electrically connected to the respective electrode pads; and a cover () covering the rear end of the gas sensor element and the connection terminals. The cover integrally has a connector portion () having an opening () which allows an external connector to be inserted thereinto and removed therefrom in a predetermined direction, and has a connector terminal member () which can be inserted into the opening. The connector terminal member has a plurality of connector terminals () to be electrically connected to the respective connection terminals, and an insulator () integrally molded with the connector terminals. Also disclosed is a method for manufacturing the gas sensor.

Gas sensor and manufacturing method therefor

A gas sensor () includes a gas sensor element () extending in the direction of an axis O, and a housing () made of metal, radially surrounding the gas sensor element, and adapted for inserting at least partially into a sensor-mounting hole () of a mounting body (). The gas sensor () further includes a resin member () which radially surrounds the housing at least partially and having a contact portion (C) in contact with the housing that is at least partially disposed axially frontward with respect to the outer surface of the mounting body () around the sensor-mounting hole, and a heat sink member () that is in contact with the housing at an axial position the same as or located frontward of the axial position of the front end of the contact portion.

A gas sensor including a gas sensor element that extends in an axial direction and has a detection section at a front-end side thereof, and an electrode pad at a rear-end side thereof; a connection terminal that is electrically connected to the electrode pad; and an insulated separator that extends along the axial direction and has an inserting hole into which the connection terminal is inserted. An element side section is arranged within the inserting hole and is connected the electrode pad, and an external circuit side section extends further to the outside in a diametrical direction than an outer surface of the separator through one or more first bending sections from the element side section.

Growing community of inventors

Inuyama, Japan

Kunihiko Yonezu