Sensor arrangement and measuring arrangement

A sensor arrangement includes at least two sensor components. Each sensor component includes a housing with at least one sensor element. The housings each include at least one connecting device. The at least one connecting device can be used to mechanically connect the at least two sensor components to one another.

BACKGROUND

The German publication DE 10 2005 002 363 B3 discloses a sensor arrangement having at least two sensor elements. The sensor elements are arranged in a common housing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the invention specifies a sensor arrangement that detects the temperatures at an interface between at least two temperature zones.

A sensor arrangement comprising at least two sensor components is specified. The sensor components each comprise a housing with at least one sensor element. The housings of the sensor components each comprise at least one part of a connecting device which can be used to mechanically connect the at least two sensor components of the sensor arrangement to one another.

In one embodiment of the sensor arrangement, the sensor elements of the at least two sensor components are thermally insulated from one another.

In one embodiment, the sensor arrangement consists of at least two individual independent sensor components which are thermally decoupled from one another.

In one embodiment of the sensor arrangement, at least one sensor element is arranged in a cavity of the sensor component. In another embodiment, at least one sensor element is arranged in a depression in the housing wall on the outside or on an outer surface of the housing wall of a sensor component. In one embodiment, the sensor element is encased with a potting compound in order to protect against corrosion or destruction.

In order to detect the temperatures at an interface between two temperature zones as independently as possible, the sensor elements are arranged such that they are spatially separate, with the result that the sensor elements are thermally and spatially decoupled from one another.

In one embodiment of the sensor arrangement, the connecting device of the sensor components is in the form of a tongue-and-groove plug-in connection. At least one sensor component has at least one groove. At least one further sensor component has at least one tongue which fits into the groove of the one sensor component. The groove and the tongue are preferably designed in such a manner that they can be plugged into one another and together have a preferably form-fitting connection.

In one embodiment of the sensor arrangement, the tongue-and-groove plug-in connection is in the form of a dovetail connection or a fir tree connection. The groove of one component is at least designed in such a manner that the tongue of the further component preferably fits into the groove in a form-fitting manner.

In one embodiment of the sensor arrangement, the tongue is in the form of a separate connecting piece which is arranged on the housing of the sensor component or is mechanically connected to the latter, for example, adhesively bonded. In another embodiment, the tongue is an integrally formed part of the sensor component to be connected. The tongue is plugged into the housing of the sensor component.

In one embodiment of the sensor arrangement, each of the sensor components has at least two electrical connecting contacts for electrically connecting the sensor elements. In one embodiment in which a sensor component has more than one sensor element, electrical contacts of the respective sensor elements form the electrical connection of the sensor component.

In one embodiment of the sensor arrangement, at least one sensor element is arranged on a printed circuit board. In one embodiment, the printed circuit board is preferably arranged in the housing of one of the sensor components. In one embodiment, the printed circuit board has at least two electrical connecting contacts. In one embodiment of the sensor arrangement, further electrical components are arranged on the printed circuit board.

In one embodiment of the sensor arrangement, the housings of the sensor components contain at least a plastic. In the embodiment of the sensor components as temperature sensors, the housing of the sensor components preferably has good thermal properties at least in the region of the sensor elements. The housing preferably has good thermal conductivity in the region of the sensor element. When the sensor elements are in the form of optical sensors, the housing of the sensor components has an optically transparent region, preferably in the infrared range, at least in the region of the sensor elements. The optically transparent region of the at least one sensor component is in the form of a preferably optically transparent cap, for example. The cap comprises a material which is preferably optically transmissive to radiation in the infrared range.

In one embodiment of the sensor arrangement, at least two of the sensor elements are in the form of temperature sensor elements. The temperature sensor elements are preferably in the form of NTC (component with a negative temperature coefficient) elements. In another embodiment, the temperature sensor elements are in the form of PTC (component with a positive temperature coefficient) elements.

In one embodiment of the sensor arrangement, at least one sensor component has at least two sensor elements, a first sensor element being in the form of an optical sensor, and a further sensor element being in the form of an NTC element. The optical sensor is preferably a photodiode for detecting the thermal radiation from a radiation source. The NTC element is preferably used to detect the convection heat and/or the thermal radiation from a radiation source.

A measuring arrangement for detecting at least two temperature zones using a sensor arrangement described is also specified, at least one sensor element of a first sensor component detecting the temperature of a first temperature zone. At least one sensor element of a second sensor component detects the temperature of a second temperature zone.

