Abstract:
A sensor device for detecting mechanical deformation of a component, in particular in the automotive field, has a deformation device, which has a deformable polysilicon part that undergoes a change in electric resistance in deformation; and an electric line arrangement for analog transmission of the change in resistance data of the polysilicon part from the deformation device to a central unit.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to a sensor device for detecting mechanical deformation of a component.  
         BACKGROUND INFORMATION  
         [0002]    Although applicable to any components, the present invention and the principles on which it is based are explained with respect to a component in the automotive area.  
           [0003]    In general, for protection of occupants in automotive engineering, it is necessary to promptly detect an impact or collision of the motor vehicle with an obstacle and to activate proper passenger safety applications. Deformation sensor devices are frequently also used in addition to acceleration sensor devices.  
           [0004]    According to the related art, the deformation sensor devices that are used are based on metal-layer strain gauges. Metal-layer strain gauges are riveted to a door-reinforcing element of the vehicle, for example, and function as extra detectors in addition to the peripheral side impact-detecting acceleration sensors for detecting deformation of the door as a result of impact of same with an obstacle; shorter deployment times are to be made possible for the corresponding safety applications.  
           [0005]    Typical metal-layer strain gauges are made of constantan or nickel-chromium layers, for example. Mechanical deformation of the metal-layer strain gauge causes its electric resistance to change. The quotient of the percentage change in resistance and percentage change in length is known as the k factor and amounts to approximately 2 for the examples given above. Metal-layer strain gauges are usually dimensioned so as to yield a scaling factor of 2 mV/V in a complete measurement range. However, this is only a low useful signal.  
           [0006]    The problem on which the present invention is based is thus in general that because of the low useful signal, on-site pre-amplification and a suitable digital interface are necessary for transmission of the corresponding change in resistance data to a central unit.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    The sensor device according to the present invention has the advantage in comparison with the known approach that a cost-optimized deformation sensor device for side impact detection, for example, is feasible, supplying a sufficiently large signal for the change in resistance due to mechanical deformation, this signal being transmittable as an analog signal to a central unit for analysis.  
           [0008]    The idea on which the present invention is based is that the sensor device has a deformation device, which has a deformable polysilicon part that undergoes a change in electric resistance when deformed, and it has an electric conductor arrangement for analog transmission of change in resistance data concerning the polysilicon part from the deformation device to a central unit.  
           [0009]    In the event of deformation of the polysilicon part, a useful signal is obtained on the basis of the change in resistance, which is large enough for analog transmission to a central unit even without pre-amplification. This makes it possible to eliminate expensive additional electronic components and to manufacture a more compact and cost-optimized sensor device. According to a preferred refinement, the polysilicon part is designed as a polysilicon strain gauge (DMS). It is often sufficient to detect deformation along a certain segment.  
           [0010]    According to another preferred refinement, the polysilicon strain gauge has a k factor of up to 40. This yields such a large change in resistance that the useful signal is transmittable as an analog signal to a central unit without preamplification.  
           [0011]    According to another preferred refinement, due to suitable doping of the polysilicon strain gauge, it has a k factor which is essentially independent of the temperature of the polysilicon strain gauge. Due to this lack of thermal sensitivity of the k factor, a greater reliability of the measured values is achieved.  
           [0012]    According to another preferred refinement, the deformation device has a carrier on which there is a Kapton (polyimide) film or the like on which in turn the polysilicon strain gauge is glued and into which the corresponding electric lines or line contacts may be integrated. This is an especially inexpensive design which is simple to manufacture.  
           [0013]    According to another preferred refinement, contact points or bond pads for contacting the corresponding electric connections are situated on the Kapton film.  
           [0014]    According to another preferred refinement, the deformation device has a gelatinous cover which provides both mechanical and electrical protection.  
           [0015]    According to another preferred refinement, the deformation device is situated horizontally in a door-reinforcing element of a vehicle. For a one-dimensional deformation measurement of the door-reinforcing element, for example, it is sufficient to measure the mechanical deformation along a certain line.  
           [0016]    According to another preferred refinement, the polysilicon strain gauge is wired as a rheostat.  
           [0017]    According to another preferred refinement, the change in resistance data is transmittable over two twisted conductors to the central unit. The twisted conductors prevent electromechanical interference from being injected.  
           [0018]    According to another preferred refinement, the sensor device has at least one filter device for high-pass filtering of predetermined interference quantities in particular.  
           [0019]    Since the analysis of crash signals is performed purely dynamically in the event of a collision with an obstacle, other types of high-frequency dynamic interference must also be minimized, since they may under some circumstances cause a faulty analysis of the measurement. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0020]    [0020]FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional side view of a sensor device according to one embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 2 shows a top view of the sensor device in FIG. 1.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 3 shows an electric schematic diagram of the wiring of the sensor device in FIGS. 1 and 2 with a central unit. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0023]    The same reference numbers in the figures denote the same components or components having the same function.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIGS. 1 and 2 show a cross-sectional side view and a top view, respectively, of a sensor device  1  according to one embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0025]    Sensor device  1  has a substrate in the form of a bottom plate  21 , which in the present embodiment is composed of two planar partial sections that are displaced axially with respect to one another and are joined by a web. One section includes a deformation device  2  and the other section according to the present embodiment has a bipolar connector  26  which engages in a recess in bottom plate  21  by a latching mechanism  27 .  
         [0026]    A copper-laminated Kapton film  22  on one side is glued onto the planar section of bottom plate  21  having deformation device  2 , for example, with the topology advantageously integrated on the surface by etching.  
         [0027]    Laminated Kapton film  22  functions as an insulation layer between polysilicon strain gauge  20  and bottom plate  21  and also functions as a substrate for the circuitry topology. Contacting pads for contacting two connector lugs  3  via bonds  23  are provided directly on polysilicon strain gauge  20 .  
