CN118169421A - Sensor device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a sensor device (1) for a vehicle, comprising a sensor housing (20), a plug assembly (10) arranged on the sensor housing (20), which comprises a plug housing (12) and at least two plug pins and forms an external interface of the sensor device (1), and a circuit carrier on which an electronic circuit corresponding to a sensor solution to be implemented is arranged, which has at least one sensor element, wherein the circuit carrier is inserted into an opening of the sensor housing (20) and is connected to the at least two plug pins at an internal interface, wherein the opening of the sensor housing (20) is closed off in a fluid-tight manner by a cover (22), wherein the sensor housing (20) is integrated into a base body (5) of a closure housing (3) or is arranged detachably on the closure housing (3).

Description

Sensor device for vehicle

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a sensor device for a vehicle.

Background

Wheel speed sensors or ABS sensors are known in motor vehicle sensing systems, which are fastened statically at the steering knuckle or directly at the wheel bearing and detect the signal from the incremental transmitter in a contactless manner. The incremental transmitter is configured, for example, as a steel wheel or a magnetized encoder and is fastened at the rotating part of the axle or bearing. In addition to the known wheel speed sensors, further sensors are known, such as sensors for brake lining wear indication, tire pressure sensors, sensors for noise suppression, sensors for adaptive damper adjustment, sensors for headlight stroke adjustment, etc., which are installed in the region of the wheel house.

Sensor devices having a sensor housing and plug assemblies having a plug housing are known from the prior art. The plug housing with the integrated plug connector can be embodied as an injection molded housing with an insert for the electrical contacts or as an injection molded housing with press-fit contact pins. Insert-carrying plug housings with injection molding processes generally result in higher costs than plug housings with press-fit contacts, because the insertion process in an injection molding machine results in a reduced cycle time and requires additional effort to handle the insert (robot or similar device). In order to produce different sensor housing variants (width, height, different screwing points, etc.) with plug connections, different injection molds are usually required for the housing, although the external plug interfaces are identical. For sensors having a so-called A2B interface, special specification requirements are placed on the electrical properties of the plug connector. Since the transmission frequency of the external interface is high (similar to a 100Mbit network interface), the distance between the plug pins must be kept as small as possible. This limits the options for plug connectors on the free market. In order to achieve the desired sensor solution, customers typically have very different requirements on the sensor assembly. Furthermore, different external interfaces may be required for different data bus topologies and for implementing different communication protocols. This results in a number of different embodiments of the sensor assembly.

A sensor for a motor vehicle is known from DE 38 09 886 C2, which electronically adjusts or influences vehicle behavior, in particular driving behavior and braking behavior and/or vibration damping, as a function of the wheel speed and the vertical acceleration of the wheel or of the wheel suspension and/or of the body acceleration. The sensor is configured as a dual or multi-function sensor in that two or more transducer systems are combined and structurally combined with at least an inductive or magnetoresistive measuring value sensor and with a vertical acceleration sensor, wherein the measuring value sensor is arranged on the vehicle body close to the periphery of a toothed disk rotating together with the wheel and provides an electrical signal proportional to the rotational movement of the wheel.

From WO 03/031990A1 a device for combined detection of axle acceleration and wheel speed and a pressure determination method are known. The device may be mechanically connected at an element of the chassis of the motor vehicle that resonates with a corresponding motor vehicle wheel. In this case, a signal preprocessing device is provided with electronics for preprocessing the sensor signals, which is connected to the magnetic sensor element and the acceleration sensor element or to the combined magnetic/acceleration sensor element by means of an electrically conductive element connection. The magnetic sensor element or the magnetic/acceleration sensor element is operatively connected to the wheel-side magnetic encoder.

Disclosure of Invention

The sensor device for a vehicle with the features of independent claim 1 has the advantage that a flexible housing solution is provided for a variety of different sensor applications or sensor solutions, in particular for multiple sensor applications which can be integrated into the base body of the closure casing or which can be arranged detachably on the closure casing. The closure is preferably a closure of a wheel bearing. Integrating a circuit carrier with complex electronic circuits having at least one sensor element, but preferably a plurality of sensor elements, into a common sensor housing requires a large amount of space. The closure housing, in particular for a wheel bearing, provides the required space and, in addition, ensures a low operating temperature due to the relatively large distance from the hot vehicle components, such as, for example, brake disks or the like. In this case, only a small part of the entire housing is replaced, in particular in a variant. By combining different parts, a plurality of different variants of the sensor device can be created. The production line can be designed such that all variants can be produced in one line. With the currently proposed sensor modules, a plurality of sensor devices or sensor assemblies can be produced by combining different housing parts. The functional principle is always similar in terms of construction, and the same manufacturing equipment can be used. The plug assembly makes it possible to adapt the external interface of the sensor device to the bus topology desired by the customer in advance and at the same time to design the mechanical interface between the sensor housing and the plug housing in the same way. For example, a two-pole or four-pole or eight-pole plug connection can be provided, which can meet the corresponding requirements for signal transmission and communication protocols. Of course, a blade or similar contact assembly may also be used as an external interface to the sensor assembly.