The sensor arrangement described above and the measuring arrangement are preferably used when detecting the inside temperature of a motor vehicle. A sensor arrangement as described makes it possible to detect the temperature at the interface between two temperature zones. The mutual influence of the sensor elements is minimized by housings which are thermally decoupled from one another. The temperatures of at least two adjacent temperature zones can thus be detected with one common component.

The following list of reference symbols may be used in conjunction with the drawings:1Sensor arrangement2,3Sensor component4,5Housing6,7,8Sensor element9Connecting device10Groove11Tongue12,13,14,16,17Electrical connecting contact15Printed circuit board18CapA, A′ Sectional axis

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1diagrammatically shows the structure of a sensor arrangement1comprising a first sensor component2and a second sensor component3. The housing4of the first sensor component2and the housing5of the second sensor component3are mechanically connected to one another by means of a connecting device9. The connecting device9is illustrated in detail inFIG. 2. Both the first sensor component2and the second sensor component3each have electrical connections12,13,14. The first sensor component2has three electrical connections12,13,14. The second sensor component3has two electrical connections16,17. The first sensor component2has an optically transparent cap18.

FIG. 2illustrates a three-dimensional view of the first sensor component2. The first sensor component2has a housing4. One part of a connecting device9in the form of a tongue11is arranged on the top side of the housing4. In the embodiment illustrated, the tongue11is arranged to the side of the central axis of the first sensor component2. The tongue11is in the form of a dovetail connection. The tongue11has a slot running in the longitudinal direction of the tongue11. In the embodiment illustrated, the first sensor component2has three electrical connecting contacts12,13,14. In another embodiment, it is also possible for the first sensor component2to have only two electrical connections.

FIG. 3ashows a view of the underside of a first sensor component2according to the embodiment inFIG. 2. In the embodiment illustrated, the housing4of the first sensor component2has three electrical connecting contacts12,13,14. In the embodiment illustrated, the positions of two sensor elements6,7are indicated on an end face of the housing4. In the embodiment illustrated, the sensor elements6,7are arranged inside the housing4, as can be seen inFIG. 3b. The sensor elements6,7are partially surrounded by an optically transparent cap18. The sensor elements6,7can be electrically contact-connected using three connecting contacts12,13,14. One of the three connecting contacts12,13,14is used as common ground of the two sensor elements6,7, for example, and is coupled to a respective connection of the sensor elements.

In another embodiment which is not illustrated, it is also possible for a plurality of sensor elements6,7to each have completely separate connecting contacts.

FIG. 3bshows a cross section through the second sensor component2according to the embodiment inFIG. 3aalong the sectional axis A-A′. The housing4of the first sensor component2has a printed circuit board15. A sensor element6which is connected to a printed circuit board15is arranged in a sensor region of the housing4. The electrical contacts of the sensor element6are routed to electrical connecting contacts13,14via conductor tracks on the printed circuit board15. A tongue11as part of a dovetail connection is illustrated in the upper region of the housing.

FIG. 3cdiagrammatically shows a view of the housing4of the first sensor component2from the end face. In the region of the end face, the housing4of the first sensor component2has an optically transparent cap18inside which the sensor elements of the first sensor component2are arranged.

FIG. 4diagrammatically shows the structure of a second sensor component3in a perspective view. The housing5of the second sensor component3has a groove10as part of a connecting device. In the embodiment illustrated, the housing5of the second sensor component3has two reference planes which are arranged approximately at right angles to one another. The groove10of the plug-in connection is assigned to a first reference plane. A sensor element8on the rear side of the sensor component3is indicated in the region of the second reference plane. The sensor element8can be contact-connected from the outside via electrical connecting contacts16,17.

FIG. 5ashows a view of the embodiment of the second sensor component3from the rear side of the housing5. The housing5of the second sensor component3has a groove10in the lower region, which groove extends over the entire width of the housing5. A sensor element8is arranged in the upper region and can be contact-connected via electrical connecting contacts17.

FIG. 5bshows the profile of the housing5of the second sensor component3according to the embodiment inFIG. 4. The housing5of the second sensor component3has a sensor element8on the top side. The sensor element8is arranged on a surface of the housing5that is arranged perpendicular to the first reference plane of the housing5. The groove10has approximately a T shape in profile. The groove10is preferably designed such that the tongue11of the first sensor component2engages in the groove10of the second component3in a form-fitting manner.

Although only a restricted number of possible developments of the invention could be described in the exemplary embodiments, the invention is not restricted thereto. In principle, it is possible for the sensor arrangement to comprise a plurality of sensor components which are mechanically connected to one another via connecting devices and to have a plurality of sensor elements which are thermally decoupled.

The description of the items specified here is not restricted to the individual special embodiments; rather, the features of the individual embodiments can be combined with one another in any desired manner, if technically useful.