         [0028]    A polysilicon strain gauge (DMS)  20  is in turn glued onto Kapton film  22 .  
         [0029]    Polysilicon strain gauge  20  undergoes approximately a percentage change in resistance of up to 40% with a percentage change in length of 1%. This yields a k factor of up to 40, describing the quotient of the percentage change in resistance and the percentage change in length in the case of mechanical deformation.  
         [0030]    By applying a d.c. voltage to polysilicon strain gauge  20 , the change in resistance data of polysilicon strain gauge  20  may be transmitted to a central unit (not shown) which is connected to connector  26  by way of bonds  23  and contacting lugs  3  of bipolar connector  26  connected to it, and the data analyzed there.  
         [0031]    For mechanical as well as electrical protection or as a safety device, this part of sensor device  1  is covered with a gelatinous cover  25 .  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 3 shows a circuit diagram of a wiring of sensor device  1  having central unit  4  according to one embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0033]    To permit an approximately constant k factor, which is essentially independent of temperature fluctuations and aging of polysilicon strain gauge  20 , the polysilicon is doped with suitable doping materials. Therefore, the temperature dependence of the polysilicon strain gauge sensitivity and its aging may be kept within tolerable limits.  
         [0034]    Deformation device  2  is advantageously mounted using bottom plate  21  on the component to be measured, e.g., horizontally on a door-reinforcing element of a vehicle. A one-dimensional deformation measurement, in which a deformation of the component is measured along a predetermined line, is often sufficient. In addition, on the basis of the analyzed change in resistance data, it is possible to determine the extent to which there has been compression or expansion of polysilicon strain gauge  20 , i.e., what type of deformation is involved in the case of the corresponding component.  
         [0035]    Sensor device  1  in the electric circuit diagram according to FIG. 3 has polysilicon strain gauge resistor  10 , which is advantageously wired as a rheostat and whose output signal, e.g., 30 beats per meter, is transmitted as an analog signal to a central unit via two twisted conductors  31 . This eliminates the need for any additional electronic devices in external sensor device  1  for pre-amplification and digital conversion, because sufficiently large useful signals are available even without such devices due to the high k factor of 40.  
         [0036]    The effect of two twisted conductors  31  is to essentially prevent or shield electromagnetic interference input caused by induced voltages.  
         [0037]    Central unit  4  has a voltage source U Stab  for a stabilized voltage supply to polysilicon strain gauge  20 . The other terminal of polysilicon strain gauge  20  is connected to the vehicle ground. Power supply voltage U Stab  is protected by a series resistor  41  which advantageously has the same resistance value as the nominal resistance of a polysilicon strain gauge for optimization of the output signal.  
         [0038]    Furthermore, central unit  4  has an amplifier device  40  which amplifies the useful analog signal of polysilicon strain gauge  20  and subjects it to high-pass filtering. Output voltage U OUT  thus obtained is converted by an A/D converter (not shown) into a digital useful signal. This useful signal is then sent to a controller device having a corresponding algorithm which then activates a corresponding passenger safety application if necessary.  
         [0039]    The EMC capacitors illustrated additionally in the circuit according to FIG. 3 provide a short-circuit of interfering high-frequency signals caused by lines or antennas, for example.  
         [0040]    On the basis of the purely dynamic analysis of crash signals, the analysis process is independent of a slow drift of the resistance value of polysilicon strain gauge resistor  10  (offset value of resistor  10 ) due to temperature or aging. However, high-frequency interference signals may falsify the measurement results and in the worst case may even cause unwanted deployment of a corresponding safety application. Therefore, the high-frequency filtering described above is advantageous for an improvement in the measurement results.  
         [0041]    According to the present embodiment, central unit  4  also has a software high-pass filter device which uses a software filter to filter out of the actual useful signal any signals having a predetermined interference variation which is not typical of an impact, in order to prevent faulty deployment of passenger safety applications. This further increases the reliability of the system.  
         [0042]    The wiring of the sensor device is explained in greater detail below on the basis of one numerical example.  
         [0043]    Power supply voltage U Stab  is 5 V, for example. Because of the voltage division of resistor  10  of polysilicon strain gauge  20  and series resistor  41  of central unit  4 , the two of which have the same low resistance value of 250 ohm, for example, according to the present numerical example, a reference voltage U REF  of 2.5 V is obtained at resistor  10  of polysilicon strain gauge  20 . Since the k factor of polysilicon strain gauge  20  has a value of approximately 40, optimally a percentage change in length of 1% yields a change in voltage of approximately 0.4 volt at resistor  10 . Reference voltage U REF  is selected here so that the applied voltage is always in the positive range, i.e., around U Stab /2 in both compression and elongation of strain gauge  20 . This permits a more advantageous electronics design, which is also simpler to implement from a technical standpoint.  
         [0044]    Thus, the present invention provides a sensor device with which a sufficiently large useful signal is generated in the case of mechanical deformation without an upstream pre-amplifier, and thus may be transmitted as an analog signal to a central unit. This eliminates the need for expensive electronics in the external deformation sensor and on the whole provides a deformation sensor device that is cost-effective and may be implemented more easily from a technical standpoint. In addition, useful signals may be separated from interference signals through an appropriate circuit, and the reliability of such a system may be increased.  
         [0045]    Although the present invention has been described above on the basis of a preferred embodiment, it is not limited to this embodiment but instead it may be modified in a variety of ways.  
         [0046]    For example, the series resistor for voltage division may be provided in sensor device  1  instead of being in central unit  4 . The bond pads may be provided either on the Kapton film or directly on the polysilicon strain gauge.  
         [0047]    Furthermore, the capacitors for filtering measures are only optional and are not absolutely necessary.