Embodiments of the invention provide a sensor device for a vehicle, having a sensor housing, a plug assembly arranged on the sensor housing, which comprises a plug housing and at least two plug pins and forms an external interface of the sensor device, and a circuit carrier on which an electronic circuit with at least one sensor element corresponding to a sensor solution to be implemented is arranged. The circuit carrier is inserted into an opening of the sensor housing and is connected to at least two plug pins at an internal interface. The opening of the sensor housing is closed in a fluid-tight manner by a cover. The sensor housing is integrated into the base body of the closure housing or is arranged in a detachable manner on the closure housing.

With an embodiment of the sensor assembly, the A2B interface can be easily implemented as an external interface, for example by placing the required plug pins in the plug housing at a distance that is kept as small as possible, in order to achieve a high transmission frequency (100 Mbit) of the external interface similar to a network interface. Furthermore, the external interfaces of the sensor assembly may be configured as MOST bus interfaces, 100BASE-T1 interfaces, PSI5 interfaces, CAN-FD interfaces, VIAS interfaces, etc.

Different customer requirements for the sensor device can be easily fulfilled by the circuit carrier used. In this way, different sensor elements can be arranged as part of the electronic circuit on the circuit carrier, depending on the sensor solution to be implemented. For example, a speed sensor having one ASIC (ASIC: application specific integrated circuit) or two ASICs can then be arranged on the circuit carrier, or a speed sensor having two sensor elements, a temperature sensor, a microphone, etc. can be arranged. In this case, the rotational speed sensor may be equipped with HALL, AMR, GMR, TMR or similar measuring techniques. Furthermore, a sensor device for acceleration measurement and/or for noise measurement (road noise sensor device) can also be arranged on the circuit carrier.

The plug housing, the sensor housing and the base body of the closure housing can each preferably be formed as a plastic injection molded component. This enables a convenient and cost-effective mass production.

The electronic circuit can be understood, for example, as an evaluation and control circuit, which processes or evaluates the detected sensor signals. The electronic circuit may have at least one interface, which may be designed in hardware and/or software. In case of a hardware design, the interface may for example be part of a so-called system ASIC, which contains the various functions of the electronic circuit. It is however equally possible that the interface is an application specific integrated circuit or at least partly consists of discrete devices. In case a software design is employed, the interface may be a software module, which is present on the microcontroller, for example together with other software modules. Also advantageous is a computer program product with a program code which is stored on a machine-readable carrier, such as a semiconductor memory, a hard disk memory or an optical memory, and which is used for evaluation when the program is executed by an electronic circuit.

Advantageous improvements to the sensor device for a vehicle given in independent claim 1 can be made by the measures and improvements set forth in the dependent claims.

The sensor housing can be configured in a recess of the base body of the closure shell. The wall of the recess may form a sensor housing. Alternatively, at least one first fastening structure can be formed on the base body of the closure shell, which can cooperate with at least one second fastening structure arranged on the sensor housing. The sensor housing can be fastened to the closure shell preferably by means of a screwing solution. To this end, the at least one first fastening structure may comprise a threaded sleeve and the second fastening structure may comprise a fastening plate with a through opening, so that the sensor housing can be screwed together with the closure shell. The threaded sleeve can be inserted into the plastic of the base body of the closure housing or welded if the base body is made of a metal housing. Other detachable fastening possibilities are also conceivable, such as, for example, latching, clamping solutions, bayonet connections (Bajonettverschluss), etc. In order to better fit the sensor housing, in particular in the case of screw solutions, the base body of the closure shell can also have additional recesses, for example blind holes, into which positioning pins formed on the sensor housing can be inserted. In practice, such recesses are subject to the fact that they allow easy drainage of the water flowing into the blind holes, for example in order to prevent ice weathering (Frostsprengung). The support region of the sensor housing or cover on the closure shell can likewise be embodied as a projection or recess by means of a suitable design, in order to also achieve drainage/drying of the water and torsion resistance here. Alternatively, for the same purpose, such a structure can of course also be present on a support region of the base body of the closure shell, which support region is connected to the sensor housing or the cover.

