Texas Instruments Corporation

Other

Sensata Technologies, Inc.

Raymond E Mandeville

Larry K Johnson

Steven Beringhause

Robert O Southworth

Eric P Reidemeister

W Donald Rolph, Iii

Keith W Kawate

Douglas B Strott

Andrew F Willner

Siegbert Hartauer

Andrew Legendre

Dedde Hedzer Wiersma

Giovanni Fraone

Vaclav F Vilimek

Shuo Robert Chen

Matt Nelson

Douglas B Christensen

Ted Medeiros

Edward Medeiros

Andrew Willlner

Matthew Nelson

In an embodiment, a stepped spring contact may have a first portion, a transition portion, and a second portion. The first portion may include a plurality of windings whose pitch may vary. The second portion may include a plurality of windings that are closely wound. A pitch of the windings contained in the second portion may be, for example, constant. The transition portion may include a winding that may make mechanical and electrical contact with a first electrical conductor (e.g., a pad contained on a printed circuit board (PCB)). The first portion may include a tip. The tip may be, for example, flat shaped or conically shaped. The tip may make electrical contact with a second electrical conductor (e.g., a terminal connector). In operation, the stepped spring contact may provide electrical continuity between the first electrical conductor and the second electrical conductor.

Stepped spring contact

An acceleration sensor (10, 10', 10') in which a metal blade member (24) having a source plate portion (24a), attachment portion (24p) and integral resilient beams (24b) extending between the source plate portion and the attachment portion is attached to a pin (22) received in turn in a bore (18a) of a substrate (18). The metal blade member (24) is mounted on the substrate (18) so that the source plate portion is a selected distance from a detect plate (18b) mounted on the substrate. The sensor is disposed in a cylindrical housing (12, 12', 12') which can be directly mounted to a circuit board (50) through terminal pins (18g, 18h, 18i) or can be provided with a threaded fastener (12'd). In one embodiment first and second sensor modules are received in a housing (42) to sense acceleration forces in two perpendicular directions. In another embodiment tab (30b) extending from a signal conditioning circuit (30) is placed between a connector body (20') and the sidewall (12b) of housing (12) with a detent (12c) formed in the sidewall (12b) to effect an electrical connection between circuit (30) and housing (12'). An O-ring gasket (13) is placed between the sidewall (12b) and the connector body (20') outboard of the detent to provide an environmental seal.

Compact capacitive acceleration sensor

An accelerometer device comprises a silicon semiconductor member having a mass mounted on a support by integral beams extending between the mass and support to permit movement of the mass in response to acceleration. Piezoresistive sensors are accommodated in the beams for sensing strain in the beams during movement of the mass to provide an output signal from the device corresponding to the acceleration. The beams each have an end secured to the support and an end secured to the mass and taper intermediate the beam ends to provide a high and substantially uniform strain throughout the tapered section of the beam. The piezoresistive sensor is accommodated in the tapered beam section to be responsive to that high, uniform strain. Preferably the member has four beams mounting the mass, each beam has a tapered section extending from each end of the beam toward the center of the beam, and each beam section has a piezoresistive sensor accommodated therein to be responsive to the uniform strain within that beam section. The piezoresistive sensors are conveniently interconnected to compensate for off-axis acceleration in one direction by compensation within each leg of a bridge circuit and to compensate for off-axis acceleration in another direction by compensation within the full bridge circuit.

Accelerometer with improved strain gauge sensing means

An accelerometer unit has a capacitor detect plate and a source place connector preferably defined respectively inside and outside a groove in one surface of a ceramic substrate. A flat metal member has an attachment portion secured in electrically conductive relation to the connector, has a source plate portion spaced over the detect plate to form a capacitor, and has integral resilient beams extending from the attachment portion to support the source plate portion spaced from the detect plate to be movable relative to the detect plate in response to acceleration force to provide an electrical signal. Preferably glass rods between the attachment member portion and source place connector facilitate the spacing. An electrically insulating housing base has integral pins extending through openings in the accelerometer unit substrate and in a separate electrical circuit unit to mount the circuit unit in spaced, overlying relation to the accelerometer unit, and an electrically conductive adhesive extends through guide holes in a gasket between the accelerometer and circuit units to electrically connect the circuit to the detect plate and to the connector on the ceramic substrate.

Accelerometer

An accelerometer is shown with improved drop resistance for regulating automotive safety air-bag systems and the like. The device comprises a member of silicon semiconducting material having a central seismic mass mounted on a surrounding support by intervening beams, a pair of beams extending from each of four sides of the mass to the support and the mass being otherwise free of connection to the support to permit movement of the mass along an axis perpendicular to the plane of the support in highly sensitive response to acceleration forces along that axis. Each beam extends from a location near an end of one side of the mass so that the two beams extending from each side of the mass are widely spaced relative to each other to oppose rotational or twisting movement of the mass in response to off-axis acceleration forces to prevent damage to the beams during dropping of the accelerometer to the extent possible consistent with providing the desired sensitivity of response. Piezoresistive sensors are accommodated in selected beams to sense strain during movement of the mass to provide an output signal corresponding to acceleration force along the device axis. Stops limit movement of the mass along that axis to further avoid damage to the beams.

Accelerometer with central mass in support

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Cumberland, RI, United States of America

Raymond E Mandeville