In an advantageous embodiment of the sensor device, the internal interface and the external interface can be configured according to the communication protocol to be implemented. The number and arrangement of the at least two plug pins of the plug assembly can be adapted to the communication protocol to be implemented.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the sensor device, the plug housing can be molded onto the sensor housing. In this case, the plug assembly with the plug pins introduced into the mold can be molded together with the sensor housing in an injection molding process. Alternatively, the plug housing can be connected to the sensor housing in a fluid-tight manner by means of a welded connection or an adhesive connection or by means of a screw connection or by means of a press-fit connection or by means of a heat-staking connection or by means of a combination of the mentioned connection techniques. The plug assembly can be connected as a separate component to the sensor housing by a flange after the fact with an additional seal.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the sensor device, the cover can be connected to the sensor housing in a fluid-tight manner by means of a welded connection or an adhesive connection or by means of a screw connection or by means of a press fit connection or by means of a heat-sealing connection or by means of a combination of the mentioned connection techniques.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the sensor device, at least two plug pins of the plug assembly can be pressed into the plug housing and electrically conductively connected to at least one conductor track structure of the circuit carrier.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the sensor device, the plug housing can have at least one support element in the bottom region, against which the circuit carrier rests. Furthermore, the circuit carrier can be pressed onto at least two plug pins in the region of the internal interface and can be electrically contacted. This contact of at least two plug pins additionally entails a mechanical fixing of the circuit carrier on the plug side. In order to keep the load on the contact points as low as possible, the circuit carrier is placed against the at least one support element in the region of the first interface. The at least one support element can be attached or molded to the plug housing, for example, as an additional support shoulder.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the sensor device, at least one sensor element of the electronic circuit can be integrated into at least one ASIC sensor module (ASIC: application specific integrated circuit).

Drawings

Embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and will be explained in more detail in the following description. In the drawings, the same reference numerals denote components or elements performing the same or similar functions.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic perspective side view of a first embodiment of a sensor device for a vehicle according to the invention;

Fig. 2 shows a schematic perspective view of the sensor device for a vehicle according to the invention shown in fig. 1 from behind;

Fig. 3 shows a detailed view of the plug assembly of the sensor device for a vehicle according to the invention shown in fig. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 shows a schematic perspective view of the sensor arrangement for a vehicle according to the invention shown in fig. 1 to 3 when a circuit carrier is mounted;

Fig. 5 shows a schematic perspective view of the sensor arrangement for a vehicle according to the invention shown in fig. 1 to 3 when the cover is closed;

Fig. 6 shows a schematic perspective side view of a second embodiment of a sensor device for a vehicle according to the invention;

fig. 7 shows a schematic perspective top view of the plug assembly of the sensor device for a vehicle according to the invention shown in fig. 6 connected to a sensor housing;

Fig. 8 shows a schematic perspective top view of the closure housing of the sensor device for a vehicle according to the invention shown in fig. 6;

FIG. 9 shows a schematic perspective view of the sensor housing shown in FIG. 7 when the circuit carrier is mounted; and

Fig. 10 shows a schematic perspective view of the sensor housing shown in fig. 7 when the cover is closed.

Detailed Description

As can be seen from fig. 1 to 10, the exemplary embodiments of the sensor device 1, 1A, 1B according to the invention for a vehicle each comprise a sensor housing 20, 20A, 20B, a plug assembly 10 which is arranged on the sensor housing 20, 20A, 20B and comprises a plug housing 12 and at least two plug pins 16 and forms an external interface 18 of the sensor device 1, 1A, 1B, and a circuit carrier 26 on which an electronic circuit 28 which corresponds to the sensor solution to be implemented and has at least one sensor element is arranged. The circuit carrier 26 is inserted into the opening 23 of the sensor housing 20, 20A, 20B and is connected to the at least two plug pins 16 at the internal interface 24. The opening 23 of the sensor housing 20, 20A, 20B is closed in a fluid-tight manner by a cover 22, 22A, 22B. The sensor housing 20, 20A, 20B is integrated into the base body 5 of the closure housing 3, 3A, 3B or is arranged in a detachable manner on the closure housing 3, 3A, 3B.

As further shown in particular in fig. 3 and 7, in the illustrated embodiments of the plug assembly 10, the plug housing 12 has a plug opening 14 for inserting a plug, which is not shown in detail. Furthermore, the number and arrangement of the at least two plug pins 16 of the plug assembly 10 can be adapted to the communication protocol to be implemented. In the illustrated embodiment of the plug assembly 10, eight plug pins 16, which are configured as press-fit contact pins 16A, are pressed into corresponding contact openings of the plug housing 12, which are not shown in detail. As can be seen in particular from fig. 4, 5, 9 and 10, the circuit carrier 26 has an internal interface 24 with eight metallized through holes, not shown in detail, into which the eight plug pins 16 can be pressed. Alternatively, the plug pins 16 may be soldered in the metallized through holes. The plug pins 16 are electrically connected to at least one printed conductor structure, not shown in greater detail, of the circuit carrier 26 via these metallized through holes. In the embodiment shown, an ASIC module 28A, which is part of the electronic circuit 28, is arranged on a circuit carrier 26 in which at least one sensor element is integrated. Of course, the electronic circuit may also comprise further active or passive electronic devices not shown in detail here. ASIC module 28A may be fastened to circuit carrier 26 directly or by means of spacers. Furthermore, to implement the sensor solution, a plurality of sensor elements can be integrated into the ASIC module 28A or into a plurality of ASIC modules 28A.

The sensor housing 20, 20A, 20B has at least one support element 25 at the bottom region, against which the circuit carrier 26 rests, in order to reduce the contact load of the plug pins 16 at least in the region of the internal interface 24. As can be seen in particular from fig. 4 and 9, a plurality of support elements 25, which are embodied as support shoulders 25A, are formed in a distributed manner on the sensor housings 20, 20A, 20B, against which sensor housings 20, 20A, 20B the circuit carrier 26 rests. Further, the circuit carrier 26 may be supported and fixed on the sensor housing 20, 20A, 20B by an additional support cap, snap-on hook, or the like.

As further shown by fig. 1-10, in the illustrated embodiments, the plug housing 12 is molded to the sensor housing 20, 20A, 20B to form the connection region 13. This is preferably done in an injection molding process with the manufacture of the sensor housing 20, 20A, 20B. Thereby, the sensor housings 20, 20A, 20B and the plug housing 12 of the plug assembly 10 are connected to each other in a non-detachable manner.

In an alternative, not shown embodiment of the sensor device 1, the plug housing 12 of the plug assembly 10 is produced separately and is connected to the sensor housing 20 in a fluid-tight manner by means of a welded connection or by means of an adhesive connection or by means of a screw connection or by means of a press-fit connection or by means of a heat-sealing connection or by means of a combination of the mentioned connection techniques. Preferably, the plug housing 12 is connected to the sensor housing 20, 20A, 20B by means of laser transmission welding or friction welding.

As can be further seen from fig. 1 to 5, in the first exemplary embodiment shown of the sensor device 1A, the sensor housing 20A is formed in the recess 6 of the base body 5 of the closed housing 3A. This means that the wall of the recess 6 hollowed out into the base body 5 forms the sensor housing 20A. As already mentioned above, the plug housing 12 is molded onto the sensor housing 20A or the base body 5 of the closure housing 3A to form the connection region 13. This is preferably done in an injection molding process with the manufacture of the base body 5 of the closure housing 3A. Thereby, the base body 5 of the closure housing 3A and the plug housing 12 of the plug assembly 10 are connected to each other in a non-detachable manner. Since in the embodiment shown is a closed housing 3A for a wheel bearing, a press-fit ring 7 made of steel or stainless steel is placed together in a mold when the base body 5 is produced with plastic by injection molding. As can further be seen from fig. 4, after the base body 5 of the closure housing 3A has been produced, the circuit carrier 26 is inserted into the opening 23 of the sensor housing 20A and is mechanically and electrically connected to the plug pins 16 at the internal interface 24. The opening 23 in the sensor housing 20A or in the base body 5 of the closure housing 3A is closed with a cover 22A, preferably made of plastic, which is fastened in a fluid-tight manner to the sensor housing 20A or to the wall of the recess 6 on the inner side of the base body 5 of the closure housing 3A by means of adhesive technology or by means of laser transmission welding or friction welding or other suitable methods. As can be further seen from fig. 2,4 and 5, the cover 22A has a sealing groove 8 at the edge for a seal 9, which is embodied here as an O-ring seal 9A.

As can be further seen from fig. 6 to 10, in the second exemplary embodiment of the sensor device 1B shown, the sensor housing 20B is configured separately from the base body 5 of the closure housing 3B. This means that the sensor housing 20B is fastened to the base body 5 of the closed casing 3B. As already mentioned above, in the second embodiment of the sensor device 1B, the plug housing 12 is also molded onto the sensor housing 20B to form the connection region 13. This is preferably accomplished in an injection molding process with the manufacture of the sensor housing 20B. Thereby, the sensor housing 20A and the plug housing 12 of the plug assembly 10 are connected to each other in a non-detachable manner. Since in the embodiment shown is a closed housing 3A for a wheel bearing, when the base body 5 is produced by injection molding using plastic, a press-fit ring 7 made of steel or stainless steel is placed together in a mold, similar to the first embodiment of the sensor device 1A. As can further be seen from fig. 9, after the sensor housing 20B has been produced together with the plug housing 12, the circuit carrier 26 is inserted into the opening 23 of the sensor housing 20B and is mechanically and electrically connected to the plug pins 16 at the internal interface 24. The opening 23 in the sensor housing 20B is closed with a cover 22B, preferably made of plastic, which is fastened in a fluid-tight manner to the sensor housing 20B by means of adhesive technology or by means of laser transmission welding or friction welding or other suitable methods.

As can be further seen from fig. 6 to 10, at least one first fastening structure 4 is formed on the base body 5 of the closed housing 3B, which cooperates with at least one second fastening structure 29 arranged on the sensor housing 20B. As can be seen in particular from fig. 6 to 8, the at least one first fastening structure 4 comprises a threaded sleeve 4B which is injection-molded by the sleeve receptacle 4A. The second fastening structure 29 comprises a fastening tab 29A with a through opening molded onto the sensor housing 20B, so that the sensor housing 20B can be screwed together with the closure casing 3. In order to improve the guidance of the fastening screw, a guide sleeve can be introduced into the through opening of the fastening plate 29A. The guide sleeve can be pressed into the through-opening, for example. Alternatively, the guide sleeve may be injection-molded by the fastening plate 29A and form a through opening.

As can be further seen from fig. 8, the base body 5 of the closure housing 3B has a plurality of additional recesses, not shown in detail, in order to better fit the sensor housing 20B or the cover 22B. At the bearing region of the cover 22B on the closure housing 3B, a corresponding projection structure, not shown in detail, is provided, which cooperates with one of the recesses in the base body 5 in order to support the correct positioning of the sensor housing 20B, which is closed by the cover 22B, on the base body 5 of the closure housing 3B.

Claims (12)

1. Sensor device (1) for a vehicle, comprising a sensor housing (20), a plug assembly (10) which is arranged on the sensor housing (20) and comprises a plug housing (12) and at least two plug pins (16) and forms an external interface (18) of the sensor device (1), and a circuit carrier (26) on which an electronic circuit (28) which corresponds to a sensor solution to be implemented and has at least one sensor element is arranged, wherein the circuit carrier (26) is inserted into an opening (23) of the sensor housing (20) and is connected to the at least two plug pins (16) at an internal interface (24), wherein the opening (23) of the sensor housing (20) is closed off in a fluid-tight manner by a cover (22), wherein the sensor housing (20) is integrated into a base body (5) of a closure shell (3) or is arranged detachably on the closure shell (3).

2. Sensor device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the sensor housing (20) is configured in a recess (6) of a base body (5) of the closed casing (3).

3. Sensor device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one first fastening structure (4) is formed on the base body (5) of the closed housing (3), which first fastening structure cooperates with at least one second fastening structure (29) arranged on the sensor housing (20).

4. A sensor device (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the at least one first fastening structure (4) comprises a threaded sleeve (4B) and the second fastening structure (29) comprises a fastening plate (29A) with a through opening, so that the sensor housing (20) can be screwed together with the closure casing (3).

5. Sensor device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the internal interface (24) and the external interface (18) are constructed according to a communication protocol to be implemented, wherein the number and arrangement of at least two plug pins (16) of the plug assembly (10) can be adapted to the communication protocol to be implemented.

6. Sensor device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the plug housing (12) is molded onto the sensor housing (20).

7. Sensor device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the plug housing (12) is connected in a fluid-tight manner to the sensor housing (20) by means of a welded connection or an adhesive connection or by means of a threaded connection or by means of a press-fit connection or by means of a heat-staking connection or by means of a combination of the mentioned connection techniques.

8. Sensor device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the cover (22) is connected in a fluid-tight manner to the sensor housing (20) by means of a welded connection or an adhesive connection or by means of a screw connection or by means of a press-fit connection or by means of a heat-staking connection or by means of a combination of the mentioned connection techniques.

9. Sensor device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that at least two plug pins (16) of the plug assembly (10) are pressed into the plug housing (12) and are electrically conductively connected to at least one conductor track structure of the circuit carrier (26).

10. Sensor device (1) according to claim 9, characterized in that the circuit carrier (26) is pressed onto the at least two plug pins (16) in the region of the internal interface (24) and makes electrical contact.

11. Sensor device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the plug housing (12) has at least one support element (25) at a bottom region, against which the circuit carrier (26) rests.

12. The sensor device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that at least one sensor element of the electronic circuit (28) is integrated into at least one ASIC sensor module (28A).